*Because I belive the hardest journey I have been on so far is the weight loss journey, all my Wednesday's posts will be about that journey. That, and it also happens to be the day after an episode of the Biggest Loser. Hello convenient!
Iwas am your typical weight loss addict. I am like the scrapbook queen (hi mom!) who buys the supplys and doesn't make the book; or the budding mechanic who has the tools but still takes the car to the garage for a tune up. I am that girl that tries every diet (Jenny Craig, Weight Watchers (a repeat offender), whatever Oprah is hawking to the public). I am that girl who goes and buys various books with good intention, and the books sits on the shelf while she reads smutty harlequins. I am that girl who makes weight loss shows appointment t.v., but then sits and eats a PINT of roasted marshmallow ice cream while watching the show. (Yes, I just discovered roasted marshmallow icecream. Did you also know they make chocolate cheeze? But I digress...)
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So my intention is there, but I get immediately overwhelmed. After much soul searching, I believe that it is because I overwhelm myself with too much imformation that I ultimately fail- well that and because I eat pints of icecream while watching t.v....but I digress.
Mom always says that a clean house is a clean mind. So with that in mind, I have decided to pick ONE diet program that I have tried that I know works. Jenny Craig? Too expensive. Weigh Watchers? After trying time and time again, I decided it's just doesn't provide me with enough practical knowledge. Yes, Miso Soup is 0 points...but it also has 10000 mg of sodium. And we wonder why we are fat and dying of heart disease?
The only program that I have tried with any considerable, measurable success is The Biggest Loser. The Biggest Loser started many years ago on NBC, and since then has spun off into a franchise with books and everything. I watch the shows, and the repeats, religiously. It also provided me with my a-ha moment in season 5 (back in 2007).
Just over mid-way through the season, the contestants were in Australia, climibing the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Ali Vincent, the contestant who eventually went on to win, was speaking afterwards and said something I will never forget. She said (I am paraphrasing) that she realized that if she was still at her highest weight, that there was no way she would be able to do that challenge because she would not even be able to climb the stairs.
It was at that moment when I realized just how much being overweight hinders your life. It is not just the stairs, but the restaurant booths, and the plane seats, and pretty much at every conceivable part of your life, being overweight is awful. There is no other way to say it.
The premise of The Biggest Loser is this: Your body has so many calories it must eat (your weight x 7) just to maintain basic functioning. If you eat more calories, you gain weight. If you exercise and eat your daily requirements, you lose. You follow a basic food pyramid like we were taught in school. Your goal is to balance your diet by eating 3 meals and 2-3 snacks, with foods from each food group. You want to also factor in fat, sodium etc just to keep things in balance. You want to put the best food possible in your mouth that is healthy and balanced. You do a variety of exercizes. And you also work on your inside you.
So gone are the 6 million books. Gone are the endless tv shows. It is one show. One series of books. I am going to kickstart with the 30 day program they have recently published, just to get some structure. I have worked on almost every other part of my life. It is now time that I deal with the hardest part.
***Plus, I also have the very yummy Bob Harper as my inspiration. I heart him.
4 comments:
Aww, Dan... I feel like I let you down by not being able to drive to meetings with you!
I know how hard it is to stay motivated when you're trying to lose weight on your own -- regardless of what program you follow -- so I'm sorry that we both seem to have failed, all because of my injury. :(
Good for you for taking the 30-day challenge! We both know how easy it is to start feeling discouraged at times, but stick with it.
Zonya would be proud. (Have you tried any of her recipes from that cookbook, by the way?)
Dani, I agree 417% with like everything that you said.
I've already told this story on my blog (that was not a shameless plug), but my aha moment was going to H&M. Not that I'm (that) shallow and I need to wear a Small like the fashionistas, it's just that I used to only wear a size Small!
Like I wasn't trying to be uppity, it's just what I wore. Never thought twice about it. But then I started to eat the pint on the couch just like you said and plus with the economy (and my credit card) I stopped shopping (which I am proud of).
So to go back to H&M and think everything's the same and it's not... I seriously almost cried. And I know people look at me like he's already skinny (my larger friend used to say that to me all the time while pushing the last piece of pizza at me) but my BMI is overweight.
The worst part is that I read all the magazines too, knew what to eat, how much, how to exercise, all of it! So I've started for the past 2 weeks, I'm doing well and will reveal my numbers soon!
I'm just glad someone is doing along with me! (p.s. this is the longest comment evah! Sorry!)
Jo, you didn't let me down. The bottom line is that if I was committed to WW truly in my heart, I would have found a way. I mean, the downtown office is a 5 minute walk from my work and had meetings everyday....so what's my excuse? Nothing.
Your post got me thinking....hmmm. I am going to blog (maybe later today) about the concept of motivation and support.
And yes, I have read the Zonya recipes. I still kept that book because it is most closely related to TBL program. The nutrition/diet advice is more or less the same and I like her one small habit concept. I'll blog about her in future blogs.
Hey Junior.
I totally hear you. We are our worst enemies if you think about it.
I might blog about that moment when you realized that you are fat. (As Jo would say: Memo to Dan, we are fat! Haha.).
My moment was when I had to turn left instead of right at Reitmans (left being the "fat" side). And fine, your friends will say "oh, you are just big boned" or "you carry your weight well".
Eventually you get to the point, no matter what others think, that you know those comments are just not true anymore. The full scale mirror and scale don't lie! We all have our "OMG, do I really need to wear this size now?" moments.
[quote]The worst part is that I read all the magazines too, knew what to eat, how much, how to exercise, all of it![/quote]
Yep. Been there. Done that. Hmmm...now I think I will blog about the motivation based on yours and Joanne's comments.
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