WHERE ARE THE PHOTOS?!!

I know. I know. I SAY I'm losing the weight, but no photos. I hear this a LOT. The thing is, I've failed so much in the past and gained the weight back that I'm afraid to post the photos online. That, and there are SOOOOO many trolls out there who like to really take before photos and use them to trash a person that I decided NOT to post full body photos until I have my after photos to go with them.  That said, you CAN see some weight loss in my face:

Here's a "before" photo of me (in red shirt) at 243 pounds in 2009, pretty much the same weight over the past 3-4 years. I lose then gain:

The "After" photo, me today, March 15, 2013:

207

I'm holding at 209 pounds! Yeah! Another 10 pounds to go to break the 200 mark—my nemesis. Every time I get close to 200 I freak and eat. Like, I just finished having a Subway sandwich, with chips, a soda and a Hershey bar. I had less than 600 calories yesterday and that's all I've had today. Why? I'm on a new medication for fibromyalgia that kills any appetite. I have to force myself to eat, and am not at all interested in cooking because the smell makes me nauseaous. So I went to the grocery store to get cat food for the cats, and Subway is next door....so...

Still not working out. The medication helps with energy, but I'm also very euphoric (nice word for "smashed" when I take it. I worry. But mostly I'm being cautious and lazy.

I need to stop overthinking and focus on baby steps.

Down to 207

207!! Wow! The pounds are falling off!

Okay. I admit I'm getting a little nervous. I didn't think losing weight would be this easy. 

My secret to fast weight loss? I GAVE UP SODAS. I noticed a drop in my temper IMMEDIATELY when I stopped the soda. Apparently there are mean drunks, and mean sugar addicts too. Alcohol and sugar affect the body in the same way metabolically and chemically so it makes sense. I feel less tense and wound up when I am not drinking 3-6 sodas a day...about 1,000 to 3,000 calories A DAY. No wonder I'm losing!

Yes. It's that easy. I also quit eating bread, dairy (cheese, milk), and potatoes. I ate a LOT of potatoes. They were cheap and there were a thousand ways to fix them...and I did. I didn't realize how many calories there are in ketchup, and then when I slathered them with butter...well, not good. I had crackers and toast with EVERYTHING...but have given that up too.

My diet now consists of portion controlled sizes, a gallon or more of water a day (HUGE HELP), tea instead of coffee with SIX spoons of sugar and a 1/3 cup of cream. Yeah...I know. Insane. I eat a ton of protein, mostly fish (talipia, shrimp, clams, tuna) and 5 servings of fruit and veggies a day. I juice too—both greens and fruit! And I have a BIG bowl of popcorn every night too. LOTS of fiber in my diet!

I'm STARTING to exercise more, but it's hard. When I do exercise I pay for it the next three days with my fibromyalgia flareups.  

I've tried Splenda, blended Splenda and all the alternative sweetners, but they don't do it for me. So I'm back to sugar. I use a tablespoon of organic brown sugar in my morning oatmeal, and when I have grapefruit chunks that are too bitter. But I'm weaning off of that. The goal is NOT to deny yourself everything good, but to limit what you take in. If having 2-5 teaspoons of sugar a day helps me eat healthy, then I'll have them.

Slow and steady!!

 

Wow! 209?! UNBELIEVABLE! And all I've done is cut out soda, bread, potatoes and reduce my portion sizes. I admit. I'm scared. This has been SO easy (I've had my binge days), that I wonder if it's cancer (Strike that!). But, it's a steady 1-2 pound loss a week. NOT unusual. I'm not exercising much. Walking about 10-15 minutes a day, and not every day at that.

I've moved through a LOT of emotional stuff, and I've prayed a lot. I really think trusting God with my eating this time has made a difference. So I'm going to trust Him MORE. Like, when I get these cravings for sugar. I am SO ADDICTED to sugar. Very hard to resist. I'm like an alcoholic...I get it now. I don't drink because of alcoholism in my family, but my body/genetics respond to sugar like it was alcohol. I get "high" from ingesting sugar. It makes me feel GOOD! But, I'm cutting it out...or trying to. I'm using a splenda/sugar blend. Eventually I want to give up ALL sugar except that I get from fruit.

Not much to say today except "Hurray!!!"

I haven't been posting regularly, but that doesn't mean I haven't been working out, or losing weight! I'm down a WHOLE SIX POUNDS IN ONE DAY! Yay! I haven't lost all week and thought I was on a plateau. But then I went to see my tax gal [stress, stress, stress] and today I dropped six pounds.

I've also started taking my thyroid pills again, as well as J.Crow's Lugol's Solution. (see the links from Amazon below if you want more info.) I have always had "low normal" thyroid issues. I've been to more doctors than  I can remember, even holistic ones (who charged more and did less). I have all the signs of a poorly functioning thyroid on top of having an official medical diagnosis of "low normal":

• Depression
• Muscle and Joint aches 
• Weakness in the arms
• Plantars fasciitis in your feet
• Anxiety
• Hair loss, thinning hair or hair that is brittle and coarse
• Bowel problems, either constipated or diarrhea
• Dry skin, or skin that is coarse, rough and scaly

Because Synthroid, the prescription thyroid solution, must be prescribed by a doctor, and most doctors blindly follow TEST results rather than actually EXAMINING THE PATIENT and OBSERVING THE SIGNS IN THE BODY and using test results in an intelligent way....I had to self-diagnose and medicate. After noticing that all these low thyroid symptoms go away or reduce after taking Lugol's (also OTC -Over the Counter) and Raw Adrenal, I had that "aha" moment and said, "I'm onto something here."


I also have cut out sodas, (3-5 a DAY (2,300 calories or so) ) and am only drinking 3-4 a WEEK (and still weaning from them). My goal is to be soda free this month. To maintain a 243 pound weight loss I'd have to be taking in about 2,400 calories. But I'm eating between 1,200 and 1,500 calories a day. I'm sustaining a two-pound a week loss, which is healthy and good, but it feels crazy!



I'm also eating oatmeal for breakfast every day...usually with chopped dates and almond milk on it. I eat 2-3 HUGE salads a day and have made beans a staple in my diet. I'm walking 15 minutes a day and slowly building lifting weights into my schedule.

I'm NOT doing anything radical. When I make a mistake, or give into temptation, I say, "Well, that wasn't good. But get back on track." No guilt or beating myself up. Forgive yourself and focus on the goal again. Don't hate yourself! Be PROUD that you're making progress!