GETTING THERE

I have been restoring my photos which had all disappeared from their folders on my computer.  My husband is very into backing everything up, thank goodness, so I have not lost anything. I came across this photo.

This is the only picture of me from last Christmas.  It serves well as a before picture.  Although I have not lost anywhere near as much weight as I would have wished  this year, even I can see that there is a big difference  from then to now.

So this isn't so much a before and after, but a before and getting there...

THANKS FOR NO GAIN THANKSGIVING!

I managed not to gobble gobble, as planned.  I have lost another 2 pounds this week.  I did get very silly on champagne and had a great time on Thanksgiving!  For dinner I ate only the broccoli rabe and the turkey with a little gravy, one small whole wheat roll and one bite of my sister's luscious lemon cake. 

I have still been avoiding the gym - which is strange.  I was there today and I was completely enjoying myself.  I was thinking about what has been holding me back from getting back into going daily and I honestly don't know what it is.  So I am just going to get up and go every morning - no excuses, no delays, no I'll go later with Ally - because then she doesn't want to go so I don't go...

That is my number one goal for this week.

SURPRISE! ...not in the good way

My absences from blogging here run pretty much along with my absences from the gym and complete adherence to my diet program.  I weighed in at the gym last week and was not thrilled but not too upset to see I had gained 7 pounds.  It seemed reasonable considering that I have been slip-sliding for about 2 months.  I am feeling very jiggly and out of shape, my legs hurt like they did before I started working out regularly.  I really am back to a starting point.

So I started back on program on Monday and finally weighed in again today.  Surprise!  I am actually up 14 pounds!  When I thought about it I recalled 2 things.  1.) I weighed in on a different scale than I usually do, and 2.) I was naked.

I usually use the scale upstairs on the gym floor fully dressed, including shoes because that is where and how I was weighed when I first started last February.  So, I guess the difference between adding  my clothes and the different scale is double!  Oh, my.  (No wonder the locker room scale is the one my daughter likes to use!)

So it is going to take a bit longer to get back to where I left off than I originally thought.  I am back to the weight I was in June.  Yikes.   If it was just the 7 pounds I thought I could be back on track by December 1, but 14 will be tough to do even by Christmas because I am going to be realistic. 

So, I am back.  Climbing up the slide I slid down!

A FEW CHANGES

Well, I added a photo as I promised.  Ally took pictures of me before we went out for her birthday dinner.  None of them turned out well but she insisted the one I posted was "a good one"  (even though we were making silly faces by then) so I am using it until we have another photo session.

I have found that my new work environment is going to be very supportive of my dieting.  I will be working very long shifts and it is so busy that it is rare that an actual break is taken for lunch or dinner.  As long as I bring healthy, easy to eat on the run foods for the short breaks I will get - I will be set.  There is a vending machine, but I did not look at the contents, nor do I tend to carry change.  I do not plan to use it - ever.

I do sit at a desk a lot of the time, but I am also up and down to use different equipment, going to the back to speak with the vet and nurses and back up front.  I appreciate that I am not stuck in a chair for 8-10 hours.  I plan to get outside to walk around when I do get break.

FEELING BETTER - A FRESH START

Last week I had a bad cold.  I joked that I went outside my usual little routine of home, gym and grocery shopping and ventured to the mall with my daughter and exposed myself to the big bad world of germs! 

I didn't go to the gym or the store or even to the mailbox for 5 days.  I was miserable.  I didn't concern myself with my diet plan and overate carbs and calories.  I will see the damage tomorrow when I go back to the gym.  I am not going to beat myself up over it.  I see today as a new start.  I have been struggling all summer trying to find my way, trying to find my "plan."

I lost the first 50 pounds or so using products from Lifestyle.  I was so determined and I stuck with it even though I was hungry most of the time.  Then I wanted to go off the products and maintain the calories at the same 1200 level on good foods.  I know I am triggered by carbs, so the plan was low carb ( whole grain only, no sugar, fruit ok.)  To stay in the 1200 range carbs are not a good choice, anyway.  As I said, this has been a struggle.  I have had trouble with foods I overate - like peanut butter and oatmeal/granola.  I have had trouble with my family being bored by my repetitive meals. 

And I don't like that it has been so 2 pounds off, 1 pound back, no loss for two weeks.  It is frustrating and I just don't care to always feel like I should be berating myself .  So - what to do?

I need a more specific plan.  Not back to the products, although I have some left and will use them as snacks and meal subs when appropriate.  No Atkins style low carb because that is not how I want to live the rest of my life, but I must be aware of how very sensitive I seem to be to bread/pasta/carbs (have some - want more, more, more!)

I like Cammy's plan of 5-7 fruits and veggies daily, low fat proteins and whole grains.  I will need more specifics, just winging it day by day has not been working for me - so I am going to work out a list of meal plans and calorie counts to keep myself in the 1200-1500 range.

Any other input?

IT'S JUST ONE DAY

Today I was driving up and down the San Mateo coastline between Moss Beach and Santa Cruz.  My husband and son have been training and preparing for this day for a couple of months - a hundred mile bike ride and I was their support vehicle.

After they came up with the idea, they got together and drove the route, checking out the grades of the hills, the size of the bike lanes and road shoulders, the conditions of the roads.  They have been going to spin classes, going on ever longer training rides (Zac, our son, in Monterey and Tom here in the Pleasanton Tri-Valley area.)  They have been doing a lot of hill climbing and talking about their nutrition and tuning up their bikes.  They checked the weather and the winds and their equipment and their maps and on and on.  It has been quite a project.

We arrived at the meeting place in Santa Cruz at 8am and they were on the road by 8:30.  I hopped in the car and went up the road about 12 miles or so to surprise them at the top of one of the smaller hills by waving a big colorful rainbow flag we have - like it was the Tour de France.

They thought it was pretty funny, but Tom was not looking too happy.  He was cold and he said his legs were feeling dead.  They rested a few minutes and pushed on.  I stayed and had some breakfast and then went on down the road, but after about 6 more miles I saw them on the side of the road again - so I knew something was wrong.  Tom was feeling sick.  We put his bike in the car and he wrapped himself in a blanket and dropped off to sleep as I went down the road to the next rest stop and Zac rode on alone.

The rest of the day, Zac rode alone and Tom just felt terrible.  Terrible because he was sick and also because he had put so much time and energy into training for this and  now Zac was out there alone.

And isn't this how we feel when we fail to live up to our diet and exercise plans?  We feel like everything we have done has been a waste - how silly that is.  Of course it isn't a waste!  Everything we have done hasn't been for just one day.  It is for the many, many days on our bikes and in our lives.  All the training just makes us  ready for more challenges, it doesn't just disappear immediately - we can keep building on it, getting better and stronger.

That's what I told Tom and that's what I keep telling myself every time I skip a few days at the gym or go over on my calories - it is a long term thing,  not about just one day.

WEIGHT GAIN AND UNEMPLOYMENT

One of the first things I thought of when I lost my job 16 months ago was that I would have more time to devote to the gym and getting healthy.  I was on my feet much of my work day and I enjoyed that.  I had started to get up early and go to the gym before work a few days a week, but the stresses of the job were hard on me.  And I am an emotional eater - so the pounds stayed put.  At least I wasn't gaining.

But the bright side of unemployment didn't manifest for me - and apparently they don't for many unemployed Americans.  Forbes magazine reports that the unemployment rate may just be a contributing factor to the rising obesity rate.  When the unemployment rate was 6% the obesity rate was 33.8%, by 2009 the unemployment rate climbed to 9.7% and the obesity rate climbed with it to 34%.

One woman interviewed said "It was an easy decision to cancel my (gym) membership," she planned to run outside and do more yoga videos in order to keep in shape. "But almost six months later I've packed on 15 pounds and the running shoes I bought to encourage myself to run are still in the box."  She also admitted to snacking a lot more.  "I probably consumed my weight in Wheat Thins each week."

I didn't quit my gym membership and I continued to go at least a few times a week, but I wasn't working very hard.  I grew more depressed and was eating more and didn't feel my best.  By the end of the year I had reached my all time highest weight.  I kept watching the numbers on the scale climb, almost as if  I was daring myself to go higher and higher.  I finally realized that my feelings were not normal and went to the doctor and asked for a referral for counseling. 

That turned things around.  Admitting that I was depressed and that I wasn't being rational got me on the road to being healthy.  There are so many people out there who are unemployed, depressed, lost in their sad feelings about their situation.  Trying to save money by not eating the healthiest food choices.  Sitting in front the computer all day, not getting out and getting exercise.  Eating "treats" to make themselves feel better.  I know, I was there a year ago. 

I hope that those people get the chance I did to break out of that depression and get moving and get healthy.  Unemployment sucks.  No doubt about it.  Feeling better about yourself, however, rocks!

I THINK I CAN DANCE

No matter how much I change up my exercise routine, I get bored sometimes.  I really enjoy it more when I have new music and I frequently change my playlists.  I am always switching around the music so it always seems fresh, adding new tunes in here and here.  I recently added a whole playlist of old Stevie Wonder tunes, they are really compatible with rowing.

Even so.  There I am, day after day at the gym.  On the equipment.  Yes, sometimes I go for a walk or ride my bike outside, but when I am at the gym.  I am at the gym...again.  So it is up to me to take myself somewhere else -  in my head. 

My favorite thing to do when I am on the Nu Step is to close my eyes and just get lost in the music.  I can really shut out all the sounds of the gym and transport myself back in time to the many places where I danced and danced through the nights.  I am no longer a big, old woman in the gym, I am young, graceful and rocking out to the Eagles or Fleetwood Mac.  In those days we didn't go to "clubs."  We went to bars.  Bars with music. 

In my head, that's where I go while I am working out in the gym.  And the time just flies away.

NOT WHAT YOU EAT BUT WHAT YOU ABSORB

We have all known those people who eat the same things we eat, sometimes a lot more, and never gain weight. So that must mean they are expending more calories, right? If you stick with the old calories in, calories out theory that would be the case. However, new research shows that calories that count are those extracted by your digestive enzymes and the trillions of bacteria in your intestine.

People whose gut bacteria are better at digesting fats and carbs than their neighbor’s will absorb all 1,500 calories in a Friendly’s Ultimate Grilled Cheese BurgerMelt, while the neighbor will absorb fewer.

A study done at Washington University showed that obese mice and slim mice have different populations of gut bacteria. Crucially, they showed that the bacteria caused obesity, rather than obesity producing a specific mix of bacteria. When the scientists plucked bacteria called Firmicutes from obese mice, then put them in the bacteria-free guts of mice raised in a sterile environment, the latter bulked up within 10 to 14 days—even though they ate less.

Why? Firmicutes, it seems, are more adept at liberating calories from food than are bacteria from the other common lineage, Bacteroidetes. Firmicutes can digest complex sugars that neither the mice’s own enzymes nor Bacteroidetes can, breaking them into simple sugars and fatty acids that the mice’s intestines then absorb and turn into more mouse. People harbor bacteria from these same two lineages, with the obese among us having more Firmicutes and fewer Bacteroidetes than slim people, exactly as in fat and lean mice.

The study then had 12 obese people follow either a low-fat or a low-carb diet to lose weight, the result was more Bacteroidetes and fewer Firmicutes—the profile of slim people. The more Bacteroidetes, the more weight the volunteers lost.

Although the diet experiment shows that losing weight can tip the bacterial balance away from bugs that extract the maximum calories from what we eat, what’s needed is a way to tip that balance and thereby lose weight, rather than lose weight and thereby tip the balance of gut bacteria.

So the next big push is to determine if there is another way to alter the bacteria (in a safe way) before making the dietary changes. There will certainly be those questionable marketers who will rush out with claims they can change your intestinal bacteria with their product However, at this time, there is no support for that approach.

In fact, it is possible that one component of the obesity epidemic is actually the widespread use of antibiotics which have changed the bacterial make-up of millions of Americans. This may even explain the upsurge of diabetes on the theory that the bacteria changes are altering the immune system. “I think the idea that foods, drugs, or other things in our environment might contribute to the epidemic by changing gut microbes is a distinct possibility" says Randy Seeley, an obesity researcher at the University of Cincinnati.

So all those years you though your metabolism was shot? Or that you were just so different from other people when it came to calories? You just might have been right!

A NEW LIFE?

Since I started this effort to get fit early this year, I have lost 61 pounds. I was watching a commercial for Jenny Craig (or one of those diet programs) and a woman who had lost about that much weight and looked to be about a size 4 was talking about how she loves her "new life."

Those of us who are very much larger and have a lot more than 60 pounds to lose to get to a healthy weight can look at that commercial and think - well, a lot of things!! One thing would be that we wish we had gotten started on the weight loss when we only had 60 pounds to lose!

My thought was that the commercial is misleading when it suggests that you get a new life if you lose weight. It is really unfair to advertise that way. You get a lot of fabulous benefits, not the least of which is better health and the ability to shop in the 12 fashion departments of the stores and not the tiny little 5 rack Plus Size section hidden in the far reaches of the store next to the Maternity Shop by the Ladies Room.

The reality is that your life goes right along with you on your journey to fitness and a better BMI. Hopefully you will be more energetic and take advantage of more opportunities. You will enjoy the benefits of better health and attractiveness. Spend more money on cute workout clothes and less on take out food. Go on long walks and hikes and bike rides instead of hanging out on the couch.

So the first 60 pounds lost has not given me a new life - but it has shown me how to go about living the life I am living better.

THE NUMBERS GAME

So the numbers are the story this week. I tried the heart rate monitor this morning during my workout. I decided to just do my 40 minute routine on the Nu-Step without looking up the charts so I could see what my actual rates have been without pushing toward a specific target.

For my age I should be aiming to work out (for weight loss) in the 99-148 range. I was working out in the range of 86-89 through most of my workout. When I did some high intensity intervals, I went up into the 100 range.

So this means that I need to get my intensity up during the entirety of my workout. I have been working at about 55% and I need to aim for 75% of my maximum heart rate. Tomorrow I am going to do 30-40 minutes on the rowing machine. My heart rate should be higher as it is a much harder work out for me.

But the numbers will tell...

STARTING TO SHOW

I wondered when I would start to show. No - I am not pregnant. I wondered when my weight loss would show enough for people to notice and comment.

Last night I hosted my book club. My old friend who knows I have been working on my weight came in first and said I was looking good. then another member I have not seen in a few months due to her schedule said "You look different, your skin looks really good. Have you done something?" Interesting! As the evening went on there were comments and compliments from pretty much everyone.

So - it takes 50 pounds for people to notice. Wait 'till they see the next 50 go!

SAVE CALORIES AND LOSE WEIGHT?

There are all these articles and books about cutting out this or that food and by the end of the year you lose 10 pounds!! Or eat this instead of that for lunch every week and you will lose 20 pounds!

Except it isn't true.

On paper it looks good, but in reality, the body adjusts. Most of us life long dieters have known this and have been frustrated by this for years.
But bodies don’t gain or lose weight indefinitely. Eventually, a cascade of biological changes kicks in to help the body maintain a new weight. The JAMA study explains, a person who eats an extra cookie a day will gain some weight, but over time, an increasing proportion of the cookie’s calories also goes to taking care of the extra body weight. Eventually, the body adjusts and stops gaining weight, even if the person continues to eat the cookie.

Similar factors come into play when we skip the extra cookie. We may lose a little weight at first, but soon the body adjusts to the new weight and requires fewer calories.

A 2007 study indicated that small changes did set the stage for bigger, more life changing changes to follow. Like starting with "baby steps" you can't get far if you stick with them, but if you start that way and then move on to bigger and bigger steps, then you are on the way to meaningful changes.

“Once you’re trying for weight loss, you’re out of the small-change realm,” said Dr. Hill, the author of the study. “But the small-steps approach can stop weight gain.”

While small steps are unlikely to solve the nation’s obesity crisis, doctors say losing a little weight, eating more heart-healthy foods and increasing exercise can make a meaningful difference in overall health and risks for heart disease and diabetes.

ROAD TRIP

I am off on a road trip with my youngest daughter to visit colleges. We will be heading up the northern California coast and into Oregon. A very long car trip. I plan to stick with my diet and since she is trying to drop a few pounds for her prom dress, she is motivated to eat well, too.

I booked hotels with pools and one with a gym, so we will get some exercise in - although those campus tours tend to be very long walks up and down, around and around!

I will be back on Sunday!

A NEW TACTIC

I have the work out routine in line, going 5 times a week for 1-1.5 hours of exercise. I have pretty much cut out the sugar. I have been using the Alli. I have lost 1 pound. I am still eating too much. I have just not gotten used to working at home, in the kitchen.

So I was looking for a way to narrow my options. I was looking around at the Kaiser website to see what they offer - after all, we are paying $1350 a month for our health care plan. But all the weight loss options they offer are not covered by our plan. They see aiding weight loss along the lines of cosmetic surgery and Lasik -as a money making opportunity. They offer a program using Optifast with a support group, but they will not reveal the cost. You have to sign up and attend a class.

So, I thought I would shop around for other, similar options. I found Medifast online. Their plan is 5 mini pre-made meals and one "lean and green" meal. That appeals to me because I can make a meal for the family and adjust my part to fit the plan.

I could order the shakes, bars, soups, etc. online or drive a few miles to a center. Since I want to start tomorrow - I went to the center.

I had to laugh. It is located in a shopping center which contains a BBQ restaurant, McDonalds, a pizza parlor and was nestled in between Taco Bell and Dairy Queen!!! The clients have to be very dedicated to make it out of the the shopping center with their will power intact!

I bought 2 weeks worth of products...I will report in on the weekend.

SBD FAILURE

I stuck very faithfully to the South Beach diet for the last week (I only slipped on Friday when I had a cocktail and a glass or 2 of wine.). No pounds lost on the scale.

I went to 2 "spine classes" in the physical therapy department last week. I am learning the correct stretches and body mechanics for my disc issues. The pain is moving from my hip to my back - which I am told means I am healing. Hurrah.

The best medicine would be to lose weight - so I will knock the calories down from 1800-2000 to 1200-1500.

WHERE HAVE I BEEN?

First I got sick - then I got self-indulgent. Ok? Leave me alone!

I did manage to get my Kaiser doc to set me up for some x-rays, physical therapy and a visit with the podiatrist. Pretty much anything to get me out of her exam room. Geez, that woman allows about 3.5 minutes and then she is outta there...

The podiatrist was great, very informative and helpful. I have some arthritis in the joints on the top of my foot, and without additional arch support, I am getting that occasional pain and major swelling. So she recommended inserts from the pharmacy which have been very effective except that they don't fit in my little flats. I need to go back and get the thinnest size and see if those will work. Otherwise, I will just wear the cute little flats for very short periods of time. Aging has very little room for cute.

Then I went to the physical therapist. Turns out that the pain I have had in my hip and down the side of my leg is due to a disc in my lower back which is being pushed out of place. I have a couple of exercises to start with and I start "Spine Classes" next week. I also have a little posture correction to work on. I feel much better having a diagnosis and plan. For nearly a year I have been worried about having a hip replacement or something. This is much more manageable.

So I was back to the gym and working out with inserts in my shoes, some new moves and my mind on spring coming soon and the clothes I can't yet zip...

WEEKEND WEIGH IN

Well - I am up 2 pounds this week. I went through my information and my calories are good, went to the gym 5 times and a long walk the one sunny day we had. So what is going on?? I finally decided it is because I am sitting all day for my new work - and before I was on my feet for at least 3 hours and sometimes 5-6 hours of the day.

So I am going to have to increase my daily exercise to make up for it. When it isn't raining I think I'll try a walk during the day. I could try a few extra trips up and down the stairs, too!

JANUARY 8 - WHAT'S UP?

I have been entering my food to My Food Diary online. The calorie counts have been fairly high, but the point is to get mindfiul and into the habit of making the entries.

I am still coughing like crazy from the New Year's cold I caught - so the activity is limited. But I plan to start to the gym 3 mornings a week starting Tuesday.

Maggie goes back to school on Monday, so I have to get the courage to let her take photos of me before then - then I need to see if I can post them...

MY PLANS - PART 1

Beginning January 4, I am going to start using My Food Diary on a daily basis.

Myfoodidary.com is an online program I have used in the past to record food, activity, weight and measurements. They also have an online community for support.

The nice thing about the program is that they have a huge data base of foods from restaurants and grocery items, so you can easily track not only calories, but other nutritional information. You can enter ingredients for recipes and save them. I also enter my typical breakfast and then just enter it as 1 item, instead of several individual componants.

In the Exercise Log I enter my daily activity, including exercise. My job requires a lot of standing, I enter that, too. The program then calculates the calories burned by the activities.

In the Body Log section, I can enter my wieght and measurements and then update over time.