I have been on a weight loss journey since October 2009 - slow, but steady(ish). And I am using this post to come clean and hopefully get some advice. Consider this to be a confessional of sorts... one particular picture, I am not proud to share.
When I first started working, I was not used to living such a sedentary lifestyle. In college I walked probably 4 miles a day, and ate whatever I wanted (not healthy, but I was skinny). After going through a breakup, I got even skinner - and chopped off all of my hair. My active lifestyle in college kept the weight off without even me having to try - the nasty cafeteria food that I couldn't really eat didn't hurt either.
Flash forward 6(ish) months after graduation, and I had put a lot of weight on - and when I say a lot, I mean like 30+ lbs. I was not moving, at all.. sitting at a desk for 8 hours a day and then coming home and sitting on the couch (and eating whatever I wanted for dinner - specific example: I remember having cheezits and beer one Saturday night, for dinner - we aren't in college anymore!) was a combination that was leading me down the wrong path. I got really heavy - I am only 5'3", so even a few lbs will show on my small frame. I just didn't realize how big I had gotten, and then BAM - these pictures were taken in October 2009. 6 months!
That week I was in Raleigh for recruiting at NCSU (side note: it's Game Day - Go Wolfpack!! I will be watching at the Charlotte Alumni bar tonight!). That week was a wakeup call for me after seeing pictures.. I tried for well over a year to lose weight on my own. I successfully lost about 5 lbs, with eating "right" and "working out." I put those in quotation marks because I did not take my healthy living plan seriously. I was writing down what I ate, but that didn't stop me from overeating what I did write down. I had not invested in a food scale, nor was I remotely concerned about portion size. I was also not committed to a regular exercise routine; between juggling work and two graduate classes each semester, it was about all I could do to get my school work done at night, let alone get a workout in.
On December, 16th 2010, I joined Weight Watchers... all thanks to Betsy and her patience. I had been skeptical of WW - what sort of diet program lets you eat a 100 calorie pack of cookies OR a banana for 2 points? I know what I am going to choose. Betsy is a Lifetime WW member who is very passionate about the program. But I just couldn't wrap my mind around it, until... I did. She always informed me about it and answered any questions I had, but never pressured me to join. But when I was ready, she stepped in and has been my backbone of support on my entire journey!
And so, I was ready. Weight Watchers revamped their program to the Points Plus program (ranked #1 best weight loss diet by US News and World Report), and this was a plan I could really get on board with. All fruit and most vegetables are 'free'? Yes, please! The Points Plus system calculates points based on fat, carbs, protein, and fiber. The old Points system calculated points based on fat, calories, and fiber. While the Points Plus values for most foods went up, this was offset by the "free fruits and most veggies" as well as an increase in your daily Points Plus target.
From December 2010 until about April 2011, I had great success on Weight Watchers. I lost appx. 15 lbs with only 10 more to go. And then I hit the dreaded plateau. Until very recently was I not seeing ANY results on the scale from my weight loss efforts. Was I always consistent with my tracking? No. Was I eating horribly? No. Was I exercising? Yes (but not often enough, I think). I remain frustrated... but I know the only path I can keep going down is the healthy one, whether I am seeing results on the scale or not.
As far as workouts go, I had always relied on walking (which still to this day is awesome). Leslie Sansone's Walk at Home DVD's helped with that initial 15 lb weight loss, and walking is an amazing form of exercise. I would go to an occasional Zumba class, or hop on the elliptical machine for 30 minutes, but mostly walking. I always envied runners for one reason and one reason only - that they could get places faster than I could walking. For those of you that know me, you know that I walk fast and with a purpose, even if my purpose is "meandering around" - I know no such thing.
So in August 2011, I decided to start jogging - #1 I wanted to get places faster and #2 I thought this might kick start my weight loss again. In fact, this picture was taken on the day of my first "jog." This was after 2 weeks straight on the road for work (meaning 2 weeks of eating 3 meals daily out). I was not feeling so hot. As you can tell by the corn, I was in the midwest aka fried food capital of the US. I did not make good eating choices while I was there. But, my long hair is back!!!
I chose to start jogging up there because the roads were flat, I was able to jog for 30 seconds or so at a time, and have to walk again. On a 2 or 3 mile walk, I would do the jog intervals 4 or 5 times, and boy was this hard. When I got back to Charlotte, I realized the roads in Dilworth/South End were just as flat, and I could make my walk/jog intervals happen here too. It has been about a month and a half since I started jogging, and now I can jog up to 2 miles without having to take a walking break. Every day I just tried to push myself a little further, and a little further. My "go-to" run is 1.5 miles - perfect for a quick after-work workout. I am also incorporating more strength training in to my exercise routine (pushups, crunches, leg lifts, and this neck exercise to improve my posture). While the scale has not really budged (super frustrating), I can tell that I have lost inches. This picture was taken last weekend, and is the first picture that I have seen of myself where I feel like I have really lost weight - I know, it is all mental and I have just not seen it until now.
I never really understood people who have to work out every day, and granted I have my lazy days - but my body wants to get out there and jog almost every day. It's crazy! I am not sure who this person is, but I like it. I have been sleeping better, my clothes fit better, I am losing inches, and the healthy activity that I have been practicing has been making me less inclined to put crap in to my body all the time. Am I saying I am a "health goddess" who only eats things that are good for me? Absolutely not! I would rather have a slow weight loss journey than not enjoy life through food. Case in point, my Target shopping basket yesterday consisted of: toilet paper, cheezits (reduced-fat, k?), 2 bottles of wine, Sprite Zero, and Cranberry Juice - am I going to make healthy living choices this weekend? Probably not.. but only every so often am I reunited with two of my best girlfriends! And so, we shall celebrate with champagne and other assorted alcoholic beverages.
I don't believe that my weight loss journey will ever be over. It will be constantly evolving and in-process, and I am OK with that. I have finally made the commitment to living a (mostly) healthy lifestyle, and I know my body will follow suit and shape itself one of these days as long as I keep it up. I have decreased my Weight Watchers membership from the monthly pass (where you attend meetings and have online access) to just Weight Watchers online (where you can track food and exercise online, search recipes, participate in the message boards) in the efforts of saving money.
I have about 10 more lbs to go until I reach what Weight Watchers says is my goal weight, but I feel pretty darn good where I am right now. The last 10 lbs will come off with time, but I need to remind myself daily that the scale is not all that matters - eating a balanced diet, having a healthy body, keeping your heart healthy, and disease prevention is most important and the scale will fall where it may. This is and will always be a constant struggle for me... but putting it out there (and confessing to my original weight gain) may just give me the extra edge I need for my commitment to healthy living and weight loss. Consistency is key!
What types of struggles have you gone through on your weight loss journey? Please share any tips, tricks, success stories, or motivational speeches!
When I first started working, I was not used to living such a sedentary lifestyle. In college I walked probably 4 miles a day, and ate whatever I wanted (not healthy, but I was skinny). After going through a breakup, I got even skinner - and chopped off all of my hair. My active lifestyle in college kept the weight off without even me having to try - the nasty cafeteria food that I couldn't really eat didn't hurt either.
Flash forward 6(ish) months after graduation, and I had put a lot of weight on - and when I say a lot, I mean like 30+ lbs. I was not moving, at all.. sitting at a desk for 8 hours a day and then coming home and sitting on the couch (and eating whatever I wanted for dinner - specific example: I remember having cheezits and beer one Saturday night, for dinner - we aren't in college anymore!) was a combination that was leading me down the wrong path. I got really heavy - I am only 5'3", so even a few lbs will show on my small frame. I just didn't realize how big I had gotten, and then BAM - these pictures were taken in October 2009. 6 months!
That week I was in Raleigh for recruiting at NCSU (side note: it's Game Day - Go Wolfpack!! I will be watching at the Charlotte Alumni bar tonight!). That week was a wakeup call for me after seeing pictures.. I tried for well over a year to lose weight on my own. I successfully lost about 5 lbs, with eating "right" and "working out." I put those in quotation marks because I did not take my healthy living plan seriously. I was writing down what I ate, but that didn't stop me from overeating what I did write down. I had not invested in a food scale, nor was I remotely concerned about portion size. I was also not committed to a regular exercise routine; between juggling work and two graduate classes each semester, it was about all I could do to get my school work done at night, let alone get a workout in.
On December, 16th 2010, I joined Weight Watchers... all thanks to Betsy and her patience. I had been skeptical of WW - what sort of diet program lets you eat a 100 calorie pack of cookies OR a banana for 2 points? I know what I am going to choose. Betsy is a Lifetime WW member who is very passionate about the program. But I just couldn't wrap my mind around it, until... I did. She always informed me about it and answered any questions I had, but never pressured me to join. But when I was ready, she stepped in and has been my backbone of support on my entire journey!
And so, I was ready. Weight Watchers revamped their program to the Points Plus program (ranked #1 best weight loss diet by US News and World Report), and this was a plan I could really get on board with. All fruit and most vegetables are 'free'? Yes, please! The Points Plus system calculates points based on fat, carbs, protein, and fiber. The old Points system calculated points based on fat, calories, and fiber. While the Points Plus values for most foods went up, this was offset by the "free fruits and most veggies" as well as an increase in your daily Points Plus target.
From December 2010 until about April 2011, I had great success on Weight Watchers. I lost appx. 15 lbs with only 10 more to go. And then I hit the dreaded plateau. Until very recently was I not seeing ANY results on the scale from my weight loss efforts. Was I always consistent with my tracking? No. Was I eating horribly? No. Was I exercising? Yes (but not often enough, I think). I remain frustrated... but I know the only path I can keep going down is the healthy one, whether I am seeing results on the scale or not.
As far as workouts go, I had always relied on walking (which still to this day is awesome). Leslie Sansone's Walk at Home DVD's helped with that initial 15 lb weight loss, and walking is an amazing form of exercise. I would go to an occasional Zumba class, or hop on the elliptical machine for 30 minutes, but mostly walking. I always envied runners for one reason and one reason only - that they could get places faster than I could walking. For those of you that know me, you know that I walk fast and with a purpose, even if my purpose is "meandering around" - I know no such thing.
So in August 2011, I decided to start jogging - #1 I wanted to get places faster and #2 I thought this might kick start my weight loss again. In fact, this picture was taken on the day of my first "jog." This was after 2 weeks straight on the road for work (meaning 2 weeks of eating 3 meals daily out). I was not feeling so hot. As you can tell by the corn, I was in the midwest aka fried food capital of the US. I did not make good eating choices while I was there. But, my long hair is back!!!
I chose to start jogging up there because the roads were flat, I was able to jog for 30 seconds or so at a time, and have to walk again. On a 2 or 3 mile walk, I would do the jog intervals 4 or 5 times, and boy was this hard. When I got back to Charlotte, I realized the roads in Dilworth/South End were just as flat, and I could make my walk/jog intervals happen here too. It has been about a month and a half since I started jogging, and now I can jog up to 2 miles without having to take a walking break. Every day I just tried to push myself a little further, and a little further. My "go-to" run is 1.5 miles - perfect for a quick after-work workout. I am also incorporating more strength training in to my exercise routine (pushups, crunches, leg lifts, and this neck exercise to improve my posture). While the scale has not really budged (super frustrating), I can tell that I have lost inches. This picture was taken last weekend, and is the first picture that I have seen of myself where I feel like I have really lost weight - I know, it is all mental and I have just not seen it until now.
I never really understood people who have to work out every day, and granted I have my lazy days - but my body wants to get out there and jog almost every day. It's crazy! I am not sure who this person is, but I like it. I have been sleeping better, my clothes fit better, I am losing inches, and the healthy activity that I have been practicing has been making me less inclined to put crap in to my body all the time. Am I saying I am a "health goddess" who only eats things that are good for me? Absolutely not! I would rather have a slow weight loss journey than not enjoy life through food. Case in point, my Target shopping basket yesterday consisted of: toilet paper, cheezits (reduced-fat, k?), 2 bottles of wine, Sprite Zero, and Cranberry Juice - am I going to make healthy living choices this weekend? Probably not.. but only every so often am I reunited with two of my best girlfriends! And so, we shall celebrate with champagne and other assorted alcoholic beverages.
I don't believe that my weight loss journey will ever be over. It will be constantly evolving and in-process, and I am OK with that. I have finally made the commitment to living a (mostly) healthy lifestyle, and I know my body will follow suit and shape itself one of these days as long as I keep it up. I have decreased my Weight Watchers membership from the monthly pass (where you attend meetings and have online access) to just Weight Watchers online (where you can track food and exercise online, search recipes, participate in the message boards) in the efforts of saving money.
I have about 10 more lbs to go until I reach what Weight Watchers says is my goal weight, but I feel pretty darn good where I am right now. The last 10 lbs will come off with time, but I need to remind myself daily that the scale is not all that matters - eating a balanced diet, having a healthy body, keeping your heart healthy, and disease prevention is most important and the scale will fall where it may. This is and will always be a constant struggle for me... but putting it out there (and confessing to my original weight gain) may just give me the extra edge I need for my commitment to healthy living and weight loss. Consistency is key!
What types of struggles have you gone through on your weight loss journey? Please share any tips, tricks, success stories, or motivational speeches!
Great post!!
ReplyDeleteGreat start on starting to jog/run, but a word of caution - a lot of people are misled into thinking cardio's the way to lose weight, which is false. (Ever hear people complain about how they do cardio for an hour every day and not lose any weight?)
ReplyDeleteCardio makes your body a leaner machine. As you continue to run and become fityrt, all that makes your body do is learn to be more efficient. Think of your body as a car that adapts to become more fuel efficient over time. You'll lose weight initially, only because your body adjusts to becoming a body suitable for running, but after that you shouldn't see too much change. I've been running 5Ks and started on 10Ks and haven't seen my weight change more than 3lbs in about a year or so.
I'd suggest running on inclines (even 0.5 or 1 degrees) if you want to see big changes. Inclines are a bitch, but it's a fast way to burn.
But, it does make you fitter, so you can sustain high energy for longer, focus better and sleep better.
Thanks for the tips, Walid! As of right now, my primary focus is more fitness than weight loss - the weight loss will come with the fitness and healthy diet (calorie burning > calorie intake). I actually gained an initail 2 lbs or so when I started running, but did not let that deter me. I know that cardio is critical for my heart health (heart disease is the #1 killer of women). Also, I run outside - not a fan of treadmill running whatsoever.. I get some slight hills in but I don't do anything major. I appreciate tips from other runners since I am new to this world.
ReplyDeleteAnd, thanks for following Kandyce! I look forward to reading your blog as well.
Awesome blog! Thanks for sharing over at the 20's board. :-)
ReplyDeleteStruggles? Lots. My biggest one was getting over the whole "must lose quickly" idea. The first 7 months of my WLJ, I wanted to lose loads of pounds, and ended up... well, not. I got easily discouraged and would only half-follow WW. So I only half-got results.
In 2010, I set out to lose 50 in 2010, so slower but realistic losses (about a pound a week). And by golly, I did it. :-)
And I'm a huge advocate of slower weight loss now. My brain had a chance to catch up with my body this time, and I am thin and feel thin for the first time in my life.
You are on a roll, lady! Thanks for the pep-talk.
Great post! You are doing great!!!!! You can see such a difference from the corn post to the blue shirt post. I know that was a short amount of time...but for me it felt like an ETERNITY for other reasons you know of (o*rah)... ;) Anyways, YOU ROCK!
ReplyDeleteHey Katie,
ReplyDeleteI started reading your blog off of the 20's WW blog, and I find your story very inspiring! I also can really relate to your journey. I started WW around March 2010, lost 20 lbs, and just recently started hitting the dreadful plateau! So I understand the struggle!
You said you use Leslie Sanson's DVDs, so I wanted to recommend 2 other good ones! Bob Harper's Ultinate fat burn is great, and so is The Firm: Calorie Explosion :)
http://sophia-forthelove.blogspot.com/
Hey Katie! I became a "runner" after having my first son. I started this journey initially to lose "baby weight". I now run because it is a necessity to my mental, physical, and pure life enjoyment! It is my only time out of the day where I do something that is all about me. I only wish I had started this in grade school...or sooner. Just an FYI. I had about 40 extra pounds on my frame after each of my kids. I would start exactly the way you started. I would run a bit (like 30 seconds), then I would walk. Slowly, I started increasing my stamina. Then, I started downloading books, meditation music, etc... onto my ipod. I found I could go for longer distances then. Finally, I signed up for my first half marathon in May. I see you already completed your first 5K. What an accomplishment!
ReplyDeleteAnyway, I just wanted to share my journey to hopefully give you some inspiration to stick with it. To me, running will be something I cannot live without now. It's part of me and what I need to get in touch with me. I love to read your facebook posts....I think we'd have a lot in common if we met. You seem to be a woman who knows what she wants, and you aren't afraid to make your spot in life, even if there are mistakes along the way. Now, I don't know you at all, so this is just my perception.
BTW- I LOVE your Grandma Sherron!
Thank you EVERYONE for your comments and inspiration!! I look forward to continuing to share my journey (the ups and downs and everything in between) with such a supportive community :-)
ReplyDelete