Tuesday, May 28, 2013
15 Pounds Lost
I never did a starting before pic, so I'll do one with 15 pounds gone and 50 to go. I'm not incredibly excited to share images of my "belly flop" as I like to call it. I couldn't bring myself to upload the side view :( Maybe later.
The Neverending Plateau
I have been bobbling around the 15 pounds lost mark for several weeks now, and it is becoming maddening! I'm to that desperate point where I have checked out several weight loss books from the library, and I can't stop googling "weight loss." I probably visit the 3fatchicks website daily just to read diet reviews. I don't want to go on a fad diet, but I want to find some sort of structure. I'm the type of person who likes things laid out in front of them in black and white. Don't just tell me to eat fruits, vegetables, whole grains and lean meat ... for some reason that makes my head explode. I literally want someone to tell me to eat A, B and C for breakfast and D, E and F for lunch, etc (save the alphabet soup jokes, kthx).
I get SO frustrated because I never should have let my weight get THIS out of control. I'm having one heck of a time getting it back under control. I still have a good 50 pounds to lose to be at a healthy weight (in my opinion). I feel like my body is just STUCK, and it is making me crazy.
So far this year I have kicked my soda habit (been sober since January 1, 2013), I've been exercising a few times a week and I've changed my diet. I guess I'm just flabbergasted as to why I cannot get my weight to keep going down.
I didn't really want to throw my numbers out there because I know folks on Facebook and possibly strangers will read this, but I feel like I want to go ahead and do that today.
Weight - currently bobbles between 189-191
Height - 5' 4"
Dress Size - 16 (and the occasional 14)
Shirt Size - Large - ish (XL in smaller fitting things like Juniors)
Waist - 34"
Hips - 43"
People say that I don't LOOK like I weigh THAT much, which is great and all, but it doesn't make me feel better inside. At my lowest I weighed 126. My normal weight would fluctuate between 130 and 140. Between going to college, dating, getting married and having kids, I managed to put on about 75 to 85 pounds over the past 10 years. I think at my highest (non-pregnancy weight), I was tipping the scales around 215, which is massive for my height. Over the years I've tried to lose weight SEVERAL times and given up. I had pretty much adopted my husband's eating habits and just got fatter and fatter. Apparently, a 5'4" woman cannot eat like a 6' 250 pound man and expect to not get hugenormous.
Anyway, I said all of that because I am just SO frustrated (I guess as usual). I'm starting to feel a bit hopeless, but I don't want to go back to my "giving up" ways. I'll admit that I did dabble in this a little bit over the weekend. I ate some junk and immediately regretted it once I had done so.
Is it so much to ask for some menu guidelines without just handing me a bunch of strange recipes with 1400 ingredients? I think some of my frustration also comes from all the reading that I do on the weight loss subject. It seems like every book or website contradicts the one that I just read. I have a PERFECT example. I looked at two different "lifestyle changes" last night. One required that you drink a cup of water before a meal, a cup during and a cup after ... I'm guessing to make you feel more full while eating less food. The VERY NEXT book said to not drink much while you eat because it dilutes your stomach acids and interferes with proper digestion. AHHHHHH!
I know there are millions of weight loss books out there, and they each have a gimmick. Who can you believe?!?! I definitely can't go by BMI charts or the FDA's food pyramid (at least the traditional one that has whole grains as the largest part of your diet). One book that I looked at did make a couple of good points. The BMI chart/formula was developed in the 1850's, and it does not take in consideration muscle mass or body frame size. It is not like I can shrink my bones or changes how my body is naturally more muscular than some folks.
I just want a simple food plan where I am not starving myself, I'm not eating junk and I don't have to spend three days putting a laundry list of ingredients together to make a meal. OY VEY!!!
Here is my progress/non-progress over the past year according to MyFitnessPal:
Here is a full body shot of me (the blond) a few weeks ago:
I get SO frustrated because I never should have let my weight get THIS out of control. I'm having one heck of a time getting it back under control. I still have a good 50 pounds to lose to be at a healthy weight (in my opinion). I feel like my body is just STUCK, and it is making me crazy.
So far this year I have kicked my soda habit (been sober since January 1, 2013), I've been exercising a few times a week and I've changed my diet. I guess I'm just flabbergasted as to why I cannot get my weight to keep going down.
I didn't really want to throw my numbers out there because I know folks on Facebook and possibly strangers will read this, but I feel like I want to go ahead and do that today.
Weight - currently bobbles between 189-191
Height - 5' 4"
Dress Size - 16 (and the occasional 14)
Shirt Size - Large - ish (XL in smaller fitting things like Juniors)
Waist - 34"
Hips - 43"
People say that I don't LOOK like I weigh THAT much, which is great and all, but it doesn't make me feel better inside. At my lowest I weighed 126. My normal weight would fluctuate between 130 and 140. Between going to college, dating, getting married and having kids, I managed to put on about 75 to 85 pounds over the past 10 years. I think at my highest (non-pregnancy weight), I was tipping the scales around 215, which is massive for my height. Over the years I've tried to lose weight SEVERAL times and given up. I had pretty much adopted my husband's eating habits and just got fatter and fatter. Apparently, a 5'4" woman cannot eat like a 6' 250 pound man and expect to not get hugenormous.
Anyway, I said all of that because I am just SO frustrated (I guess as usual). I'm starting to feel a bit hopeless, but I don't want to go back to my "giving up" ways. I'll admit that I did dabble in this a little bit over the weekend. I ate some junk and immediately regretted it once I had done so.
Is it so much to ask for some menu guidelines without just handing me a bunch of strange recipes with 1400 ingredients? I think some of my frustration also comes from all the reading that I do on the weight loss subject. It seems like every book or website contradicts the one that I just read. I have a PERFECT example. I looked at two different "lifestyle changes" last night. One required that you drink a cup of water before a meal, a cup during and a cup after ... I'm guessing to make you feel more full while eating less food. The VERY NEXT book said to not drink much while you eat because it dilutes your stomach acids and interferes with proper digestion. AHHHHHH!
I know there are millions of weight loss books out there, and they each have a gimmick. Who can you believe?!?! I definitely can't go by BMI charts or the FDA's food pyramid (at least the traditional one that has whole grains as the largest part of your diet). One book that I looked at did make a couple of good points. The BMI chart/formula was developed in the 1850's, and it does not take in consideration muscle mass or body frame size. It is not like I can shrink my bones or changes how my body is naturally more muscular than some folks.
I just want a simple food plan where I am not starving myself, I'm not eating junk and I don't have to spend three days putting a laundry list of ingredients together to make a meal. OY VEY!!!
Here is my progress/non-progress over the past year according to MyFitnessPal:
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