I’ve been putting this post off for awhile. There are a couple reasons. One being that each time I think about writing it I think to myself “I’ll do it after I shed a few more pounds. The number will sound more impressive”. Zippercow’s 70+ lbs. sounds far more exciting than my 50+lb. lost so I keep putting it off. Second, I want to be inspirational. I want to set a good example.
I’m not really sure I’m there yet.
Today I went to Fred Meyer just to get a gallon of milk and discovered something so much more amazing. Clearance! I thought I would just look and see what I could find in my size. But what size am I now? I knew last time I bought something I was a 14 so I grabbed one of those and I grabbed a 12 just out of curiosity. I made Zippercow do this the other day, made him try on a medium (MEDIUM peeps!) and what do you know, it fit! I thought I might just be that lucky. And it turns out I was! I was able to get them on and zip them up and they didn’t look half bad. Sure it may have just been that pair of jeans, but I am still over the moon excited.
I shared my excitement on Facebook (it was a nice change from all my complaining I’m sure) and was asked if I was blogging about my success. The answer is no. Mostly because people keep asking “what’s your secret?” Here’s the secret…
I don’t have one.
When I tell them, “I count calories and exercise” I immediately see their faces fall and the light leave their eyes. That’s not exciting. Not vegan. Not gluten free. I haven’t cut out sugar, hell I still have diet soda. Strangely it seems people want to hear that I’ve been starving myself or that I am only eating kale and grapefruit for weeks. Nope. Then I feel even worse because these discussions inevitably take place at some function or BBQ where I’ve decided to splurge and eat a bunch of chips or cake (or both) Sure they may not know it is my “cheat day” or that I have already burned 600 calories at my morning workout or plan to later that day. Or that I stayed on point ALL week just so I could splurge on said occasion. So telling them I count calories while I stuff my face doesn’t really connect for them. Recently at a work meeting I didn’t finish my cake and my boss asked “So do you always leave a bite on your plate?”thinking that could be part of my secret. But no. My response was “Uh…no. I just didn’t like the filling.”
There really is no secret, it is exactly as doctors have been telling us for years. Eat healthy and exercise. But that’s where I fail a little too. I do stay within my calorie limit of 1500 calories (give or take depending on exercise) but I don’t always get in all my fruits and vegetables. Sometimes my calories are on things I probably definitely should not be eating. This is where I feel I lack the ability to be inspirational for others. I hardly feel I can write a blog post “I Eat Cookies and Loose And So Can You!” because even I know that I should be better at getting the things in that I need to be healthy.
I suppose I can tell you some of what I do and you can take it as inspirational or the ramblings of some woman you kind of know.
It’s crazy but I don’t see that much difference in these pictures. I know I’m smaller, but I actually feel smaller than the picture gives me credit for. I think. I suppose my after picture probably shouldn’t be in a dress that is too big for me, but it was worth a shot. There will be plenty of other milestone opportunities I’m sure! Note to self, you can not see a smaller butt and skinnier thighs in a dress that is too big!
My Tips
Grace: If anything, this is the one tip I would give everyone. Be kind to yourself!You have a long life to live, you don’t have to lose all your weight in one week! We went on vacation recently and I “found” a few pounds that I then had to shed. I anticipated this. I suppose I could have decided to stay on point for vacation, but where is the fun in that? I truly feel that since I have found what works that I just reapply the formula anytime I have an off week. This is a lifestyle change, not a diet. Diet implies that it will end, which usually means you will go back to your old habits therefore gaining back your weight. If you give in and have one cookie (or five!) just know that somewhere in the week you will need to make up for it with extra exercise if you want to see results on the scale. Don’t say “screw it” and just stop. Keep going!
Be Realistic: The first few weeks of trying to lose weight can be super exciting or depressing. My first few weeks I didn’t lose anything which was REALLY discouraging. During this time try using a tape measure instead, you’ll be amazed that you may still be getting smaller but not budging on the scale. I just kept going! I knew I was doing the right thing, then all of a sudden I was losing 4-5 pounds a week! That was short lived and since then I’ve only lost 0.5-2lbs a week. This is what is recommended, no more! In the beginning if you have a lot to lose it might be in higher numbers, but the closer you are to your goal, the smaller your calorie deficit is, which means smaller losses each week. And don’t think you are doing something wrong if you lost 3.5lbs one week but only 0.5lbs (or none, this has happened a couple times) the following week. Congratulate yourself on not gaining, you still averaged 2lbs a week over the 2 week period. That’s good! I’ve lost a little over 50lbs. in an eight month period. That is an average of less than 2lbs a week. It may seem like a long time looking forward, but now it doesn’t seem all that long.
Journal: You can do this privately or online where you can have support, but it makes all the difference. This is something I actually learned when pregnant and I had gestational diabetes. Actually seeing what you are eating really helps to pinpoint your problem areas and make adjustments. I strongly suggest this.
Cheat Day or Meal: Once a week I allow myself a “cheat” day/meal. Usually it is Friday (my weigh in day) so that I have a whole week to make up for it if necessary, but if I have a party or other social event (where there is guaranteed to be a delicious food trap) on some other day during the weekend I try to make that my “cheat” day. But to be even more honest sometimes the cheat day turns into a weekend. Oops. I just make up for it the following week. I don’t starve myself, just keep my calories closer to 1500, even if I exercise. This (cheat weekend) does result in lower loss for the week, but I’ve come to terms with that. As long as I’m still losing or at worse, not gaining I’m still on track.
Don’t Deny Yourself: This may sound counterintuitive because of course I have to say no to myself all the time, but when you have the serious “I can’t live without it” craving, indulge! No matter what Bob and Jillian tell you watermelon flavored gum is no replacement for chocolate. That’s just stupid. Sure maybe you should delay to see if the craving passes, but if it doesn’t, have the brownie, hit the gym and move on with your life. Remember how in school we learned about "sometimes” foods? Yeah, sometimes not never foods, so it is okay to have them sometimes. Don’t feel guilty! Sometimes you can even work it into your day and still comfortably hit a reasonable calorie deficit so don’t be so hard on yourself.
Resist Temptation: This has been trickier for me, but basically we don’t keep bags/boxes of chips, cookies or candy in the house. If we do I will eat them and so will Zippercow. We do have them sometimes, but I do not buy them unless we have a specific need for them which means I can’t stockpile like my other groceries, but I find that it actually saves us money and calories because we aren’t eating as much of it as we were before. Also work places frequently have stashes of candy about or work parties with cake or cookies. Unless it happens to be your FAVORITE something just say no. I can’t tell you how many times I had a piece of cake or cupcake and ate it all because I felt I had to. You know you’ve done it too, grabbed a doughnut only to take a bite and realize it is dry and gross but finish it anyway. You don’t have to. If it isn’t worth the calories simply don’t eat it. Over time this has become easier than I ever thought it could.
Exercise, exercise, exercise: I am definitely a creature of habit so it had to be habit before it felt like the norm. Find time to do something, anything! If I can’t go to the gym I have a step box at home that I do 30 minutes on after the kids go to bed or during nap. Find something that works for you that you can fall back on but don’t be afraid to mix it up (says the woman who is still too chicken to go to Zumba by herself). Also don’t be afraid to lift weights!
Drink Water!
Stop Competing: People are built different. We know this, so why do we put pressure on ourselves to be a certain size? We shouldn’t. Find a place where you are healthy and happy and stick to that. Also, I struggle with the numbers. The amount of weight Zippercow has lost seems so much more impressive than what I’ve lost when you look at the numbers, but don’t do that! It is something I have to tell myself all the time. We aren’t competing, we are being healthier. On the competing theme, you can’t match your spouse’s eating, nor should you. Before I was guilty of putting the same amount of food on my plate as I did on his. Or I would have a snack if he was snacking. The sad fact is that men need more calories than women do which means they get to eat more. *Sad face*. Don’t match him bite for bite, because it will bite you in the ass. Or more likely add to your ass.
Measure your food: More specifically know what you are putting in your mouth. I use measuring cups for food portioning. I frequently will use a smaller plate to make it look like I have more food on my plate. And for snacks I will measure it out and put it in the kids’ bowls so it looks like more. It is amazing how well that works. If you look at a half full plate you feel deprived but put that same food on a smaller plate and you feel like you are getting a meal.
Wow, I had more tips than I thought I would. Seems like enough for now, but I will always answer any questions to the best of my ability. I suppose the best inspiration I can offer is that I’m not perfect and the process doesn’t have to be perfect to still see results. I haven’t figured it all out, but I have time and so do you!
I’m so happy to have such a wonderful support system! I love you all and wish you the best of luck in your own journey!
