Category Archives: Body Changes

Body Changes, Exercise

The Other Rebellion

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couch potato catYesterday, I said that when the Sugar Monster slumbers again, all would be peaceful in the kingdom – kinda. The “kinda” refers to the Couch Potato Resistance. That battle is going to be a long one, I fear.

As I’ve told you, I don’t like to get sweaty. I don’t mind being sweaty, it’s just those moments between dry-and-comfy and wet-and-what-the-hell that I really hate. I hate that sticky, itchy feeling that lives in that transition. Silly, right? It’s not like that sensation lasts all that long; but, I just hate it! However, muscling through that sensation on a daily basis is going to have to happen if I’m going to return to feeling strong in the way that I like.

For a few days early in the year, I went to the gym after work and rode the recumbent bike. I didn’t do any strength training because I didn’t have a plan and, for me, a plan is crucial. I’m a creature of habit and I like for my workout routines to be, well, routine. I like to know what exercises I’m going to do. If I don’t have that plan and don’t know what I’m going to do, I don’t do anything. The Couch Potato Resistance wins.

For Project 40, I have come up with workout routines to get my strength training on track. I have two routines each for legs, core, and arms, chest and back (I always work those three groups on the same day). In addition, I have four different cardio exercises to do. This way, my workouts will be familiar; but, they won’t be the same each day. Therefore, my muscles won’t get used to any given routine and stop progressing. At some point, I’m sure I’ll change this up, as well, to add new exercises to hit the muscle groups from different directions. But let’s get real here, that’s not going to be for awhile yet. I haven’t had a really good structured workout in probably two years or, at least since right after my knee surgery. I know that for the first few times, I’ll hate it. I’ll want to wimp out, get in the car, go home and eat some popcorn or, really, a Magnum ice cream bar (320 calories, 14 grams of saturated fat, 29 grams of sugar). I’ll have to trash talk myself through those times to get to the times when I really look forward to working out. As I recall, those days did come.

Just after my knee surgery, I was having some serious professional issues. I remember thinking that I would feel so much better if I could just go for a run. Before surgery, I was able to run about three miles and felt awesome afterwards! After surgery, I wasn’t allowed to even walk for exercise for six months. During that time, I allowed myself to lose momentum, finally arriving at today, with me having the couch fabric impressed into the skin of my posterior.

As I begin my workouts, you’ll see all of the routines listed on my Project 40 worksheets. If you have routines that work for you or ideas on ways to make my routines more effective, I’d love to hear from you!

Accountability, Body Changes, Food

Just For Me

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Love yourself

My friend Kent read yesterday’s piece and, like the wonderful friend he is, said, “Time to be blunt. I didn’t see the weight gain until YOU mentioned it.” That may be true; but, I saw it and my vision is really the most important one here – as long as it stays realistic.

What I mean is this: I’m the one who has to feel comfortable in my own skin and, right now, I don’t. I feel bloated, thick and weak. I don’t like feeling this way, particularly since I now know what it feels like to feel svelte and strong. Okay, maybe I wasn’t exactly svelte in everyone’s definition, but I certainly was in my own and I want to feel that way again.

I don’t like feeling winded when I walk up one flight of stairs. I don’t like feeling like I have rolls of fat on my belly. I don’t like feeling like I have no control over my appetite. Frankly, right now, I do feel winded, fat and out of control. My feet, knees and hips hurt. I’m the only one who can change that. I changed it before and I can do it again.

Now, if you look at my activity sheet from yesterday, you’ll notice that there are no structured exercises or accidental exercises listed. That’s because I was so worthless that I wasn’t worth the 12 cents for the bullet to shoot me. Working nights is more tiring that I ever imagined when I worked a regular schedule. I just don’t rest as well during my work week. So, at least once a month, I sleep most of 24 hours on a day off. Yesterday was that day.  You’ll also notice that I did not consume enough calories.

I should consume at least 1200 calories per day just to fuel my basic bodily functions. If I consume fewer than that, my body will react by going into starvation mode, converting all calories to fat. I will also become listless, confused and will feel cold all the time – at least that’s what happened when I consumed too few calories during The Great Reduction. I will have to plan my meals better so that I get the calories I need to function and to burn excess fat efficiently.

Whether I want to look better or feel better, this endeavour is all about me, really, isn’t it? It’s what I want for myself. It’s not that I look or feel just horrible now; but, I know what it feels like to feel better and I want that again – just for myself.

 

Body Changes, Whole Food Plant Based Lifestyle

I Would Like to Vuy a Bowel, Pat

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For ages, my friend Joey’s standard greeting was, “Hey! How you doing? How’s your bowels?” I have no clue why, that was just Joey. He was sort of a cross between Barney Fife and Kramer – always a little edgy, always a little off the cuff and always funny. Anyway, as I’ve been transitioning my menu choices, I’ve been thinking a lot more about Joey’s greeting.

Because, friends, let me tell you, my intestines have never been happier!

Without going into all the gory details, I’ll just tell you that as a child, I was intimately familiar with the taste of Fletcher’s Castoria. I often had a difficult time going to the bathroom and it’s something that has followed me into adulthood. IBS attacks when taking clients to lunch plagued me during my days in sales!

Not on a whole food, plant-based diet, though!

When I was going through the Big Reduction, I made sure that at least 75% of my meal was fruits or vegetables. And that made a huge difference in my system. Incidents of stomach upset and tear gas production decreased dramatically and I was thrilled! However, as I’ve shifted away from all animal protein, those incidents have decreased even further (as long as I stay away from soy).

While none of the Forks Over Knives books has specifically mentioned decreased digestive complaints as a result of following the lifestyle, in my experience, constipation, diarrhea, bloating, and excessive and biohazardous gas production are all gone!

It’s a really nice change.

Accountability, Body Changes, Cravings, Emotional Eating

Vodka on My Breath

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I haven’t written in awhile. There have been several reasons; but, the chief reason was that I have been unwell and, in my illness, I felt like a fraud. The Positive Thinking Blog Goddess was having trouble thinking of reasons why brushing her teeth on her off days was necessary. Hardly positive thinking in anyone’s book, I’d say. To me, writing about making good food choices, good health choices or positive choices of any kind would have been tantamount to standing up as a sponsor at an AA meeting with vodka on my breath.

How could I talk about it with any conviction if I knew that I was failing at it in my everyday life? How could I talk about making healthful dietary choices when the primary components of my own diet were popcorn and Hershey’s with almonds?

Since November, when I got the Depo-Provera shot, I have been trapped in a binge-eating nightmare. All of the old, unhealthy language has reemerged to strengthen those old, unhealthy habits. I have felt completely out of control and powerless to do anything about it. My body has been screaming for sugar and salt – mostly sugar. My first thought upon opening my eyes has been, “What can I eat?” Literally, that has been my very first thought. I dream about food. I make good choices at the grocery store, then eat candy out of the vending machines at work or I make a stop at the drugstore for a box of Russell Stover caramels. And the internal litany that accompanies every sugary bite that I take is, “Look at you! You can’t control yourself. Sure, you were thin for awhile, but you’re fat again now, aren’t you? Go ahead. Eat another one.”

Despair-300x199That is the kind of language that kept me trapped in an obese body for decades. No. It’s not the kind of language that kept me trapped. It is the language that kept me trapped.

I have felt myself spiraling down and have been unable to stop it. So, now, even my stretchy pants are tight and my blue jeans aren’t even in the realm of possibility. While certainly nowhere near my heaviest, I am fatter than I have been in three years and I am angry and humiliated about it.

I’ve talked to several people about the depo shot and have heard the same thing over and over – women who took it experienced significant weight gain. I was so focused on the result I wanted from the Essure procedure that I didn’t fully consider the consequences of the preparation stage. I should have done more research. I expected that my doctor would not follow a protocol that would not be the best for me as an individual – this is a doctor I see, at best, once a year. I still think that she’s a good doctor and I will continue to see her; however, I will never again blindly follow a procedural protocol without educating myself. Please understand that I’m not blaming her. I am responsible for my health choices and if I choose to blindly and completely hand over full control of my body to another human being, I am accountable for the results – even if it’s significant weight gain.

I’m taking steps to regain control of my life and my cravings; but, I’m a long way from being in control. So, what you’re likely to see here over the next weeks and months is what my friend Rebecca wanted me to write about in the first place – my very real and sometimes ugly struggle to get my body, mind and spirit back to a healthy place. It’s not always going to be pretty and some days, I’ll write with vodka (or chocolate) on my breath.

Body Changes, Emotional Eating

Appropriate Accomodations

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With all of the see-sawing I’ve seen in my weight over the past few months, my clothes have gone from loose to snug to don’t-even-try-fitting-that-in-here back to just tight now back to you-must-be-delusional. It’s frustrating and irritating.

Just before I took that ridiculous shot which started the two month PMS cravings, I had gotten rid of my Fat Jeans. I’m seriously regretting that decision now and have considered several times going to get some larger pants. I still have some stretchy pants that I can wear, but my jeans are out of the question. And I really like wearing my jeans – particularly since my favorite footwear (my cowboy boots) look ridiculous with yoga pants. Alas, I’m in yoga pants right now. So, really, it’s because of my cowboy boots that I’ve considered buying another pair of Fat Jeans.

Uh huh.

You may notice that I’ve said “considered,” not “bought.” You see, I know that lie. “I’ll just buy these so that I can wear them for a little while until I get back into my regular jeans.”

Lie.

You know as well as I do what would happen. I’d get all kinds of comfy in those Fat Jeans and wear those suckers out. Who knows? I might even eat my way out of them into the next size up. I’ve done it before and I’m not stupid enough to say that I wouldn’t do it again. For me, there is a slippery slope there. Just like Marie Osmond said in a NutriSystem ad a few years ago – your jeans get tight and you get a little muffin top going on. You wear a sweater to cover the muffin top. Eventually, you buy bigger pants to get rid of it; but, you just grow another one that you cover again with larger, loose-fitting shirts. The cycle spirals up and up until you look in the mirror one day and wonder who that fat woman is staring back at you.

Well, if I don’t buy larger clothes, I hope to short-circuit that process. I cannot get comfy in larger jeans if I don’t buy them. I will wear what I have and be sick of it until I can fit back into my jeans again. I was closing in on it before last week’s ginormous binge. Looking back through my posts, I’m amazed that less than ten days ago I felt like things were getting better only to crash again. Last week lasted about 46 days, I’m pretty sure.

Only it didn’t. It lasted the normal seven and I am still alive and have the will to get back on track. I have a closet full of appropriate clothes that have fit me before and they’ll fit me again. No need to move into larger posterior accommodations. The accommodations I have are just fine and I’ll be comfortably back in them in less than a month.

Body Changes, Cravings, Food

Feeling Groovy

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I suspect that my high school AP history teacher, Mr. Paterson, had a party going on in his head most of the time. He would constantly interrupt himself with non sequiturs and asides to the point that it was almost like listening to a rubber ball bounce off the walls of his mind. He loved history; so, to sit in his class was as informative as it was engaging. Anyway, I mention him because of today’s title – Feelin’ Groovy. The actual title of Simon and Garfunkel’s song was The 59th Street Bridge Song; but, everyone knew it as Feelin’ Groovy. Anytime Mr. Paterson would mention the song (which was more frequently than you might imagine in a history class), he would say, “Feelin’ Groovy, whoever that is….” As a result, I never think of the song without thinking of Mr. Paterson.

feelin groovyAnd, I think of him today as I am feelin’ pretty groovy myself.

I’m about a week and a half into my Recommitment and things are humming along nicely. I can actually feel where I have lost weight in my hands, my abdomen, my face, my thighs and my shoulders. I love that! In addition, my hunger pangs have all but disappeared. Some of that may have to do with how worried I’ve been about the pup; but, regardless, I feel less hungry. I’ve eaten tasty meals heavy on the veggies with some starch, grains, nuts and legumes thrown in for balance. I’ve enjoyed snacks of fruit that give me plenty of fiber and a little burst of sugar when I need it. I am sleeping more soundly and am waking with good energy. At work, I’m getting in plenty of walking; so, my exercise is covered, as well. As a result, I’m feeling stronger. So, it’s good things all around!

And I do mean ALL around. Trey actually ate some of his dinner out of my hand last night and he was hungry for more when I got home this morning.He’s got some pain meds that are helping him manage. While he is still approaching the rainbow bridge, at least he is more comfortable for now. He may even be feeling a little groovy.

Like I said: good things all around. So why wouldn’t I feel groovy? Do something good for yourself today and join me! (beads and flower headbands at your discretion)

 

Body Changes

And The Ref Blows The Call

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REFEREEOkay, well, I called that one wrong. So, remember how yesterday I said that I didn’t anticipate seeing any or much weight loss  for the week since I had REALLY blown up my calories just before starting? I was wrong and I couldn’t be more thrilled about it! I actually lost five pounds over the week. 🙂

How could I not have known that I had lost five pounds, you ask? Easy. I didn’t trust what I felt. I knew that my skin felt less tight and that I could feel more tendons around the backs of my knees than I could the week before; however, because I WANTED the weight loss to be there, I was afraid to trust that my perceptions were accurate.

I’m sure that a good deal of that loss was water weight and you want to know something? I don’t care. That water was making my skin feel too tight just as much as fat does; so, as long as I feel more comfortable in my skin, I don’t care what gets lost to make that happen – water, fat, whatever. In times past, I’ve been told that some of the initial weight loss is water, which is why I say that to you this morning. I don’t know if that is accurate or not, quite honestly. I need to do some more research; however, even if it is, isn’t it nice?

Being on a reduction diet isn’t fun. It isn’t as bad as many other things, but it’s no trip to Coney Island, either, you know? It’s kind of like being food grounded. I have to take care of my responsibilities without getting to do the fun stuff.  It’s work to get my eating habit back in line with what they should be. It’s work to plan and prepare nutritionally sound and diverse meals and snacks that are tasty, as well.  My sweet tooth pitches a fit. My digestive system pushes back. My cravings monster wants a tub of icing. And I have to overcome all of them. The sweet tooth gets plain herbal tea. My digestive system gets probiotics and fermented foods. My cravings monster gets a baked apple with raisins.

And I get a five pound weight loss!

I’ll take that reward and that missed call any day of the week!

Body Changes, Habits

Day 6 (And I’m Not Done Yet?!)

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So, today is Day 6 of my Recommitment and, no, I’m not there yet. But what a difference a week makes!

After work on the 18th, my friend Kent and I went for breakfast at IHOP. I had the all-you-can-eat pancakes and I ate seven. That’s six plus one with all kinds of butter and syrup. We did the same thing on the morning of the 25th; but, this time, I had the Simple & Fit veggie omelette with fruit. I went from a breakfast of an estimated 1650 calories on the 18th (all at one sitting. Yes! I know!) to a breakfast of about 320 calories on the 25th.  And, guess what? I left there full both times. I went home and went comfortably to sleep without missing those 1330 calories. (I’ll tell you a secret. I didn’t calculate the 18th’s breakfast until just as I sat down to type and I’m still feeling nauseated by the knowledge that I ate all that. And, then, went right to bed! Even worse! Good grief.)

I’ve stayed within my calorie budget every day so far and am feeling really good about it. I won’t weigh until tomorrow when I’m one full week in; but, I’ll let you know what it shows. To be frank, I don’t expect to see any loss this week since my body still had all those excess calories from just the days before still lingering in my blood system, in my liver and in fuller fat cells.

That’s something I tend to forget easily (on account of I don’t want to think about it) – fat cells may empty but they never go away.

adipose2Fat cells – adipocytes – come in two or three different kinds: white and brown (which everyone agrees on), and pink (which is under debate). White fat cells are primarily for energy storage, while brown fat cells are used to generate heat (like in babies or in hibernating animals) and are primarily energy consumers. (Pink is in mammary tissue and I don’t know what it does.) Anyway, a healthy adult has somewhere in the neighborhood of 30 billion fat cells. Now, I’ve always heard that when fat cells reach their storage limit, they divide; however, Wikipedia is the only source I find that says that. Every other source says that the fat cells just continue to grow in size as long as we keep shoveling lipids into them. But, whether or not they make more is not as relevant as the fact that they don’t die and go away. They do regenerate so the fat cells I have today are not the ones I was born with; however, they don’t diminish in numbers. Only a plastic surgeon can get rid of some of those 30 billion cells. And, I’ll tell you the truth, the idea of liposuction is very tempting. Very. I mean, how nice would it be to have fewer of these cells to fill up?!

Nice, but it ain’t in the budget. Ima hafta do it myownself.

I can’t use my money budget to empty my body of any of these cells; so, I’ve got to use my calorie budget to empty some of the lipids from those cells, making them (and myself!) smaller. That process is going to take a whole lot more than six days.

But, I’m off to a solid start!

 

Body Changes, Cravings, Depression, Motivation

What Do I Know, Anyway?

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When I find myself with a set-back like the one I’m dealing with now – ugh – that negative little voice inside my head asks, “What do you know, anyway?” “Why should anyone pay any attention to what you have to say? After all, look at what you did!”

Yep. Look at what I did. I gave in to cravings and ate myself 20 pounds up the scale. It doesn’t matter if the cravings were the result of medication, 70-hour physically exhausting work weeks, heartache, or moon cycles. Those things may have caused the cravings but none of them drove me to the grocery store. None of those things bought the Tastykakes that I stuffed into my gob. Nope, I did that all by lonesome. I did it years ago and I did it this time, too. I failed myself.

But, it ain’t over yet!

I lost 94 pounds four years ago and I know how I did it. I know what worked for me and what didn’t. I know how to do it again. Here are a few things that I know without a doubt:

  1. I cannot buy bread. I can’t buy it because I cannot be trusted with it. I will eat it plain or with something smeared on it to make it a sandwich. I will eat a butter sandwich rather than make a nutrient-dense meal that my body needs. I can’t do that if there’s no bread in the house; thus, I cannot buy bread.
  2. I cannot be trusted with a family sized bag of chips. I will turn into a family of one and eat that bag all in one sitting. If I treat myself to chips, they  must be in the tiny, single serving size.
  3. I cannot open cans of mixed nuts while driving in the car. I will eat the entire can.
  4. I am an emotional eater. I must deal with wayward emotions in another way, like going for a short walk, doing ten jumping jacks, meditating, or writing lists to figure out the source of the negative emotion. Eating to make it go away solves nothing.
  5. I want the sugary snacks in the vending machines at work. Therefore, I must not take my debit card or cash to work.
  6. I am a sugar addict. I must eat more fruit to combat the cravings my body assaults me with.
  7. The_Smurfs_2_2013_(Brainy)Each meal must consist of 75% vegetables.
  8. I must move more. I don’t have to start by running a race. I can start the same way I did last time – by walking the dogs.
  9. All food must be carefully measured, else the nine-serving box of cereal becomes a three-serving box.
  10. Undocumented calories still count.
  11. There is never undocumented exercise.
  12. My food and exercise diary app is invaluable.
  13. I deserve to have a body that functions properly.
  14. I deserve to have a body I feel comfortable in.
  15. I have way too many clothes in my smaller size to redo my wardrobe now!
  16. I don’t want to redo my wardrobe.
  17. I can do this.

So, as it turns out, I know lots of things. I just have to remind myself because there is a great, big, giant chasm between knowing and doing. And, yesterday, in setting a new goal in my LoseIt app and by logging all of my food and exercise, I began doing again.

Body Changes

Read the Fine Print

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In December, I shared with you that I was planning to have a permanent birth control procedure and that we were unable to actually do it due to some bizarre turn in my fallopian tubes. In November, I shared with you that I was struggling with a monster case of PMS and was on an eating binge. Also in November,  and in preparation for that procedure, I was given a depo provera shot, which brings me to my point – I should have read more on the side effects of that shot.

Because I had to have it in preparation for the Essure thing, I didn’t give the shot two thoughts. Let’s do this thing! Time’s a-wastin’! I was ready to get on with it. I REALLY should have paid more attention. Three of the side effects are:

  • Depression
  • Changes in appetite
  • Weight gain

Yeah. I should have read up on that. Or at least asked around. Several people told me that they went through the same thing with the shot. One woman gained 80 pounds! O.M.G. (Now, to be fair, not everyone I talked to experienced weight gain. The ones who didn’t, I’m no longer talking to, just so you know. Harumph.)

As I’ve told you, I have dealt with depression before and I believe that the shot (in conjunction with a minor romantic flame-out that occurred at about the same time) sent me into a dark place. And what do I do when I’m in a dark place? That’s right! I eat!!! I park myself in the freezer section with a spoon. Well, then, add to that, the other two side effects of appetite change and weight gain, and I’ve got a real problem.

A 20 pound problem. Ugh.

So, here I sit, three months later with 20 extra pounds on my body. Stuff that hasn’t jiggled in ages is jiggling – like jiggling to the point that when I trotted at work the other night, I nearly gave myself whiplash. I can’t fit into my clothes. Even my stretchy clothes are yelling “Uncle!” at this point. Oh, y’all! This is soooohoho not good. Although I know that I’m not back into a size 20, I feel like it. I feel so fat and uncomfortable, it’s just disgusting. And, guess what! The appetite issue hasn’t really slowed down.

I can’t seem to feel full and the more sugary a thing is, the more I want it. I’ve even been eating things I don’t like. The other night I scarfed down a package of chocolate Zingers like someone was going to steal them. I don’t even like chocolate cake, yet I practically licked the packaging to get all the crumbs! I go to the store to buy healthful foods and I come home with great options. Then, when the pangs hit, I get back in the car and go buy junk food.

I started this blog with the intention of sharing with you how I initially lost weight and was keeping it off. It seems to me that I’ve spent less time doing that and more time sharing with you how I’m losing the weight that I’ve put back on – whether that’s five pounds or, now, twenty. Still, if we can honestly share that struggle together, then we can help each other overcome it.

So, hello. My name is Jon Anne and I am a binge eater with 20 pounds to lose. Who are you and what do you want from our time together?