Why do we overeat? I know we all have different reasons, but I think it mostly boils down to emotions we are trying to mask in some way. Whether it is the notion that we aren't good enough, our men left us, the stress of work is getting to us, or a myriad of other emotions, we eat. Eating at celebrations, funerals, when a friend comes into town is all marked by some emotion. I think if we can learn to separate ourselves from the emotions and focus on eating for health, it will do us a mountain of good.
Last night, I ate out of emotions. At a wonderful session with my personal trainer at +Golds Gym, we took measurements. Death. I lost 3 lbs over the past two months (for being an agoraphobic recluse, I think this should be considered a win), but I gained about 3 inches across my body.
GAH!
For reals?
I am just that much more determined to lose the inches.
But not until I ate a butt-load of mexican food and ice cream. Yup, I went there. I didn't even realize I was feeling lousy until the third mini Ben & Jerry's when I realized I was so full but kept eating.
I am moving past that today. I didn't go over my calories by too much, but I know better and will now act better.
This morning started out with a smoothie that my son and I slurped with smiles on our faces and later we had some carrots to tide us over until lunch comes.
My emotions are not going to dictate my health any more! I will be happy with the food choices I make because I know that even if it isn't what I want in the moment, I am being kind to myself and that means something.
Weight Loss Ticker
Wednesday, March 27, 2013
Rachael Ray and Words to Think About
So, I was reading the subtitles to +Rachael Ray Show (click here for the link to the actual episode) yesterday at the gym, and this guy, Dr. Michael Mosley, was talking about the Fast Diet. I didn't really like the diet, but one thing I did like from him was about how we can "train" our bodies.
He talked about how when we get really hungry, the food we go for is what we have trained our bodies to "cure" hunger. So, when you get really hungry and you go straight for the bread like my hubby or cookies like I do, it is because that is what you have trained your body to crave when hungry.
It may take a while, but according to this, you can train your body to fight hunger with something else. Has anyone ever told you to drink some water instead of eating because it is usually thirst, not hunger? It's a case of mistaken identity.
So, my proposal is this: next time you are SO hungry and you think, "Hmm, tacos sound good" or "Cookies. . .",
STOP.
Remember this blog post! Grab yourself a large glass of water and some fruit, nuts, or veggies (carrots are great). You do this often enough, and you won't be craving those not-as-healthy hunger-busters.
What do you think?
He talked about how when we get really hungry, the food we go for is what we have trained our bodies to "cure" hunger. So, when you get really hungry and you go straight for the bread like my hubby or cookies like I do, it is because that is what you have trained your body to crave when hungry.
It may take a while, but according to this, you can train your body to fight hunger with something else. Has anyone ever told you to drink some water instead of eating because it is usually thirst, not hunger? It's a case of mistaken identity.
So, my proposal is this: next time you are SO hungry and you think, "Hmm, tacos sound good" or "Cookies. . .",
STOP.
Remember this blog post! Grab yourself a large glass of water and some fruit, nuts, or veggies (carrots are great). You do this often enough, and you won't be craving those not-as-healthy hunger-busters.
What do you think?
Saturday, March 23, 2013
Diets and other Nonsense
I have looked at and tried multiple diets. I think a lot of them are hooey. I have never been able to last very long on any of them. I think it is ridiculous to cut something natural out completely. If you are completely cutting all meat out of your diet, I don't think it is a great idea. Same goes for milk, carbs, fat, etc. This is personal opinion and I am in no way a nutritionist. But, I think a healthy balance of it all with heavy emphasis on whole foods such as fresh fruits and vegetables is a great way to go. Also, I heard recently that a study showed if you eat 60% of your calories before 3pm, you are more likely to lose weight than those who don't. This makes sense to me since your body is still moving about and can burn off those calories easier.
Personally, I have cut out soda completely. It does not make me feel good after I drink it, so I don't see the need. I will use some lemon-lime soda in a recipe I make about once or twice a year, but I have cut out drinking it. Water works.
Diet is such a negative word to me. So, that being said, this is my "Eating Plan":
Breakfast is a choice between: Oatmeal and fruit, a Green Smoothie, or a Veggie/Egg Scramble. On the weekends, I also allow myself one day with Hasbrowns or some form of pancakes or waffles--but they are smaller portions and are accompanied by fruit or veggies.
Lunch is a small portion of whatever is on our meal plan. We have tacos, veggie burgers, casseroles, pizza, you name it. The trick is to only eat a decent portion size and always eat fruits or veggies along with it.
Dinner is a choice between: Soup, Salad, or a Smoothie. This works for me since my hubbs is usually at work during dinner time and home for lunch. Plus, it is easy to make a large batch of two soups on Saturday and eat a bowl during the week. Less dishes at night? Yes, please.
If we get hungry in-between meals, there is always the option of eating. . .you guessed it! Fruits or veggies. :D A handful of nuts is also a good option--they are just higher in calories, so try F&V first.
This is what works for me. I lost 3.4 lbs the first week of doing this because I was eating so much healthier. I felt like I was able to eat what I wanted still and it is extremely liberating. Find an eating plan that fits your lifestyle, though. When we graduate from college and Hubbs gets a full-time job, we will have to adjust this a little, but we will make it work for us.
Small changes will make the difference. Good luck!
-Julie
Personally, I have cut out soda completely. It does not make me feel good after I drink it, so I don't see the need. I will use some lemon-lime soda in a recipe I make about once or twice a year, but I have cut out drinking it. Water works.
Diet is such a negative word to me. So, that being said, this is my "Eating Plan":
Breakfast is a choice between: Oatmeal and fruit, a Green Smoothie, or a Veggie/Egg Scramble. On the weekends, I also allow myself one day with Hasbrowns or some form of pancakes or waffles--but they are smaller portions and are accompanied by fruit or veggies.
Lunch is a small portion of whatever is on our meal plan. We have tacos, veggie burgers, casseroles, pizza, you name it. The trick is to only eat a decent portion size and always eat fruits or veggies along with it.
Dinner is a choice between: Soup, Salad, or a Smoothie. This works for me since my hubbs is usually at work during dinner time and home for lunch. Plus, it is easy to make a large batch of two soups on Saturday and eat a bowl during the week. Less dishes at night? Yes, please.
If we get hungry in-between meals, there is always the option of eating. . .you guessed it! Fruits or veggies. :D A handful of nuts is also a good option--they are just higher in calories, so try F&V first.
This is what works for me. I lost 3.4 lbs the first week of doing this because I was eating so much healthier. I felt like I was able to eat what I wanted still and it is extremely liberating. Find an eating plan that fits your lifestyle, though. When we graduate from college and Hubbs gets a full-time job, we will have to adjust this a little, but we will make it work for us.
Small changes will make the difference. Good luck!
-Julie
300 and Dropping, The Beginning
My name is Julie.
I am a very round woman, weighing in currently at 292.8 lbs at a height of 5'6".
I wasn't always this large. I was always a chubby child, despite my parents' best efforts to feed our family in a healthy way, but I wasn't as big as I am now. I am the only woman in my immediate family to really struggle with obesity. In high school, I was an unfortunate soul to be a witness of a school shooting, seeing things that still haunt me to this day. I carried on as best I could, but never admitted what a strong impact it had on me, despite friends and family trying to point out how much I was struggling.
During my junior year, I started to lose weight when I started to diet and exercise regularly. But, with some continued criticisms about my weight of 160, despite my very prominent curves and strong muscles, I became discouraged and gave up making my health a priority. I felt like my efforts would never be "enough." I would never be "good enough."
When I went away to college, everything I had been repressing basically hit me like a pillowcase full of bricks to the face. I wasn't sleeping, smiling, going outside (too many people), and I was using food as a comfort. The chocolate milk in the cafeteria was amazing. And the all-you-can-eat lunch lines filled with all manner of unhealthy grub was the perfect escape. I went from a woman who loved to meet new people and engage a crowd to someone who would hide under her desk with a vending machine lunch for fear of the world. This is difficult to admit, even now, 10 years later.
Seriously, I had issues.
I spent three years in therapy trying to stop my "self-defeating behaviors." By the end of those three years, I went from 180 lbs to about 240 lbs. I still had a lot to learn and then had to work on teaching myself that I am worth loving, both from myself and from others. Unfortunately, food was still a comfort. Plus, I was working in restaurants with deep-fried goodness and mouth-watering ice cream covered in fudge. Yeah, I basically did not lose weight, I maintained or gained. I tried to lose the weight, but I never seemed to get a good handle on it.
I met my husband in 2009, we were married in 2010, and I gave birth to our first (and only as of right now) son in 2011. During the pregnancy, I had gestational diabetes and got up to 295 lbs. The GD opened my eyes. I ate a low-carb diet and lost weight while in my third trimester. I was left with borderline diabetes post-pregnancy. Because my hubbs and I are students, we are unable to afford insurance, so I have no idea whether I have it for reals or not. Sob story, I know.
Anyways, I have been trying to lose weight and it is a total yo-yo thing. I have made it past the anniversary of the shooting (always a really rough time of year for me, even though it is more than a decade later), and I am re-committed to losing the weight and getting healthy.
So, this blog is going to document my journey from my current 292.8 lbs to my final goal weight of 175 lbs. It says on all the charts that 149 lbs is the upper range for a "healthy" bmi, but my personal trainer said that I am measuring about 165-170 lbs of non-fat. Basically, I have a lot of muscle. I guess I will re-evaluate when I get closer to my goal, but we will cross that bridge when we get there.
I hope you follow me on this journey. I am going to give recipes, tips, ideas for exercising, and giving info on what I learn as I recapture my health.
I am a very round woman, weighing in currently at 292.8 lbs at a height of 5'6".
I wasn't always this large. I was always a chubby child, despite my parents' best efforts to feed our family in a healthy way, but I wasn't as big as I am now. I am the only woman in my immediate family to really struggle with obesity. In high school, I was an unfortunate soul to be a witness of a school shooting, seeing things that still haunt me to this day. I carried on as best I could, but never admitted what a strong impact it had on me, despite friends and family trying to point out how much I was struggling.
During my junior year, I started to lose weight when I started to diet and exercise regularly. But, with some continued criticisms about my weight of 160, despite my very prominent curves and strong muscles, I became discouraged and gave up making my health a priority. I felt like my efforts would never be "enough." I would never be "good enough."
When I went away to college, everything I had been repressing basically hit me like a pillowcase full of bricks to the face. I wasn't sleeping, smiling, going outside (too many people), and I was using food as a comfort. The chocolate milk in the cafeteria was amazing. And the all-you-can-eat lunch lines filled with all manner of unhealthy grub was the perfect escape. I went from a woman who loved to meet new people and engage a crowd to someone who would hide under her desk with a vending machine lunch for fear of the world. This is difficult to admit, even now, 10 years later.
Seriously, I had issues.
I spent three years in therapy trying to stop my "self-defeating behaviors." By the end of those three years, I went from 180 lbs to about 240 lbs. I still had a lot to learn and then had to work on teaching myself that I am worth loving, both from myself and from others. Unfortunately, food was still a comfort. Plus, I was working in restaurants with deep-fried goodness and mouth-watering ice cream covered in fudge. Yeah, I basically did not lose weight, I maintained or gained. I tried to lose the weight, but I never seemed to get a good handle on it.
I met my husband in 2009, we were married in 2010, and I gave birth to our first (and only as of right now) son in 2011. During the pregnancy, I had gestational diabetes and got up to 295 lbs. The GD opened my eyes. I ate a low-carb diet and lost weight while in my third trimester. I was left with borderline diabetes post-pregnancy. Because my hubbs and I are students, we are unable to afford insurance, so I have no idea whether I have it for reals or not. Sob story, I know.
Anyways, I have been trying to lose weight and it is a total yo-yo thing. I have made it past the anniversary of the shooting (always a really rough time of year for me, even though it is more than a decade later), and I am re-committed to losing the weight and getting healthy.
So, this blog is going to document my journey from my current 292.8 lbs to my final goal weight of 175 lbs. It says on all the charts that 149 lbs is the upper range for a "healthy" bmi, but my personal trainer said that I am measuring about 165-170 lbs of non-fat. Basically, I have a lot of muscle. I guess I will re-evaluate when I get closer to my goal, but we will cross that bridge when we get there.
I hope you follow me on this journey. I am going to give recipes, tips, ideas for exercising, and giving info on what I learn as I recapture my health.
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