I Lied on my Driver's LicenseI

You know we all lie on our weight on there. We flub a few pounds lighter than we actually are. I think the only time I lie about being heavier than I actually am is when I am flying. Then I tell them I am 400 pounds of I like to eat everything! You know they ask that question because they have to judge how much fuel the plane needs to carry the weigh of the people on board. But this time I renewed my license thinking I was weighing almost 300 pounds so I told them I weighed 260 pounds. Well today I weighed in for the month and I am 239 lb!!! Holy crap go me!

Starting out at 297 pounds was heart breaking and depressing. How was I supposed to do this? How could I lose that much weight? It was going to take forever! My self esteem plummeted into the sub-basement of my psyche. I felt like shit all the time. Any bit of exercise was making me gasp for breath like a fish out of water. My body ached after so bad that moving was slow death.

The diet part wasn't so hard. I'm not "dieting" in a sense that I'm following some weight loss diet or new fad trending get skinny quick scheme. I have met with a dietitian and we have made some changes to a few things I was eating. Instead of fried chicken I am eating a grain crusted baked chicken. Its not as bad as it sounds, it really is just like fried. Instead of reaching for junk as a snack I am eating more whole fruit. I still eat beef and pork but instead the fat is trimmed off. Bacon is my spoiler food I get to eat. I have tree strips of over broiled bacon that has been patted with paper towels to remove some of the grease on it. But I load it onto a BLT wrap that is loaded with spinach and tomatoes. Most of my vegetables are raw.

Its not so many diet restrictions as it is lifestyle changes to eat healthier. Its basically changing how I eat from now on instead of a short term fix that on works until you start eating like you usually do. There's no gimmick or quick fixes to it, just making better choices. I can have "spoilers" and not have to "work it off" or do without. As long as they aren't at every meal I eat.

As for exercise I've made the conscious effort to be more active. To make myself get going when I don't want to. I live in a two story house and I've been using the stairs as exercise equipment. I take the steps two at a time or I do the up down game with my son where we go down 2 and back up one in a pattern. I use the edge of the bottom step to stretch my calves out.

I guess the 10 pounds I lost because of a stomach bug counts as unhealthy weight loss. I got the flu and couldn't keep more than ginger ale and toast down for 4 days. I was so sick that I wanted to sleep the whole time.   I expected to gain back the weight since I lost it fasting sort of. That stuff never works. You will lose weight but always gain it back plus some. But I kept it off.

I feel so much better but it still kicks my ass exercising. I have been fighting through asthma and arthritis. But I've taken the stance that if it hurts I stop. There's no sense in hurting myself and pushing myself to keep going when my body is telling me that I need to rest. Pain is your body telling you to ease up a minute. I have no intentions of continuing to work out like a beast when I hit my target weight so there really is no point in doing it now. You can't lose weight and then go back to your old habits and expect to keep it off. So I am making changes that I know I will stick to later on.

I've been well informed that this initial weight drop is expected and that I won't lose as much from here on out. Or at least not to expect it. But if this is what making healthier choices does then I am all for it! Slow loss is better than no loss!

Love,
Mom