It's been a very long time since I posted about weight loss. About two years ago, I was doing very, very well. Then a couple of things happened.
My lifestyle changed. For five years or so I'd been attending college. I had a routine and I was used to it. I knew how to stick to my calorie intake for the day, and I did quite a bit of walking in addition to taekwondo.
I started losing weight my final year of college (I started in August) and lost forty pounds--220 to 180.
THEN I graduated. Right after I graduated Damon and I had a chance to have a couple of girls stay with us for the summer. Then I had gall bladder surgery. And stress levels skyrocketed. And exercise (a lot of it anyway) stopped. And I started eating. Then the girls went home at the end of the summer and I started teaching. And stress levels skyrocketed even more. I'd pretty much go home from school and start eating. I'd been at work all day, I felt like I deserved a reward for that and my reward was through food.
My weight, like my stress went up, up, up.
I hit 210 again. Only 10 pounds away from my highest weight ever, and I had to do something. So I started trying to be careful again, doing what I'd done before to lose weight. This time however, age had caught up to me. Before, I could lose around two pounds a week, now I was lucky to lose half a pound a week. I managed to keep up with it until I got to around 194. Then, for some reason, I don't know, stress, disappointment about the slow weight loss, whatever it was I stopped worrying about my food. And of course it started going back up. And weight goes up so much faster than it goes down.
I hit 202.
Then I decided that I needed to do something that could give me some motivation to stick to a diet. My friend was doing HCG at the time and she encouraged me to try it. So I decided to give it a shot. To date--I'm ending the diet tomorrow--I'm at 182.
Now there are problems with HCG--the yo-yo part of it. But I did the yo-yo thing before. I just need to be very careful. And now, my hubby is on board with weight loss too and that will make things so much easier.
AND I need to incorporate exercise. In a huge way. For a few reasons. If I gain muscle, muscle burns more calories so then I can enjoy food more. Taekwondo--I have some goals concerning taekwondo and if I don't get to a certain level of cardiovascular fitness and flexibility, then I'm never going to achieve some of my goals in taekwondo. And everyone I know who has lost weight and actually kept it off-they all exercise. My parents gave me a weight lifting machine so I have that, my rowing machine in the living room which I can use while watching television, and also my bicycle. I have options.
And I do want to lose more weight. I'd like to maintain this summer at around 182, gain some muscle, and go into the school year, with trying to lose weight the slow way--one pound every other week hopefully. I could do that.
I'm also planning on seeing a doctor this summer. I have often wondered if I have exercise induced asthma (wouldn't that be a nice excuse for me hating exercise?), and just talking about an overall health and fitness plan.
So that's the plan. As things change or not, I'll post about it.
Well, as long as I'm not in one of my anti-social moods!
4 comments:
I'm a little bit of a yo-yo when it comes to weight loss too. I just got my gallbladder taken out last month and got some stones saved. They were cholesterol stones. I have a high cholesterol and am a little overweight. I like to read a book while I exercise whether I'm pacing a room or am on a stationary bike.
Cheering you on in your goals! Now to get off my bum and get to mine!
I don't understand the "yo yo" comment. The HCG protocol isn't supposed to be a yo yo diet type plan. It is supposed to change your habits and way of life. It is supposed to change your metabolism and hypothalamus so you can "be a 'normal' skinny person".
Anyway, I know how hard it is to gain weight and then lose it and gain it again. I also know how hard it is to do the HCG protocol. I am glad you have accomplished the weight loss. I would love to weigh 182. My goal is 175 and I'm about 50 lbs away.Good job Shanna ant thanks for the extra motivation today.
Amanda,
Good luck! I've never been able to read and exercise at the same time--I do better watching movies. I hope you're recovered from your surgery and good luck with all of YOUR health goals too!
Heather,
The problem with HCG is that it is so extreme. This diet is NOT a life change--there is no way eating 500 calories a day could ever be considered a life change.
Yes, it is supposed to help your metabolism and hypothalamus reset themselves (and I do wonder about those claims as I KNOW I've lost muscle mass).
BUT it is very easy to go back to old habits once you're off of it or the old bad eating habits that helped get you where you are! (at least for me! I'm pretty sure others can partially blame their pregnancies!)
The reason they say it isn't a yo yo diet is because it doesn't mess up your metabolism the way some diets can, especially if you are going too low on calories.
BUT it all comes down to those habits afterward and if those habits have been changed. And to be honest, I think I'll always struggle with it. I hate exercise and I love sugar, chocolate, and junk food. I wish I could be one of those people who 'feel so much better' cutting sugar out of their diet. Kudos for them--it won't EVER happen for me. As long as I don't overeat I feel just fine . . . sugar, junk food whatever.
So now the REAL work starts for me.
I would recommend the Mediterranean diet for your weight loss. Stick with a healthy Mediterranean diet to lose weight.
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