Here’s why I chose not to weigh in:

• I haven’t been eating great. That doesn’t mean I’ve been eating bad on purpose…just that with the hectic holiday season, I haven’t made the time to think about the healthiness of what I’ve been buying, making, and eating.

• I needed the emotional break from worrying about my weight. Obsessing over the scale can only lead to further eating disorders…and yes, overeating IS an eating disorder. More about that some other time.

• I was sick. I found out that it’s not a good idea to go through a bottle of Rolaids each week while waiting for the appointment with the tummy doc to roll around. You’ll end up paying for it with a nasty kidney stone. It was my first, and it was not enjoyable. Not one bit.

What reasons have you used in the past to avoid the scale? Bloated? Cheated on your diet?

Let me know in the comments!

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I Skipped My Weekly Weigh In

Well, I definitely let stress get to me this week. If I go into any further detail, you’ll learn way more about me then you probably bargained for, so let’s just leave it at that today. My favorite stress reduction technique is writing, but the kind of writing I need to do right now is the kind that belongs in a three-ring notebook away from the public’s eye.

This week’s progress:

Starting Weight: 182

Current Weight: 184

So tell me, what’s your favorite stress reduction technique?

Post from: Blisstree

Weight Progress 12/13: A Bad Week

It’s hard to admit when we slip, isn’t it? I don’t feel guilty though. No, I am going easy on myself, and you should too if you fall off the wagon. The proverbial “wagon” is easy to hop back on — easier than you think.

This week’s progress:

Starting Weight: 182

Current Weight: 182

This week’s slips:

Besides not accomplishing my goals to start on Slim-Fast and exercise more, I also had not one, not two, but three chocolate candy bars. Ack! I can’t believe I just admitted that. Yes, I know…but it’s that time of month I need chocolate and well, the Snickers bars were 3 for a $1. Thank goodness both the bars and the cravings for them are gone.

This week’s successes:

I’ll be totally honest in saying I feel like a total failure for this week. So, other than the usual “drinking enough water” response, there are no successes for me to report.

Goals for next week:

I’m still determined to set goals each week, even if I know some weeks I will not attain them. I’m dying to see the 170’s again, but I’m not going to let myself get discouraged along the way.

Therefore, since I didn’t accomplish much this week, my goals for next are going to be small baby steps.

1. I will walk 2 miles on the treadmill on Tues., Thurs., and Friday.

2. I will remember to take one dose of fiber each day before dinner.

3. There will be no more candy bars!

4. I will drink a huge glass of water before each meal.

What are your goals for this week, and how do you plan on reaching them? Please share with us in the comments.

Post from: Blisstree

Weekly Weight Progress, 12/6

This week’s progress:

Two pounds gained, which didn’t surprise me one bit. I ate mostly healthy stuff, didn’t snack and didn’t drink (too much).

Starting Weight: 180

Current Weight: 182

This week’s slips:

Let’s see: pumpkin pie, whipped cream, cranberry sauce, lots of carbs and a good dose of gravy. Enough said.

This week’s successes:

I think getting through Thanksgiving with only a 2-pound gain is a success. My goal was to make it through with less than a 5-pound gain, remember? Goal!

Goals for next week:

I am ramping up my weight loss efforts this coming week. I’m aiming for 12 miles on the treadmill, whether it takes me 4 days or 6 days. I’m also going to do two days of Slim-Fast meal replacements, in an effort to get my appetite back down after an indulgent holiday.

What are your goals for this week, and how do you plan on reaching them? Please share with us in the comments.

Post from: Blisstree

Weekly Weight Progress, 11/29

I’ve been away from the computer for a few days, packing and driving my kids to my parents for some housesitting. I don’t know about you, but times that are busy and stressful like now (around the holidays) are always spent worrying about my weight.

The good news is that nothing has changed on the scale — but that’s also the bad news.

This week’s progress:

No pounds gained, but no pounds lost. I suppose I can live with that.

Starting Weight: 180

Current Weight: 180

This week’s slips:

Is it my fault if my husband brings home two packages of “ultimate” cookie dough because they were buy-one-get-one? *sigh* No, but it’s certainly my fault for eating them. Considering I also didn’t succeed with my daily exercise, it’s amazing I didn’t gain an ounce.

This week’s successes:

I may not have hopped on the treadmill, but I did do a lot of running around in general thanks to a week-long minimum day schedule at my daughter’s school. I am also rockin’ in the water department. Usually I have trouble drinking my fluids when the weather cools down, but I’ve stocked up on so many flavors of Crystal Light packets that getting in my water has been a breeze.

Goals for next this week:

Who am I kidding? This is a holiday week here in the U.S., and I know I will not be eating healthy. My biggest goal is to make it through Thanksgiving without gaining five pounds. How will I do that? I’ll use a smaller plate, fill up on water and fiber, and eat slooooowly.

Look for my post in a couple days with more tips for getting through the diet-breaking holiday feast.

What are your goals for this week, and how do you plan on reaching them?

Post from: Blisstree

Weekly Weight Progress, 11/24

After finding a more positive mind-set and reaffirming my self-worth, I lost all the weight and got in shape by doing the following:

I purchased a one-month supply of Herbalife products.

This included meal replacement powder, vitamins, and other supplements. While I don’t think meal replacements and supplements are necessary for weight loss, they were for me. I needed the help to jump-start the loss. Once I lost 20 pounds, I had regained control of my appetite. I was so motivated by my new look that I didn’t need to continue the meal replacements, energy boosters, or appetite suppressants.

I scheduled exercise.

My good friend and I made a “date” at least 4 times a week at her house to use her treadmill and exercise videos. She’d do one and I’d do the other, then we’d switch. Of course being single with no kids, I had more time for this than most people probably do. Scheduling the time and considering it an important appointment that you must keep really helps.

I ate less, and what I did eat was healthier.

Obviously, I was eating fewer calories while on the meal replacement shakes. I drank a shake when I arrived at work, one for lunch, and my mom made me a healthy dinner each night. I kept myself busy after work by doing my exercise. Before you eat is a great time to exercise, and you will actually burn more of your food calories that way.

I didn’t starve myself.

The meal replacements were heavy on protein, which helped suppress my appetite. I did get hungry while working though, and kept a tube of saltine crackers on my desk. While they aren’t the healthiest things in the world, they are relatively low in calories. When combined with massive amounts of water, they filled me up. (Though I should probably recommend fruit and veggie snacks, crackers worked best for me.)

I drank as if my life depended on it.

Seriously.  Luckily, the office I worked in had a full kitchen with a sink and the best weight loss tool — water. I filled up a pint sized plastic cup and vowed to finish one of those for every hour I worked. It was easy, even while doing my job as a receptionist and billing clerk. Did you notice what I did to make it easy? I scheduled my drinking. By making myself empty and refill the cup once each hour, I ended up drinking a full 128 ounces of water over the course of my day. That’s 16 cups of water, 2 for each hour I worked! I can’t even begin to explain the benefits of water while losing weight — that in itself deserves its own post.

That’s it. That’s what I did. Perhaps I was in the minority by having family support, exercise equipment at my disposal, and time to put myself first — but those are all very important parts of successful weight loss. Of course, as you probably have guessed by now, I did gain the weight back eventually. Such is the life of someone with obesity written in the genes. You might be asking why bother then….

I kept that extra weight off for about 4 years, and the only reason I gained it back was because of my first pregnancy. During those 4 years, my thyroid hormones stayed at a normal range, I was at less risk for heart attack and stroke, and I felt energized and healthy.

It was worth the effort.

Post from: Blisstree

Weight Gain and Hormones, Losing the Fat

Today, I have something extra special for you. I had so much to share with you that I have multiple posts for you. I felt this information was too important to wait another week. I’m going to explain why your mind-set is important to your weight loss, explain how I lost the weight I had gained, and then tomorrow I’ll discuss a little secret about the how weight loss affects hormones.

I walked out of the doctor’s office that day I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism, a little dejected that I was offered no help with my weight other than the advice to eat less and exercise more. That’s the worst thing we overweight people want to hear — it’s almost as bad as “but you have such a pretty face.”

Eating less and exercising more is easier said than done, right? Wrong! Okay, now don’t hate me and please just listen for a second. The reason we begin to believe that we can’t lose the weight is purely psychological. If you can get past the limitations of your mind, you can do almost anything.

Over the course of six months to a year, I found myself obese, depressed, and to top it off — in a very unfulfilling relationship that I was hanging onto just because I believed I didn’t deserve better. What did I do? I woke up!

So much of losing weight is about appreciating yourself. I will touch upon the psychological aspects of weight loss many times over the life of this blog, because it’s so important. You have to love yourself, AS YOU ARE NOW, in order to feel compelled to change.

Let me put it this way. Would you rather suffer the consequence of being overweight by dying of a heart attack at age 50…or would you rather fit into some skinny jeans? Most people would be more motivated by the former, the consequence versus the reward.

Okay, so what did I do? I dumped my fiancé who was no good for me, called up one of my best friends to let her know my intentions, and yes, I did buy some supplements to help me. I also let my parents know what my plan was, since I was living at home and my mom was still the cook in the family.

It was important to put me first, and for a change I was going to do it. If you’re married with kids, or even have a demanding job, I understand this is easier said than done. You must understand how essential it is to your success. It’s critical! If you don’t have self-worth, what motivation is there to take care of you and your body?

So now, please read my post on the tools I used to finally lose the weight.

Post from: Blisstree

Weight Gain and Hormones, Your Mind-Set

The pounds were creeping up, slowly, but still uncomfortably. Since having my youngest daughter 5 years ago, I have mostly stayed within a few pounds of 175, which is about 20lbs. overweight for me. Well, after losing a job in April, I consoled myself with food…until October rolled around and the scale read 190. I did not like that number, not one bit, and that’s how my current weight loss journey began.

This week’s progress:

Today I’m happy to report I hit the 10lbs. lost mark!

Starting Weight: 190

Current Weight: 180

This week’s slips:

I got into the kids’ candy buckets, as chocolate is my biggest weakness. I didn’t make time for my one hour on the treadmill once all week, which is disappointing. Also, there were a few day where I forgot to take my fiber.

This week’s successes:

I drank more than enough water, kept a positive outlook, and increased my vegetable intake. I was also more active during the day, even though I didn’t participate in planned exercise.

Goals for next week:

Remember to take my daily fiber, use the treadmill at least 3 times during the week, limit sugar/candy (thankfully the Halloween candy is gone now), and keep my positive outlook. If I can lose 10 pounds, I can lose 20 more!

What are your goals for this week, and how do you plan on reaching them?

Post from: Blisstree

Weekly Weight Progress, 11/15

Today I get a little more controversial as I explain why this weight gain shouldn’t be 100% blamed on the disorder that caused the imbalance.

Continued from last week…

The doctor explained that the hormones were at least partially at fault for my weight gain, even if just by making me so hungry that my self-control could not function. There was a catch though…hormones alone were not going to take the weight off. I would need to use what self-control I did have and shed the fat before my body would respond properly to treatment.

Confused? I was too, but I’ll try to explain what I’ve come to learn.

If you have an imbalance, you can supplement your body with hormones, but you still need to lose the fat. Why? Getting your body back into balance will help your overall health, and having excess weight means you are out of balance. Losing extra weight is crucial to your health, especially if you suffer from disorders such as diabetes, hyper- or hypothyroidism, or even infertility. It makes sense to treat any disorders once you’ve done all you can to eliminate any imbalances you created on your own, including weight gain, though that’s just a personal opinion.

Although hormones can lead to excessive hunger, overeating, and therefore weight gain — I would caution you against blaming the hormones, and only the hormones. You don’t want to trick yourself into thinking that diet and exercise won’t work. While there are some conditions that may make it impossible to lose weight regardless of eating well and moving more, I still suggest that you try. Sitting around and waiting until a doctor can prescribe you something means one thing — more weight gain as the time passes.

While I was busy gaining 75+ pounds, I made the mistake of doing nothing. I waited for science to tell me what was wrong with me, instead of taking back control. When I was finally diagnosed with Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis, a form of hypothyroidism, I asked the doctor how to lose the extra weight. He point-blank said I needed to diet and exercise, and I was disappointed to say the least. I expected him to give me a pill that would shed the pounds effortlessly, but that’s not how our bodies work.

An imbalance of hormones caused my cravings and hunger, but it didn’t physically put the food in my mouth, turn that food into calories, and turn those extra calories into fat. I did that. Me. Now I was the only person who could fix the mess I found myself in.

Join me next Thursday for the last installment Weight Gain and Hormones. I’ll talk about how I lost the weight, and how hormones are affected by weight loss.

Post from: Blisstree

Weight Gain and Hormones, Part Two

You have likely read that weight gain and loss is as simple as calories in versus calories out. You have also probably read that your weight gain was purely a consequence of your lack of self-control, and that you have access to as much self-control as everyone else. I’ve had doctors say there’s no way medications can cause weight gain, though studies have shown they have. I’ve also heard people say that whether you’re fat or not is determined from the day you’re born — you have either the fat gene or the skinny gene.No wonder overweight people get frustrated and confused, because how do you fix a problem if you don’t know what caused it?

I’ve already shared that my problem with weight gain began when I was in 5^th grade and finally allowed to spend hours alone after school. One could say that lack of supervision and the fact that I came home to read books instead of going bike riding led to my extreme and sudden weight gain. While those things did have a lot to do with it, I believe something else played a part — hormones.

I’m not a medical professional and I haven’t done all the research there is on the relationship between weight gain and hormones. I do know one thing though — for me, hormones has been a very real part of my weight gain and loss cycles. You too may have noticed a correlation between your weight and the medicines you were taking, any physical conditions you were going through, or life changes you were making. I have, and I truly believe it is not a coincidence.

When I began having trouble with weight, I was in the midst of huge hormonal changes happening within my body. Puberty hit me like a ton of bricks, having gone from nothing to everything (including menstruation) in a year’s time — with my 5^th grade year smack in the middle of it. Coincidence? Maybe.

Ten years and a lot of up-and-down of the scale later, I was 19 and relatively healthy and fit. Away at college, I started gaining weight at an alarming rate, once again. Sure, many girls put on the famous “freshman fifteen,” but how many of them gain that 15 pounds every month for almost six months? Yikes!

In short time I was the fattest I had ever been, so far, and it was hard. Everyone thought I had totally lost all self-control, and I did too. I couldn’t figure out why my hunger was never-ending and insatiable. Then something weird happened. I completely stopped menstruating. I was young and really didn’t think much of it, until almost a year without a period had passed. Not long after that, an Endocrine Specialist diagnosed me with a form of Hypothyroidism. Coincidence this time? Not likely.

To be continued…

Join me next Thursday for Weight Gain and Hormones, Part Two, when I’ll further explain why excessive hunger can be more than a lack of self-control.

Post from: Blisstree

Weight Gain and Hormones, Part One