Maybe you wanna visit, too. :)
Just looking at her fabulous photo-pic journey (see her melt away to a trim 150 lbs) is a huge encouragement.
Showing posts with label other weight loss journeys. Show all posts
Showing posts with label other weight loss journeys. Show all posts
I saw a blog hop sign-up on Fitcetera blog, and I added this blog and copied the code and put it in my sidebar (scroll down).
I think I did that wrong. Lucy of DIMINISHING LUCY left me a comment, and apparently, I "royally" screwed this up. I'm not all that bloggy-tech savvy, so I'll try to fix that now, but, really, I think I'm MORE confused after reading Lucy's directions. (So much for my 136 IQ).
Okay, here goes with the button:
The button's also on my sidebar now, replacing the actual blog hop list, which is what I'd put there before. The list:
I'll even backdate it to Thursday to keep things in order here.
Man, if this is still wrong, slap me hard. I will link to a FITNESS/DIET post next Thursday, not one explaining what a dumbass I am re blogging linky/html stuff. :) Normally, I'm so good about following rules. Sorry if I made a mess this time for ya, Lucy. I didn't even know you were involved. Ahem.
Now, for those wanting a challenge, please see previous post on the challenge that begins SUNDAY, yes SUNDAY, June 6 and runs through 8/6. Just two months of focusing on health and slimming: SUMMER SLIMMIN' CHALLENGE.
For those wanting to know a totally orgasmic reason to exercise: HERE Ya go.
Forgive my spazziness and I'll try to do you right NEXT THURSDAY. :)
Nitey all....
I think I did that wrong. Lucy of DIMINISHING LUCY left me a comment, and apparently, I "royally" screwed this up. I'm not all that bloggy-tech savvy, so I'll try to fix that now, but, really, I think I'm MORE confused after reading Lucy's directions. (So much for my 136 IQ).
Okay, here goes with the button:
The button's also on my sidebar now, replacing the actual blog hop list, which is what I'd put there before. The list:
I'll even backdate it to Thursday to keep things in order here.
Man, if this is still wrong, slap me hard. I will link to a FITNESS/DIET post next Thursday, not one explaining what a dumbass I am re blogging linky/html stuff. :) Normally, I'm so good about following rules. Sorry if I made a mess this time for ya, Lucy. I didn't even know you were involved. Ahem.
Now, for those wanting a challenge, please see previous post on the challenge that begins SUNDAY, yes SUNDAY, June 6 and runs through 8/6. Just two months of focusing on health and slimming: SUMMER SLIMMIN' CHALLENGE.
For those wanting to know a totally orgasmic reason to exercise: HERE Ya go.
Forgive my spazziness and I'll try to do you right NEXT THURSDAY. :)
Nitey all....
But one thing I wish we could have more of in this fatfighting microcosm online is tolerance for the way each person feels they need to journey toward a better weight and better health.
Not every body, every mind, every emotional situation is the same. Some people will never understand those of us who do emotional binge eating. I will never understand people who can tolerate liquid protein fasts or, egads, puke up meals. (I have a serious pukephobia. I'd lay in bed trying hard to not puke even as a kid with stomach flu. I hate the sensation of food and bile coming right back up my throat. How do bulimics do that???)
But I can UNDERSTAND that we got fat--and STAY fat-- for more reasons than just "ate too much". Ate too much is fundamental--more calories than our bodies can handle and we gain weight. That's the basic layer, the thick heavy poured-out root of the structure.
But physiologically, some people handle sweets and carbs better and others are absolutely sent off on highs and lows and binges by them. Some livers handle things better than other livers. Some of us have non-functional (or minimally-functional) thyroid glands, and others have normal or hyper ones. Some of us got put on appetite-increasing (but essential) medications, and maybe others got on needed (or elective) medications that revved up metabolism or reduced appetite. Some folks are tall and some short, some male, some female, some mushy and some muscular, so some can eat more than others even with activity rates factored in. Some of us have moral issues for or against eating meat --or how animal products are raised and butchered--and some of us have environmental concerns about pesticides or responsible farming and others don't. Some have tight budgets and some lavish ones. Some of us suffer from depressions that, rather than curtailing appetites (gee, why couldn't I have THAT version), have depressions that send us self-medicating with food to raise mood. Some of us had parents who took effort to make healthful, low-caloric meals. Some of us had moms and grandmoms who were food pushers. Some of us were abused and castoff, some of us were nurtured and valued. Some of us thrive on exercise, love it like some love a glazed donut; others hate to sweat and would rather have dental surgery than go to the gym. Some of us have terrible joint pain upon movement, so moderate to vigorous exercise can prove excruciating. Some of us have high-stress cranking out the cortisol, others have more leisurely lives. Some of us have to cook for various people in a household with various tastes, some only need to cater to a couple, or just to ourselves.
I was reading Lyn's excellent blog, and she's apparently getting grief about Medifast as a diet choice and its sustainability lifelong.
Well, I'll say this: I am leery of packaged foods diets a la Nutrisystem, MediFast, Jenny Craig, ONLY cause I really do think that natural food is generally better for us and fresh organic even moreso, and because I am concerned about hefty caloric restriction causing metabolic issues (which I suspect is at the heart of some gastric bypass folks regaining weight on much lower caloric levels than normal).
But ya know, we're different and we gotta try different things to learn how we handle stuff. And we gotta realize none of us is the expert about another person's life and body.
I would even try something like Medifast or Jenny Craig in order to LEARN about my body and self and nutrition, etc. I might not keep doing it or like it, but I think every diet can teach us something. Lyn has learned a lot on MediFast, and while the pics of MediFast food grosses me out, she's losing weight and feeling great and she realizes she does better on low carb. Period.
For people to start harping about sustainability isn't going to help. And what we fatfighters want is HELP, not the critical gallery. If Lyn had been doing, say, old Kimkins, with 500 to 800 calories and minimal fat and not enough nutrients, I'd say, "Hey, girl, you're damaging your body with starvation levels of calories and not enough nutrition. You're gonna go bald and have metabolic slowdown!"
But as long as she is well-nourished (and she is) and she's feeling health and emotional improvements, who the hell am I to neener-bo her?
No, I am too busy neener-booing myself. :)
What I need from you , what I really want, if you're willing, is the good word that's gonna be the wind at my back to move me along, even if just a little, towards my goals.
If you don't have that good word: move along. I don't need a downer.
Please, when you visit assorted blogs, even if you have misgivings about the ultimate success of A, B, or C diet or weight loss technique (and let's all laugh through our tears together at how ineffective just about all of them have been for most Americans so far in terms of sustainable losses), as long as the person is not anorexic, bulimic, or doing something patently nuts, let's give them a cheery "I wish you well; I'm rooting for you." And if you have a good, solid, positive tip in your own successful journey, go for it.
If a plan or technique fails for someone, it will be evident soon enough. That's life. But it's really kinda a bummer, not to mention not at all helpful, to be told "Oh, you can't keep that up. You're gonna fail."
How does that help? Hmm?
Let people try stuff. Let people ride their wind. And if they fail, then help them get back up.
Now, that's not to say we shouldn't HAVE DISCUSSIONS in general about this stuff--what we see might be dangerous, fallacious, ill-advised. I do believe in informed consent re lap bands and gastric bypass. But as long as people know the pros and cons (of diets, of training equipment, of particular supplements or foods, etc), if they wanna go ahead, then let's give them the cheerleader's rah-rah. We should want EACH OF US TO SUCCEED. We should wish for it. Pray for it.
And we should want the dieting odds to be beaten to a bloody pulp in every case.
So, like so many others are doing for the summer, I'm taking on a summer slimming challenge. Do challenges help ultimately? I dunno. Maybe to refocus us on good habits for weight loss and to get support. But I know it's better to keep fighting and trying than to just look at the bad odds (98% of dieters fail) and say, "Oh, well, might as well order a double-meat pizza."
Here's to everyone trying to get healthier and slimmer. I want you to win, and I want to win, too.
Here are some big loser-winners over at Good Housekeeping. To see some success stories of ladies who lost 100 pounds or MORE, go here. Here's a snapshot of the eating plan of someone who lost 122 lbs (no big surprises here on what she ate, right?).
This lady lost 227 lbs. Here's a quick summary of her eating and exercise plan. Her after picture is amazing. Whoa.
No big revelations. It takes work (ie exercise) and planning (ie lighter meals) and consistency.
Okay, so I'm a bit jealous. :)
I had a HUGE, HUGE breakfast. (Woke up ravenous after missing dinner due to sheer pooped-out-edness.) It consisted of healthful stuff, just TOO much of it:
1. Greek scramble made with fresh chopped onions, green peppers, tomatoes (about a cup and a half of veggies) with 2 large eggs and 2 egg whites scrambled in EVOO and then sprinkled with some feta cheese (a bit over a quarter cup). Oregano liberally sprinkled on top.
2. Mushrooms, 1.5 cups, sauteed in a bit of Smart Balance.
3. 1.25 cups fresh squeezed orange juice (man, the oranges were great this week).
4. 2 slices of Ezekiel Bread (the one with sesame seeds which I adore), toasted, with Smart Balance spread and some Nature's Hollow sugar-free apricot jam (amazingly fresh-tasting stuff, love it, and 20 calories per tablespoon, made with xylitol).
5. 2 cups of coffee made fresh from Rwandan Buf Mills beans (soooo good).
6. 10 ounces of organic coconut water (to counteract the salt in the feta) and hydrate me. (I'm getting over a mildish case of food poisoning I got from a take-out moussaka a couple days ago).
Lotta food, huh? It totals 1128 calories (so says SparkPeople's nutrition tracker). That's two-thirds of my daily intake if I wanna lose weight.
Doesn't leave me much to work with for the rest of the day, even if I aim for 2000 instead of 1800. But it's certainly not impossible, and I got tons of nutrition from what totals five servings of fruits and veggies in one meal. I ate what for some dieters is their day's calorie count.
I guarantee those success stories gals don't have 1200 calorie meals anymore. But there it is. I went breakfast hog wild.
But it sure was pretty--all colorful and flavorful. And I love, love the taste of EVOO on my tomato. Mmmm. One of the best things on earth: a tomato with EVOO and a pinch of coarse sea salt. AHHHHHH.
Lunch will be soup (preferably some legume) and something on the side, not sure what yet other than cherries and watermelon (which are both lovely now, too). Maybe some greens?
I was gonna make a super-high-fiber/lower-carb veggie lasagna for dinner. I might still. Not sure. Will recheck fridge for options that hubby will accept.
Please have your fresh produce and lean proteins and whole grains today. And please don't have a 1200 calorie meal like me. Okay? :)
Happy Thursday, folks...
This lady lost 227 lbs. Here's a quick summary of her eating and exercise plan. Her after picture is amazing. Whoa.
No big revelations. It takes work (ie exercise) and planning (ie lighter meals) and consistency.
Okay, so I'm a bit jealous. :)
I had a HUGE, HUGE breakfast. (Woke up ravenous after missing dinner due to sheer pooped-out-edness.) It consisted of healthful stuff, just TOO much of it:
1. Greek scramble made with fresh chopped onions, green peppers, tomatoes (about a cup and a half of veggies) with 2 large eggs and 2 egg whites scrambled in EVOO and then sprinkled with some feta cheese (a bit over a quarter cup). Oregano liberally sprinkled on top.
2. Mushrooms, 1.5 cups, sauteed in a bit of Smart Balance.
3. 1.25 cups fresh squeezed orange juice (man, the oranges were great this week).
4. 2 slices of Ezekiel Bread (the one with sesame seeds which I adore), toasted, with Smart Balance spread and some Nature's Hollow sugar-free apricot jam (amazingly fresh-tasting stuff, love it, and 20 calories per tablespoon, made with xylitol).
5. 2 cups of coffee made fresh from Rwandan Buf Mills beans (soooo good).
6. 10 ounces of organic coconut water (to counteract the salt in the feta) and hydrate me. (I'm getting over a mildish case of food poisoning I got from a take-out moussaka a couple days ago).
Lotta food, huh? It totals 1128 calories (so says SparkPeople's nutrition tracker). That's two-thirds of my daily intake if I wanna lose weight.
Doesn't leave me much to work with for the rest of the day, even if I aim for 2000 instead of 1800. But it's certainly not impossible, and I got tons of nutrition from what totals five servings of fruits and veggies in one meal. I ate what for some dieters is their day's calorie count.
I guarantee those success stories gals don't have 1200 calorie meals anymore. But there it is. I went breakfast hog wild.
But it sure was pretty--all colorful and flavorful. And I love, love the taste of EVOO on my tomato. Mmmm. One of the best things on earth: a tomato with EVOO and a pinch of coarse sea salt. AHHHHHH.
Lunch will be soup (preferably some legume) and something on the side, not sure what yet other than cherries and watermelon (which are both lovely now, too). Maybe some greens?
I was gonna make a super-high-fiber/lower-carb veggie lasagna for dinner. I might still. Not sure. Will recheck fridge for options that hubby will accept.
Please have your fresh produce and lean proteins and whole grains today. And please don't have a 1200 calorie meal like me. Okay? :)
Happy Thursday, folks...
and I even managed to lose 7.6 pounds.
I gotta tell you, I super burned-out on blogging. Both my blogs. Just up and got pooped. Got pooped of emails, too, and Facebook and MySpace and sorta just wanted to do "in the real world" stuff. :)
But this past week, I started dropping in to see what fellow bloggers were doing and, yeah, decided to check in. How motivated I am to blog is up for grabs. I don't feel as if I've got the blogging mojo back. But I do apologize for dropping off the internet cliff.
So, on the happy side, I'm still doing my Pilates, only 2x a week instead of 3x (to save some moolah). I continue to progress nicely and feel very strong under all the flab--nice and firm legs, easier to do things during my day. Even hubby mentioned I didn't tire out as fast when we went out on "dates." I even managed to make it through a day at an anime convention on 30 minutes sleep. And was able to enjoy a rock concert last week and fit in the seat and dance around and still feel vim and pizzazzy at midnight. :) So, exercising and eating better (not perfectly) has had some life-enhancing effects. Sex life is rocket-hot, too. Stamina is way up and flexibility is so much better. :D
We celebrated our 26th wedding anniversary this month, and I still feel like a newlywed. So, life is pretty good in various areas.
Eating, well...I joined an organic food-buying coop a few months back, so my produce intake is good. But my caloric intake continues to be my big burly beast. Though I've lost just over 7 pounds since my February, not a lot, mind you, but encouraging since it's progress, I continue to be stuck in the seventies. I think if I lost enough to get to the low sixties this year, I'd consider it a major win. Honestly. I don't know why it's so hard to get out of here, but it is, which is maybe why blogging lost its allure. I seemed to be treading water.
Still, the quality of life is so much better eating more produce and exercising regularly, that I fear losing the ground I have gained. And, as I've posted in the past, like Lyn's recent post on Escape From Obesity blog, I really have a terror of worse sagging skin. I have some from the nearly 30 lb loss, and I don't like it.
Ah, well. Humans are complicated, and fat humans trying to stop being fat humans even more so.
I will say that on June 30 will be my one year anniversary of training one-on-one in Pilates, and I continue to happily recommend this form of exercise for the morbidly obese and those with joint issues. I've had no injuries (though lots of post-workout soreness), and I can feel the change in how I move and my strength and my sense of body control. It's really nice.
I never was able to keep exercising regularly for more than a few months, and that was maybe 3 spurts in my nearly 50 years of life (mostly when I was younger). Now, I'll have been doing this for a whole year, with only one short break in winter when my asthma acted up fiercely. I'm really pleased with that accomplishment. I want to be able to say next June that I was doing it faithfully for two years....and so on.
And that's my update. I'll hope to get back to posting with more regularity, and maybe announce finally leaving the 270's behind....please, please, please God.
Hope you are all progressing. :)
I gotta tell you, I super burned-out on blogging. Both my blogs. Just up and got pooped. Got pooped of emails, too, and Facebook and MySpace and sorta just wanted to do "in the real world" stuff. :)
But this past week, I started dropping in to see what fellow bloggers were doing and, yeah, decided to check in. How motivated I am to blog is up for grabs. I don't feel as if I've got the blogging mojo back. But I do apologize for dropping off the internet cliff.
So, on the happy side, I'm still doing my Pilates, only 2x a week instead of 3x (to save some moolah). I continue to progress nicely and feel very strong under all the flab--nice and firm legs, easier to do things during my day. Even hubby mentioned I didn't tire out as fast when we went out on "dates." I even managed to make it through a day at an anime convention on 30 minutes sleep. And was able to enjoy a rock concert last week and fit in the seat and dance around and still feel vim and pizzazzy at midnight. :) So, exercising and eating better (not perfectly) has had some life-enhancing effects. Sex life is rocket-hot, too. Stamina is way up and flexibility is so much better. :D
We celebrated our 26th wedding anniversary this month, and I still feel like a newlywed. So, life is pretty good in various areas.
Eating, well...I joined an organic food-buying coop a few months back, so my produce intake is good. But my caloric intake continues to be my big burly beast. Though I've lost just over 7 pounds since my February, not a lot, mind you, but encouraging since it's progress, I continue to be stuck in the seventies. I think if I lost enough to get to the low sixties this year, I'd consider it a major win. Honestly. I don't know why it's so hard to get out of here, but it is, which is maybe why blogging lost its allure. I seemed to be treading water.
Still, the quality of life is so much better eating more produce and exercising regularly, that I fear losing the ground I have gained. And, as I've posted in the past, like Lyn's recent post on Escape From Obesity blog, I really have a terror of worse sagging skin. I have some from the nearly 30 lb loss, and I don't like it.
Ah, well. Humans are complicated, and fat humans trying to stop being fat humans even more so.
I will say that on June 30 will be my one year anniversary of training one-on-one in Pilates, and I continue to happily recommend this form of exercise for the morbidly obese and those with joint issues. I've had no injuries (though lots of post-workout soreness), and I can feel the change in how I move and my strength and my sense of body control. It's really nice.
I never was able to keep exercising regularly for more than a few months, and that was maybe 3 spurts in my nearly 50 years of life (mostly when I was younger). Now, I'll have been doing this for a whole year, with only one short break in winter when my asthma acted up fiercely. I'm really pleased with that accomplishment. I want to be able to say next June that I was doing it faithfully for two years....and so on.
And that's my update. I'll hope to get back to posting with more regularity, and maybe announce finally leaving the 270's behind....please, please, please God.
Hope you are all progressing. :)
I have not been on plan. I have no diet mojo. I have head mojo--as in "I know"--and I have desire mojo--as in "I want"--but the will is not cooperating. The will is rebellious. And I'm a spoiled brat.
I say this because I'm just not putting effort into this weight loss thing, and I have not been consistent or focused or goal-oriented. I've been floating and feeling defeated.
So, it's time to ponder this derailment of my goals/objectives, eating plan. Only my exercise has been consistent and that's suffering from my lethargy of will and body. This week, due to the holiday and my birthday on Friday, I only have one scheduled session instead of two. But I'm back to three next week, so that's a temporary blip.
I remain on the verge of depression. I can feel that weird apathy crawling upon me that makes me want to sleep a lot, eat a lot, and not do much else--not errands, not chores, not even happy stuff. Hubby was off this weekend, and he offered to take me here, there, everywhere, and I never even got dressed once until Monday. I even said no to a Valentine's Day outing--though he was willing to do or go wherever I wanted, no matter the cost. And my sister is still waiting to hear what I want to do for my birthday, and I keep saying, "I don't know," cause nothing sounds inviting--not a picnic, not a barbecue, not a party, not a beachfest, nothing. I feel like a pile of gray putty, like the immoveable object.
This is not an "I give up" post, btw. This is an "I know I'm in doodoo, in the pit, and I'm talking this out publicly and trying to figure out why I am my own saboteur, why this stupid cloud of the blues wants to rain on my parade, why I can't pick myself up and move forward."
But of course, I could. That's the thing. I feel defeated, but I'm only defeated if I remain where I am, just coasting and letting illness, lethargy, and depression BE MY LIFE.
It can't be my life. Why am I not fighting? I want to be a warrior against all these odds!
Anyway, hubby is going out of town tomorrow. I get to have the whole day to assemble what forces I have remaining and take a stand against all internal and external foes.
I want to be like those women in Ladies Home Journal and other magazines that you see as the AFTER story, who went after their dreams with focus (whether it was a career goal, a weight goal, a family goal, etc) and are photographed smiling and triumphant. I'd like to get to THIS GOAL, among others, but yes, THIS GOAL. The reason I started this blog.
I know I'm not alone in this sort of rut, frustration, backsliding, failure, call it what you will. But it's a painful thing to feel as if I'm the one sliding away from myself. I'm the one who is my own enemy, and I'm allowing it.
I'm allowing it.
All the reasons/excuses I can mount up don't measure up. I'm allowing it.
People with bigger obstacles than mine have made progress. It's not impossible.
But I'm allowing the obstacles to get to me.
Okay, big whine over. I will go to bed. I will get up to say bye to my traveling sweetie. I will work to make Tuesday better than Monday, and I will look into that place where wants and will meet and talk to that stubborn, defeated, depression-plagued part of me is aching to make progress.
Tomorrow--er, today--is gonna be a prayer day.
I'll also keep in mind Kate, who is at this moment away from home to have her WLS. At this moment, feeling leaden and slow and out of fuel, even gastric bypass doesn't seem as offputting and drastic as it usually does to me; perhaps that's because of this weight of frustration, perhaps that's because it seems easier than the daily struggle with appetite. But I know when I'm rested and myself again, I'll fear that surgery again and nix it as an option, even though I've seen many good results, even though I understand why it's a necessary option, even though I keep it in the back of my own mind as an option. The last one. I hope Kate's results are great. She deserves it.
And I hope those of us doing it without WLS or other surgical interventions, those of us going it solo, so to speak, do a bit better today, just a bit better, week by week.
God help us all who travel on our various journeys.
Oh, and I welcome prayers. Yes, indeed, I do.
Cause I'm not giving up...
I say this because I'm just not putting effort into this weight loss thing, and I have not been consistent or focused or goal-oriented. I've been floating and feeling defeated.
So, it's time to ponder this derailment of my goals/objectives, eating plan. Only my exercise has been consistent and that's suffering from my lethargy of will and body. This week, due to the holiday and my birthday on Friday, I only have one scheduled session instead of two. But I'm back to three next week, so that's a temporary blip.
I remain on the verge of depression. I can feel that weird apathy crawling upon me that makes me want to sleep a lot, eat a lot, and not do much else--not errands, not chores, not even happy stuff. Hubby was off this weekend, and he offered to take me here, there, everywhere, and I never even got dressed once until Monday. I even said no to a Valentine's Day outing--though he was willing to do or go wherever I wanted, no matter the cost. And my sister is still waiting to hear what I want to do for my birthday, and I keep saying, "I don't know," cause nothing sounds inviting--not a picnic, not a barbecue, not a party, not a beachfest, nothing. I feel like a pile of gray putty, like the immoveable object.
This is not an "I give up" post, btw. This is an "I know I'm in doodoo, in the pit, and I'm talking this out publicly and trying to figure out why I am my own saboteur, why this stupid cloud of the blues wants to rain on my parade, why I can't pick myself up and move forward."
But of course, I could. That's the thing. I feel defeated, but I'm only defeated if I remain where I am, just coasting and letting illness, lethargy, and depression BE MY LIFE.
It can't be my life. Why am I not fighting? I want to be a warrior against all these odds!
Anyway, hubby is going out of town tomorrow. I get to have the whole day to assemble what forces I have remaining and take a stand against all internal and external foes.
I want to be like those women in Ladies Home Journal and other magazines that you see as the AFTER story, who went after their dreams with focus (whether it was a career goal, a weight goal, a family goal, etc) and are photographed smiling and triumphant. I'd like to get to THIS GOAL, among others, but yes, THIS GOAL. The reason I started this blog.
I know I'm not alone in this sort of rut, frustration, backsliding, failure, call it what you will. But it's a painful thing to feel as if I'm the one sliding away from myself. I'm the one who is my own enemy, and I'm allowing it.
I'm allowing it.
All the reasons/excuses I can mount up don't measure up. I'm allowing it.
People with bigger obstacles than mine have made progress. It's not impossible.
But I'm allowing the obstacles to get to me.
Okay, big whine over. I will go to bed. I will get up to say bye to my traveling sweetie. I will work to make Tuesday better than Monday, and I will look into that place where wants and will meet and talk to that stubborn, defeated, depression-plagued part of me is aching to make progress.
Tomorrow--er, today--is gonna be a prayer day.
I'll also keep in mind Kate, who is at this moment away from home to have her WLS. At this moment, feeling leaden and slow and out of fuel, even gastric bypass doesn't seem as offputting and drastic as it usually does to me; perhaps that's because of this weight of frustration, perhaps that's because it seems easier than the daily struggle with appetite. But I know when I'm rested and myself again, I'll fear that surgery again and nix it as an option, even though I've seen many good results, even though I understand why it's a necessary option, even though I keep it in the back of my own mind as an option. The last one. I hope Kate's results are great. She deserves it.
And I hope those of us doing it without WLS or other surgical interventions, those of us going it solo, so to speak, do a bit better today, just a bit better, week by week.
God help us all who travel on our various journeys.
Oh, and I welcome prayers. Yes, indeed, I do.
Cause I'm not giving up...
This is a repeat episode from 2007, but it does show what being a junk food/take-out junkie will do to your body. Both Anthony and Marichu (the Mrs.) were obese. They were also clearly feeling the damage to one's self-esteem that so often comes with being so large. Marichu had to deal with clutter issues, and not just body clutter--house clutter. (I'm a hoarder, so I know of clutter .) And you could see that the pain of change was weighing on her as much as her fat. She was very weepy and her face was this harrowing mask of depression. Hard to watch.
She couldn't even celebrate her 32 pound loss at the mid-point weigh-in (at three months). Honey, 32 pounds in 3 months is a VERY good weight loss rate. Are you kidding me?
I wanted to slap her.
But I realize that she felt she was working so hard that she should have lost, I dunno, 50?
Not how it works. Fat comes on as easy as pie, goes off harder than heck.
It's such a shame she couldn't jump up and down with joy for that 32 lb loss. I got so tired of hearing, "Was it worth it?" Yeah. If you didn't gain, if you lost, it's worth it, cause not doing anything, girl, just makes you FATTER.
I should add her hubby was also not celebratory over losing 36 lbs in 3 months. What is with these people? Do they have SAD or something?
At the end, they both lost big, looked better, made inroads into making their lives more vital and enjoyable. Marichu in part did this by passing her second attempt at her lifeguard test (she failed 3 of 4 tests the first time). And Anthony did it by engaging in kickboxing and realizing he'd been so miserable for years, but that he could be happy again. (Marital issues came to the fore, as it's bound to when people start to assess and make changes to their lives.)
It was really great to see Marichu and Anthony both look so much more alive--their faces no longer tragic masks. And the kids now have so much of a better shot at NOT becoming as obese as their parents, as they learn to cook healthful meals and learn to enjoy fruits and veggies, instead of just consuming fast food fare.
Final tally: Marichu lost 66 lbs (originally weighed 245, ended up at 179) and a total of 26 inches. Anthony lost 63 pounds (original weighed 347) and a total of 22 inches. Man, she beat him. How 'bout that?
At the finale, Marichu was able to glow and smile and show elation. She looked great after the makeover (hair and clothes). The frumpy, uberwhiny, hangdog-faced depressed housewife was gone. The Girl was back!
Nice.
Now, that was 2007 the show first aired (and I don't know if that means the weight loss occurred in 2006 or 2007). But I would like to know how they're doing now. Have they lost more? Have they maintained? Have they regained?
One thing I hate about these weight loss programs--X-Weighted, You Are What You Eat, to a lesser extent The Biggest Loser--is that they don't do adequate follow-up. As a viewer, I'm interested in what happens when real life strikes.
After all, the ranch is not real life. It's...intervention. It's...treatment.
I'd like regular follow-ups of ALL the contestants to see the ones who succeeded AFTER the show ends. The ones who keep it off, they're the ones to learn from, frankly. But I think it's important to see the ones who do not succeed in maintaining, because we learn from that, too. I know the first TBL follow-up was too upbeat and felt like a whitewash. Subsquent ones reported online were less slanted.
While I don't know how this couple is continuing to do, if her facebook photo is anything to go by, Marichu is doing great and looking faboo. Gives a gal hope. :)
I think one of the good things of shows like this one is the clear depiction of how losing weight can impact so much of a person's life. Fat gets in the way. I know that fat-acceptance folks mean really well. But fat gets in the way of doing so much, of going places, of feeling able to stretch into new avenues. I know fat encapsulates me in more ways than the physical.
Marichu's story--and Anthony's--show how getting leaner and stronger opens doors to living.
~
UPDATE: The original Anthony/Marichu show re-aired today (I watched part while having a snack), and I thank Beth for giving the heads-up in the comments section about an update. If you are curious about what happened to this couple AFTER the show, go here and scroll down for the follow-up info.
I toggled between THE BIGGEST LOSER last night and AMERICAN IDOL. (Hubby is an AI fan, I didn't want to miss all of TBL, and I refuse to record shows. It's like robbing the future to me in an odd way. It has to be some real treasure for me to bring out the record function. And I haven't recorded anything in, oh, a couple years or more.)
I'd like to say that Aubrey has some fricken nerve. There, said it.
Joelle has been annoying for a while, so it's not surprising she was in some sort of vacant-stare denial, yet again. I really think she has some sort of weird issue--don't know if it's depression or what, but there is somethign really off about Joelle and her reaction and her masklike face. If I were her, I'd head to a doc and get checked out. I mean that seriously, too. Apathy and that sort of frozen look can be symptoms. I get that way when my thyroid is out of range and when I'm really depressed.
So, Joelle's leaving is not unjust. And Carla had a right to be ticked off. You could see how very much Carla wanted to get healthy at the ranch (and on her own). You could taste her desire to stay. Sad. So sad she had to go.
However, I do think that she had the wrong attitude at follow-up reunion. Deciding you have the right to start tongue-lashing someone yet again--no matter how much they hurt you--is no way to make progress. Venting may have felt good, but it wasn't going to get any epiphanies out of Joelle or anyone. Sorry, I wouldn't sit there and let you rip on me, either, not in public. Take it private, sort it out, or agree to go your separate ways. Hash it out in private, then go on camera if you want to explain what happened. But the camera makes a public event of what I consider totally a private one, and that felt a bit too weirdly voyeuristic a moment for me.
Now, Aubrey: Who the hell is she, Miss I lost Two Pounds In A month When I Was Supposedly Working Out Four Hours A Day, to rip on Joelle the way she did about slacking off? Is this hypocritical or what?
I agree that she, like the other contestants, had the right to ASK questions about commitment and rationales in order to make the BEST choice of who to boot, but she had no moral right to act like she's the queen of 100% effort. She totally turned into a very unappealing person in that moment, and part of me hope she ends up on the chopping block next time for that little ugly bit of her real self showing. Although, part of me wonders if her going off on Joelle was really a strange psych thing of her berating her own self for her poor efforts at home.
Could be, ya know?
I hope Carla reaches her goal of being the woman to lose the most weight on the show. She's got gumption. I'd like to see her succeed. And even if she and Joelle never patch things up, I hope they can forgive each other in their own hearts and move one healthfullly.
~
I'd like to say that Aubrey has some fricken nerve. There, said it.
Joelle has been annoying for a while, so it's not surprising she was in some sort of vacant-stare denial, yet again. I really think she has some sort of weird issue--don't know if it's depression or what, but there is somethign really off about Joelle and her reaction and her masklike face. If I were her, I'd head to a doc and get checked out. I mean that seriously, too. Apathy and that sort of frozen look can be symptoms. I get that way when my thyroid is out of range and when I'm really depressed.
So, Joelle's leaving is not unjust. And Carla had a right to be ticked off. You could see how very much Carla wanted to get healthy at the ranch (and on her own). You could taste her desire to stay. Sad. So sad she had to go.
However, I do think that she had the wrong attitude at follow-up reunion. Deciding you have the right to start tongue-lashing someone yet again--no matter how much they hurt you--is no way to make progress. Venting may have felt good, but it wasn't going to get any epiphanies out of Joelle or anyone. Sorry, I wouldn't sit there and let you rip on me, either, not in public. Take it private, sort it out, or agree to go your separate ways. Hash it out in private, then go on camera if you want to explain what happened. But the camera makes a public event of what I consider totally a private one, and that felt a bit too weirdly voyeuristic a moment for me.
Now, Aubrey: Who the hell is she, Miss I lost Two Pounds In A month When I Was Supposedly Working Out Four Hours A Day, to rip on Joelle the way she did about slacking off? Is this hypocritical or what?
I agree that she, like the other contestants, had the right to ASK questions about commitment and rationales in order to make the BEST choice of who to boot, but she had no moral right to act like she's the queen of 100% effort. She totally turned into a very unappealing person in that moment, and part of me hope she ends up on the chopping block next time for that little ugly bit of her real self showing. Although, part of me wonders if her going off on Joelle was really a strange psych thing of her berating her own self for her poor efforts at home.
Could be, ya know?
I hope Carla reaches her goal of being the woman to lose the most weight on the show. She's got gumption. I'd like to see her succeed. And even if she and Joelle never patch things up, I hope they can forgive each other in their own hearts and move one healthfullly.
~
I very much like Lyn's post today. She clearly shows by her own life's examples how she made changes that added up to weight loss. It's a post I needed to read because I have been so down on myself for losing focus and will.
I stopped to consider that I HAVE made changes and I DO feel better and I am wearing a smaller size and my sugar is in control and I'm exercising regularly and vigorously 3x a week for months and months (after years of total inactivity).
I have made some changes and those have kept me from regaining all the poundage I lost. I need to make more changes to lose MORE, yes. But if I made some changes, I can make others. I can gain groud.
Anyway, I recommend Lyn's practical and inspiring post, which includes this short list of tips:
~
I stopped to consider that I HAVE made changes and I DO feel better and I am wearing a smaller size and my sugar is in control and I'm exercising regularly and vigorously 3x a week for months and months (after years of total inactivity).
I have made some changes and those have kept me from regaining all the poundage I lost. I need to make more changes to lose MORE, yes. But if I made some changes, I can make others. I can gain groud.
Anyway, I recommend Lyn's practical and inspiring post, which includes this short list of tips:
Instead of seconds at dinner, you just take seconds of vegetables.
Instead of wasting ten minutes circling the parking lot for the closest space, you park far from the store and just WALK there.
Instead of asking your kids/husband/friend to bring the laundry upstairs for you, YOU do it.
Instead of putting whole milk on your cereal, you use skim.
Instead of watching TV all evening, you do some exercise and go to bed early.
~
If you're curious about some of the most popular diets around, five dieters are trying them out at LiveStron.com's DIET FACE OFF. Here are the diets/eating plans being used:
Weight Waters
South Beach Supercharged
Flat Belly diet
Mediterranean Diet
Jillian Michaels' Making the Cut
The dieters have posted their starting stats and have been blogging about their experience using these plans. If your eating plan is not working for you, here's your chance to see what results other plans provide for fellow fatfighters.
~
Weight Waters
South Beach Supercharged
Flat Belly diet
Mediterranean Diet
Jillian Michaels' Making the Cut
The dieters have posted their starting stats and have been blogging about their experience using these plans. If your eating plan is not working for you, here's your chance to see what results other plans provide for fellow fatfighters.
~
Some quotes and notes I scribbled down (probably imperfectly) while watching Oprah's show yesterday about her regain and her plan to get fit again:
Oprah's exercise plan:
cardio for 30 mins a day
resistance training 5 days a week
Oprah's tools:
Best Life Diet Book
Posted meal plan in her kitchen
~~sample meals
~~~~Bkfst: egg whites, steel-cut oatmeal, green tea
~~~~Dinner: salmon, sweet potato, green vegetable(s)
She also has set aside time for her health and personal needs in her daily schedule.
Segment with Carnie Wilson: she now weighs 168, down 50 pounds in the last 6 months, and is expecting her second baby. And I must say, she looks absolutely, glowingly beautiful. Carnie said she had to get at the bottom of her own soul, asking "What do I really want?"
Bob also emphasized taking time and effort to get to the true answer to some some questions.
Fundamental Questions asked by Bob Greene in his Best Life Diet:
* Why are you overweight?
* Why do you want to lose weight?
* Why have you been unable to lose weight in the past?
~~
UPDATE: I love these questions--as a response to Bob's questions-- asked by Janice of Our Lady of Weight Loss!
"This is a problem in your life that will remain a problem in your life for the duration of your life."
-- Bob Greene
"Bottom line: you have to plan your meals."
--Oprah
"There's absolutely no way that I'm ever,ever going to maintain my weight without some regular cardio exercise...at least 30 minutes a day"
--Oprah
Oprah's exercise plan:
cardio for 30 mins a day
resistance training 5 days a week
Oprah's tools:
Best Life Diet Book
Posted meal plan in her kitchen
~~sample meals
~~~~Bkfst: egg whites, steel-cut oatmeal, green tea
~~~~Dinner: salmon, sweet potato, green vegetable(s)
She also has set aside time for her health and personal needs in her daily schedule.
Segment with Carnie Wilson: she now weighs 168, down 50 pounds in the last 6 months, and is expecting her second baby. And I must say, she looks absolutely, glowingly beautiful. Carnie said she had to get at the bottom of her own soul, asking "What do I really want?"
Bob also emphasized taking time and effort to get to the true answer to some some questions.
Fundamental Questions asked by Bob Greene in his Best Life Diet:
* Why are you overweight?
* Why do you want to lose weight?
* Why have you been unable to lose weight in the past?
~~
UPDATE: I love these questions--as a response to Bob's questions-- asked by Janice of Our Lady of Weight Loss!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)