So, here we go.....this is my journey with trying to get control of my weight. I am leaving these journals under my original head of "And I Still Believe.." because this is all part of my life and that is my mantra for life. I will NEVER stop believing...in God, in life, in truth, in love, in consistency. I would love to have you follow, encourage, comment, whatever....but, please, try to play nice.
In my original post about trying to clean up my eating, I told you about my struggles with my health. While my struggles have not just started, they have escalated in the last two years. My body just doesn't have the strength to fight as it should and I am getting less and less able to bounce back. So, I came to the conclusion that even though it is not what I WANT to do, getting control of my weight is what I HAVE to do. The best thing I can do for self-help is change what I can....and the greatest of these is cleaning up my eating and getting my weight going in a downward direction. According to The Weight Watchers Organization, the oldest and most successful weight loss organization around, AND many doctors and nutritionists, just a 10% weight loss can lower your cholesterol, lower your blood pressure, improve your body's ability to use the insulin it produces on it's on, improves your mental function, your energy and your outlook. It also gives you an opportunity to see how successful you will be at losing even more if this is your need....it's just the beginning. But, if you find it too hard to do 10%, then just think how hard it will be to do 30%, 40% or more...because many times, with someone who has a problem controlling their food intake, they NEED to do more than 10% weight loss. Weight loss must start somewhere...and setting your first goal at 10% is ideal. Manage that hurdle and then go from there, if necessary.
There are a LOT of ways to try to lose weight.....more than this blog will hold. If you chose to do this, only you can decide what will work best for you. Having gone on MANY diets over the years, I can speak from experience when I say that DIETS will not work in the long run. You HAVE to adapt to and embrace a completely new way of thinking about food. Without that, you will not succeed in the long run and even with that, it is an uphill struggle. So, you have to find something that you can think of as a permanent change in lifestyle, not a DIET! Sneaking food, exaggerating a weight loss or purposely going off your plan MUST BE OWNED! As long as any of us stick our heads in the sand and don't accept what is real, we will never achieve permanent goals with this. It will always be something we are "doing" and we will always be constantly looking for the end when we can go back to our "normal" way of eating again. Look at yourself in the mirror and ask yourself....is eating the way I do worth the way I feel and look? If you can answer yes to that question, then you don't need this blog. But, if you know you can do better, then hang around and we will try this thing together.
So, buckle up buttercup, we are in for a ride!! I will do my best to pass on to you any information I receive, but know this up front: I AM NOT A DOCTOR, A NUTRITIONIST, A NURSE or any type of person that has any formal training in weight loss or health issues related. Please check EVERYTHING!! Don't take anything I say as gospel truth....I have access to the same information that you do! I am working with a nutritionist and I will gladly share information that I feel is generally helpful. But, please, please NEVER use my words alone to help you decide if, how or what you will do...about weight loss or food choices for you or health gains or losses. YOU must be your own tracker, dietician and goal seeker. I do hope that one thing you gain from me is ENCOURAGEMENT!
Before I end this, I will tell you this much....over the last months when my health has been so bad I have had little I was able to do except watch TV. One of the programs that significantly impacted me was "My 600 LB Life". No, I do not have that much weight to loss....but there but by the grace of TIME and BAD HABITS go I! Watching these people who are facing certain death if they don't change their lives and break their bad habits was quite an awakening for me. How was I different? Only by a number on the scale. I watched as they talked about an unhealthy relationship with food that existed for me also. They struggled with soft drinks, sweets, fried foods, snacks, fast food.....I struggle with the SAME THINGS! I watched as some of them really took it seriously....and some of them didn't....and the consequences of both. It made me take a long, hard look at my diet...the good, the bad and the ugly. And, I found there was more good than bad and more ugly than not. So, thus my change in thinking..... Just like them, I must succeed....because like it or not, if I don't, I won't be here much longer....
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