Just enough to get by – 08/10/2009

Weigh-in this morning- 167lbs.  I am holding steady at this weight.  This is due entirely to my not eating the right foods, which causes me to eat too much food.  My stress reaction to the pulmonary Dr visit was greek pizza for dinner.  Guy bought us each a 12″, with plans of enjoying some the following day.  Ha!  It came home at 6pm & was gone by 11pm.  So much for that plan.  I need to find something else to stress with instead of food.

I am a passionate person, I give of myself 100% to everything I do.  Like I explained to the good Dr on Friday, I am very intense.  It is a painful admission that it applies to everything in my life EXCEPT diet & weight-loss.  I am such a weenie.  So, last week, when I decided to take a new outlook, my half-ass attempt at losing weight was done.  I am happy to report that Saturday we rode 24 miles & then ran 2.5 miles & did 20 minutes of stair climbing.  Sunday, 42 miles on the bike with a 2 mile run.  Today 18 miles biking & 3 miles running – AND I DIDN’T DIE.

My paradigm shift is from “just enough to get by” to “just whatever it takes to get it done“.  When I started this back in October, I had an undiagnosed slow thyroid.  I fought hard to find out what the problem was.  We have removed that obstacle.   I CAN do this!  I WILL do this.  I WILL NOT spend another year being fat!!  I am SO excited!

Here’s some advice:  There are 3 real things that may be preventing your weight-loss.

1.  If you really have been dieting & exercising to lose weight, but the weight has stayed on – find out why.  If you’ve spent 4 weeks doing a regular diet & exercise plan & haven’t seen results – YOUR METABOLISM IS SLOW!  Period.   Have your thyroid checked by a DR that knows how to check it.Fight for an accurate diagnosis so you can get the treatment you need.

2.  If you still have problems, LOOK AT WHAT YOU ARE EATING!  Some overweight people cannot eat wheat-based or starchy foods and lose weight.  They have an imbalance that causes an over-production of insulin, causing their bodies to store too much fat.  Do some food experimenting to find out how your body reacts to certain foods.  Also give some real thought to statements like “oh, but I just can’t give up my bread”.  Do you want to eat bread or lose weight?  If you’re anything like me, you can’t do both.

3.  Once you’ve done all that, THINK ABOUT HOW YOU ARE EXERCISING!  This was a huge problem for me.  It doesn’t matter that it seems unbelievable that I can ride my bike every day & am slow to lose weight.  What matters is finding the inner strength to do enough exercise to lose the weight.  Then, making your health a priority & GETTING THE WORK DONE!

No longer will I sympathetically listen as someone I care about goes through a litany of EXCUSES about why they can’t get it done.  Especially from MYSELF!

“The only one who can tell you ‘you can’t ‘ is you. And you don’t have to listen.”