Today

Flash forward to today

I am still heavy but I am now 100 pounds lighter! I only weigh 220 pounds ... a loss of 105 to date. I started menopause in the spring and went on maintenance calories for the summer cause I figured that a year on a constant calorie deficit can be hard on your body and I wanted to give it a breather before trying to lose any more. Well summer is over and I have to start again ... I am going to posts recipes and thoughts here in a continuing effort to stay motivated.

As to how I feel ....

Swelling is gone
Rashes are gone
I have gone from a 5X to a size 1-2X
My house is starting to shape up and I am tackling the basement next lol
I can shop without fear again in fact I love shopping
Last christmas I spend the entire day walking around downtown Victoria and even went to the large mall there ... did the whole thing too!
Back no longer aches while walking
I can walk for miles until my hip starts bugging me ... it's been through a lot and I AM getting older .... still ... sheesh
I am enjoying getting back into my garden, when time permits anyway :)
I am rekindling a love for REAL food. I am having a blast trying new recipes and cook mostly from scratch these days.
I am happier
I no longer think people are judging me, talking behind my back, feeling sorry for me ... whatever.
I am starting to think I might have a future after all.

All this without a fad diet, or spending a metric ton of cash to join a weight loss program.

It was simple, I ate what I wanted, when I wanted. I educated myself. I started to experiment with really good recipes, but knowing what went into them helped me determine what a proper portion should be. I don't go in for diet foods for the most part but I do use a sugar substitute (splenda) to help cut back on my added sugar intake for those things that eat on a regular basis that would normally have called for the use of sugar. I wasn't a huge fan at first but quite frankly now, I don't even notice the difference.

Real food, real flavours, no tricks ....

How did I do it?

Well that's a really long story and it will come out in my posts over time, but basically after a bit of initial experimentation with goals and such I settled on eating 1500 calories give or take a day. I tried to move more, which was very hard at first as I had no stamina AT ALL, I didn't go all ballistic exercising but I did buy a treadmill and I tried to use it at least 3 times a week. At first I could only manage a minute or two at a REALLY slow walking pace but now I can walk at 3 mph for an extended length of time ... I generally only go for about 30 minutes though as it just gets too boring.

As far as food, I gradually made changes so I could fit more bulk into my diet by reducing the calorie dense things I was eating that really added no flavour ... not sure why I was eating them really ... like I stopped adding butter to my sandwiches ...instantly halving the calories so I could have a bigger sandwich .. stuff like that. Some things I would not compromise on however, and those things I just learned to measure well and to reduce quantities a little to try and keep things in line ... like mayo in my tuna salad ... I am NOT going to sacrifice flavour for diet .. no lowfat/nofat crap for me .. thank you very much ... I just learned how to enjoy my tuna with a reduced amount of mayo and I sometimes only have half a sandwich paired with a half bowl of soup to help keep calories in line while still enjoying my favourite tuna salad for example.

I started eating more whole grains and brown rice instead of white flour products or white rice. This was one change that actually surprised me ... I had no idea I actually liked the whole grain products even more than the pasty white junk I had been eating my whole life ... way more flavour and texture ... a better choice all the way around ... didn't even have to get used to it .. I liked it right from the start and wouldn't go back even if I could.

Stay tuned ....