Thursday, February 5, 2009

Raise your Hand

By a show of hands can I get a complete tally of all the chicas out there trying to lose weight?  Oh, everyone?  Good then you can relate.  I decided that last year I finished my book, went to a writer's conference, branched out of myself.  This year, I take off the weight.  Not for my high school reunion (that was four years ago, I went "heavy").  Not for my husband, although he has never complained.  Not because  bathing suit season is around the corner, it actually comes around  every year.  But because it is time.  The twins being ten years old, I cannot call it baby weight.  Although, if I am holding a small baby, I may claim it as such.

I have read every book, done every diet before.  Atkins, Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig, The Fat Flush (actually used that one to jump start me this time).  All of them.  Ooooh, I forgot "YOU on a diet."  Read them all, tried them all, and guess what?  Do you know the secret to losing weight and keeping it off?  Lean in close, this is a big fat secret that no one wants to tell you.  

You have to eat less and exercise more.  

That's it.  You should also consider everything you put into your mouth, no white sugar (it's poison, but I may die willingly), no white flour, no processed food, etc. etc.  The problem with that is you actually have to think.  Think about what you are going to eat and what you are not going to eat.  It's a total pain in the you know what.  But it does work.  

My mother-in-law and I were talking about "miracle" diets and pills and all that stuff.  I have tried "natural" diet pills, they made my lips numb.  I figured they were not that good for me if my lips were numb.  What we decided is we would like to be put into a coma, lose the weight, someone come in and exercise us, have plastic surgery and wake up eight weeks later at our dream weight.  No pain, all gain.  It should only cost around $100,000.00.  But man, wouldn't that be awesome.

You see, that is what we want.  We don't want to have to actually work at it, we just want to wake up skinny.  In our instant society, we want instant weight loss.  Well, sixteen years of having kids and raising kids and gaining weight, I have to give myself at least a year to take it off.  That stinks, but it is the way it is.

I will do one thing, I will not get preachy when I reach my goal weight.  There is nothing worse that that really cute gal who lost all the weight and now stares at you at the brunch when you eat a muffin.  It's just a muffin, and a mini-muffin at that.

So, battle lines drawn, I am trying.  I am praying about it.  I am getting up at 5:00am to get on the treadmill.  I am eating Ezekiel bread and lots of fruit and veggies and lean protein.  And if I want a cookie, I eat one or two, not the whole package.  I am taking vitamins and doing my best.  

What have you tried?  Are you trying now?  Keep going, if you fall off the wagon, get back on tomorrow, keep going.  I am in your corner.

God Bless you and yours.

3 comments:

Baby Z's Mom said...

I too know the secret of watching what you put in your mouth. We started diet & exercise for the wedding 7 yrs ago. Hubby & I dropped the weight by doing just that, eating right & moving! Everyone wanted to know what we did, we looked great, what did we take blah blah blah. Well, when we told them we gave up junk food and soda (pop for you other folk)etc. and made sure we weren't sitting on out butts every night, they wouldn't believe it. Really, it is easy, you just have to put in the effort. You think that dinner ordered in is easier than cooking with real food, but it's not. Dinner can be made in 30 mins or less and you know what's in it. Same with lunch and it is cheaper. We also made sure to have a cheat day or cheat meal, it really helps. I find it has been easy to keeps up with this, especially when you don't have the junk in the house. If it's not there, you can't eat it. I am currently on the "I have a 2.5 yr old" diet and the "we have 21 stairs in the house" exercise program.

Christina said...

Yaay, we can reach our weight loss goals together!

So I started a blog about my weight loss efforts. Feel free to visit at http://thegreatweightgiveaway.blogspot.com.

I've found a valuable resource online called The Daily Plate (http://www.TheDailyPlate.com). It allows you to track your food and shows you the breakdown by calories, you can enter your exercise, plus a slew of other stuff, and it's totally customizable and FREE!. It only takes me a few minutes to enter everything I've eaten and the exercise I've done. You can see my profile at http://www.thedailyplate.com/users/profile/cmd0419.

I'm proud to admit, Kay, that with focus, determination, and exercise, I lost 13 pounds in January! I totally believe that you can do it if you really want it bad enough. I've been big my entire life. I'm the biggest I've ever been. I have so much to live for now, so I have to start acting like it.

I congradulate you on your effort to reach your weight and health goals! You can DO IT!

hiyahun said...

Short of starving myself or little milk shakes and no food what so ever there is no way to lose weight. I have tried the many fads and diets. I have done a life style changed and only ate organic and veggitarian, not tasty... working out is the best way and lets face it if you dont have the body to look good working out, are you really going to take yourself to the gym and sweat with the toothpicks???? The want to is there but the reality hits and I stay home... my best way is put on silly loud music and "dance" with the kids. Mine are still young enough to think this is fun....