Return Of The Scale

BMI - Body Mass Index

The Body Mass Index is a way to compare a person’s weight to their height and determining healthy body weight. There is a formula to figure it out, but it is just as easy to find a website with the information you need. My current BMI is 35 which is in the obese range. I think a reasonable BMI for myself is a 22 which is under 150lbs.
BMI Calculator

More BMI Information

Weight Management Information

Weekly Weight Loss Report - November 17, 2008

I have maintained my 3lb weight loss from last week. That is something to be proud of, but I am not celebrating. I did eat a lot healthier and have not had a soda, but I am at the point where I usually say “oh well, I tried, it didn’t work, so now I should eat whatever I want.” In fact that’s what I did today. I went and got fast food for dinner. It wasn’t good either. The stuff I have been making at home is way better. Now I have a stomach ache and I feel gross.

I think part of the lack of weight loss is not being totally accountable for what I am eating. I have a calorie counting program, which I have not been using. It is a lot easier to lie to yourself saying you are eating healthy, it is a totally different thing to actually count calories. So, I guess it’s back to the grindstone - and strict calorie counting. I need to see more progress, so that I can keep on track. Actually, I am excited to make dinner tomorrow and I really feel like going for a walk.

Giving up on this isn’t really an option. I only have one body. It’s either stick to this and lose weight or quit, eat a lot more, gain weight and then be in the same place again only heavier. It’s not very hard to see which choice is better.

Weekly Weight Loss Report - November 11, 2008

Since last week, I have lost 3lbs (like this 3lbs of cheese). I am not too impressed by that number, but it is respectable. When I start focusing on weight loss, I get obsessed with numbers and how much I can lose by what date. I think that making weight loss goals is important, but I know myself, and it may end up hurting my long term goals (becoming a healthier person).

I am happy with any weight loss. This week’s was due to not eating as much, even if I wasn’t eating the world’s healthiest meal. Normally if I wasn’t eating something healthy, I would eat as much as possible because I was already cheating on my diet. I am lucky that I don’t have time to eat out for lunch because that is one less temtation, however sometimes I wouldn’t pack my lunch and I would go grab something unhealthy and eat it very quickly because I have about 20 minutes for lunch. So I have been taking salads for lunch and really enjoying them. I am also proud to say that I have not had a soda, still. I have been making better choices about eating, but this week, my goal for eating is to look up some healthy recipes for dinner and try something new that I would enjoy eating.

Exercise was not my strong point this week. The time change, a cold and cold weather really put a damper on my walks. I can’t let that be my excuse though. I know that if I am going to change my life I need to make time to get moving regardless of the situation. So this week, I am going to try to reinstate my walks, and if the weather is really bad I always have my dusty-unused-new-years-resolution recumbent bike, which obviously, I don’t like using. I would also like to incorporate some sort of strength training.

So I am not going to obsess over the number of pounds that I lose. I think this is important to track though because the scale doesn’t lie. If I don’t lose weight, it means that I need to adjust something in my life because at my current weight, I need to eat quite a few calories just to maintain. My goal by Thanksgiving is to lose enough weight to fit into my winter clothes which are hanging in my closet. This is manageable because that is not too far off.

Z-Coil Shoes Help Relieve Pain

When you are overweight, your feet, joints, back, and basically everything hurts. I am on my feet all day and when I got home my feet hurt so much that I didn’t want to do anything except put my feet up and watch TV. My legs ached at night, which made it hard to sleep. I had read about Z-coils and knew people who had them, but I was afraid of looking like inspector gadget, so I didn’t want to get them. Finally, my husband got tired of my crankiness and took me to buy some.

Well, now I don’t care what I look like. My feet don’t hurt, I can go on long walks with little pain afterwards. I love them. I don’t wear them all the time, just when I know that I need them. I like the way they take the impact off of your feet. Another added bonus is that they have helped my posture. When I first started wearing them, I was sore, especially my core muscles. Now I notice improved posture all the time. The shoes were expensive, but most of the parts are replaceable.

On the down side, they feel a little big for me and they made me realize that one foot is bigger than the other. I have to tie them really tight because they are very wide. I know some people who complain that they are too heavy, but that doesn’t really bother me. All in all, I would say that if you are having the same problems that I was, you may want to think of a pair of these.

My favorite BPA free water bottle

I drink water every day all day. I heard about the BPA drama and I thought that I should probably upgrade to a better bottle. I was looking for a water bottle with a straw because I love straws, and I was tired of spilling water all over my shirt, multiple time a day. I also needed one that didn’t leak. Since I do not have access to water during the day, I needed a larger bottle. This is what I found.

The Camelbak Better Bottle is 32oz. It doesn’t leak, has a straw and was about $15. I have had it for a few months and I love it.

Weight Loss Success! - No Soda in over 3 weeks

As I mentioned in my weekly weight loss report, I have not had a soda in over 3 weeks. This is a huge milestone. I have been drinking crazy amounts of soda since high school (thanks to the nearby gas station which offered 44oz drinks for 39 cents, I could find that in the seats of my car). When I lost weight in the past, I still drank soda, only diet. After drinking a lot of that, especially embarrassingly large 64 ouncers, I started feeling sick (like it was burning a hole in my stomach) so naturally, I switched back to regular.

I can’t blame all of my weight gain on regular soda, but I would say a large portion of my fat is pure Dr. Pepper. I did stop drinking it for a while, lost weight, fell off the wagon somehow, started drinking more than ever, and gained more than ever. Somehow I am hoping this time will be different. I have made it quite a while, and I don’t plan to stop. The difference this time is that I am not going to tell myself it is horrible to have a soda and if I ever drink one again I failed. I know that doesn’t work, so hopefully if I do have a soda, I can limit it to just one. I will keep you posted.

The amazing thing is, that I have been drinking iced tea instead of soda. It is much more thirst quenching and refreshing. Lately I have been choosing tea because that is what I want, not what I tell myself I have to have. The problem is, that at many social functions and convenience stores, there are not a lot of choices for drinks when you eliminate soda and artificial sweeteners. I can always get bottled water, but I don’t really think that you should buy bottled water (this is a whole other soap-box), so I have been taking my water bottle with me. Maybe I just shouldn’t go to the convenience stores any more. Sad thought, since they have been my friends for years. “Sorry old friends, I think I am going to have to move on.”

Overweight People vs. Not Overweight People

This revelation came to me when I was at the gas station getting a soda with some friends. Two of us were dieters and one wasn’t. Along with my soda, I got some junk food because I said, I was “already splurging, I may as well,” which the dieter agreed with, but the non-dieter thought that was funny because they would think if I was having a soda, I shouldn’t have the junk food. – Not exactly the best way of telling the story, but the point is, I was thinking backwards.

I have been observing people for the past few years and I have noticed that overweight people and always on a diet, or talking about their weight or worried about their weight. Thin people aren’t. Of coarse, this is a generalization, because there are thin people who are obsessed with their weight and overweight people who don’t seem to care. In general though, it seems like people who don’t struggle with their weight are more in touch with themselves. They don’t eat certain things because they don’t feel well when they eat them, they know when to stop eating, and they choose healthy food because they know it will make them healthier or they like it.

Overweight people eat for reasons other than hunger. I rarely know when I am actually hungry. I eat because I think I am supposed to or it’s time, or there is food in front of me, or because I decided I am going to splurge or treat myself for whatever reason. I usually eat very fast and don’t really taste my food. I eat a large portion too, because I don’t really pay attention to myself when I am eating. I try not to talk about my weight to other people that much, but I am always thinking about it. And, unfortunately, at home I talk about my weight and failed plans a lot. I make a lot of my choices based on my weight. I would say that I am obsessed.

Weekly Weight Loss Report - November 4, 2008

This weekly report is a little late but I am still reporting.

Negative

I still do not have my diet under control. I also ate a ton of candy with all the Halloween goodies around. I ate most of the first batch of trick-or-treaters candy, so I had to go get more. I have been cooking more at home, but I have not been conscious of portion sizes or ingredients. My goal this week is to start using my computer program again to keep track of calories so that I can be more aware of what I am eating. I didn’t exercise as much as I should have (I am not doing strength training or flexibility). I have not lost any weight so far except the weight that I put on the first week after starting this site. So I now weigh 241.5lbs.

Positive

THIS IS HUGE for me - I have not had a soda in over 2 weeks! Before this it was rare that I would go a day without drinking a soda - usually lots of soda. I have substituted it with iced tea without sweetener. It is actually much more refreshing and thirst quenching.

I did another 5k, this time with my dog. I walked and completed it in 58 minutes. I didn’t have the help or motivation from any friends or family this time, I just went by myself and it felt good to be independent. This one was harder than the last because part of it was uphill. I was sore the next day.

Top Ten List – why being overweight is not my cup of tea.

1. Health Concerns – I think every person who is overweight, knows how harmful it is to your health and is constantly worried about the risks and the constant worry leads to stress, which leads to overeating – and the cycle continues
2. Diets – I firmly believe that diets are what is making Americans overweight. Not diet as in – this is what I eat – diet as in the mentality of loosing weight. Somewhere along the way, we forgot how to eat like a normal person. We are always creating rules for ourselves, and then breaking them, and then feeling guilty, and then saying, “Oh well, I already had a small bite sized piece of chocolate,” (which isn’t on my diet) “I might as well eat the whole bag.” Weight loss diets have an end because you cannot maintain them for the rest of your life, which means when it is over, you will, most likely, gain the weight back.
3. Weight Cycling – My sister has worn one size for the last 15 years. On the other hand, my closet is full of a variety of sizes, depending on the day. When I go on a diet, my size goes down, when I quit the diet, my size increases and then some.
4. Laziness – I know the word lazy has a negative connotation, maybe lethargic is better. I am not a lazy person. I work very hard for other people, and at my work, but when it comes to taking care of myself, I would rather not. I don’t want to go exercise and I don’t want to cook healthy food when I am gaining weight because I don’t feel well. Even though I know sitting and eating take-out won’t help, I do it anyway, which makes me feel worse.
5. Aches and Pains – When you are carrying an extra person around, it hurts. My feet hurt, my back hurts, basically , I ache all over. Need I explain more?
6. Bellies – A belly is an underestimated thing. It is very cumbersome and is constantly in the way. It hangs over pants, it makes you feel insecure, and it gets in the way.
7. Insecurities – When you are overweight, you constantly feel like you are being judged, probably because you are being judged. Our society is very prejudice of overweight and obese people. Low self confidence is a major factor to weight gain.
8. Clothes – Shopping for clothes is terrible when you can’t find anything that fits. Many clothes that are in XXL sizes are just wider, which doesn’t really help or flatter anyone. When you shop at a specialty store, prices skyrocket, and no-offense, the clothes are ugly. Why do I have to dress like a crazy person, just because I gained weight? As a result, I never have the outfits needed for certain events, and I don’t feel confident in the clothes I do have.
9. Avoiding People, Places and Events - Now that I have gained weight, I don’t want to do as much. I don’t want to go certain places and I don’t want to see certain people. I get stressed out about going places that used to be a daily part of life. I procrastinate more, therefore worry more.
10. Worry about Seating – I have come to a point where I now have to worry about where I will fit. I can still fit in chairs but my sides hit the handle bars. This is very uncomfortable in many ways, and I would rather not have to worry about whether or not I will fit in a seat.
• 

Tags: diet, health, weight loss
Posted in Weight Loss Journal | No Comments »