Wednesday, May 2, 2012

Losing It All

In January of this year I decided that I didn't want to be overweight anymore.  I have struggled with my weight my whole life.  I have made several attempts to lose weight over the years.  I have made progress, but never accomplished the goal because I gave up out of frustration or was sidelined because of injuries or illness.

This time I am determined to accomplish my goal.  I was not going to let severe osteoarthritis and fibromyalgia stop me this time.  I bought a Wii Fit Plus and started using the exercise equipment I already had.  That first Wii Fit Plus workout kicked my tail!!!  The next day I came back for more and stuck with it. I had even worked myself up to 2 workouts a day. I was very proud of myself.  I started walking as well. I walk 5 miles per day at least three days a week.  This week I kicked it up a notch and added ankle weights.  Who knew that strapping a 1.5lb weight to each ankle would make that much difference.  My legs, hips and behind hurt in places I didn't know I had.  But, that lets me know it's working!!!

The other piece to taking the weight off was going to be changing my diet completely. This was going to be the hard part.  I really like anything fried and everything that covered in frosting or chocolate with ice cream or whipped cream.  I also had to stop eating out so much.  Good bye McDonalds, Burger King, Culvers, KFC, Applebees, Cheesecake Factory and every fish place in the city (love my catfish filet and shrimp dinners).

My favorite meal at McDonalds

                                                                   
The best onion rings















So good it makes me cuss
OMG!!!!


  
Love their chicken.
















What I used to eat for lunch every Friday.


To be completely honest, I haven't said good bye completely to these foods.  I have them in moderation. I maybe have these foods once a month if that often.  I also have adjusted the portion size like getting the small instead of the large fries.  Having a one scoop sundae instead of a three scoop one.  Eating half a slice of red velvet cheese cake and saving the rest for another day.  Initially, making small and gradual changes in my diet was important because big changes changes made me feel deprived and I craved these foods more as a result.  When I do eat out I look for things that are lower in calories.  I eat a lot of subway and rotisserie chicken. 

I have also learned to make healthier choices and read the food lables when I shop.  I was shocked to learn how much fat and calories are in the food I was eating.  When I cook at home, I don't fry anything.  Everything gets baked, broiled or boiled.  I am also eating more fruit, vegetables, and whole grains. Now my meals look like this and my son loves it too.





I think I'll have this for dinner today
                   



It's not fried but it looks delicious.
                   


This is what I eat for snacks.



Now dessert looks like this



This has not been an easy journey at all.  I have had set backs and wanted to give up because I wasn't getting results fast enough or because I gained a half a pound or only lost that much in a week.  I had to learn that I was putting too much pressure on myself and that it was working against me.  I just needed to relax and take it one day at a time.  I was so focused on the end goal that I didn't see the changes that were happening.  A very good friend reminded me that  this weight loss journey I'm on is marathon and not a race.  He is so right about that.  It took years for me to put on this weight.  I had an unrealistic expectation that I could loose all the weight I needed to lose in a few months.  So, I set realistic shot term goals for myself which will help me reach my long term goal of losing 100 lbs by  January 15, 2013.  The daily encouragement I get from friends and family have also helped me stay focused on this journey.

I hope this has helped you with your journey to losing it all.