The “What? It’s Christmas!” Edition
So here we go, then.
Deep breath…I can do this…
(Or perhaps that should that be, “You grow, girl!”)
This is disappointing but not that surprising, really, given that all bets are off over the course of the holidays. Did you not get the memo?
So this is me stepping up to the podium, acknowledging my weight gain and blaming… blaming…everybody but myself. I blame my children for making me bake all those cookies; I blame the barista for all those caramel lattes; and I blame my husband for letting me nosh on Doritos as we drove!
(It was a long trip.)
I blame this cake:
And this chocolate trifle:
Most of all, I blame my friend Gina & her husband, for giving me a bottle of this on New Year’s Eve:
Seriously? This stuff is amazing. Note the size of that mason jar, consider that I am the only person in my family that partakes of the nog, and then do the math.
I have no regrets.
Okay, maybe some.
This extremely humbling photo is proof—condemning proof!—that the numbers on my scale are indeed a bit too high. These are the jeans that I wore a year ago, as you can see (more or less) in the following picture:
Hi, Lissa! When you coming back for a visit?
I weighed around 119 at the time, which I think is a healthy weight for my bone size and stature. Obviously, on a shortish person, those extra pounds do add up quickly.
And no, I’m not hiding everything under that sweater.
I just want my jeans to fit! Even more than that, though—way more than that—I want to feel good about the choices I’m making and (I’ve said this before) I want to set a good example for my family. Yes, I know that it’s still Christmas. STILL. Can’t it be possible to feast and still feel good about it? Lately I’ve just felt…out of sorts. Bloated. Squishy. Intemperate. Icky.
And yet…and yet…if I were to get back on track today…
I would feel slimmer, healthier and happier by sundown. That is literally all it takes for me! Getting back on track and watching what I eat—cutting back on the sugar and all the processed carbs, controlling my portions and cutting out all those snacks, and…and…
Saying “thanks but no thanks” to that last bit of nog.
Sigh.
Now, I’ll admit that I am tempted to jump back into Phase I of the South Beach Diet, because the restrictions are tight and the weight will come off quickly. However, given how quickly I gain the weight back, I don’t know that this is the best plan for me. Erin would agree, I think, saying “Renounce the phase diets! They set you up for failure every time!”
(Erin is my go-to guru. She is an IRL friend with a lot of experience.)
Except…it’s just hard for me to go it alone. Hard, if not impossible! It would seem that (given my nature and some very bad habits) I need strict restrictions to stay on track.
Any advice, encouragement, web sites? How is it going on your end? (no pun intended)
Check out 180degreehealth.com. Lots of great information! Diet Recovery: Restoring Hormonal Health, Metabolism, Mood & Your Relationship with Food would be good start.
I life weights. They say more muscle burns more calories. I eat what I like. I eat chocolate and doritoes…just not a ton of it. I am where you are as far as weight. I would love to be down to 119…my teen years…oh how I loved that body!!!
Right now I am trying to just lose a pound a week. Greek yogurt and protein in the morning, tuna/walnut salad for lunch…etc..
I bet you will get a lot of advice here since you asked for it!
No extra calories from beverages. Water really is the best. Also, lots of fruits and veggies. Now I need to follow my own advice:) Don't give up on yourself. It's a New Year, and you will succeed!
Ann
I'm failing miserably at trying to lose too. I need to get my portions under control. I have no idea why I feel the need to snack at 8pm EVERY. SINGLE. NIGHT. A good day can be ruined in minutes. *sigh* You know what though, I keep looking forward and I keep trying on the jeans that are too small…each week they will start to fit a tiny bit better. More importantly, I will start to feel better! Right there with you for the journey and struggle!
I've heard T-tapp is really good. I just got started and I think it is great. You can try it out online. It doesn't use weights, or gadgets and you see results pretty fast. I am not affiliated with them at all, I just liked the idea and it makes sense. I am preggers, so I won't see the results like others do. Good luck.
Well since you asked…
Last year i used fitday.com with a lot of success. I lost over 20 lbs. It can be time consuming to enter everything, but the weight always came off faster when I was tracking what I ate. When you first started weigh-in wed I just thought I could do it on my own. After the holidays I've decided to get back on fitday.
I remember finding a website, last year, where you could enter a recipe and get a breakdown of the nutrional info. I'll let you know if I find it again.
I used Dr. Oz's 6 meal plan to get my metabolism moving faster too. Maybe I should start that again too.
I was running last year too. I should probably go clear the mountaiin of books and games off of my treadmill.
Wow! Sorry this was so long.
Just buy some jeans 2 sizes bigger. Then you will feel skinny. That's my sanity relief! 🙂
PS
Not to say that you are not skinny, because I honestly don't see the "fat" that you're talking about.
Margaret, I am a huge fan of yours; but if you can blog yourself standing on the scale, you don't have that much of a problem. Happy New Year to you.
Make sure you're getting enough protein. The Zone plan talks about the importance of protein. Lots of good veggies, but with the proper amount of fat, for all of it. And, some carbs are allowed too. I would try to limit sugar (not eliminate), up the protein and veggies and see what happens. Cottage cheese is a good protein, add some meat for breakfast too, and make sure you're getting some decent every 4-6 hours. 🙂
Actually, Anonymous, posting that photo in my too-tight jeans pretty much just about killed me.
Hi Margaret, don't be discouraged! 🙂 I feel like we have a lot in common, besides our shortish stature! Like you I really, really like the strict all or nothing approach of the low-carb diets like South Beach or Atkins. With these diets, I find the food allowed very satisfying, the bio-chemistry curbs my sugar and refined flour cravings, and overall, I feel healthier and more self-disciplined. We started our, ahem, healthier eating at almost exactly the same time. What I did during the holidays was to cheat at will on Christmas Eve evening and Christmas day and then New Year's Eve, Day and the day after. Also, I'll have the occasional vodka and club soda instead of the usual red wine. This didn't seem to derail the whole diet overall. (I'd already gotten to induction.) And after those cheat days, I really kind of looked forward to getting back on the wagon. There is one more thing that really helps me. I do indulge daily in those Atkins boxed treats–they are kind of a splurge, but I really need a chocolate fix after an extended period of time…
You are so brave – I will not even glance in the direction of my scale until next week ;0 But you are so right about feeling better just getting back on track. I have always had good luck with Weight Watchers or simply determining what my daily caloric intake should be for weight loss – divide that by 4 or 5 (meals/day). I then come up with meals/snacks totaling this number so I can eat every few hours. I make sure I get a lean protein and complex carb at each meal. Does the trick every time. Good luck, Margaret
Margaret,
Stay strong and start over today or tomorrow morning(since I am writing this in the evening already). Don't beat yourself up. I use an app on my phone to track what I am eating and that is the key because we really don't realize everything we put into our mouths. Hang in there and keep exercising. Fortunately, the weather is helping us stay fit this winter. Find a walking partner at night and just walk. I have and that is a lifesaver for me. Any other time during the day just doesn't work, but night is best for me to walk. Love to you and keep the faith. You have so little to loose compared to some. I always watch the Biggest Loser and think, Dang, if she can loose 100 lbs, I certainly can loose 10.
Chin up, tomorrow is another day to practice "mortification" saying no 2nd helpings, only taking really small pieces of birthday cake, fruit instead of candy.
1) LOVE the PJ pants!
2) LOVE the toddler situps!
I'm going to weigh myself before bed. Probably not a good idea, but I had a dentist appointment today, and I'm sure that I'm going to die a spinster as everyone else around me gets married, so I figure I can postpone the Weight Inevitability until I go to bed and then I can, um, sleep off calories? 🙂
On the plus side: One of my resolutions is to cook a LOT more at home this year–at least four nights a week. If I want take out, it's going to be Subway or Chipotle, not McDonald's! This will also help with bringing lunch to work instead of buying something expensive and suspect.
Thanks for doing this Margaret…we're all in this together! (as the kids say…)
So you gained a few pounds since your last weigh-in…just get back into Phase 1 and in a week or less you'll be back to that pre-killer eggnog, cake, and Dorito chip weight. No diet allows one to have such nutrient/sugar dense food and still lose weight.
I've just enjoyed day 2/Phase 1 of SBD and am loving it!
I just made a grocery list of yummy phase 1 foods to have in the fridge…just for me! 🙂
I think you still look pretty great in that unsnapped jeans photo!!
And…there's a chance I'll be back your way next summer. Betsy-Tacy Convention in July. I'm just saying.
(It's a week before Comic-Con, so timing is tricky. But we'll see…)
It helps me when I pray every morning for detachment from food. Then I have to repeat that prayer throughout the day. I think that you will find that when you pause and pray, the overwhelming desire to eat that particularly yummy food diminishes (it doesn't go away completely – or Lord wishes us to use our free will here too:) ) Good luck and may God bless you this year!
Deb
I had great success with "The G.I. (Glycemic Index) Diet" by Rick Gallup. He divides food into 3 groups: red light, yellow light, green light. For weight loss, eat only green light food (of which there is ALOT to choose from!). The pounds literally dropped off, I ate plenty of food and didn't feel deprived, and I had loads of energy.
Unfortunately I received the same memo.. and as a Christmas gift to myself I'm not weighing in this week. 😉 I have 2 pairs of jeans that I love from last year that aren't even close to fitting right now, so I know that feeling. On the bright side though at least they didn't fit *before* Christmas… it took us a year to put on that weight and will take us time to take it off. 🙁
You're doing great though! You're courage and honesty in your posts are helping me so much, so thank you!
"Be patient with everyone, but above all with thyself. Do not be disheartened by your imperfections, but always rise up with fresh courage." ~ St. Francis de Sales
I was going to use that quote for my weigh in post next time but thought I'd share it with you. .. It's a new year!! Let's rise up, start fresh and put our adorable exercise buddies to good use! 🙂
Sparkpeople.com is my website of choice. It's easy. It's free. It's realistic. You can keep track of your exercise and food. You can join an accountability group. There's reward points.
I have done my healthiest weight loss on it and I always turn to it when the scale starts creeping up.
Hi! You don't know me, but I love your blog. Weight loss tips: Get the kids involoved (I borrowed this from my son's occupational therapist). Tell them if they help you eat healthy by watching what you eat, then there will be a family reward (outing, gamenight, resturant, etc….) Of course, don't bring weight into it with them, just think of it as a piece of your school day: health class! You know, spot the healthy food vs junk food!
God bless,
Jodi R., South Dakota
Why don't you look into Lightweigh? I think that you would really appreciate the spirituality and the fact that you can eat what you would like just a limited amount and only when you are hungry. Their website is not that informative but you can ask where a group is meeting and take a peek!
Margaret — *sigh* The weight you posted is what I'm trying to get down to from a long way away. I don't think I'm much taller than you are either. (5' 2") I would be ecstatic to see those numbers. I'm trying to get there for the sake of my fertility. I can not be as heavy as I was before I got pregnant with my last baby. The holidays have been brutal, but I remind myself that this is the season of feasting. The season of fasting will come. I try to keep things within moderation, but I think there is something wrong spiritually with torturing ourselves over weight at this time of year. Maybe that's an excuse, but my husband who is also trying to lose weight has been a killjoy about food to the point where it has diminished the spirit of festivity.
You are doing a great job and posting about your start and goal weight is great.
Good luck!
Food just tastes so good!!
First of all, you look great. I understand fully though about wanting to get into your jeans. One idea – I discovered that I was gluten intolerant a couple of years ago. I can not bear to pay $8.00 for a loaf of bread and am normally to busy to bake, so I just go without the bread, etc. This has me at a weight that I am MORE than ok with (about 15 lbs. less than what used to be my normal but I am tall). I do eat carbs – rice and potatoes in moderation and use corn tortillas cooked on the stove to make a wrap when the family has sandwiches. Just an idea – but it is pretty easy to eat what you cook for the whole family then and no real "diet".
I think I might have to join you! I am doing weightwatchers online and weigh in on Tuesday. You are brave to photograph the scale (but not as brave as I would be, besting you by a few pounds!). FUN way to do this, looking down at your perfectly polished toes and all.
Weighty issues!
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