Week 5: 202.4 lbs
Pounds Lost: 14.8
Taking it Up a Notch
YES! So close to the fifteen-pound mark…and still going strong. Far be it from me to blow my own horn (okay, I love to blow my own horn) but I am truly impressed, not only with my steady progress to date, but also with my attitude. I’m losin’ weight and lovin’ it! I can honestly say that I love what I eat every day, and I’m not feeling deprived. And I think I know why…
Reason #1: EXERCISE
We all know it: exercise is good not only for the body but also (and arguably more importantly) for the mind. Over the last two weeks I’ve made a concerted effort to get back into a more active lifestyle. When weather and children permit, I wake up at 6:15 and go for a 30-minute walk/jog before my husband heads off to work. If I sleep in or if it’s pouring rain I get up and do 30-60 minutes of yoga before breakfast. Throughout the day, if I have 2 or 3 minutes, I get down on the floor and do 100 crunches (yesterday I did it on the grass in the backyard while supervising the splash pool). And before bed I do some slow, stretchy yoga to help ease away the day’s tension in back and hips.
I know that increasing my activity level has helped maintain a really solid weight loss (averaging 2 pounds per week) at a stage when many "losers" begin to plateau. More importantly, I credit the clearer mind and loftier spirits that exercise and the meditative side of yoga bring me with my continued optimism about weight loss and my ongoing healthier food choices.
REASON #2: VARIETY
Okay, I’ll admit it: I eat carbs. Ssshh! Don’t tell anyone! Bagels, bread, potatoes, pasta…even (gasp) white rice grace my plate on a regular basis. Yes, that’s right…I haven’t banished a single entire food group from my daily fare, and I have still lost nearly 15 pounds (my husband has lost even more!) Moreover, I know this variety has helped me maintain my sanity in the face of a regimented, recorded and restricted daily intake of food. I know I can eat anything, truly anything (and that includes a grande caramel frappucino from Starbucks!) if I’m prepared to "make room" for it in my day and week. That might mean eating a green salad with a very light dressing for dinner to compensate, or going for an extra-long and vigourous bike ride to "earn" it, but isn’t that what life’s about? Truth and consequences…action and reaction…they’re laws of nature, after all.
This point was driven home to me with frustrating force this past weekend. My father-in-law was visiting, and couldn’t (or perhaps more accurately, wouldn’t) refrain from commenting on every single thing we ate, with this simple refrain: "I can’t believe you can eat [insert food here] when you’re on a diet!" Dispense with explaining that the program we’re on is not considered a "diet"; I began to notice a pattern. He couldn’t believe we could eat rice, potatoes, bread…even fruit. Why? This is a man who lost 20 pounds (and promptly regained 30!) on a strict low-carb diet.
While I admire and respect all the other travellers on this weight loss journey, I do feel sorry for the folks on low-carb regimens who simply are not able to enjoy the simple pleasure of a half-cup of white sticky rice along with their chicken kabobs. I know that many people thrive on these programs, and lose "sugar cravings" along with the unwanted pounds, but I, for one, am not prepared to vilify an entire (legitimate) food group simply because it’s been sadly misused. Yes, swear off chocolate bars, gummy bears, licorice and potato chips forever, but that doesn’t mean you can’t still eat rice, potatoes, bread and fruit – in moderation and along with all the other wonderful, natural and nutritious foods in the spectrum.
Okay…’nuff said! I’m off to take a bike ride with the kids and wind down with some sun salutations! See you next week!
Kath is a regular contributor to urbanmoms.ca and mom to two wonderful girls, Charlotte (5) and Madeleine (3). Share your thoughts on her journey – and yours below in comments or in the forum.
Thanks everyone! I want to tell you all that reading your comments is helping to keep me motivated – keep ’em coming!
Kath
Hi everyone. I lost 88 pounds 2.5 years ago and have managed to keep it off. I am 5’1″ tall and now weigh 119lbs – you do the math! I am a bit frightened by what Laura said because after years – and YEARS – of fighting the weight what I realized was that dieting WAS the issue. I needed to see things differently.
I started by simply eating less. Smaller portions and less fat. I then cut out carbs. I started to lose weight but had no energy. After losing 20lbs I went to see a nutritionsit and hired a personal trainer for 5 sessions over 6 months. Both of them said in order to have the energy to exercise which led to weight loss, increased metabolism and long-term health, I needed to EAT carbs. I started incorporating brown rice, whole wheat bread and cereal into my diet and I was a new woman!
After years of struggling to figure it out I now know that the secret is simple…literally. Eat the same or similar meals every day because variety makes things tempting. If you eat the same type of meal every night do you feel like seconds? Also, treat yourself every once and a while but make it count. Make sure you absolutely LOVE IT.
Finally, and I know you have heard this before, MOVE YOUR BODY. I was amazed at how easy it was to keep the weight off if I walked my 30 minutes 3 days a week and didn’t deviate too much from what I ate. Break a sweat ladies!
Now, I am planning to run my first 1/2 marathon in the fall and have never felt better! I LOVE my body. I always used excuses – I am big boned. It is genetic. I was never athletic. And they were exactly that – excuses. Me, that fat kid, the lazy teen, and the overweight wife and mom, is now a svelte 30something about to accomplish something unthinkable a few years ago.
Keep it up Kath, because I have been there and I can tell by your “tone”, you want it bad. You will get it, and so will your husband. Just stick to it and accept no less than your best. And Laura, word from the wise, start looking at LIFESTYLE changes instead of a diet. Take responsibility and really dare yourself to take it on. You will be surprised what you can accomplish just from hard work.
Congratulations on your continued losses, and even more to your dedication to the program. Not every diet works for every person. I did WW 4 years ago, and while I was ‘successful’ by losing 50 pounds, every single day was a struggle for me. I have now found a program that works for me – Dr. Bernsteind Diet – and have realized that I must remove 95% of the carbs from my diet in order to change my eating habits. Some people are truly addicted to sugar, and that cup of rice, potato or bowl of oatmeal would send me running for a chocolate bar an hour later. So don’t feel sorry for me, not having starchy carbs in my diet, and not having a whole range of fruit to eat. I’m pleased with my small servings of bread, my apples and cantaloupe, and I’m down 38 pounds in two months!
Carbs aren’t evil, but for some people, they are pretty close.
Hey, Kath. Give yourself a HUGE pat on the back! I have worked for the last 7 years as a Weight Watchers leader after losing 73lbs 8 years ago. Staying motivated and positive are two of the hardest things, especially for busy moms. But, the real challenge is finding ways to integrate exercise or even just more movement into your day. I love the image of you doing your crunches in the backyard while your children splash in the pool! I am going to use this as an example to my group next week.
You are an inspiration!
Good on you! You are motivating me to build exercise into my daily routine. I have plateaued at the minus 15 lbs mark and am starting to get frustrated but I do see that I am not exercising as much as I should. Fingers crossed that I find something I enjoy as much as you are enjoying yours – I’ve never been much of an exerciser…
WAY TO GO!!!
YOU GO GIRL!! Nearly 15lbs and nearly below the 200lb mark! I am so proud of you and SO impressed by your attitude. Keep it up!