The Life I Want

First, I feel I must re-introduce myself since I have been long absent from this blog!  It has been nice having more friends here, and I have been reading lately, although I haven't commented much.  That will all (hopefully) change now.

I'm Lara, and I'm really good at losing a little weight (like ten pounds) and then gaining it all back.  I'm still not sure why I do this, but there it is.  That's probably all that's necessary to know about me for the purposes of this particular blog, but anything else you want to know can probably be found on my actual blogging blog: Overstuffed.

I'm on a quest this year to change that.  To really change my lifestyle and my level of well-being instead of just lose a little weight and then give up on it when the going gets tough.

I've been reading The Life You Want by Bob Greene, who is Oprah's trainer/dietitian/food psychologist.  He talks about  8 barriers people have to losing weight.

I'll go ahead and list those barriers here, while saying that I haven't finished the book and have decided to work on my own personal barriers one by one, with the help of this book.  (I also highly recommend reading this...very insightful stuff.)

Barrier 1:  An Aversion to Discomfort and Pain
Barrier 2:  Caught Up In the Business of Life
Barrier 3:  Your Pleasure-Seeking Physiological Wiring
Barrier 4:  Feelings of Unworthiness
Barrier 5:  Fear of Success (or Failure)
Barrier 6:  A Poor Body Image
Barrier 7:  Unsupportive Relationships with Adults When You Were Young
Barrier 8:  Abuse

I have to say that I related at least somewhat to ALL of these weight-loss barriers, with the exception of number 8 (abuse).  Number 2 (caught up in the business of life) is probably my biggest barrier, with numbers 1 and 3 tying for second place.

He talks a lot about Emotional Eating and why we do it (all those barriers inspire Emotional Eating for various reasons).  While I haven't been able to nix the Emotional Eating (stress eating, in my case, because I am usually overwhelmed and have trouble saying no to adding more to my plate in instances of both scheduling and dinner), I have decided that I am going to tackle barriers 1 and 3 first.

I hate exercising.  Hate. It.  Part of it is an honest rebellion to having a mother who is an exercise professional who is fairly well-known in LDS circles, part of it is due to having exercise-induced asthma, and MOST of it is due to the fact that it's uncomfortable, un-fun and I can think of so many other things I would rather be doing with my time, many of which are not good for me (see barrier number 3: pleasure-seeking).

So, my current quest is to overcome my aversion to exercise and learn to find pleasure in it.  So, I joined a gym a few weeks ago, even though I have quite a nice exercise bike upstairs and lots of great workout videos, including the entire set of DVDs from my mom's show, lots of Jillian Michaels and a recent Zumba acquisition.  But I don't exercise at home much, because I can always think of something else that needs to be done, or some reason to avoid going upstairs and just doing it.

That's why I joined the gym.  It had to hurt a little bit in the pocket book, because I am mercenary and like to live on a budget and if I'm going to pay that much for something, I have a hard time justifying skipping out.  And so, I've been to the gym almost every day since the day I joined.

And guess what?

I am looking forward to it.  While I do not like it much while I am huffing and puffing, sweating buckets and turning several shades of red (I am a very ugly exerciser, it is true), I feel so good afterward that I begin to crave that feeling the next day.  And I want to go.  I want to work hard.

I had no idea that overcoming these two barriers could be so easy!  Of course, it will always be a challenge, but I love that I am learning to turn exercise into physical pleasure.

A Thanksgiving Miracle

So there's good news and not-as-good news.  But no actual bad news this week, which is a relief after a major eating holiday like Thanksgiving.

The good news is that last week I lost 1.8 pounds (forgot to post).

The not-as-good news is that when I weighed today, I hadn't lost or gained ANYTHING.   I was exactly the same, right down to the .2 in the number.

So, this week, I am back on a better eating schedule and very thankful that Thanksgiving didn't do me completely in!

Weigh in Monday and I'm Back on the WagonYes, AGAIN

When Hilary started this blog back in January we were both so gung-ho.  I have managed to do three different diet/exercise pushes and lose circa 10 pounds each time.  Only to gain them back when life got in the way.

It has been SO inspiring for me to watch Hilary be so incredibly successful, but I haven't been emotionally ready to try it myself.  Again.  One thing that Hilary said that really struck me was that losing weight is basically like having a part-time job because it takes that much time out of your life to be successful.

I wholeheartedly agree, and I realize that that is one of the reasons why I give up too easily.

But here I am again, because I really need to find it within myself to lose the weight.  I am not healthy and that is that.  So, last week, I said I would lose ten pounds by Thanksgiving Day (only to gain it back again that day probably!) and I started a new diet regimen.

This one is a bit different, and should work well for my fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants personality and my busier-than-I'd-like life.  The meal plans are all given to you, and you are to make everything for the week in one sitting.  Store it in your fridge in tupperware containers and take it out when you need it.

So far, I love it.  I am less tempted to snack because I know that I have a full meal sitting there waiting for me.  You eat six times a day, so I feel like I'm eating constantly anyway.  The food is pretty filling.  I was hungry for the first couple days, but now I feel very stuffed after eating a little piece of string cheese.

And in the first week I lost (drum roll please)


4.1 pounds and 2 3/4 inches.

Go me.

Go us.

Lara's Monday weigh-in

Amazingly, I lost 2.2 this week, even with the PMS I've been experiencing the last couple days.  Woo hoo!  It brings my 3 week total to 5.3.  I'm hoping that I can lose 10 pounds total in another 3 weeks.  That will feel good.

This week I resolve to up my exercise.  I decided to have my husband bring the exercise bike upstairs where the TV is.  It's currently in the computer room, and I usually watch Hulu or something online while working out, but my computer is on the fritz and that hasn't been working for a while.  A new one is on the way, but I think I'll be happier with the bike upstairs anyway.  I will also commit to doing Jillian 3 times this week, even if it kills me.  And it probably will.

In other news, my husband lost 3.7 lbs this week.

I hate him.

Back on the Wagon

So.

I dropped off this blog in a major way. Crazy life and no time.

I did stay off of sugar for all of January, February and March. I had a few slip ups in April (and gained about 7 pounds because of them, and they were small slip ups!), and also stopped exercising for a while.

But, now, following Hilary's lead, my husband and I have started Weight Watchers.

So far, so good.

I'm not the best at keeping track of things, but I can see how helpful it is. So I am giving it my best shot. My husband on the other hand, excels at this sort of thing, so perhaps he will keep me on track. The last time we did WW together, he lost about 25 pounds (which was all he needed to lose) and I only lost 10. Mostly because I gave up.

So that is what I am working to overcome. The whole giving up on things too easily.

And so, I'm back on the wagon.

Again.

I'll report next week.

Just a bit of weightloss humor

I saw this on another blog and thought that I would share it here...

Twas the month after Christmas and all through the house
Nothing would fit me, not even a blouse.

The cookies I'd nibbled, eggnog I did taste.
All the holiday parties had gone to my waist.

When I got on the scales there arose such a number!
When I walked to the store (less a walk than a lumber).

I'd remember the marvelous meals I'd prepared;
The gravies and sauces and beef nicely rared,

The wine and the rum balls, the bread and the cheese
And the way I'd never said, "No thank you, please."

As I dressed myself in my husband's old shirt
And prepared once again to do battle with dirt --

I said to myself, as I only can
"You can't spend a winter disguised as a man!"

So--away with the last of the sour cream dip,
Get rid of the fruitcake, every cracker and chip

Every last bit of food that I like must be banished
Till all the additional ounces have vanished.

I won't have a cookie--not even a lick.
I'll want only to chew on a long celery stick.

I won't have hot biscuits, or corn bread, or pie
,I'll munch on a carrot and quietly cry.

I'm hungry, I'm lonesome, and life is a bore --
But isn't that what January is for?

Unable to giggle, no longer a riot.
Happy New Year to all and to all a good diet!
- Anonymous

One thing at a time.

First off, an introduction.  I'm Lara, Hilary's friend, and I need to lose weight.  And keep it off.  So does my husband.

At the beginning of this year I lost 35 pounds.  But, a cross-country move in August, and preparations for it all summer caused me to stop paying attention to the necessary things to maintain that weight.  Add to that all of the stress of the move, combined with the stress of trying to learn a new area and make new friends and I've gained every bit of that 35 pounds back.

My biggest problem is sugar.  I have PCOS, which means I am insulin resistant.  When I go off sugar completely (and I do mean completely: no refined flour, no high fructose corn syrup and no sugar anywhere on an ingredient list), I drop weight fairly easily.

Only, it's not exactly EASY to not eat sugar.  The last 2 months, beginning with Halloween are the hardest months of the year to stay away from it.  So, my first line of attack is to quit cold turkey, which I have now been trying to do since the day after Christmas. My first successful day was yesterday, and boy did I ever have a doozy of a migraine.

But, one day down.  It feels good.  (And, 2.5 pounds lost in that same day.)

So, what is the one thing that you can do, that you know will help you be most successful?  We all have different issues to deal with and diets are not a one-size-fits-all sort of thing, unfortunately.  What is the thing you KNOW works for you?  And what will it take for you to actually do it?