Weighty Issues and Shiny Objects

 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Well, I have recently reached my goal weight. I almost always stay within the "accepted" range from my days as a Weight Watchers leader so I have a closet filled with clothes from the larger sizes to the smaller sizes. After years of eating disorders as a teen,  I ended up weighing  in at nearly 200 pounds. I realize that I am always going to slide up and down some and that it is all my control and choice (with some exceptions). 

Some medications, in particular antidepressants and steroids, make weight control harder.  But, what I do know after thirty-seven years of "dieting" is that it is about personal honesty and accepting responsibility.  I am the only person who has any say over what I put in my mouth 99.999999% of the time (the .0000001% difference is for medical test fasting). And, if I eat too much once in a while it doesn't mean I have to eat too much the next day. I may have this tattooed on my arm for my coming trip to Europe.  Also being Gluten-Free should help me over there!

But a recent article in Scientific American points to , "...growing body of work is finding that disordered eating is connected to attention deficits and poor self-awareness." Great, now ADHD is a reason I can add to my list of reasons for overeating. The article doesn't say it is the only factor; eating and hunger are complex evolutionary systems that have been shown to have more than one fail safe to keep us eating.  

Even Barbie weighed in on the subject in this vintage booklet about how to lose weight  The back of the booklet says "DON'T EAT!"(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I think this goes to something I heard once - that people with weight issues think about what they are going to eat but don't pay attention while they're eating it! I know that when my husband isn't at the table with me I tend to read as I eat instead of savoring my food.  But I am often completely absorbed by my book. On the other hand, while he is away I often lose weight. This is something that experts in this field are studying, and I have yet to understand my relationship to food completely.

I also know we get a lot of mixed messages via family and society.  "Eat!" is the cry of my relatives on both sides.  After the food, though, our weight was often a subject of discussion.  Magazines headlines scream out: "Ten Recipes for Chocolate Cake" next to "Lose Belly Fat." For me too much time thinking about food combinations and recipes and gourmet stuff gets me into using ingredients I just don't need to eat.  I need other interests besides food.

So, I am going to stay on the plan.  Weight Watchers current plan is not hard to deal with and fits into my gluten-free lifestyle as well.  Also, I do not have to go to meetings because I do it online.  The help and inspiration are there if I need them and do not annoy me when I don't. 

Any Thoughts? Are you working with weight issues?

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What's Your Weight-Loss Secret?

Finally the stupid shed is almost completely sided.  Thank goodness for this April-like February. 

I learned this weekend that the less I weigh the less I can drink any form of alcohol. I wish I remembered it from other weight loss. 

I have a philosophy about losing weight.  My theory for years is that it is about being honest with myself.  It's way easy to pretend that something going into the body doesn't count.  I find Weight  Watchers new program fabulous but without personal honesty nothing really works for me.

If you have had a good weight loss experience what's your philosophy?

Weighty Issues

I used to be a Weight Watchers leader, but fell off the wagon.  The week of my leg surgery I decided to go back on the program as an online subscriber. My husband has as well. Even though I was less mobile as usual I lost weight.

Compared to the program we did in 2003 this is so easy with a completely different points structure!  First of almost all  fruits and vegetables are zero points. This means you can eat more. The tracking is different now. You get a certain number of daily points and a "discretionary fund" of weekly points and more for activities.  I am never hungry and I have lost nine pounds.

There is also a way to use only the power foods and not track at all. It's quite a list. If you do track there are mobile apps as well as desktop.  The program we each bought was $65 for three months. There are still, of course, meetings and they can be very helpful and fun. You realize you are not alone, and well if all these other people can do this you can too! Online there are forums of people struggling through as well.

Anyway, this is the time of year we all start to think about our New Years Resolutions. If your weight is one you would like to address I urge you to check it out!

This post is entirely my idea. Weight Watchers has not solicited nor remunerated me for writing about it.

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Up Close and Personal and Over Sharing

Time to admit to myself that those fifteen pounds I do not want, are back and that only I can do something about it. They are not like little beasts that sneak on my body without assistance. I am pretty careful about what I eat but obviously something somewhere is off and I am lying to myself.  See, that is what I believe about weight loss, you cannot lose weight until you are willing to be honest to yourself. There are some valid medical reasons why weight can be hard to budge but they are not the usual reason.

Could a second glass of wine everyday put fifteen pounds on over 6 years? I don't know. When I didn't drink for a couple of months last winter I didn't lose any weight.  It is also possible that now I absorb more food. Until 2004 I ate gluten and was pretty much sick all the time. Probably why, when I ate bagels all day I lost weight.

As a former Weight Watchers leader I still have  a lot of faith in the program but where before my class was right down the block now it is about 15 miles away.  So, I signed up on line. They offer gluten free options as well. I am looking forward to getting back some discipline.  I need to get my High BP down. When I went in for my Mohs surgery they nearly kicked me out because my BP was 181 over 106. Of course, I had a migraine, cramps, and was having skin cancer surgery so I was a bit tense and in pain which kicked it all up a notch. I am down to normal now.

I do like that most fruits and vegetables are no point foods now. My old meeting leader used to say that none of us get fat eating too many fruits and vegetables.  Unless of course they are covered in butter or cream sauce or laden with sugar.

And, I am so tired of hating my closet. I have beautiful clothes that I am avoiding because I am too heavy for them. Weirdly I have put most of the weight on in my waist and bust. But I must be doing something wrong, like sitting and blogging way too much.  I admit to being less active and perhaps this was a bad time to start since I will be on restricted activity until my stitches are out.

Speaking of less active I just saw the coolest thing- A desk for your treadmill! It is called Trek Desk (video: http://bcove.me/g7bc3qec)

So, the surgery went well. Apparently they got everything in one slice and then gave me ten stitches. And then told me not to do anything physical for 72 hours. And, no exercise for two weeks. Frown. It is right above the back of my knee so when ever I move it moves and if I do wa long waking up type of stretch it is not pleasant.   I got to take the initial dressing off today. I didn't want to look at it, so my husband did it. I am not squeamish but I am vain and the stitches-soon-to-be-a-scar just amount to one more physical imperfection I get to hate.

Did I tell you my allergist who diagnosed me as being devoid of all allergies said that my perpetual sinusitis is due to my immune system being over active and creating too many of a certain type of white blood cells in response to the cancer.  Since my sinuses have some structural abnormality that's where the cells went. I thought this made a little sense but was a convenient explanation for it.  A friend who is an oncologist almost spewed his martini through his nose when I told him that.  And my Ear, Nose and Throat doctor was a bit angry I think about that. He did think that the GERD I have had for five years or so could account for the presence of the extra white blood cells. Well, once I am healed we'll see. It would be awesome if it were true and my sinusitis went away. 


And, I got a nifty new Mac Book Pro for my birthday. A dear friend sent me a lovely handmade necklace as a surprise too. Yay!