The Weight is Over, Pt. 2

Howdy.

As a point of personal privilege, I want to thank all of you who responded in such humbling and supportive ways to my post yesterday.  It is pretty amazing to know that there are so many people who took the time to read my story, let alone to then respond to it.  So, thanks.  I count myself truly blessed to have so many wonderful people in my life.

Anyway, the first part of today's post is more about the technical side of what I've been doing to work toward my health goals. I mentioned yesterday that I needed to find things that fit within my life, and it took some time to hit on a master combination.  But, at this point, I feel like I've really landed on things that make sense, and that work well in tandem with each other.

So, without any further ado, part two:

Though I am not someone who can say that I've tried "every diet in the book", I definitely looked into a number of things and dabbled in a few of them.  I struggle with discipline and with maintaining interest in things (heck, I've even been diagnosed with ADHD), so I could fairly easily rule out diets that caused you to drop things cold turkey.  For some people, dropping sugar and flour completely out of their diet has been an effective, maintainable approach to losing weight.  I actually decided to try that for funsies this week and, as I write this, I'm on day 2; I'm glad that I'm trying it, but I'll be glad when I'm finished, too.  Anyway, I did some searching and finally landed upon a website/app called loseit!.  I was able to set up an account for free, and it has a giant database of foods from which you can select those things which you've eaten on a particular day, along with the amount that you ate.  When you can't find the appropriate product, you can scan the upc code or manually enter the data.

How it works, aside from that, is pretty easy.  You enter your current weight, your goal weight and, essentially, how quickly you'd like to lose (or gain) it.  It will let you plan to lose up to two pounds/week.  Then, it gives you a calorie budget based on those numbers.  As you lose weight, the calorie budget decreases little by little.  And, when you exercise, you can enter that in, too, to represent more accurately the extra calories that you have to burn.  You get badges, weekly reports, graphs and all sorts of other stuff.

This was a great first step for me.  And it worked fairly well for several months.  I was exercising more, too, but the big thing was that I was never forced to stay away from things that I enjoy in the name of a diet.  I can eat pizza--I just have to have calories in the budget.  And, if I don't have the calories, then I better get out and earn them with a walk or a swim or whatever.  Frankly, though, the longer I stick with it, the less I want to have high fat, high sugar, highly processed stuff, anyway.

To me, the key here is that I haven't really been on a diet with a stopping point; instead, I've learned how to make healthy modifications that I can live with well beyond the moment when I hit my goal.  So, that's part one.

Second, I got a bunch of money in amazon gift cards for Christmas.  I had about 3908 things in my shopping cart, and was ready to shell out my virtual dough, when I saw a listing for a Fitbit One.  I didn't have a clue what a fitbit was, or how it worked, but I liked saying it, so I looked into it (I know; I'm a marketer's dream).  Anyway, it's a pedometer/calorie counter/staircase counter/sleep measurer/activity level measurer/distance measurer all in one.  I love it.  It wasn't cheap, at $105, but, for me, it has been worth every penny.

It measures things, which is nice, but it also gives me daily goals.  I'm fiercely competitive by nature and, finally, my disdain for losing has paid off--I hate it when I don't meet my goals for the day.  I'm even tepid when I meet them, but only just.

Other things that I love include the fact that it only needs to be charged about once/week, it's water & sweat proof, it's small and unobtrusive and, best of all, it automatically syncs with my computer AND with my loseit! accounts, to offer an even BETTER breakdown of calories burned.  For folks who don't do running and/or walking as their primary exercise, it might not be so helpful, though there is an activity tab, under which you can enter the data from other types of movement.

And third, I got the Couch to 10K App for my phone.  It, too, is a freebie.  And it has the voice of a lovely woman who, each day throughout the series, tells me when to warm up, when to run, when to walk (if ever) and when to begin my cooldown.  It gradually increases the distance and stamina required.  Plus, you can listen to your own music throughout.  And, maybe it's just me, but I'm pretty sure that the lovely woman's voice is especially enthusiastic when she says, "Your workout is finished."

The combination of these three elements, plus a dose of motivation and courage, has gotten me this far.  Well, mostly.  But, the apps didn't just get me eating better or showing up at the track in the frigid winter by themselves.

Here are other things that have helped me along the way:

1. Pinterest is one of many great ways to find motivational quotes.  I took a bunch of my favorites, typed them up in a variety of fonts and colors (because that's fun for me), and I have them next to my bed.  I read them a couple of times a week, at least, and more if I'm having a particularly rough patch.

2. I visualize like crazy.  To get through tough runs, for example, I "see" Andy cheering for me at the end of all of the races I have on the agenda.  I "see" myself fitting into a goal outfit that I've been eyeing up.  I "see" my calves when they're toned like a runner's calves ought to be.

3. I think of things that make my effort valuable.  I think of how proud my dad would be if he were alive to see this happening.  I think of how proud Joe is of me.  I think of the many friends and family members who have observed changes in me (it's been at least 2 months since I showed up at church and didn't have someone complimenting and congratulating me).  I think, too, of the people who have said that I have inspired them to make healthy, positive changes in their own lives.  And, of course, I think of the fact that Kaitlin, my running buddy, and I are keeping track of the miles that we run and, of course, I want to win.  Honestly, that last thing is sometimes the only thing that keeps me moving.

4. I have Kaitlin.  She and I hold each other accountable just by checking in when we run.  But, what's especially great about Kaitlin is that she is so great at offering encouragement and she also is a relaxed person by nature, which helps me to relax, too.  It's safe to say that our friendship has grown through this, too, which is a nice byproduct.

5. I sign up for races early.  I don't want to embarrass myself.  And if I've signed up, I have to be there.

6. I have an excellent playlist.  I don't think I'd workout as much without my music, and I know that I would not push myself as hard as I sometimes do.  My playlist is ridiculous, to be honest.  I have Muppets and The Crystal Method, Ludacris and the theme from "The Green Hornet", among other things.  But, who cares?!  It gets me going and it keeps me going.  Plus, when I want to add a new song that I need to purchase, I always set up a little mini-goal to earn it.

7. Joe.  I just have an awesome husband.  He has loved me completely at my heaviest, lightest, and all of the in-betweens.  But, to see his excitement at my progress, to hear the pride in his voice as I reach new milestones--those are things that make me swell with pride and love.

8. Andy.  I want my child to know how to be healthy, and to enjoy it.  I want to set that example for him.  I have made sure to talk to him about my efforts, to help him find his own ways of enjoying exercise, etc.  Fortunately, he's a good eater and has the energy that you'd expect for a 4 year-old boy.  After I finished my first race last week, he said, "I'm proud of you, Mom."  If that doesn't make a mom teary eyed, I don't know what will.

9. New clothes and other fun stuff...when I hit 50 pounds of weight lost, I got to buy new running shoes.  I'm about 20 pounds away from needing a new (transitional!) wardrobe.  I'm not a very girly girl, and I've never loved shopping (though, I suspect a lot of that stems from my embarrassment because of my weight).  However, the idea of getting new stuff is super exciting!!  And, I've already decided that when I hit my final weight loss goal, that I'm getting a day at the spa.  Ahhhhhh.

Anyway, my next post is going to be about what I've learned through this process.  And, believe me, I have learned a lot.  But if you're someone who has needed a boost to get started, I hope that this will help you to find your own ways to be successful.