Tuesday, June 06, 2006
On the Road Again...
I've been spending the past few days trying to organize my thoughts and prepare myself for this huge undertaking of changing my lifestyle...it seems overwhelming and is such a long journey. But I have done it in the past with great success and I know quite a good bit about nutrition and healthy eating...however, my problem is not my lack of knowledge but of motivation. I'm just too damn lazy and I hate to sweat!
For me, the best way to lose weight is to avoid my food allergies. My good friend Nick is a holistic health physician and specializes in women's issues. He routinely sees women with fibromyalgia and weight issues and most can be treated by diet. I know, it's hard to believe and I didn't myself until I was just about at wits end 5 years ago and finally decided to give it a try. He did a bloodtest (not the usual one you can get at your docs, it's quite specialized) and we found out that even though I was eating healthy, it was actually harming me. What I thought would be good for my body was causing inflammation because I had sensitivities and allergies to many of the foods I ate!
So, I change my eating; not really a diet because I didn't reduce the amount I ate but just avoided my sensitivities. And you know what? The weight POURED off...I lost about 40 lbs in 3 months; 65 lbs over the course of 5 months. I felt great! Slept soundly, woke up with tons of energy, sinus problems cleared up, had no gastrointestinal issues at all. I felt lighter and my mind was clear...no brain fog! Doing this along with avoiding sugar is my key. I am hyperinsulimic, which means my body produces too much insulin. So with that excess insulin my body craves sugar (or a simple carb) to balance it out...which then causes the pancreas to produce more insulin because I ate sugar. Vicious cycle! Not to mention that having excess weight increases your estrogen level and promotes fat storage. God, gotta love hormones!
Here's a good link to the revised food pyramid that the government put together. You can also take a little quiz to determine your best pyramid. And as always, you can adjust it to suit you.
I am not happy at my size. I am within about 8 pounds of being my heaviest. I have self-esteem issues because of it and I know that the many aches and pains I have are because of my weight. I may be healthier than the 100 lb girl at work with high cholesterol, a heart condition and a nerve disorder, but I don't feel it. I'm sick of making excuses for my laziness and saying every damn day, "I'll start tomorrow" or "I'm not that big". Excuses are all they are and it's a false absolution. I don't want to think I'm healthy at this size...I want to be healthy about 70 lbs lighter.
My goal is the holiday party at the beginning of December. I had a terrible time finding a fancy dress for it last year and felt very self-conscious. I wanted to be sexy and stunning, damnit! But instead I got pathetic and frumpy. That is not me!! At least not how I see myself and I'm tired of wasting my time dreaming about what I want to look like or wishing I'd win the lottery so I can have the time and money to commit to this change. It's not gonna happen...I'm the only one who can change my life and it's time to step up to the plate and take action.
That being said, we each have to figure out what works for us and do it. Support instead of enable one another. With a little tweaking to my old plan, I am going to start a new one and add in a few more tricks to see if I can give it a kick start. However, knowing I suck at will power getting started will be the most difficult task. I've done some research recently and I've pretty much decided my route...it involves dietary changes, supplementation and exercise. And the support of the Vanishing Divas, of course!
I will post more details later...right now I have to get to bed.
For me, the best way to lose weight is to avoid my food allergies. My good friend Nick is a holistic health physician and specializes in women's issues. He routinely sees women with fibromyalgia and weight issues and most can be treated by diet. I know, it's hard to believe and I didn't myself until I was just about at wits end 5 years ago and finally decided to give it a try. He did a bloodtest (not the usual one you can get at your docs, it's quite specialized) and we found out that even though I was eating healthy, it was actually harming me. What I thought would be good for my body was causing inflammation because I had sensitivities and allergies to many of the foods I ate!
So, I change my eating; not really a diet because I didn't reduce the amount I ate but just avoided my sensitivities. And you know what? The weight POURED off...I lost about 40 lbs in 3 months; 65 lbs over the course of 5 months. I felt great! Slept soundly, woke up with tons of energy, sinus problems cleared up, had no gastrointestinal issues at all. I felt lighter and my mind was clear...no brain fog! Doing this along with avoiding sugar is my key. I am hyperinsulimic, which means my body produces too much insulin. So with that excess insulin my body craves sugar (or a simple carb) to balance it out...which then causes the pancreas to produce more insulin because I ate sugar. Vicious cycle! Not to mention that having excess weight increases your estrogen level and promotes fat storage. God, gotta love hormones!
Here's a good link to the revised food pyramid that the government put together. You can also take a little quiz to determine your best pyramid. And as always, you can adjust it to suit you.
I am not happy at my size. I am within about 8 pounds of being my heaviest. I have self-esteem issues because of it and I know that the many aches and pains I have are because of my weight. I may be healthier than the 100 lb girl at work with high cholesterol, a heart condition and a nerve disorder, but I don't feel it. I'm sick of making excuses for my laziness and saying every damn day, "I'll start tomorrow" or "I'm not that big". Excuses are all they are and it's a false absolution. I don't want to think I'm healthy at this size...I want to be healthy about 70 lbs lighter.
My goal is the holiday party at the beginning of December. I had a terrible time finding a fancy dress for it last year and felt very self-conscious. I wanted to be sexy and stunning, damnit! But instead I got pathetic and frumpy. That is not me!! At least not how I see myself and I'm tired of wasting my time dreaming about what I want to look like or wishing I'd win the lottery so I can have the time and money to commit to this change. It's not gonna happen...I'm the only one who can change my life and it's time to step up to the plate and take action.
That being said, we each have to figure out what works for us and do it. Support instead of enable one another. With a little tweaking to my old plan, I am going to start a new one and add in a few more tricks to see if I can give it a kick start. However, knowing I suck at will power getting started will be the most difficult task. I've done some research recently and I've pretty much decided my route...it involves dietary changes, supplementation and exercise. And the support of the Vanishing Divas, of course!
I will post more details later...right now I have to get to bed.
