My Journey To Lose Half of Me (comments welcome)

[FitMom47]

My name is Lisa, I am 47, and as of yesterday morning I weighed 262 pounds. At only 5 ft 2 in I need\want to lose half my body weight to be normal. I want to try to accomplish most of that loss in the next year.

My health is now being affected by my weight, I am pre-diabetic with reactive hypoglycemia and I have high blood pressure. I fear that if I don't get a hold on this then things will just get worse.

I have a great supportive family, a husband and 2 teen boys. I plan on eating low carb (or lower carb than I have been) and joing a fitness center that has classes (Zumba, step, and such.

Comments are welcome of course.

 

[Terapin]

Good for you! You can do it!

My recommendations are to make small goals (changes in BMI #s, pound markers, measurement markers) and to insist with yourself to stay consistent. Make a plan of exercise and stick to it. You can allow yourself a little cheat room with foods, but really and honestly, not the exercise.

Make room in your plan for little indulgences like ice cream on a hot day at the park by either eating really lean the meal before or the meal after. Apparently the best diet that works long term is to track calories over the whole day and keep a running tally. If I know I am going out to lunch with friends I will plan breakfast and lunch accordingly so that I can splurge and eat something yummy (though making smart choices). Small bites of decadent food is often 80% as good as a large piece. And I remind myself that there will always be french fries, so if I don't eat them today then all is not lost for having french fries. However, if I am craving french fries like mad I eat them, and adjust my food for the rest of the day to compensate for the fat, salt, carbs and calories.

I try to enjoy food and eat real food, and not waste calories on junk. If I am going to splurge, I want it to be on something really amazing, like the perfect grilled cheese sandwich or homemade ribs, not packaged garbage.

The other advice I was given was: "don't drink your calories". I think that was wise.

I found tracking everything I eat to be helpful - sometimes it is surprising when you think you have had a good or a bad eating day and the numbers come up as quite different.

Lastly, I cut out processed food as much as possible. That one change has had profound health benefits.

I started out at 270 last summer and am now down to about 215. I won't kid you - it has been hard and sustained effort of working out 5-6 days a week and watching my diet pretty carefully. I ate well before (health food kind of food typically) but trimmed down my portions.

Anyway, that is my unsolicited advice! Hope you don't mind!

I wish you all the best and will follow your journal if you post!

Carolynn

 

[FitMom47]

Thanks for the advice Carolynn. I do appreciate it. Had a busy weekend and managed to do somewhat better on my food plan. Not much exercise, but spent the day at the beach jumping waves with my kids. Lots of fun.

I will be joining the gym tomorrow. Looking forward to it. I plan on weighing myself only on Fridays or else I get a little pyscho about it.

 

[disappearing otter]

Hi Lisa -

Congratulations on making the commitment to start! Carolynn has great advice. I have found that tracking my food intake has been a huge help -- the free MyFitnessPal app is easy to use. Sometimes I have found myself deciding against a snack because I just didn't want to track it. It's psychological, but it has helped me.

Keep us posted -- and have fun at the gym tomorrow!

Best,
Sunny

 

[Terapin]

Oh! One last thing: I try to be active AND exercise every day. Before I lost the weight (and I am still plugging along at that) I used to think that days where I was active that it was as good as exercise.

I now think of them as different things: activity is my body in motion during the day doing things, and exercise is for better health and increasing strength. I try to get both in most days. I could not lose weight with activity alone. I needed the dedicated time of exercise to really make my body change. I think that activity just doesn't have the same effects on your body: I needed exercise that made me work at 75-85% of maximum effort (i.e. sweating, breathing hard, but not dying) for a good chunk of time, to see the changes.

Anyway - hope you are having a good weekend and maybe you even did your first workout at the gym. I'm jealous: I'd like to sign up at a gym but I wouldn't use it enough right now with the other stuff I am doing. Maybe in the winter for me.

 

[FitMom47]

Holy computer problems, Batman! Haven't posted as we had to get a new hard drive for our Mac. Just got it back last night.

Haven't been doing well in the last week. Stress, I guess, not a good excuse, there will always be stress. Then yesterday went to Dr's for a 6 month checkup on my blood sugar and blood pressure. Good news, A1c is down to 5.7 from 6.2 but my blood pressure is higher. She put me on a second blood pressure medication. I am so annoyed. I'm mad at myself I guess. Maybe this is the kick in the pants I need to get serious.

I am on track today with my food plan, under 120 carbs and Zumba is at 6:30 which I am def going to. I'm going to just focus on one day at a time. I have to go back in 3 months and I am hoping to be taken off the new BP med by then. We'll see.

 

[BernardandMissBianca]

Hey neighbor!!!! NE CT, you can't be to far from me!

I'm glad you are seeing a DR, sometimes the meds are a good swift kick!!
I know my wake up call was when my mom was diagnosed with diabetes. It's hereditary in my family so my odds of getting it are high.

Are your boys into sports or active too? My 4 kids run so I kind of got into running for something to do as a family. DS16 does Cross country and track in HS so we train together (I'm aiming for the 1/2 at WDW in January or the Princess 1/2 in February). He's a boat load faster than I am but we pass each other on the track for support.
If you are looking for some good walking trails just let me know, we have quite a few ear marked to try.