Week 14 and still losing

Week 14 and still losing!

I suddenly realized last week that I am no longer “on a diet” but have now conquered many life-style changes. We haven’t had a loaf of bread in our house for weeks; there are no high-calorie snacks sitting around begging to be eaten; no ice cream containers in our freezer threatening to get freezer burn if not consumed; no cake, cupcake or cookie recipes that need to be tried—we have crossed the threshold of unhealthy eating!
The “ah-ha” moment came this weekend when we traveled to Tennessee for a photo-shot on Dale Hollow Lake. I packed our snacks and most of our meals to be eaten in the cabin. My mom went with us to enjoy the sunshine and warm weather. We planned on having hamburgers on the grill one evening with salad and corn on the cob. I always buy those new “slim” buns at 100 calories each and my mother commented on how much we had changed our food consumption. In the past, even if I was dieting, I would purchase the regular size buns, lots of snacks, desserts and goodies for a trip so that everyone would enjoy themselves.
In actuality, I could always use a trip, event, social gathering, girl-friend get-together or family party to eat whatever I wanted. Every event was my excuse for “cheating” on my diet. But not having buns, ice cream, candy and cookies, did not minimize the fun and enjoyment we had this past weekend. When my mom wanted an ice cream, she got one and I took a walk. We whizzed past the local Dairy Queen without a glace in it’s direction, although I had thought about it before we arrived.
When I wanted something sweet, I ate a fresh peach, and in the evening, we had some fresh strawberries with Cool-Whip Free for a yummy treat.
The fact is, food has been an important part of my life. Then the realization hit that I was out of control. Like a drug addict that has been in denial for so long, I used food for my approval rating. I will always remember a sit-com that was on TV when my youngest son was in elementary school. Her son came home from school depressed because of a bad grade he had received on a paper. His mother said, “Here sweetie, have a nice big piece of chocolate cake.” Then she went on to say, “A fat mom is much better because we offer you a piece of cake to relieve your stress. A skinny mom would have said, Hey, let’s go jog around the block to take away your frustrations.” I was definitely a fat mom!
When my children brought visitors, they could always find a snack of fresh baked goods in our house. And if they weren’t hungry, I would insist they try whatever new thing I had baked. I was fondly known as a “feeder.” Now, I really don’t care if we have anything special to eat or not. If guests come over, they get whatever we are having for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Food is not the reason they are visiting—it’s to spend time with us! Food is just a bonus.
I have not met my weight loss goal yet, but I am still working on it. There are small changes that I still need to make and mind-sets that I have not yet acquired. But the truth is, food no longer controls me. I can live without cake, cookies, candy and sugar. And in reality, I can probably live a lot longer with out it than with it!

Happy Anniversary!

My goal when starting this diet was to lose 60 pounds by our anniversary. That was today and I didn’t make it! But I have lost about 42 pounds, gone done in size and lost lots of inches! Our 40th anniversary party was a lot of fun with friends and family that I haven’t seen in months who immediately noticed the new “slimmer and trimmer” me! I love it!
But I am suddenly aware of the “diet danger” that happens when you begin to feel good about your weight and/or size. While I am still on Phase 3, 600 calories a day and my daily injections of HCG, I find myself saying to myself, “you look pretty good. Go ahead and eat that pie, cake, ice cream, snack, etc” This is where many of us have failed in the past in the diet zone. For whatever reason, the priority of losing weight relaxes. This is when I have dropped out of (all) diets in the past.
Every meal and every hour in-between is crucial to staying focused and directed. I know I will continue to lose weight so I decided I needed some constant motivation. While cleaning out some old clothes belonging to our daughter, I found a pair of size 12 jean shorts. Ooooh, laaaa, laaaa! July 4th I’ll be wearing those jeans! They are hanging on the closet door in our bedroom, in plain view. I am certain I will try them on weekly until I can easily zip them up. At this point, I can get them over my hips, but there are several inches between the right side and the left side of the zipper!
So what is the plan for keeping on track? I’m mixing up my foods this week. I’ve been very dedicated to eating the right things, but I generally eat the same things every day: Egg or cereal for breakfast, salad with chicken or turkey for lunch, chicken and vegetables for dinner, snack of strawberries for dessert. This week I am eating yogurt for breakfast, cottage cheese or tuna for lunch and salad or veggies for dinner. All mixed up from my regular “menu.” Julia, the nurse at UniqueU says our bodies get used to what we eat and holds on to the calories, so a mixed up menu will spur my body to use the food in a quicker way, instead of so efficiently.
Anyway, I’m still on track and know that regardless of not reaching my goal in the time frame I initially set, I am thinner, healthier, and I feel better than I have in years! And I don’t look so bad either! While certainly not back to my “wedding” weight, I’m closer now than I was 13 weeks ago! Next week I’ll be closer, the following week, even closer—nothing will stop me on this quest for thinness! What about you? You can’t lose the weight until you take the first step! Call UniqueU today for a consultation!

Shopping trip

I’ll be the first to admit, I hate shopping. I hate shopping for myself, for others, for clothes, for household items, for groceries. I hate shopping. I think it stems from the fact that for several years I sold into the retail industry. Consequently, I was in stores daily. All day, every day. I drove from one store to another, checked in, counted stock, dealt with rude customers who thought I worked there, and stocked shelves if needed. Every day, five days a week. I hate shopping.
However, needing a dress for the upcoming wedding we are attending in two weeks required me to venture into my least favorite place, searching for a semi-dressy dress. Have I told you I hate shopping? I especially hate scouring the racks trying to find “my size”, my color and my style. Once I find something passable, I hate trying the item on. I hate how it looks in those horrible 3-way mirrors that never make you look good, only show you every angle that doesn’t look good. Bulges immediately appear, rolls which weren’t there only hours before materialize, and dresses in sizes that are actually made with one-third less material than the same size that I have at home in my closet bearing the same size tag. What’s up with that?
What’s even worse, my daughter and best friend decided to go along to help me find something….what fun. It began when we entered the store and my daughter began pointing and telling me how cute I would look in that dress, or that one, and even that one. Not my right color, size or style, but I humored her with a smile as I walked to the “women’s” sizes. I was pleasantly surprised to find several dresses that I actually liked. My daughter picked out a few and I gathered them and headed to the dressing room. First dress, size 18, wrong style, too big? Too big? Can that be right? I hung it on the left side, which I had dubbed the “no” side. Next dress, cap sleeves, tight bodice, a little hard to get on over my head, but none the less, it fit. Then I realized I should have unzipped it before pulling it on. Hmmmm… a size 16? Is that possible? I walked out of the torture booth and snuck a glace in the mirror as my daughter and friend smiled broadly. That one ones on the right side as a maybe.
Next dress, different style and color: too big. Immediately a size 14 was handed over the door; no way was it going to fit, but I would humor them. I pulled it on and walked out, hoping to get some help zipping it, knowing instinctively there was no way it could possible zip. But it did! A size 14? Hey, this trying on clothes wasn’t so bad after all.
My daughter and friend practically took over the store, grabbing this dress and that, from size 14-16, and every style, color and fabric. After about 30 dresses, (literally) the five of us (they drew in two sales clerks for the final vote), settled on two dresses for the wedding weekend and our 40th anniversary party. A sleeveless, belted, green polka-dot “Julia Roberts” dress and a thin-strapped belted dress with a tiny jacket that I would have insisted looked way too young for me three months ago. Unfortunately, the jacketed one was not available in my size, so I settled on a 16 knowing it will have to be “taken in” before I can wear it…what a problem!
Eleven weeks, four dress sizes, new shoes, jewelry to match and suddenly, shopping isn’t so bad! In fact, I might even go again -- soon!