On September 15th, I started my weigh-loss journey. I teach water aerobics and considered myself fairly fit. I couldn't run a marathon. But, I was strong, very functionally fit, ate decently, and, as long as the exercise was low impact, had good endurance. I weighed 180.4 lbs. I'd said for years that I knew what I needed to do to lose weight, I just hadn't hit bottom enough to work for it. After a friend started working on losing weight at the beginning of September, I started wondering where 'bottom' was.
I have arthritis in my lower back because of two surgeries as a child to prevent my scoliosis from getting worse. There's a strong history of diabetes, breast cancer, and high blood pressure on my mom's side of the family. I get my blood pressure from my dad, so I've never worried about that. My mom has always said that she wasn't as worried about me in regards to the diabetes as my sister because my back would prevent me from getting too out of control. Some days, though, my back WAS out of control. The stiffness, muscle spasms, and pain were horrible. Then, my three year old daughter climbed onto my lap and the flab around my waist got pinched between my belt and her. It hurt. That was the final straw.
I bought a new digital scale, downloaded My Fitness Pal, and ordered two tubs of meal replacement shakes from Ideal Shape. I'd already switched to mostly water months ago, so I just had to up the amount of water I drank. I set up a regimen of two glasses immediately upon waking and one each with breakfast, morning snack, lunch, afternoon snack, dinner, and evening. At first, it seemed like I was forcing myself to down my water. Now, I regularly get 80 ounces plus more during workouts without thinking about it.
I was worried about counting calories, but, honestly, it hasn't been as horrible as I thought it would be. Eye opening is probably the best word I can come up with for my counting experience. I started with just the meal replacement shake. Logging it and everything else in surprised me. I couldn't believe how quickly everything added up. I told my husband that I really should weigh a lot more based on what I was seeing in the log book. As I continued to log, my choices naturally shifted. I'm not one to ever go hungry or starve myself. I found myself skipping the bowl of chips at afternoon snack time and looking for veggies, fruits, cheese sticks, or popcorn instead. At meal times, I pulled out the measuring cups to figure out an actual serving. I'd eat one serving and wait a bit to see if I was still hungry. Surprisingly, 1-1.5 servings was generally satisfying. It was hard at first to look at the plate and imagine that it was going to be enough to fill me up, but it was. I started taking the time to prep those things I liked but seemed extravagant before. Broccoli, for instance. I LOVE broccoli and so does my daughter. My husband and son won't touch the stuff. Making two vegetables for dinner used to seem like too much work. So, I'd skip the broccoli and make green beans or corn instead.
Three weeks in, I saw a post a friend liked for Jillian Michaels' Detox Tea. There was something in the caption that talked about a bet. I decided to check it out. That's when I found the Diet Bet website. I'm generally a very private person. I'd really only told my husband and two friends that I was trying to lose weight. I'm also usually broke and stingy with my money. So, Diet Bet was way out of the norm for me. I liked that I was only competing against myself though, and that, provided I lost the weight, there was no risk financially. I closed my eyes, said a prayer, and jumped. I also took it a step further and told my water aerobics class about losing weight and the bet WHILE MIKED UP to completely commit. I knew that group of women would be supportive AND hold me accountable. What I didn't expect was the support I'd find with the other diet bettors. The people on this site have been tremendously inspiring. Halfway through, I signed up on Shaun T's bet, too.
As my food choices improved, I realized I needed to get more accurate with my measurements. So, I went out and bought a food scale. I also started to pay attention to the types of calories I was consuming. I'd known I was low on fiber, but I realized I was lacking in the protein department, too. I really started working on both. I've gotten pretty good at balancing carbs, protein, and fat. I'm better about the fiber and most days I hit or get close to my goal. After getting a handle on portion sizes, healthier choices, and water, I decided if I wanted that bit extra or any treats, I needed to up my exercise routine. I've added in 3-4 smaller workouts every week. The wii is my favorite go to in this department. I like Just Dance 4 and have recently started the 60 Day Challenge on the NFL Training Camp game. Both are low impact, a must with my back. They challenge me without pushing too hard. Most of all, I ENJOY them.
In these seven weeks, I've started eating even healthier than I was. I've upped my water intake, and added more workouts to my schedule. I've lost 11.8 lbs. it's amazing what small changes can yield. I never would have dreamed it would be this easy. Don't get me wrong, I've gotten frustrated, tired, and unmotivated at times. However, I've never went hungry and haven't completely denied myself my desires. I've just scaled back and been INTENTIONAL about my choices. I find it ironic that the sermon in church yesterday was on that topic, Living Intentionally. That is what I've been doing and it's changed me for the better.
When I started this journey, I didn't have a goal weight in mind. It was mostly just a get rid of that muffin top sort of thing. I've since seen that I need an actual number. That number doesn't need to be set in stone. I could get halfway there and decide I'm happy or I could get there and keep going, but I needed a number to shoot for. So, I've chosen 150 lbs. That's what I weighed on my wedding day, 11 years ago. I feel 150 is a very attainable number. Recently, I've started to wonder about 135 lbs. That is what I weighed when I graduated high school. I had a bit of fluff then and could have stood to lose a few pounds. However, I'm stronger now. I have more muscle mass at 37 than I did at 17. So, I've decided my goal is 150 but I'm not ruling out 135. We'll see how I feel once I hit the 150 mark. Who knows, I may plateau and stick at some point. I'll listen to my body and see what it wants. I do know I'm done with 180 and I'm not going back to the 170s. I'm 168.8 lbs today and that's the heaviest I'm ever going to get. My intention for Thanksgiving and Christmas is to hold the line and then start losing again in the new year.
My 20 year class reunion is next summer. 135 WOULD be pretty cool. Maybe.......