Now vs. "then"

Then, I never "dieted" but I was a lot more active. I wasn't sitting behind a desk all day, I wasn't married to a chef who cooked every night and is completely clueless to the amount of calories and fat that is in his cooking.

Now, I have to diet and the weight doesn't fall off anymore. My body clings to it. Hopefully I'll make some good progress this go 'round.

current weight: 190.0

193 182.25 171.5 160.75

150

Then:

I joined the Atkins craze, stuck to it like it was my last chance of survival, it got easier when things like carb-free chocolate bars came out... I was on it nearly a year and lost about 40 lbs, looked and felt awesome...but got bored and lost motivation. It wasnt until I stepped off the wagon and crashed that I realized how bad I had been.

I noticed first that I started losing my hair. It went from being so thick and long that I could only loop a typical ponytail holder around it twice to so thin that I was afraid to pony-tail it for fear it would break off. It was dry, my nails chipped easily, my coloring was bad... basically I realized that I had completely stripped entire sections of nutrients from my body. In my goal to eliminate carbs I had decided it was easier to say no bread than limit to a slice of whole grain... I hadn't had fruit other than a piece a week for months. Looking back and knowing what i know now, I feel stupid.

Now:

I have been off Atkins for about 3 years now, but it was in Jan when I joined sparkpeople that I started making healthier decisions... when I got pregnant I was limited to what I could keep down (BAD MORNING SICK) but I was/am taking vitamins and try to choose healthier foods. I cant wait to start my dancing and workouts again... I was doin great before i got preggers.

Pounds lost: 20.0

0 43.5 87 130.5

174

Now has been much harder for me also :(

This has been the most I've ever stuck to a diet. In the past I cheated a lot, but would still lose some weight. This time, I adhered to my plan almost completely, and hardly saw anything for results. Two things are going on: one, I'm not working, and running around as a nurse burned a lot of calories! Two, I have insulin resistance now, and my metabolism needs help.

I'm going to be seeing a doctor who specializes in this problem, so hopefully that will be of some help. I try to increase my daily activity by doing extra housework - vacuuming, carrying laundry up from the basement, and scrubbing bathrooms all burn calories! I also set myself goals to try new recipes every week to encourage me to cook at home - even if they're not low fat, I eat way less calories at home than I do dining out. I try to eat a high protein breakfast, because this keeps my blood sugar under control for the day, and also keeps my hunger in check far better than a bowl of cereal.

It's hard staying motivated when I'm not losing, so I also come to SP often for support, as well as read a lot of books about other peoples weight loss challenges and successes. I am also learning about eating clean, because cutting out the processed junk is so much healthier not only for me but also my family.

I don't know about you guys but it sure seems like it's a lot harder to lose weight now than it used to be! Maybe it's because of my age (I'm 44) and my metabolism is slowing down or because of the fact that I have a family and kids and not a lot of time to work out. Or maybe it's because I don't have the time and/or patience to watch what I eat and make healthy choices. All I know is that when I was single, it was a heck of a lot easier to lose weight!! I went to Weight Watchers and lost 35 pounds like it was nothing! Now I find that it's hard to go one single day without eating something that I know I shouldn't eat. And working out? Oh my gosh...who has the time to work out??? I'm not saying I'm giving up, I'm just saying it takes a heck of a lot more effort to find somewhere to fit it in. I've come to realize that I can't expect to do it at the same time every day like I used to and I just have to prioritize it and fit it in whenever I get a chance. What about you guys? How is it different for you now vs. "then"?

Oh, and another question for you, if you lost a lot of weight in the past and put it back on, did you do anything differently that helped you lose the weight that you aren't doing this time around and you think that maybe if you did it again it might help? I guess what I'm thinking of is, for example, when I did WW before, I used to make a big pot of vegetable soup and eat it every day during the week along with a BIG, HUGE salad when I got home from work. I'm wondering if maybe I should try that again.

Looking forward to hearing back from others!

current weight: 166.6

183 173.5 164 154.5

145