Unbelievable.
A few strange things have happened lately that are simply unbelievable. Good things, let me start off by saying. I don't want to scare anybody. Trying to keep the peace in my life to a maximum. I find the best way to do that is just to... hrmm... ok that's another post.
I can't believe I weigh 167 lbs. I'll explain why this weight is significant. First off, I haven't seen the 160s since 2009. Before that it was 1999, maybe again around 2002, then 2007. Glad to be back.
A long time ago when I was 17 my sister got married. Side note, I put the dress on that I wore at her wedding for a Halloween party and it fit me bigger. That was REALLY COOL. But I digress. My sister started Jenny Craig I think a couple months before her wedding.
She'd dieted before and had some success in high school, but nothing as significant the year she did Jenny Craig. That time she went from 220 to 140. Since then she's gained baby weight but has the experience and know-how to drop the weight on her own and I admire that. She was 21 at that time and I was 17.
I remember one day after they were married, they were down for a holiday. Must have been a warm day because my sister was in shorts. She, her husband, and I were piling into the back of a vehicle and it occurred to me that her weight-loss plan was really starting to work. You couldn't deny the progress, and I asked her, "so how much do you weigh now?"
Which is a question you get often when losing weight or, "how much have you lost?" Stuff like that. I've learned not to let it bother me. It's nice that people notice.
"167."
Noted. 167 is progress. 167 is results. This number has stuck in my head for 14 years. Soon after she completed her year I tried starting mine. I got into the 160s and then bad things started happening in my life and my wagon crashed. Combination of ovary surgery and a very controlling and abusive boyfriend. Jerk. (Yes, dood, if you're reading this, you were a goddamn jerk. I hope you're a better person now.)
Since then, every time I've gotten into the 160s, I've hung around and then bounced back to the 190s. Imagine it like this... you're climbing a mountain and the further you climb the steeper the mountain gets and the less it's covered in nice lushy green foliage and the more it's covered in sand. Soft slippery sand.
On my own, working out, eating less, being driven, gets me to the 160s. Then I get tired. No idea what to do from there. None of my old tricks or plans are working. And I slip back down the mountain.
For the first time in my life I have a new plan that will work. Now I know Jenny Craig would have worked. It's a great program and it works for many people. If you have the means by all means (that sounds funny) try it out.
My issues came shortly before the wagon wheels fell off. I already had no idea now to continue the loss on my own. My counselor was not educating me on food choices. It was easy when they were just telling me what to eat. When I had to do half my days on my own, I was already slowing down. Then crap met fan and the rest is chubby history.
This is the first thing I've done to lose weight that's been nearly, I dare say, easy.
When I lost the first 20 lbs from 210s to 190s I did that by eating fruit and protein for breakfast, carbs and protein for lunch, and protein and veggies for supper.
Then the next 30 from 190s to 160s I lost (in 2007) by walking 30 min a day, then up to 60 min a day (with the stroller and the baby and all), then I started doing it on a treadmill at school, then switched to the elliptical machine.
In the end I was doing 45 min on the elliptical at a pretty good clip about 3-4 days a week. I was also "dieting." I was doing Slimfast and adding veggies and fruits to the first two meals then eating whatever I wanted for supper.
Then slipped back down the mountain into the 190s. Next round of weight-loss came when we went vegan (2009). I think I got down to the 160s again... Just barely.
Then it was, "OOOH, FRENCH FRIES ARE VEGAN!" And back down the mountain.
So we get to last winter. I had started dropping weight from losing my appetite. This happens pretty often every few months. I think it's a hormone fluctuation, and I just try to eat and don't bother with it much because it goes away eventually.
Then the month of Hell happened. I don't think I ate more than once a day that entire month. I was perpetually nauseated. I got down into the 170s again. It was a scared, emotionally frantic, nauseous, weak 170s.
Then when all that ended I ate out of comfort and got back up to 190. Then I started tracking.
175 was actually my first goal on this plan. I wanted to get there in a healthy way. I did. :)
So now I've hit my second goal, 167. From here I have a plan to keep going that I know will work. I've never seen the light at the end of this tunnel shine so bright. In fact, this is happening faster than I ever imagined. It's a little scary. Quite unbelievable.
Nevertheless, we keep moving forward. Onward and upward. It's like I found a staircase on the other side of the mountain.
I will mention the other good things that have been happening in another post. I just want to leave this one as it is. It's good enough to stand alone. :-D
Thank you for reading.