In fact, I am more here than before... having gained a considerable few pounds since November.
The other day I went to put on the jeans I bought just before Christmas when I was back in the States, jeans that have been extremely comfortable but not too big and baggy. And they felt TIGHT. I chalked it up, at first, to having thrown them in the big industrial dryer at the laundromat. But then it hit me: Have I gained weight?
I got on the scale and... UGH. Yes, there it was, the cold, hard evidence.
234 pounds. That is only FOUR pounds less than my all-time highest documented weight. (I say "documented" because it's quite possible I broke the 240 mark and didn't really know it, but 238 was the biggest number I personally ever saw while standing on a scale.)
Something must be done. I don't feel at my best and I certainly don't look my best. I'm tired all the time. I get out of breath too quickly climbing up the hill in Montmartre. Every joint in my body and every part of my feet and back seem to hurt. Sure, I have (technically speaking) some arthritis and that can happen even to a thin person, but I know damn well that carrying an extra 50-80 pounds would put anyone's body under more stress than it should have to bear.
I pulled out my "Biggest Loser" books today. I've had them for over a year but never really USED them in the way I had intended. I've decided to start afresh, now, today. I don't know exactly what my "program" will look like but I'm going to take steps every day toward getting healthier. 52 is looming around the corner (not to mention another summer at the beach, where JUST ONCE I would like to experience going out in public in a bathing suit without feeling ashamed).
The time is now. Now is all there is.
Starting Weight: 225 (from June 14, 2012)
Today's Weight: 234
Weight Lost/Gained: +11
Hi Lisa,
ReplyDeleteI have been a reader of your main blog for a few years now and followed you over to here. I feel your pain about your weight - mine had crept up over the last decade and it came to a head when I broke my ankle last summer and felt the burden of having to hop everywhere on crutches, sweating and heaving profusely! I would like to recommend the Slimming World programme to you - I have lost 2 stone on it since October and it really works. You can eat unlimited potatoes, rice, pasta, pulses, fruit and vegetables (so you never need to feel hungry) alongside a balance of the other food groups with an allowance for the naughty stuff! You can also do it online (which I do) which works if you either don't have access to classes or don't like that sort of environment (I don't). They call it food optimising, not a diet, as it arms you with the tools you need to change your eating habits forever. I don't work for them, honest, but I would happily recommend it to anyone who has battled with weight loss. I feel the best I have in years and can now get in the vintage dress I bought for my wedding next month. Have a look at their website and see what you think.
Mandy
UNLIMITED potatoes, rice and pasta cannot be a real plan for changing your eating plan for life or I wouldn't be in the condition I ended up in...Fat.
DeleteSheila
This is the very first time I have felt moved to comment on anyone's blog but Slimming World has really helped me and I thought it might help Lisa. It is a tried and tested balanced eating plan - I clearly wasn't suggesting those things are all you eat and did actually say you eat them alongside a balance of the other food groups. Maybe you should find out more about it first before making disparaging comments. I will keep my comments to myself in future, continue to enjoy my weight loss and let people figure out their own solution to their weight problem.
ReplyDeleteMandy
Sorry, Anonymous, there was certainly no comment made towards you.
ReplyDeleteThe only one I thought I disparaged when I said I ended up fat by eating unlimited amounts of starchy white foods was myself. I understand that there must be more to this plan; you certainly don't lose weight by eating unlimited anything except maybe certain vegetables. So after I read your comment I looked up what the heck this unlimited pasta scheme could be; it sounded too good to be true. (In the U.S. we say if something sounds too good to be true, it probably is.) Anyone interested can google it of course and make their own conclusions. I found a site that gave a very unbiased opinion of Slimming World. For me personally, on my current weight loss journey I am trying to get as healthy as possible, not just get another temporary weight loss. So for me personally, I would not choose to eat unlimited amounts of rice, pasta and potatoes but rather I choose these days to expend my calories on foods that are more nutrient rich aiming to get the most possible advantage from each the calories I consume. I would not eat unlimited amounts of pasta, rice, or potatoes because there are many foods that are more nutrient dense with less calories and carbs and much better for me. everyone needs to do whatever they choose that makes them happy in their life whether they are slimming or not.
I'm now much less fat than I used to be. Why do people hate the word fat so much?
Sheila
I think the important thing to remember here is that there are so many unique and different approaches to losing weight and getting healthy, just as there are so many different perspectives on what "healthy" even MEANS. For some people, weighing 150 lbs is healthy and for others that might be overweight. Or healthy could be that you weigh the "right" amount but you still have high blood pressure or diabetes, so you have to take steps to manage those conditions. No one program, process or system will work the same way for everyone. So, to try and judge someone else's successful approach is probably counter-productive. I'm in France and people are talking about this Dukan diet whereas a few years back it was French Women Don't Get Fat (and let me assure you, some of them DO... although still fewer than in countries like the US and UK).
ReplyDeleteAnyway, for what it's worth, I'm always interested to learn about something new, even if I might look into it (or even try it) and decide it's not for me. The point is, I think if we want to be healthy, whatever our personal definition of "healthy" might be, we have to keep looking and keep working at it. And never give up. Remember that if OTHER people can lose weight and keep it off, then sooner or later, so can we, if we really are committed to it. The reason I haven't done it yet? The reason I'm still fat? Lack of commitment. When I'm committed to something, I always succeed at it eventually.
Mandy, we hope you'll continue to comment whenever you feel motivated to share.