Let's get one thing straight, I love to eat. I have been "pleasantly plump" since I was a child. I have battled the bulge for as long as I can remember and have only been "svelte" a few times in my life. I have no desire to look like a fashion model, nor do I have the need to feel comfortable wearing a bikini. My desire to lose weight is about feeling healthy, feeling comfortable in my own skin, and having the energy to do all the things I want to do in this lifetime.
Now, let's explore the number of ways I have attempted to lose that bulge that has ranged anywhere from 10-20 extra pounds at any given time. First, there was Slimfast and simply not eating, in my teen years. Next there was Weight Watchers. Weight Watchers proved helpful for a time. I met my goal and even became a leader! Slowly, the weight crept back on. Then there was a second attempt at Weight Watchers, the Cabbage Soup Diet, The Grapefruit Diet, The Atkins Diet, The South Beach Diet (also somewhat successful on this one…but here I am again.), Raw/Vegan Diet, Herbal Life, Vegetarian, Pescetarian, Xingular Products, Fast Metabolism Diet, Mediterranean Diet, Juicing, French Women Don't Get Fat Diet…and the list goes on and on. I have bought a number of gadgets over the years as well. Food scales, Body Bugg, MyFitnessPal, Fitbit. I have joined gyms, and actually even gone to said gyms! Does this sound familiar to anyone else out there?
At 45 years old, I have decided, "I am a smart woman. I finished a PhD. I can do ANYTHING I set my mind to. So why I am I still battling my weight?! I decided I would commit to a fool-proof plan to lose weight. I ordered meals from a company that uses organic/local foods and creates five meals a day at a set number of calories depending on the amount of weight you want to lose. By getting their fresh meals daily, I absolutely knew I was eating 1500 calories a day. No measuring, no shopping, no worries. I also decided it was time to commit to fitness seriously, but reasonably. I am working out 6 days a week. I do a 30-60 minute cardio-based work out 5 days a week and strength-based training two days a week. In addition, I still do one or two Cherry Bomb shows a week and try very hard to get in at least 10,000 steps a day. There was no way I could fail on this plan! 12 weeks on this plan and I should easily see results! Right?! WRONG!
After 12 weeks, I fluctuated up and down about 3 pounds. I was devastated. I had invested a lot of money into the food plan, and time into the extra exercise classes. What the heck?!
At the same time, I was reading a book called "Foodist" by Darya Rose and I made an appointment to see my doctor, Deborah Jantsch (an OB/GYN that also has degrees in Holistic and Functional Medicine - I HIGHLY recommend her!) Nothing in this book was new to me. Nor did my visit to Dr. Deborah prove to be earth shattering. But there are some common threads that run through my successful attempts at weight loss. These threads are shared in the book "Foodist" (among some other really great books on health and nutrition) and became the topics of conversation with Dr. Jantsch. I am going to share those topics with you here and will dive deeper into these topics in separate blogs in hopes that they will be helpful to you, as well.
1. Habits and mindsets
2. Knowing yourself
3. Processed foods
4. Sugar
5. Good Fats
6. Insulin resistance
7. The role of protein (There are MANY sources of protein beyond meat!)
8. You've got to move it, move it.
9. Being healthy for life, not healthy for 28 days or however long the current diet you are considering claims it will take to give you the results you are looking for.
I will share this much...in only a week or so of thinking about things differently and ditching the caloric math formula ~ I have finally started to drop some pounds after watching the scale refuse to move for nearly a year. I will also say up front...there is no magic pill, no quick fix, and no detox that is going to help you for the long term (sorry!).
Within the next week, I will share my continued results (and struggles) with you, as well as share more on the topics of habits, mindsets and knowing yourself, so stay tuned! :) Namaste, friends!
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