Are you READY to lose weight?

Advertisers for weight loss drugs drive me crazy.  "Do you want to lose weight?"  They ask knowing the answer nearly everyone has is, "Why, YES I do!"  They give you the name of a rep, or sell you samples, get you hooked into protein powder that is twice what it costs in the store, and you lose, for awhile at least. Then, the weight sneaks back on and then some.

Everyone wants to lose weight.  But are they READY to lose weight? As the question implies, you have to do some soul searching.  Do you want to budget your caloric intake? Are you ready to stop buying things that do more harm than good? Wanting to lose weight is one thing, being ready to move into a different lifestyle is a different one entirely.

As of two years ago, I had in my shelves EIGHT weight loss related books. I knew how to lose weight.  Negative balance of caloric intake after exercise with healthy, balanced eating.  Piece of cake, right?  You wouldn't be reading this post if it was THAT easy.

You can lose weight alone.  You can download free apps, menu's, and work really hard.  You can do this for years. I did this for seven years.  I incorporated running, numerous apps, and watched everything I ate.  And then, I realized I could not lose weight like this alone.  The running wasn't working by itself.  The eating wasn't right. I couldn't figure out why those pesky 20 lbs I regained after Mom passed would not go away.

I walked into a Weight Watchers meeting on October 30, 2014.  A bright, chipper blonde woman greeted me when I walked in and said she was happy to see me there.  Weird, but okay.  I was weighed by another very nice lady who asked how I was doing.  I told her I was frustrated.  I told her I was ready to give up eating right and exercising, because as my weight could attest, things weren't going so well. That night I weighed in at 171.4.

The leader of the group asked why I wanted to lose weight.  My reason is the same as it has been for the last five years, "so that the doctors never glaze over my medical complaints because I am overweight." She looked at me puzzled.  I told her Mom died of lung cancer.  Mom was overweight.  She couldn't breathe so the first doctor she went to told her to lose weight.  They gave her weight loss pills instead of listening to her lungs."That is a heck of a reason" she said when I was done.

As the weeks went on, and I started following the advise clearly laid out for me, a weird thing started to happen, the pounds began to come off.  By the first of the 2015, I was down 12 pounds.  Then, not another ounce for one month.  Two months came and I had to do something.  The weight loss competition I had  entered through Fleet Feet Sports was not going as planned.

The doctor I consulted through the weight loss challenge asked what medication I was on.  I told him anti-depressants, metformin (to manage PCOS), and one other.  He asked how long I had been on the metformin.  I told him six years.  He explained that over time, metformin needs to be adjusted and as you lose weight, you should be lowered or taken off it all together.  This was never discussed by my doctors.

I went off metformin in the following two weeks.  The next month I was down another five pounds.  (Are you seeing what I mean when I say weight loss is a SLOW process?) I increased my protein, and decreased my carbohydrate intake. In May, I made the Lifetime achievement through Weight Watchers.  I held the gold star charm, and I was ecstatic.

I was still 10 pounds from my "wish" weight.  You know, that number you "wish" you could get to? It was a realistic number for me.  I had weighed that in 2005.  The "wish" weight was 142 lbs. I was still "healthy" 10 pounds above that, but I wanted to keep pressing.

Yet again in June I hit a two month stall.  Medication wasn't an issue. My eating wasn't an issue.  I was constantly hitting at or below the points I was allowed each day.  My body constantly felt tired, heavy, and bloated for seemingly no apparent reason. I would get cramps once a month so bad that I was scheduled for complete hysterectomy in February.  I cancelled the operation, hoping that with weight loss would come some relief.

Then in early August, my fingers started to hurt.  It was painful to clinch and release my hands. My scalp began to turn bright red and flake.  I knew it was psoriasis patches that plagued my entire family.  I spoke with a doctor who mentioned how some people found relief from eating a Paleo diet.  He told me that it was a long shot, and most people could only stick with it a few weeks at most.

I could continue to eat pizza, bread, rice, pasta in moderation, take medication to treat the beginning stages of arthritis, or I could give up gluten, and most grains and try to see if diet made a difference.  I still followed the Weight Watchers diet, but used gluten free Paleo options (sweet potatoes, spaghetti squash, quinoa, etc.).  In one week, the red patches were completely gone.  In ten days, I had lost two pounds, and the pain in my fingers.  I could run with a clenched fist and still move my fingers later.

Yes, it could be a coincidence.  I am not celiac.  I do not have a wheat allergy.  However, what I discovered after starting a Paleoish diet is that my body turned grains into sugar and stored it.  Once I stopped eating wheat, and non-organic dairy I stopped gaining weight.  I stopped having to fight to keep off weight.  I could eat all the lean protein I want, vegetables, and low sugar fruit.  I can eat seeds, nuts, and gluten free bread.  I started tossing the meat I cooked for dinner on a salad. I had coconut yogurt layered with berries, and a banana for breakfast.

As I write this, I am only two pounds shy of that "wish" weight.  I can get there.  I am dressed and ready for my meeting tonight.  Just because I made "Lifetime" doesn't mean I will ever not need the accountability.  In the meetings, I find ideas, recipes, and make friends.  Friends you make on the journey are like gold.  They keep you reaching for the next goal, and then the next, and they hang with you. They want to see how far you can reach perhaps more than you.

In the last two months, I have had no nausea from pain.  I have clearer skin than I have had in a decade. Like I said, it could be a coincidence.  I'm not a doctor.  I can only speak for my body and myself.  I know I don't lie awake at night with gas pain and bloating from dinner.  I don't wake up starving.  I wake up and after a cup of coffee, I feel great.  Like, REALLY I could do a commercial awake.  Annoying my kids with my bright, chipper attitude great.

I ran a 10K last weekend with ZERO joint pain, muscle aches, and I ran the entire way. Maybe you can do 6 miles without an issue, but up until this point, I would have a few problems at night, or the next day.  I ran the entire distance in one hour and ten minutes.  Then I walked three miles the next day. 

So, yes, you can try another diet style.  You can do the Paleo thing for a few weeks and find a measure of success.  Or you can realize doing it on your own doesn't make much sense.  You can join a group and be READY to make a change forever.  I can't tell you how much better I feel.  I have a leader that checks in on me, balances every crazy change I make, and encourages me like you wouldn't believe.  I am blessed beyond measure to have finally found what works for me.  Perhaps it will for you to.  You won't know until you are ready.

Copyright October 5, 2015 United States of America. No part of this blog, nor contents of the comments may be used, transferred, copied, translated, altered in any way, shape or form without the express written consent of the author.

Summer Recap 2015

When I was eight years old, summer seemed to last forever.  I would help my parents, read, build forts (my grandpa was a lumber hoarder so I had plenty to work with), and ride my bike to my friends house.  It was the 80's and I had until 7 pm to be back at home.

Being an adult during the summer isn't as simple.  Owning a business, having kids, and taking care of a home means that there is a lot more work and very little time to read. (I purchased "Eve" and have yet to get beyond the first chapter due to being so rushed the last couple of weeks).

On the last day of school for the kids, my husband went in for surgery.  We spent the next four weeks in recuperation mode.  It was hard, and the kids spent way too much time in front of their video game console.  There wasn't much I could do about that.

Two weeks before they went back, we managed a trip to a theme park, went fishing, visited the beach, and shoved the entire summer into a short window.  It was bliss.

The first leaf twirled on the deck in a brilliant red.  We have been racing around in an effort to beat the seasonal clock. Decks to paint, leaves to rake, gutters to clear, it is a long crazy list.

Thank goodness, my husband is fine.  The surgery was successful, and we are glad to be back on a "routine."  Boys are back in school, and coffee orders are picking up.  Life is back to normal.

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