Took control & making my dream come true

iVillage Member
Registered: 02-25-2007
Took control & making my dream come true
14
Thu, 04-05-2007 - 9:31am
Wow, what a fantastic 11 weeks. I can hardly believe I've shed 47.5 pounds. My once tight clothes now are loose. Who would have thunk it?! I am so close to first my big goal of losing 50 pounds. (Granted I have 2 more big goals of 50 pounds each, but at Monday weigh-in, I'll have finished the first of three.) What's the secret to my success you ask (well, maybe you don't)? I stay on my eating plan and exercise plan one-day-at-a-time. I can do anything for one day, so that's how I look at it. Have I slipped along the way? Yes. Did I give up on myself and my ultimate goal to get healthy? NO! My secret is I BELIEVE IN MYSELF. I believe that I can do anything I set my mind to do (yes, even relearn algebra and geometry for the GRE to apply to graduate school). I like me. I may not like some of my behaviors, but I like me. Because I like me I have faith in my abilities to accomplish my goal of getting healthy. I don't have to be the best weight loss person in the world; I just have to be best I can be. On the day I stumbled and ate a teaspoon full (overflowing and was really probably a tablespoon) of peanut butter, I was the best I could be on that day. That's all I ask of myself. I didn't hate me. If a friend had done the same thing, would I have hated them? NO! I still don't know why I ate the peanut butter except I really really wanted some peanut butter, and gave me permission to eat one teaspoonful (yes, I am honest with myself, I really piled on as much peanut butter as that one teaspoon would hold). Did I continue throughout the day to go off my program? NO. Did I try to compensate the next day with a little more exercise? Yes. I am learning to eat correctly which means I recognise poor choices and their consequences. I control my actions, not through harsh words or actions, but through reminding myself that I believe in me. I believe I can follow my eating plan perfectly one-day-at-a-time and thus, I do. I believe I can exercise 30 minutes a day and I do. I don't really fixate on how much I need to lose because that is overwhelming. I was actually surprised when my doctor said, by next week you will have lost 50 pounds. I am always thrilled to have lost a few pounds each week and now look at how those few pounds a week add up! I guess I practice one-week-at-a-time, too (ha) when it comes to weigh-ins and pounds lost. Getting healthy (my dream) is about following a plan that reduced my caloric intake and increased my caloric output. It takes commitment to lose weight. I have friends who are just going to watch what they eat and exercise a little more. Well, for 10 pounds that may work, but not for a 150 pounds. My belief in myself allows me to commit completely to getting healthy and what it takes to do it which in turn is making my dream come true.
Happy Easter/Passover or whatever Spring event you celebrate.

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iVillage Member
Registered: 01-25-2006
Thu, 04-05-2007 - 9:56am

GOOD FOR YOU!! But I have to ask why a tbsp of PB is so bad?? I though PB was healthy for you. They really push it diabetics too. Just curious.


What is your plan?


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Angela

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iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
Thu, 04-05-2007 - 3:46pm
Congratulations on both your loss and your enthusiasm. Is your doctor at all concerned about your rate of loss? Most recommend losing at a rate of one or two pounds a week. Good luck as you continue! Annie
A
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-28-2007
Thu, 04-05-2007 - 4:53pm

Wow, 50 lbs! That's great! And at an amazing rate.

I love the one day at a time approach. It makes things so much easier to handle instead of trying to think about all of the things one wants to accomplish.

Your work is obviously paying off!

Peace


~Bonnie~



Peace ~Bonnie~

iVillage Member
Registered: 05-08-2006
Thu, 04-05-2007 - 8:52pm

Sharon,
'I believe in me' - that says it all.

I am so happy that you are having such a great journey - I like your 'anything for one day' philosophy. I apply something similar to exercise - I think 'I can do anything for ten minutes' and I push myself along.

Best wishes
SJ
225-170-135

iVillage Member
Registered: 06-20-2004
Thu, 04-05-2007 - 10:34pm
That's terrific!
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iVillage Member
Registered: 02-25-2007
Fri, 04-06-2007 - 11:26am
The reason the peanut butter is a no-no, is because it is not on my eating plan. I suspect it is not on my eating plan because it has a high oil(fat) content, albeit, the oil is a lot healthier than butter. My doctor explained to me that calories are calories no matter where they come from, so my calories are designated to come from proteins and low carb foods. We are all on different programs. I chose my program because it works for me. I am not allowed certain foods at this point in my weight loss program and I adhere to the plan (with an occasion fall now and then, ergo the peanut butter). So if your plan allows you peanut butter or your doctor "pushes" it, then I say "follow your plan" because that's what is working for you.
iVillage Member
Registered: 02-25-2007
Fri, 04-06-2007 - 11:38am
We each are on a different plan. My plan does not allow peanut butter. Peanut butter, in and of itself is not inherently bad, it is just not an allowed food on my eating plan. I used it as an example of when I stumbled. One week, I also ate 5 green olives which were not on my eating plan. Again, not on my eating plan. My success and continued success will be to adhere to my eating plan and exercise plan. I don't analyze why I am not allowed a food. I figure my doctor has the M.D. after her name and I don't, so I don't argue the point. Just as you follow your particular eating plan as religiously as possible, I follow mine. My posting was simply to share my excitement at getting rid of 47.5 pounds of fat and maybe my success would be the boost someone else needed. I know, I like reading about people's successes and they keep me motivated. My comments were not to disparage anyone else's weight loss program. I am pretty happy to see people losing weight using whatever works for them.
iVillage Member
Registered: 02-25-2007
Fri, 04-06-2007 - 12:18pm
Annie
My doctor is thrilled at my weight loss progress. I don't have an M.D. behind my name,but I have confidence in my physician's judgement. I am sure that for you and maybe many others who adhere to your eating plan (which is probably very different from mine) and have been very successful at regularly losing 1 pound or even 2 pounds a week, will be at your goal in a couple of years. I mean having 100 pounds or more to lose at a pound a week is 2 years of being on a reduced caloric intake. I have noticed that several people simply only watch what they eat and exercise and I assume are in the process or have lost 100 pounds or more. I am truly in awe of these people. I need a much more structured eating plan and accountability. Since weight loss is a simple formula of fewer calories in and more calories used, I need to know how many calories are going in. For me watching what I eat doesn't cut it. I allow myself too many calories. Eating healthy doesn't necessarily equate to losing weight. Eating healthy with reduced calorie consumption does. So my eating plan which is balanced nutritiously by my doctor is a reduced calorie plan. My doctor who is board certified in Internal Medicine has me record my food intake, my exercise, and water (must drink 100 ounces a day). We go over it each week at weigh-in. So don't worry Annie, my doctor is making sure that I remain healthy as I lose as much fat as possible each week. She's my biggest fan. As far as most goes, I'm not for sure who you are talking about. However, the National Institutes of Health has a great obesity section. One of their important findings is that people who are severely obese (100+ pounds) seem to do better with a structured diet of reduced calories and exercise while they continue to be monitored by a healthcare professional. So, I feel pretty comfortable that I am following their recommendation. We are all different. We are all unique. We all lose and gain at different rates. So again, Annie, don't worry about how fast I lose weight, I am losing fat, not muscle. Actually, my doctor said my muscle mass has increased by 3%. She was elated! Have a fantastic Easter or Passover or whatever you Spring celebration. And thanks for the concern, albeit, unwarranted.
iVillage Member
Registered: 01-25-2006
Fri, 04-06-2007 - 12:23pm

Oh, I didn't mean it that way, I was just curious what plan you were on. I know there are some plans that don't allow certain foods, which is why I come up with my own thing cuz I know me, if I am forbidden certain foods I will fail. I admire those out there that can adhere to a particular plan like that. It takes AMAZING will power and I am very happy for you for doing so well. You really are doing a FANTASTIC job of it. Please don't think I was questioning your judgement or anything like that, I was just curious why it was bad for your plan that is all. I know that a lot of these amazing women here on this board adhere to strict plans that aren't allowed certain foods and I can't remember what you said your plan was (bad memory here LOL).


Again Congrats on the great success.


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Angela

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iVillage Member
Registered: 10-25-2004
Fri, 04-06-2007 - 1:37pm

Congratulations on your loss!


 


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