This post is simply a chance to review my dieting history and to vent. I would appreciate it if a bunch of skinny people don't try to give me advice like: "it's a lifestyle change", "just eat healthier & exercise", or "just cut out carbs". I did that and after dieting all year (with frustration splurges) I'm exactly where I was this time last year.
At the age of 47, losing weight is a whole new ballgame! Most of us are just like Oprah (or I like to think so), we know every calorie, fat gram, sugar gram, carb gram, and fiber gram of every food there is. We have read every book, magazine, and web-site and know exactly what to do. We are successful and are in control of every other part of life, but this one.
My first attempt to lose weight was probably in high school. Being 5'8" and a size 9 was enormous for a cheerleader. We didn't do all that flying around like they do today, but we worked one-on-one and I had to hold people up by my-self. I was very fit and strong. In a single day I could go from cheer, to gymnastics, to softball, so by the time I got home I was starving and ate a big dinner.
In college, I packed on my "college 10+", so the summer after my freshman year, I got serious. I babysat during the day and taught gymnastics at night. My goal was 800 calories a day. If I got to 1000, I would make myself run extra bleachers at night. Melba toast, bullion cubes, boiled eggs, and cans of green beans were my staples. We were still in the era of counting calories, and aerobics was all the rage. I wouldn't allow myself to watch TV unless I was exercising. I lost all the weight I wanted and kept most of it off at school. One summer I worked at Richard Simmons Anatomy Aslyum and was exposed to vivid descriptions of what white bread does when it's added to water - turns to paper mache' - in your body. That can't be good.
The weight crept on over the years, so in the late 80's I was working at a radio station and was one of the first people to go on Nutri-System and share my results on the radio. No pressure there! It was easy because I was single and had no other food in the house (I tried that with 2 kids - not so easy). I would go across to LA Fitness after work everyday (to avoid traffic and so all the cute guys) and work hard for at least an hour. I was in the shape of my life.
After getting married and movie to Texas, I started to cook a little and the weight started to come on. This was the "fat-free craze" or the "fake food craze". Now at the time, IT wasn't a "diet" - IT was a "lifestyle of eating less fat", just like today is a "lifestyle of eating no sugar and healthy carbs." Call it what you want - it's still a diet! If you are not eating what you want, when you want it - it's a diet. What they didn't tell us was, when you take out the fat, you put in sugar. I could go without any fat for years!! No problem, I love sugar! I lost weight at first because of the lower calories, but the lack of protein & some fat brought my metabolism to a halt. They also didn't tell us that when you eat sugar, you want-more, and more, and more! This created a society of diabetics and slow metabolisms.
Over the next decade, I had babies, and went to Weight Watchers. Everyone will tell you, when everything else fails, go to Weight Watchers. You can eat what you want in smaller portions, and you "have to weigh in weekly" and that's the key. I always lost 18 pounds before I hit a plateau and quit going. I ate pretty unhealthily because healthy foods have more calories, than processed foods. Wheat bread is more points than skinny white, an apple is the same as a small 3 Musketeers. Which would you choose?
That brings us up to today. Eating healthy the past 3 years has kept me exactly where I am today. Sure, I have holiday splurges and some slip-up's, but I don't buy cookies and cakes (my weakness), I eat whole grain and lean protein, and my blood pressure and cholesterol are good, but I must get this weight off. So, this year here is my plan:
1. Write down everything that passes my lips & go back to calories in & calories out. Have you ever added up the calories of a low carb diet? You may be shocked.
2. I'm going to complete the book "A course in Weight Loss" by Marianne Williamson and find out why my body is holding on to fat.
3. Go to my Dr. and get my hormones tested to see where I stand - they are a mess right now.
4. I'm going to boost exercise and weight training (the key to speeding your metabolism over 40). I admit, I have been slack here.
5. I'm going to use the Silhouette Solution's bars and shakes (because they taste the best with 15g of protein and low calories), but I'm also tracking calories. I think I added too many calories to my shakes in the past.
6. I'm going to take my custom supplements and fit tabs vigilantly.
7. I'm going to focus on growing my business to alleviate the financial stress that makes me want to eat!
To be continued...
For information on The Silhouette Solution go to www.trumpnetwork.com/mikeandkim
No comments:
Post a Comment