Diet mistakes #1

The other day, I got a slide show with an email that had some good diet tips. It was from WebMD but I deleted the email so now I can't link directly to the slide show. I did copy the tips though to have on my hard drive so I will share them on here. If I find the link, I will post it as well.

#1 Relying on Crash Diets

Determined to lose 10 pounds fast, you turn to a crash diet. Perhaps your plan calls for nothing but grapefruit or cabbage soup each day. You slash your daily calories to fewer than 1,000 -- and sure enough, the pounds melt away. But when you eat so few calories, you train your metabolism to slow down. Once the diet is over, you have a body that burns calories more slowly -- and gains weight more quickly -- than ever before.

I think I have already made my position clear on this one! I really found it interesting though how it said that you slow your metabolism down. I couldn't ever figure out why the crash diets had that effect. I figured it was more just eating bad when you stopped but a slower metabolism makes a lot of sense!

MAJOR milestone!!!

I haven't posted in a while! We had another weigh in yesterday. I officially weigh in the 140's!!! I have stepped on the scale at different times and been there but this was an official weigh in! This is a major milestone because my husband has never (including our dating) seen me weighing in the 140's. When we met I was around 160. A week before I wedding, I did a crash diet and lost 10 pounds putting me at 150. So this is a major thing for me!

Oh, and about the crash diet - that is EXACTLY why I am so against diet pills, shakes, crash diets, (ie. supplements). Within a month of my wedding, I not only gained the 10 pounds back but an additional 10 pounds that I really never took back off! Not this time! This time I have worked too hard and too long to let it all go. I may fluctuate a little but I can't imagine gaining it all back after working so hard and knowing that it is possible to be where I am. And dang it - I FEEL GOOD!!!

I have to say, I think there is just a point where I finally got past my "I'm a fat slob" feeling. The first time I did this, I lost 25 pounds and I never really felt any different. Then I gained 5 back and have now lost 12 pounds and I can't believe the difference in how I feel! And I don't really mean I have more energy because I don't have all this excess weight I am carrying around. It is more of a feeling of almost liking what I see in the mirror. That is a huge motivation for me to stick with what I have done and keep it off.

So if you're just starting out or have been doing this on and off (I have been there too) KEEP GOING. DO NOT QUIT!! You will get to a point where all your hard work WILL PAY OFF!! I never, ever thought I would get to this point. I thought I would always hate my body. Just to clarify, I don't, by any means, have the body I wish I had, but what I have feels healthier and tons better than it has for a very long time.

YOU CAN DO IT!!!!!!!!!!!

Weight loss

I have heard it said...or read it written...or something like that - "An unwritten goal is merely a wish. So I have decided to "write" down my goals and keep a log of how I am doing on them. I am not doing this for anyone to read. It is just for me. But having it written and public will hopefully motivate me to take myself seriously for once.

This is my year to get ME back. I used to be a very organized, clean, detail oriented person who spent some time (not a lot, but enough) making herself look decent each day. That was ten years ago.

Now I have five children who are my life but that has come at the expense of me. They come first and foremost. That is something that I do not plan to change. But, I do plan to put a little more time into me instead of putting myself DEAD LAST.

So that is what this blog is for. This year, I plan to get my body back. I weighed in on a super deluxe scale at my husband's work and I was mortified at what I saw!

180 pounds
40 % body fat
metabolic age of at least 50 (that is as high as it goes and I am only 34)
overfat body type

I can't remember all of the figures but those are the ones that stood out to me. That has GOT TO CHANGE!! I joined The Biggest Loser competition at his work with them. I am very grateful that they were gracious enough to let me join despite the fact that I am not employed there. Before I joined, I was gung ho ready to go. I was going to exercise all day, eat right and in very small amounts. I went out and bought "The Biggest Loser" workout video and I was going to push myself to make every move that they did on that video no matter how hard it hurt or how tired I was.

AND I refuse to take diet supplements, metabolic enhancers, diet shakes, etc. because in the long run THEY DON'T WORK. What happens when I stop taking those? Unfortunately, I know from experience that all the weight plus some comes right back!

Then I weighed in and the time came to actually put all of my goals and aspirations into practice. I wasn't as excited anymore. I think the reality of it just hit me. Dang! Now I really have to do this! I think I am too afraid to do it because I have failed too many times in the past. What if I work so hard and starve myself and nothing changes? If I don't try, then I can't fail, right?

So, in comes the hard work.

Day 1. I couldn't do the eating thing. It was too hard. I have eaten too much for too long to just quit. I decided I would start tomorrow. I ate all morning to bulk up for the weigh in anyway. Might as well enjoy the rest of my day. And since I am starting the eating thing tomorrow, I will just start exercising tomorrow. Maybe a dietary supplement wouldn't be so bad afterall...NO I CAN'T DO IT!

Day 2. Did the low impact cardio workout. It dang near kicked my but!! But I did it! I thought I would be way sore the next day. I wasn't. Just tired. I broke down and tried a slimfast shake. It was NASTY. Good thing! Now I won't be tempted to go back down that road.

Day 3. Did the strength and sculpt workout. Okay, I mean I TRIED to do the strength and sculpt workout. I think I only actually did about half of it. Went to a baby shower and ate everything in sight. But I worked out so it's okay, right...

Day 4. Sunday. Can't work out on Sunday right? Did okay with the eating until we went to my aunt's house which is completely stocked with chips, soda, candy bars, candy, etc...

Day 5. Today. I have actually done pretty good today but I feel like I am starving. I am doing Weight Watchers. I am supposed to have 24 points a day based on my weight with 35 weekly points. I decided to split the extra points up and give myself 29 points a day so I don't feel so restricted on a daily basis. And then I gave myself one more extra point for exercising so it's a nice round 30 points per day. I know I won't lose weight as fast that way but if I try to quit eating cold turkey, there is no way on this earth I will stick to it. So today, I have had 9 points and it is almost 2:00! Not bad! I have already exercised. I got both babies down for a nap before my kindergartner came home. So I just had the preschooler and he loves to sit and watch. I think I did a little better today on the workout (I did the cardio today). My coordination was definitely better.

If I win this competition, I have decided to take the money and do a mini make-over.

1. Get a professionally hair style. I have been to a salon once in my entire life because I have had an ugly mole on the back of my head that I was too embarrassed to have anyone see. I had it removed last year so now, I can do this for me!

2. Get back to wearing a little make-up. I'm not big on the cake it on style but a little never hurts.

3. Get some cute clothes! All I have are drab sweats and t-shirts because I feel too fat to wear anything else.