ElleH
Fri, Jan-12-07, 20:29
This is not my first time dieting or my first time doing LC. I've gained and lost weight more times than I can remember, even after I found LC in 1995. My prayer is that this time, with the things I've learned about myself and my body and accepting imperfection will make this the LAST TIME.
I never really thought I'd see this day. I really really thought my days of having a good figure and being pretty were gone...forever. I gained so much weight so fast when my 3rd baby was about 6 months old. I gained almost 40 pounds in maybe 4 months. I had no confidence that I could stick to a plan, or that that plan would even work. I was so depressed and disgusted that I didn't think I could do it. I chose the goal of 150 pounds b/c it was the weight that I first thought I was so HUGE back in 1995 when I discovered low carb. I really wasn't, but I thought I was.
In mid-August, 2006, I committed, come hell or high water, to finishing an induction. That was really the start.
It actually took me about 2 weeks to PLAN my induction. I poured over every LC book that I own, trying to decide which plan I should choose. I decided on Atkins, b/c it promised to break cravings and to give the fastest weight loss possible. Then I went through all those books plus my LC cookbooks and regular cookbooks looking for recipes to use. I made a list of soups to make (b/c at that time I was eating a can of soup every day and wanted to keep eating soup). I also made a list of induction-friendly desserts. I was determined not to deprive myself of sweets, but also that they had to be legal. I refreshed my memory of my old favorite entrees and got the recipes at the ready. Then Mark went shopping with a large list...he was my #1 supporter of getting back on LC, b/c he was concerned for my health I was so heavy. And he knew how much better I feel and function on it. He was as determined to help me succeed. I began on 9-3-06.
The first week, I ate so much food that it scared me. But around day 4, the appetite suppression kicked in and my intake dropped considerably. By around day 9, I didn't even want the sweets any more! I was feeling good and in control.
When I saw that I could indeed stick to it for 2 weeks, I had lost 6 pounds, and I remembered how much better I felt on LC and how I was enjoying the food, I was really motivated. Sure I broke the plan a few times, 3 times, to be exact, but that is really no big deal in the big picture of a lifetime. Perfection is not my goal. Getting back on track after I treat myself if my goal. I accomplished that goal, too. Each time I broke the plan, I was right back on the next day. I learned that I can control cravings by eating more allowed foods and creating some acceptable substitutes for my old comfort foods. I also learned that even when I give in to a craving and have something off plan, that I can get right back on and still be OK.
This is a very important lesson. In the past, there were 3 BIG problems when I was trying to lose weight: I didn't develop substitutes for treats, telling myself I was NEVER going to have sweets or chips or bread again.
Secondly, when I did break the plan, breaking my promise to NEVER have those things again, I felt horrible, like a failure, like who cares? I can't stick to a diet, so I might as well eat whatever I want. And the weight gain would begin again. Now I have some very good substitutes for those things, and also know that even if I break my plan, I am NOT A FAILURE and I can get right back on with very little harm done.
The 3rd one was exercise. Another thing that was my ultimate downfall every time in the past. In the past, I would dive into exercise with gusto. 6 or 7 days a week, doing whatever my current choice was (running, walking, gym, classes), basically wearing myself out and tearing my body to pieces. I would promise myself that I would do whatever it took to be thin, even it meant working out 6 days a week for 2 hours a day and being tired and being sore. But, as with the promise to never eat certain foods again, I would get tired or sick and skip a day or a week. Then, feeling like a failure, I would quit altogether. Because, the truth is, I HATE EXERCISE. I hate sweating. I hate getting sore. I hate having to change clothes to do whatever it was I was doing at the time. Well this time things were different.
I'm past the point of doing things I don't like to do any more. I decided I wasn't going to exercise at all and see what happened. The good thing was that after a week on plan, I felt so good, I actually WANTED to move! But I remembered my obsession in the past. So I found Denise Austin's Fit 'n Lite, a very easy 30 minute workout. I was like, "Hey, I can exercise 5 times a week for 30 minutes a day, and I can do it in my PJ's. " After that first day, when it felt SO GOOD to move and to stretch, I felt sure that I could commit to 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week. After a week, I felt like doing more so I started alternating weights with walking. Long story short, I'm still doing that...still doing it in my PJ's when I can. And I made it to my goal. I don't think I broke a sweat once. I got a little sore the first couple of times I did weights, but that was short-lived and therefore OK. I'm much stronger and I move better. So, now I'm convinced by my own experience of the things I've read in Dr Schwarzbein's books: that hard cardio is not necessary for weight loss, in fact it produces excess cortisol and is detrimental to the body. That light cardio (HR 90-100 BPM) does wonders for the heart and lungs. That exercising to so close to your maximum HR tells your body that all is not well. In hunter-gatherer terms, it would mean that either you're running for your life or running after food. And doing that every single day??? No wonder the body thinks something is wrong, life is in danger, and will make extra cortisol to store fat for survival. If you're heart rate stays around 90-100 in exercise, you're telling your body that you're NOT running for your life, and food is easy to come by. No danger and no need to hold on to fat. I can say with 100% commitment that I will never exercise to 80% of my maximum HR again. That promise I'll be happy to keep! The other thing she says is that weight training is more important than cardio. And it doesn't have to be heavy weights. I believe that too. In hunter gatherer terms that would translate to typically daily manual labor. Telling the body all is well, no need to store fat.
Exercise is now energizing to me, and something I honestly look forward to or at least don't dread! And you know what else? If I a skip a day...so what? I can always pick it up again tomorrow...or the next day. I skipped 10 days around the holidays and started back up again afterward and it was FINE.
As far as eating goes, I learned a few important lessons too. The first one is that you really can depend on your appetite to tell you how much to eat! After years of what I like to call "formula eating" (you know, where you have to eat X grams of protein, fat and carbs per meal, every day, every meal, no matte what), I was disgusted with all the measuring. I decided that I wanted to learn to speak the language of my body. I decided that I was not going to measure (that is, keep track of) protein or fat, only carbs. But I also decided that I was not going to eat "one bite more" than it took to satisfy me. I was surprised to see that that amount varied...and I mean varied tremendously from day to day, even meal to meal. I decided not to worry about it and just eat according to my appetite. I can honestly say that I can now tell when I'm satisfied, where "formula eating" never allowed me to feel that. Every once in a while I would plug a few days on FitDay just to see where I was. It was always fine at between 1300 and 1650 per day.
I never got obsessive about water. I tried to get in 28 ounces, but if I didn't I didn't sweat it. My urine was clear by lunchtime, so that was good enough for me.
Another thing I decided was that I'm going to sleep as much as I need to. This is probably the single most underrated aspect of weight loss and even health in general. Even if society seems to say that if you sleep more than 5-6 hours a night you're lazy. For me that translates to 9-10 hours per night, and maybe a catnap in the afternoon. That number is unique for each person, too, but most experts agree that anything less than 8 hours is creating stress on your body and depriving your body of healing and regeneration time. Stress is the number one detriment to the body, along with poor diet. When you get enough sleep, you're telling your body that all is well. In hunter-gatherer terms, your life isn't in danger, and you're not having to spend extra hours getting food. And when the body believes that all is well, there's no need to hold on to extra fat.
So these are some of my musings as I come to my goal of 150 pounds.
Good luck everyone! If I, in the shape I was in in August (fat, tired, depressed, out of shape, achy) can do it, ANYONE can.
UPDATE April 26, 2008:
I decided to go further on from 150 pounds. To do that, I've had to tweak things a bit. Moderating my protein intake, and making up the calories with fat. I refuse to cut calories! I've had to some tracking and "formula eating," which I said I woudn't do. But, it's a tool for me to learn how much I really do need to eat, b/c I will overeat if left unchecked. I don't think overeating protein will be a big problem on Maintenance, however.
My current weight is 138.4 pounds. I plan to officially enter Maintenance on May 18, 2008, no matter what my weight is on that day. I'm using these last few weeks to work the plan hard to create a "buffer" for my maintenance weight, using 140 as my "danger zone," where intervention will be required.
It's been a hard year. Stress eating, boredom eating and binge eating continue to be my major issues where food is concerned. I've dealt with a lot of binging, starting and stopping the plan, gaining and losing, and just general stress and obsession where diet is concerned. With the very high fat, that seems to be calming down a bit, and since I'm content with where my body is now, and I really enjoy eating this way, it's time to enter Maintenance and stop obsessing about it all.
I never really thought I'd see this day. I really really thought my days of having a good figure and being pretty were gone...forever. I gained so much weight so fast when my 3rd baby was about 6 months old. I gained almost 40 pounds in maybe 4 months. I had no confidence that I could stick to a plan, or that that plan would even work. I was so depressed and disgusted that I didn't think I could do it. I chose the goal of 150 pounds b/c it was the weight that I first thought I was so HUGE back in 1995 when I discovered low carb. I really wasn't, but I thought I was.
In mid-August, 2006, I committed, come hell or high water, to finishing an induction. That was really the start.
It actually took me about 2 weeks to PLAN my induction. I poured over every LC book that I own, trying to decide which plan I should choose. I decided on Atkins, b/c it promised to break cravings and to give the fastest weight loss possible. Then I went through all those books plus my LC cookbooks and regular cookbooks looking for recipes to use. I made a list of soups to make (b/c at that time I was eating a can of soup every day and wanted to keep eating soup). I also made a list of induction-friendly desserts. I was determined not to deprive myself of sweets, but also that they had to be legal. I refreshed my memory of my old favorite entrees and got the recipes at the ready. Then Mark went shopping with a large list...he was my #1 supporter of getting back on LC, b/c he was concerned for my health I was so heavy. And he knew how much better I feel and function on it. He was as determined to help me succeed. I began on 9-3-06.
The first week, I ate so much food that it scared me. But around day 4, the appetite suppression kicked in and my intake dropped considerably. By around day 9, I didn't even want the sweets any more! I was feeling good and in control.
When I saw that I could indeed stick to it for 2 weeks, I had lost 6 pounds, and I remembered how much better I felt on LC and how I was enjoying the food, I was really motivated. Sure I broke the plan a few times, 3 times, to be exact, but that is really no big deal in the big picture of a lifetime. Perfection is not my goal. Getting back on track after I treat myself if my goal. I accomplished that goal, too. Each time I broke the plan, I was right back on the next day. I learned that I can control cravings by eating more allowed foods and creating some acceptable substitutes for my old comfort foods. I also learned that even when I give in to a craving and have something off plan, that I can get right back on and still be OK.
This is a very important lesson. In the past, there were 3 BIG problems when I was trying to lose weight: I didn't develop substitutes for treats, telling myself I was NEVER going to have sweets or chips or bread again.
Secondly, when I did break the plan, breaking my promise to NEVER have those things again, I felt horrible, like a failure, like who cares? I can't stick to a diet, so I might as well eat whatever I want. And the weight gain would begin again. Now I have some very good substitutes for those things, and also know that even if I break my plan, I am NOT A FAILURE and I can get right back on with very little harm done.
The 3rd one was exercise. Another thing that was my ultimate downfall every time in the past. In the past, I would dive into exercise with gusto. 6 or 7 days a week, doing whatever my current choice was (running, walking, gym, classes), basically wearing myself out and tearing my body to pieces. I would promise myself that I would do whatever it took to be thin, even it meant working out 6 days a week for 2 hours a day and being tired and being sore. But, as with the promise to never eat certain foods again, I would get tired or sick and skip a day or a week. Then, feeling like a failure, I would quit altogether. Because, the truth is, I HATE EXERCISE. I hate sweating. I hate getting sore. I hate having to change clothes to do whatever it was I was doing at the time. Well this time things were different.
I'm past the point of doing things I don't like to do any more. I decided I wasn't going to exercise at all and see what happened. The good thing was that after a week on plan, I felt so good, I actually WANTED to move! But I remembered my obsession in the past. So I found Denise Austin's Fit 'n Lite, a very easy 30 minute workout. I was like, "Hey, I can exercise 5 times a week for 30 minutes a day, and I can do it in my PJ's. " After that first day, when it felt SO GOOD to move and to stretch, I felt sure that I could commit to 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week. After a week, I felt like doing more so I started alternating weights with walking. Long story short, I'm still doing that...still doing it in my PJ's when I can. And I made it to my goal. I don't think I broke a sweat once. I got a little sore the first couple of times I did weights, but that was short-lived and therefore OK. I'm much stronger and I move better. So, now I'm convinced by my own experience of the things I've read in Dr Schwarzbein's books: that hard cardio is not necessary for weight loss, in fact it produces excess cortisol and is detrimental to the body. That light cardio (HR 90-100 BPM) does wonders for the heart and lungs. That exercising to so close to your maximum HR tells your body that all is not well. In hunter-gatherer terms, it would mean that either you're running for your life or running after food. And doing that every single day??? No wonder the body thinks something is wrong, life is in danger, and will make extra cortisol to store fat for survival. If you're heart rate stays around 90-100 in exercise, you're telling your body that you're NOT running for your life, and food is easy to come by. No danger and no need to hold on to fat. I can say with 100% commitment that I will never exercise to 80% of my maximum HR again. That promise I'll be happy to keep! The other thing she says is that weight training is more important than cardio. And it doesn't have to be heavy weights. I believe that too. In hunter gatherer terms that would translate to typically daily manual labor. Telling the body all is well, no need to store fat.
Exercise is now energizing to me, and something I honestly look forward to or at least don't dread! And you know what else? If I a skip a day...so what? I can always pick it up again tomorrow...or the next day. I skipped 10 days around the holidays and started back up again afterward and it was FINE.
As far as eating goes, I learned a few important lessons too. The first one is that you really can depend on your appetite to tell you how much to eat! After years of what I like to call "formula eating" (you know, where you have to eat X grams of protein, fat and carbs per meal, every day, every meal, no matte what), I was disgusted with all the measuring. I decided that I wanted to learn to speak the language of my body. I decided that I was not going to measure (that is, keep track of) protein or fat, only carbs. But I also decided that I was not going to eat "one bite more" than it took to satisfy me. I was surprised to see that that amount varied...and I mean varied tremendously from day to day, even meal to meal. I decided not to worry about it and just eat according to my appetite. I can honestly say that I can now tell when I'm satisfied, where "formula eating" never allowed me to feel that. Every once in a while I would plug a few days on FitDay just to see where I was. It was always fine at between 1300 and 1650 per day.
I never got obsessive about water. I tried to get in 28 ounces, but if I didn't I didn't sweat it. My urine was clear by lunchtime, so that was good enough for me.
Another thing I decided was that I'm going to sleep as much as I need to. This is probably the single most underrated aspect of weight loss and even health in general. Even if society seems to say that if you sleep more than 5-6 hours a night you're lazy. For me that translates to 9-10 hours per night, and maybe a catnap in the afternoon. That number is unique for each person, too, but most experts agree that anything less than 8 hours is creating stress on your body and depriving your body of healing and regeneration time. Stress is the number one detriment to the body, along with poor diet. When you get enough sleep, you're telling your body that all is well. In hunter-gatherer terms, your life isn't in danger, and you're not having to spend extra hours getting food. And when the body believes that all is well, there's no need to hold on to extra fat.
So these are some of my musings as I come to my goal of 150 pounds.
Good luck everyone! If I, in the shape I was in in August (fat, tired, depressed, out of shape, achy) can do it, ANYONE can.
UPDATE April 26, 2008:
I decided to go further on from 150 pounds. To do that, I've had to tweak things a bit. Moderating my protein intake, and making up the calories with fat. I refuse to cut calories! I've had to some tracking and "formula eating," which I said I woudn't do. But, it's a tool for me to learn how much I really do need to eat, b/c I will overeat if left unchecked. I don't think overeating protein will be a big problem on Maintenance, however.
My current weight is 138.4 pounds. I plan to officially enter Maintenance on May 18, 2008, no matter what my weight is on that day. I'm using these last few weeks to work the plan hard to create a "buffer" for my maintenance weight, using 140 as my "danger zone," where intervention will be required.
It's been a hard year. Stress eating, boredom eating and binge eating continue to be my major issues where food is concerned. I've dealt with a lot of binging, starting and stopping the plan, gaining and losing, and just general stress and obsession where diet is concerned. With the very high fat, that seems to be calming down a bit, and since I'm content with where my body is now, and I really enjoy eating this way, it's time to enter Maintenance and stop obsessing about it all.