My weight loss journey, highs and lows.

I have just joined my daughters 'game' on dietbet. It starts tomorrow so today I have weighed in. I have always had to watch my weight. Sometimes I watch it go up and sometimes I watch it go down. Mostly it's the going up... Anway, I am a writer and a few years ago I realized I'd gained more than ever and needed to do something about it.  

REPOST from my writing blog 10/10/13:

Today I'm going to review a non-diet. I have tried everything under the sun. Here's a story of my weight loss journey as a writer.

Writing vs. Weight:

Writing is a solitary profession. I sit with my coffee, coke or wine on my desk, a bowl of chocolates, candies or whatever at my side. My characters prance around in my head as I put pen to paper. Or in my case put fingers to keyboard.

Day after day as my word count multiplies so does the inches on my butt.

Over the years, I’ve tried every diet known to mankind. I’ve used every excuse of why it doesn’t work for me. Then last year while putting pictures from our recent New York trip into an album, I saw an astonishing site. Me. Good grief. I was a tub of lard. It’s a wonder my hips would fit between the armrests on my office chair.

 In New York 5/08

My doctor has this new wonderful thing. Email. So I emailed her in tears and we came up with a plan.

Here is where writing and weight are similar. Writing is personal. Are you a panster or a plotter? What works for you doesn’t necessarily mean it will work for me. And visa versa.

Same with diets, or weight control, or changing your eating habits. You have to find the formula or method that works best for you.

Whenever I’ve dieted in the past I’ve changed my eating habits, I’ve heard this is good. The trick is to keep those habits long term. Never happened. Every time I’d get near my goal I was so sick of the foods I had been eating to reach my svelte figure that I couldn’t wait to eat normal again. So then I’d gradually start to cheat and little by little I’d balloon up again. And I would always reach new heights on the scale.

So what, you ask, is different this time? I eat whatever I want. Would you like me to repeat that? I eat whatever I want. I drink whatever I want. I snack on whatever I want. I just eat small.

My doctor and I came up with a novel idea. Eat correct proportions. While trying to drop the pounds she suggested I try 1200 calories per day. At first, I thought she had a screw loose. What? 1200 calories per day, I’d starve. But I was game, I had the wonderful robust picture from New York on my fridge door.

I knew myself well, I hate keeping a food journal. That was my first and so far only hurdle. I didn’t want to write everything down, use my calculator to add it up, not to mention find the calories for every food. So I Googled calorie counters, thinking at least I could use that as I wrote everything down. I found an online journal for free. It adds everything up for you. Counts your calories, cholesterol, sodium, protein, carbs, etc.

Score! http://www.my-calorie-counter.com/ It also has a weight progress chart, measurements, and other helpful things. But most important, most of your name brand foods are already in the system. If you buy private label (Kroger, Smiths, Western family, etc you can download your own). It took me a few days to figure everything out, after that it’s been a piece of cake.

Now I was ready I had a free system to electronically keep track of calories. I knew I wanted to keep to 1200 and mostly I wanted to eat normal.

First morning, I read the cereal box. One cup cereal and one half cup milk. Did the same with my coffee and creamer, yes coffee has calories. All day long I ate everything I would have had I not been counting calories. The only difference, I measured out the appropriate serving. After dinner of that first day, I had two hundred calories left over for an evening snack. I’m serious in order to give you an example I looked back on my online journal.

Going out to dinner can be a bit of a challenge, but not impossible, I have most fast food places bookmarked. I don’t eat the Big Mac’s at McDonalds but I do have a cheeseburger and fries when I take the grandkids there.

When I go to a restaurant if they don’t have nutrition tables on line, then I do the best I can. I eat what I think the correct portion should be and bring the rest home. Someone will eat it for lunch the next day. I’ve been on two vacations, and have not gained. I ate peanut brittle, chocolates, fudge and cookies at Christmas and only gained a half a pound. It was the peanut brittle. And it was because I did not look up the calories before I indulged. I would have still had some, just not as much.

I weigh once a week on Friday’s and I’ve lost a total of Seventy-two pounds. I'm at my goal weight.

I honestly think my success this time is not changing the way I eat, but changing the portions. I do not deprive myself of anything. I don’t have seconds any more and I enjoy eating. Another bonus has been; when I went for my annual check up last March I had such high cholesterol my doctor put me on medication. In August, my cholesterol was normal and I was able to stop the medication. This year at my checkup my doctor gave me high praise and all my tests were great. And I feel 100% better!

I still sit with my coffee, coke or wine on my desk, a bowl of chocolates, candies or whatever at my side. And my characters prance around in my head as I put fingers to keyboard. The only difference is, I count them in my daily 1200 calories and my butt is shrinking.

This has worked wonderful for me. I hope it works for you, after all what have you got to lose?