Wanna indulge my cheesiness?

Thursday, February 28, 2008

Well if you're reading this, just a warning, you might think it's cheesy!

I was singing along to a song yesterday not really thinking about it and the words got to me. I started thinking about them not being sung to a guy, but sung to all of the fat I've lost.

Ok, so I didn't actually PICTURE the fat, and it's kind of a stretch, but I soon realized I was singing to how far I've come. I don't know why I've been thinking about this so much lately. But anyway, you can hear the song on You Tube www.youtube.com/watch?v=-FPvfrfwlX0

Kelly Clarkson : Since You've Been Gone

"Since you've been gone
I can breathe for the first time
I'm so moving on yeah yeah
Thanks to you now I get what I want
Since you've been gone"

  

  Member Comments About This Blog Post:

MELBRESLOFF 2/28/2008 6:43PM

I think that is fabulous!!!! Report Inappropriate Comment

MOMJENNIFER32 2/28/2008 3:33PM

That is hilarious! I will never listen to that song the same way again. Report Inappropriate Comment

APMAC_D 2/28/2008 2:14PM

hahaha that is too cute. You must be really proud of yourself. Good for you. DOn't ever let it come back now Report Inappropriate Comment

Updates

Tuesday, February 26, 2008

Ok I've finished Rethinking Thin by Gina Kolata. Wow, I feel like I've been to school again. It is extremely informative and actually fun to read. I certainly recommend it to anyone. I'm reading another one of her books right now. I don't have it in front of me, but it's about exercise and fitness. I won't give any opinions yet since I just started it.

Today I looked back to review my progress. My weight is down two more pounds. I've lost 16 inches around my waist, 10 inches around my hips and 2 around my neck. When I first started I didn't know you could add other measurements so I haven't been tracking anything else.

If you're just starting out I recommend measuring lots of various things! There were times when the scale wouldn't move and I got tired of hearing "forget the scale, focus on measurements!" But I could lose 5-10 pounds and my measurements were EXACTLY the same.

Apparently I was measuring the wrong things! If you ever need some extra motivation, look back and see how far you've come. It could come from looking at numbers, pictures, or remembering how you could barely make it up the flight of stairs to work without huffing and puffing. Now that same flight of stairs is a breeze!

Never forget how far you've come.

  

  Member Comments About This Blog Post:

DNJEN471 2/27/2008 9:46AM

Congrats on all you have accomplished! You are so awesome! Report Inappropriate Comment

Time to discuss

Friday, February 22, 2008

So now that I've finished one book and am almost done with another, I've decided it's time for my opinions. (Not that you necessarily care, in which case, run away now! I'm about to get very opinionated!)

So I picked up the Beck Diet Solution because I heard someone suggest it. Well let me just say that I'm not impressed. Some of her advice made me want to shout out loud "well DUH!" And some of it, I thought "well I disagree completely." And then there was my moment of "wait, didn't you just say the exact OPPOSITE thing just a couple of chapters ago?"

From her chapter on how thin people think:
"Most thin people feel hungry and notice cravings, but they don't dwell on this feelings. Generally, they don't think that much about food at all...They have no problem holding off until their next snack or meal." Apparently thin people are superheros!

Yet just one page later she says, "Are you surprised to learn that most thin people restrict their eating to some degree? They accept these limitations without too much struggle."

So they aren't thinking about food, hunger, or cravings, but they are consciously restricting their eating. Ok then.

She also tells me that my cravings will magically go away for certain things after a while of not indulging in them. Which in my life is SO untrue. I haven't had certain food items for over a year, over two years, and any time I see a commercial for them my mouth is practically drooling! So sorry, I don't buy that.

I also didn't like her comments about emotional eating. "People without a weight problem don't think of eating to feel better." Well good for them!

What she neglects to mention is how some people (even those magical superhero thin people) turn to OTHER things much more dangerous than food to feel better.

The last thing that sort of bothered me was a little "did you know?" insert on one of the pages. It just sounded really condescending to me. "Did you know? It's important to distinguish between 'need' and 'want.' People have actually gone for more than a week without eating and haven't died. So, precluding a medical disorder, we definitely don't need to eat on any given day."

So I can skip a whole day of eating, huh, Dr. Beck? It won't kill me? WHO CARES!? There are lots of things you can do for a week that won't kill you. That doesn't mean that you should do them! In a way it sounds like she is saying that while food is necessary we don't NEED to eat every day. Which hopefully is not what she meant.

But either way, this diet "solution" is not for me.

I'm not quite finished with the other book I'm reading, Rethinking Thin. Which has gotten REALLY interesting!! I was a little disappointed in it at first, but now I'm hooked and I must read until the end. It's by Gina Kolata if anyone wants to try and find it at their local library. I'll say more about it when I'm done.

  

  Member Comments About This Blog Post:

KITTYKAT_MEOW 2/26/2008 7:34PM

It definitely sounds like a shallow thin person wrote that book. I'd chuck it in the trash! haha. We are all learning how to really do it...and do it right. Report Inappropriate Comment

DNJEN471 2/24/2008 11:30PM

She sounds like a real quack! Report Inappropriate Comment

LGROGERS 2/23/2008 9:18PM

I would bet money that she has never had to deal with weight issues and has absolutely no point of reference!! How does she know? what makes her the expert? i think many people pick a topic they know alittle about, wriyte a book and hope to be the next Dr. Adkins!! The truth is you don't need ANY books -- you are doing great, you have broken the code!! I am so proud of you!! Keep it up!! Report Inappropriate Comment

HAGGARDMOM 2/23/2008 12:01AM

Eeee, sometimes the 'experts' come across like such twits... the thing is, you cannot make such blanket statements about people. The bit about cravings is a good example... it does happen for some, but not others. I mean, if everyone lost their bad food cravings after awhile, no one would fall off the wagon! :-) Report Inappropriate Comment

ELLEMAC7 2/22/2008 9:02PM

Thanks for the review. Sounds creepy. At least I now know that I neither NEED or WANT to read that book! ;) Report Inappropriate Comment

Overwhelmed by books!

Wednesday, February 20, 2008

So I've gotten into a kick of reading. I've been to the library quite a few times within the past couple of months. I've placed holds on various books.

But it's a little overwhelming when they all come at once! I got an e-mail saying a book was waiting for me. When I showed up there were THREE books waiting for me. I dropped off two and I still had one from before. So now I have four books to try and make it through in two and a half weeks.

I've already started Rethinking Thin, although so far it's just been about how wonderful the Atkins diet is. Which is good for others, but I know it's not for me! I HATE MEAT!

Pretty much every single kind. The only kinds I like are steak (drenched in A-1), hamburgers/hot dogs (must have ketchup, mustard, onions, relish), popcorn chicken (dipped in ranch or gravy), and popcorn shrimp (must have cocktail sauce). I can't think of anything else. Basically, unhealthy meats drenched in condiments to cover the meat taste. So I tend not to eat them.

I also picked up the Beck diet solution, which I'm not so sure about. One called Shrink Yourself, a book about emotional eating. Then I also got a book by John Stossel.

I also read the Bible (almost) every night before I go to sleep. I also have four other books that I own that I'm working my way through. Hmm...I guess as long as I'm reading, I'm not eating! LOL

Oh, and I take them with me to the gym too. So that's good!

  

  Member Comments About This Blog Post:

RJBLADEOH 2/24/2008 7:51AM

I too love to read and find it very motivational when I am trying to let go of some unhealthy eating habits. My favorite one is The Ultimate Weight Solution by Dr. Phil. I also try to read/study the Bible every day. I memorize the verses "Your body is not your own, you were bought with a price" and "Your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit" and "Honor God with your body" and "Offer your body as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God. This is your spiritual act of worship." When I am tempted to eat something I shouldn't, I fight the craving with these verses - the Word of God is powerful! Report Inappropriate Comment

MDTWEETY 2/21/2008 8:13AM

Oooooh, I love books!! I've got a few I am working on too, but I gotta read them one at a time. I also have a stack of magazines I need to catch up on (Real Simple and Shape). I am usually right on them when they come in the mail but I think I am spending too much time on Spark instead. :) Report Inappropriate Comment

HAGGARDMOM 2/21/2008 1:16AM

I hear you on the meat thing... I was raised vegetarian, but am not really a practicing one. I don't like much red meat or pork but am ok with chicken. Not liking red meat doesn't help my low iron levels LOL. Report Inappropriate Comment

~SASKIA~ 2/20/2008 9:28PM

I guess I'm not the only one reading multiple books at the same time lol. But how do you read at the gym? Report Inappropriate Comment

FINALLY another pound down

Tuesday, February 12, 2008

So I've been wavering on the 170-mark. Just yesterday the gym's scale said I was 171. Which irritated me, because just the day before I was 170. And I had no clue why it was saying I had gained a pound.

I was down yesterday, (more winter blues) and could barely make it through any working out. I actually only worked out for about 15 minutes yesterday and then had to stop because I started to feel really dizzy and weak.

Disappointed in myself I went home and started on a crazy binge. Ok, not too crazy. But my lunch didn't satisfy me as it usually does. So I had a Skinny Cow ice cream sandwich.

I thought I'd be fine then. But no, I was still hungry. So I had some 100-calorie popcorn. My husband called and I explained how nothing was making me feel like I'd eaten ANYTHING. He then brought me an ice cream cone from McDonald's. Usually that leaves me feeling full for a couple of hours. They're awesome!

But no such luck this time. I finally tried again with a Kashi bar. Finally I felt full! It only took lunch and four snacks apparently!

So then I thought, whew I'll be fine now. Ran a bunch of errands because my husband, being sick, didn't feel like going to the gym. I, still not feeling up to it, was fine with that.

Ate dinner, whole wheat pasta, 2 cups veggies, and a slice of toast. Again usually I'm feeling GOOD and full after that. Nope, so my husband tried with another ice cream cone. The dairy and goodness of it leaves me good for the rest of the night.

AGAIN, didn't work. Tried a 15-calorie popsicle. Which totally distracted me from wanting to eat. That is, until I finished it! Hubby drove to Safeway because I was out of Vitamuffins. Had a chocolate Vitamuffin and finally felt content.

In the end I ate just under 2,000 calories and only burned 100 at the gym. The scale this morning? 169. So apparently I lost two pounds by eating a total of SIX snacks and 2,000 calories.

Does this make any sense? No. Have I learned to just move on with my life? Yes.

Basically the scale never makes sense to me. It'll say I lost weight when I think I shouldn't have. It'll stay the same for days on end, mocking me. It'll say I've gained weight when there is no reason to. Does this stop me from using the scale? Not at all. It's the only way I have to show progress. Measuring doesn't work. I measure about once a month and there usually isn't much difference. I seem to have to lose more than 5 pounds or so on the scale before the measuring tape will reflect anything.

What I have learned is that while I'm baffled, I don't let the scale affect my mood for the day. Scratch that, I TRY to not let it affect my mood. Hey, I'm certainly not perfect.

What was the point in this blog? I don't know. It's mostly just to show myself that I can do this. Gained weight? Who cares, I can still make it to the gym. I can still (attempt to) eat right.

In the end I'm happy that I have a body. That I have something to get me where I need to go. And the scale can't change that fact.

  

  Member Comments About This Blog Post:

SQUEEBONE 2/18/2008 10:14PM

You're doing great, and believe me, I know exactly how you feel! Don't bother weighing yourself every day. It can fluctuate 2 or 3 pounds just from water retention (which comes from too much sodium). Try every week, at the same time and wearing the same clothes. You'll notice much steadier progress that way! Keep up the great work! Report Inappropriate Comment

JESJES 2/16/2008 4:11AM

This makes some sense to me, in terms of the concept of calorie cycling. Check it out, some people swear by it to get past plateaus! Report Inappropriate Comment

LISALU910 2/13/2008 4:10PM

I have so had the exact same experience as you! I have had a period of time when I counted every calorie, 1200/day, and exercised 6X/week and the scale didn't budge. Then I decided to take a week off "dieting" and I immediately lost 2 lbs! I didn't go on a binge or anything, but I did like you did just "munch, munch, munch" trying to get satisfied. I also could NOT FIGURE THAT OUT! All I can say is that after that experience (about 6 weeks ago) I decided that being hungry does NOT work for me. I bumped my calories up to about 1500/day - also increasing the intensity of my workouts - and the weight loss has stayed steady now at 1.5 lbs/week. I agree measuring is harder than it sounds. For example when you join SP it asks for your neck measurement (huh?) and although I've lost almost 20 lbs mine is still the same. (so what...who measures their neck?) And the waist/hip measurements are hard because how hard do you pull that tape anyway? I can get anywhere from 29"-31" on my waist depending on how much I suck it in and how tight I make the tape! :) Anyway, you are making progress....keep it up! For some odd reason I also got stuck at the 170 mark, it bounced up and down for a week or two but now its moving again and so will yours. Good luck!! Report Inappropriate Comment

SAMANTHAKALLAS 2/13/2008 10:04AM

And it's a more healthy body than the one you had over a year ago!!! Keep you chin up. Winter blues are only temporary. And I think that we've all had those days we get into our workout and just simply don't feel like doing it. Today is a new day and you'll be able to start over with your routine!!! Report Inappropriate Comment