Nov

5

Reaching My Goal Weight

Filed Under In The Moment | 2 Comments 

Wow, has it really been over 6 weeks since my first and only blog post?  A lot has happened since then.

Back in January I decided to rejoin Weight Watchers so I could finally lose at least some of the 25 extra pounds I’ve gradually put on in the last 15 or so years.  I’ve been off and on it for years, but never seemed to be able to stay focused for more than a few weeks, and quit going to the meetings and just gradually kept eating and drinking a bit more.    But this time it was different.  I’m not exactly sure why I was so mentally ready, but from the very first meeting, Jan. 5, 2009, I felt like I was on a fun adventure. Steve had become a vegetarian too, a few months earlier, as well as having a new diagnosis of Diabetes, so he was happy to eat what I was eating.  For months we talked of fiber and points, and I faithfully attended meetings, always looking forward to seeing my efforts paying off as I got on the scale Monday evenings.  I loved hearing the ideas of others  and gave the group some of my own.   We shared recipes and encouraged each other, applauding each other’s 5 lb star awards and percentage of body weight lost.

I could write on and on about this subject, including recipes and other details, but first I want to cut to the chase.  At last Monday’s meeting, after many months of counting points, lots of walking, and remaining faithful in my “lifestyle change”, I finally reached my goal weight.  I’m in the 130′s again!

People have asked me for inspiration, or  want to know how I did it.   Here are my thoughts:

1. Think of yourself in a different way.  I won’t think of myself as fat anymore, or addicted to sugar.  I’m not the same person who has to eat the samples at Costco, or eat food just because it’s free or it’s there.   I don’t have to rush to the cookies on the table at work, I can ignore them.

2. Don’t deny yourself what you really want, but first ask yourself if you really want it.  If so, have half of it, slowly, and if you must, just salad for dinner to stay within your points.

3. Get used to feeling hunger.   Don’t be afraid of that feeling.  In fact, you can learn to even like that hungry feeling.

4. If you’re on a plateau, and can’t lose another pound no matter how you try, just change something, like give up the glass of wine in the evenings til you start losing again.  Just one small change might be all you need.

5. Make it a game or adventure with yourself.  How creative can I be with this new way of cooking and eating?  What new low-point meals can I discover for myself?

6. If you blow it on a snack, like an ice cream at Elevated, make that your meal.  Say, “ok, I had ice cream for lunch.   Not the healthiest, but I really wanted the ice cream so that was my lunch for today.”

7. When at a restaurant, split a dish or dessert with someone.   My Mom and I will split a beer; one beer, two glasses.   I could never eat a whole sandwich at a restaurant, they’re huge.  Split it, or take half home.

8. If you’re going to weight watchers, attend the meetings so you can give and receive ideas and encouragement, without judgement.   And/or have a weight loss buddy.

9. Be patient with yourself.  It takes time.   It took me over 9 months to lose 26.8 lbs.

Steve has lost even more than I this year, and has brought his blood sugar levels down to normal, and will not need any diabetic medication.   He’s learned he can completely control his blood sugar  with diet.   Both of our cholesterol levels have come down to where they should be.  In less than a year, we both feel so much better and have had to buy new clothes.  He’s able to wear a suit that he couldn’t button in the past 10-12 years.   We both feel SO good just eating mostly fruits and vegetables, very little cheese (grated parmesan on soups or with a bit of mozzarella on homemade veggie pizza), much less bread, pasta and sugar, and of course, no meat or chicken.

Remember, one day at a time!

Sep

20

Who Am I?

Filed Under In The Moment | 4 Comments 

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As I begin this blog, I am one year and two months from turning 60 years old, and feeling the best I’ve ever felt in my life.  I’ve never been very good at journaling; I am more into using photographs with brief explanations to document my thoughts and experiences, but I’ve decided to begin a blog to try to better explain the things I’m feeling and learning about life and myself.

A few years back, some of my nurse friends and I started a hiking group we call “The Healing Hikers.”   We’re all RNs in our 50′s and 60′s, and our motto runs along the lines of “healing ourselves as we help heal others.”   I see the name Healing Hiker as a perfect metaphor for my walk through this life, healing myself and, I hope, helping others along the way.

My husband, Steve, and I have experienced some profound changes in our individual lives and in our relationship in the past couple of years, and I want to write about some of the most transformative of those changes, hoping readers may be as inspired as we have been.

I’ll be talking much more about the incredible adventures of the Healing Hikers, as well as health, diet (mostly vegetarian, often raw), Zen thinking, family, friends, love, nature: all the things that have helped me thrive in new ways every day of my life.

I think we were meant to thrive, don’t you?

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