Hi All!
This is my first-ever diary, although I’ve commented here and there on DKos.
Weight loss has been an important part of my life for the last 16 months, so when iriti suggested this group, I was glad to jump in and help.
I’ve been able to lose 100 lbs. in the last sixteen months, and although I still have a ways to go, I consider my journey a success so far. I got a couple requests to tell you all how I was able to lose weight, so here’s my story.
My success in losing weight boils down to diet and exercise. I know, not a big revelation, but maybe the way I approach eating right and exercising will help someone else.
First, a little bit about me. I’m female, single, early 50s and live by myself in Chicago. I’ve been heavy since college, but throughout my life I was never skinny but always on the upper range of medium weight. I’m fairly tall, about 5’10”, and I’m fortunate in that I can carry the extra weight well. People in my life are amazed that I even had 100 lbs to lose, much less the additional 60 that are still left.
Because I am tall, I was able to tell myself for decades that I wasn’t really fat, just overweight. But over the last several years I started to experience side effects from the extra weight. I would get pain in my feet and knees that took a long time to heal. I was fortunate to never become diabetic, but my blood pressure went up so high I was no longer able to donate blood. I travel a lot for work, and it became increasingly harder to fit into the airplane seats, and I occasionally had to ask for the seat belt extender because the regular one would not fit. I told myself that only happened on the small commuter planes, but it was happening more frequently.
A friend of mine, who was severely obese, decided to do the bariatric surgery in December, 2008. I’m too much of a coward to ever consider that, but I followed his progress with a great deal of interest. He was much heavier than me, so I was able to tell myself that while I was overweight, at least I wasn’t as heavy as my friend.
That all changed about six months after his surgery, during the summer of 2009. I met my friend for an outing, and I was shocked to see he had lost all the extra weight and now he was much thinner than me. Even worse, he was in much better shape! I could barely keep up while we walked up the street.
This incident really sobered me. I had been working with a trainer for two years, but after seeing my friend’s success I stepped up my sessions from once a week to two, plus some fitness classes at my gym. However, I didn’t change any of my eating. I started to see some progress, but the weight stubbornly stayed on. I slowly began to accept that I would have to change my eating to see some real progress.
My trainer had suggested a free online diet and exercise web site, sparkpeople.com, in 2007, and even suggested an eating plan for me. Sparkpeople has many resources for those of us who struggle with losing weight, from eating plans to exercise videos to message boards for support and information. There are several similar sites, like Lance Armstrong’s Livestrong site and eDiets.
In October 2009 I decided I had had enough. I was tired of my knees hurting and struggling to fit into the seats on the plane. I started to look around Sparkpeople and enter the plan my trainer had suggested. I thought I was eating healthy, but I decided to track my food for a week and see if I could make some changes and lose weight.
That week of tracking my food was an eye-opener. I was eating way too much fat, sodium and carbohydrates. I wasn’t getting enough protein or fiber. One of the options on Sparkpeople is to let the site create a meal plan for you, within the parameters you set, so I took a look at how I should be eating compared to what I was actually eating. The suggested meal plan was shocking – there was no way I would be able to survive on so little food!
I was determined, though. I entered into a mindset that I was not going to let my body have so much control over my life, and I had the power of choice over what I ate. I think of my body and my appetite as a child who has lots of toys to play with, but always wants a new toy. Food is like a new toy to my body – instead of burning the stored fat (or play with the old toys), my body wants new food (new toy) and triggers a hunger reaction to get that new food. I know that’s not scientific, but it works for me. ☺
I’ve been on this plan for 16 months, entering all my food and exercising at least twice a week with my trainer, and other times when I can fit it into my schedule. I’ve lost 100 lbs, as I said above, but I have about 60 more to go. I hope to get to my goal weight this summer.
After a too-long introduction, here are two eating plans. The first is the one I started with, but after I hit a plateau and stopped losing weight, my trainer and I decided I was actually eating too little with the added muscle from the exercise I had been doing, so we made small changes in all categories. Of course, everyone is different, so you need to consider your own situation and figure out what will work for you.
First plan
1,300 – 1,500 calories
100 – 110 g Protein
162-190 g Carbohydrates
28-33 g Fat
26-30 g Fiber
Less than 300 g Cholesterol
2,300 mg Sodium
8 glasses water
Current Plan
1,400 – 1,600 calories
80-100 g Protein
200-222 g Carbohydrates
30-35 g Fat
25 g Fiber
Less than 200 g Cholesterol
1,500 mg Sodium
12 glasses water
I needed almost 6 weeks to change my eating to fit within my original limits, but I’ve now reached the point where I don’t have to track my food, but I do to make sure I stay on the plan. I know what I can and can’t eat, which is really helpful when I have to travel for work.
Here's a typical food day for me:
Breakfast:
2 cups coffee with milk and sugar
1 6-oz. carton non-fat yogurt
1 fruit such as a cup of blueberries, a banana or an apple
Lunch:
2 slices Healthy Life bread (I like the 12 grain)
2 oz low-sodium turkey breast
1 tsp. mustard or non-fat mayonnaise
Snack:
3 prunes, or 20 mini unsalted pretzels, or 1 cup unsweetened applesauce
Dinner:
Lean Cuisine that has less than 600 mg Sodium
1 piece of fruit or 1 cup unsweentened applesauce.
8-12 glasses of water
Sparkpeople has a meal planner, and with my current eating plan, here's what they suggest for one day:
Breakfast:
1 cup non-fat milk
12 fresh strawberries
3/4 cup Cream of Wheat, cooked with water and no salt
1 cup decaffinated coffee
Lunch:
1 cup non-fat milk
1 serving Broiled Tilapia Parmesan (recipe at Sparkrecipes.com)
1 orange
2 cups shredded Romaine Lettuce
1 tsp. Olive Oil
1 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
.6 cup wild rice
Dinner:
Spicy White Bean Soup (recipe at Sparkrecipes.com)
3/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
Snack:
1/4 cup almonds
6 oz brewed tea
1/2 serving salad greens with Cranberry Vinegarette (recipe at Sparkrecipes.com)
I look forward to being part of this group, and sharing what I have learned, and learning from all of you. This is a journey, and it’s often hard, but it does help to take the journey together. I have some ideas about future diaries, but I’m also open to suggestions.