Progress & Pictures
Then and Now Gallery!
Week 1
Week 7
Week 2
Week 14
The Beginning of the End
The Last Straw
This is the picture that finally motivated me to do something about my weight. Now, I realize that this is not the most flattering situation for anyone to be in. I am in a climbing harness up in the trees at a retreat. The harness is oh so lovely on most people, but this was the finally straw for me. This picture has been haunting me. The harness hugs all of the unpleasant parts of me in all the wrong ways.
I’m putting up a “nicer” picture, too. This is one where I am in a dress that cost me a fortune because I had to have it made in order to get a designer dress that actually fit my body. What I love about working with this dress maker, in addition to having a beautiful dress that fits me exactly right, is that my dress doesn’t have a size. Additionally, I don’t have to deal with the mortification that comes with dress shopping and having things not fit and having the things that do look like a modified parachute.
I lost 12 Pounds in One Week!
June 3, 2009
I could barely sleep last night because I was so excited and nervous and thrilled to be getting on the scale this morning. I had crazy dreams, like that I lost 100 pounds in a week or like I gained 10. Talk about anxiety! I’ve been 100% committed and 100% compliant with my diet this week. And, I lost 12 pounds! That sounds like a lot - even to me. I think the most weight I’ve ever lost quickly is 15 pounds in 10 days on the Master Cleanse. And then I gained 16 pounds back in the next three weeks. Fasting isn’t a long-term solution. I’ve learned that the hard way, through repeatedly trying the same thing over and over again. Right, you know, the definition of insanity. I’ve definitely been playing in the “not so sane” realm with my diets. I’ve done it all, some with success - short or long term. I’ve done Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig, Nutri-System, Atkins, South Beach, Lindora, diet pills (oh, I LOVED fen-phen - I’d do that again, too bad it started killing people), fasting, cleansing, raw foods, vegetarian, vegan, Fit for Life, Isagenix, etc. Listen! They all work! Every single one of them works while you work it. They just all have varying degrees of long-term “workability”. Oh, and (like you) I’m an expert cheater. I could find the exceptions and the cheats and the “personal modifications” to any plan in a couple of weeks. I’m also a brilliant justifier. I could justify those modifications so spectacularly that the best lawyers couldn’t argue my points. That was normally the end of it for me.
What’s different? What’s different is that I’m not obsessing about food. That in itself is a relief and the greatest benefit of my plan so far. There are no hard decisions to make. I just eat some easy, simple, quickly prepared foods. I have a limited list to choose from. McDonald’s does not have any choices for me. There is no room on my plan for “moderation”. Moderation has gotten me into this predicament. I don’t think moderation is going to get me out. What’s that quote? Something to the effect of “We can not solve our problems with the same thinking that created them.” I believe it was Einstein. Genius! At the same time, my plan is not dogmatic. There is no “philosophy of eating” attached to my plan. I don’t have to call myself a raw foodist, a vegan, a vegetarian, allergic to sugar or wheat, or addicted to food, carbs or anything else. I don’t have to address the “hidden pain” in my life. I don’t have to find the solution to any problem. I simply eat the foods on my plan and get on with my life. It is liberating in a way I could have never imagined.
Twelve Pounds! Yeah, that is a long way toward one hundred. I’m feeling encouraged and excited. I have even more enthusiasm for my plan. I’m also a little embarrassed. Embarrassed because it’s a lot and it was pretty easy. Embarrassed because I’m afraid what people will say and what people will think about losing 12 pounds in a week. I know what I would have thought: ”It can’t be healthy. It won’t stay off. It’s only temporary weight loss. She must be starving herself.” But, the thing is, I’m not starving myself. I’m eating real food. I’m eating 5 or 6 times a day. I’m eating healthy food. And, what “can’t be healthy” is being 100 pounds over weight. Yeah, sometimes I’m hungry. Yeah, sometimes I have food cravings. But, not so much. When I’m hungry, I can eat something on my plan. There’s definitely no over-eating. Shoot, I even over ate as a raw foodist. I ate salads out of giant serving bowls. I would eat 2 cups of nuts in a sitting (oh, sure, they were raw and unsalted). So, yes, things are changing. Yes, it’s different. Some of it is a little hard, but not really.
12 pounds! Wow! I’m excited! I’m thrilled! I’m proud! And, I’m worth it!
Week 2
June 10, 2009
June 10, 2009
Today was my official weigh in for week 2. I’ve lost an additional 3.2 pounds for a total of 15.2 pounds in 2 weeks. Wow! That’s good stuff. I’m going to make a graph and post it here just as soon as I figure out how to do that. It shouldn’t take too long. My girlfriend also took some pictures of me today. I know how to post them. So, they will be up just as soon as I receive them. You will, for sure, get a whole bunch of words about that.
Anyway, I have all this stuff going on in my head today. First off, losing 15 pounds in 2 weeks is awesome! But, I lost significantly less this week than last week. Of course, I know that’s to be expected and 3 pounds in a week is really good progress, so I am not (really) complaining. But, it’s there in my head, so I thought I’d share it. Yes, I am definitely crazy when it comes to weight and food topics, so bear with me. I also start doing math. I now have enough data to extrapolate all kinds of outcomes. Yes, I know that two points does not really constitute “data”, but this is also what happens in my head. Well, here are some of my thoughts:
If I lose 15 pounds every two weeks, I will lose 100 pounds in 13 weeks. This is unlikely and I don’t really expect to keep losing 15 pounds every two weeks, but it’s fun to think about it as a possibility for a minute.
If I count the initial 12 pounds and then estimate that I will lose 2-3 pounds a week for the rest of the diet, I will lose 100 pounds in 29-44 weeks or 7-11 months. That sounds more realistic. Seven months seems bearable. Eleven months sounds like a long time. It isn’t really, in the grand scheme of my life, but it sounds like it’s far from today. I’m pretty good at doing NOW, but I’m not so good at imagining eleven months from now.
Okay, to make myself feel better, I do one last calculation. If I count the initial 12 pounds and estimate that I will lose an average of 2.5 pounds per week, I will reach my goal in 35 weeks or 8 1/2 months. Let’s see. It’s June. Eight months from now is February 2010. I will have celebrated my 40th birthday, my 21st wedding anniversary, my oldest son going off to college, my baby sister turning 21, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s, earning my Certification in life coaching from The Coaches Training Institute and the International Coaching Federation among other things. That still sounds like a long way away.
So, I will “chunk it down”. This is sage advise that I give my coaching clients. If the goal is too big to see or to manage, “chunk it down” into smaller pieces. Maybe you’ve heard the saying “How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.” So, here are the milestones I am going to celebrate: 20 pounds, 25 pounds (because I like this number, it feels significant), 50 pounds, 75 pounds and 100 pounds. Right now this feels good and do-able. I’m almost at my first milestone and I can see the next one coming up quickly behind it.
