Weight loss

I am not by any means an expert in the field of nutrition or fitness, but because I recently lost some weight, many have been asking what I've done to achieve this. So I'm sharing what I've learned so far in my journey. Feel free to comment with any questions. The picture at the top is the worst I could find, it was taken in the spring of 2008. I was 225 pounds, ten pounds lighter than my all time high. The picture below I took yesterday, last time I weighed myself I was near 180, I've still got some to lose and a lot more toning to do, but the picture's very flattering since most of my weight is in my legs.

I have struggled with being overweight and obese off and on for the past 6 years. Most of the reason for this was 3 very physically debilitating pregnancies in that time which prevented me not only from exercising, but in the case of the last one, from really moving at all for fear of fracturing my pelvis or dislocating a joint or otherwise damaging some vital part of my anatomy. The other part was there was definite room for improvement in my lifestyle. I have made so many changes over the last year in an effort to finally get into the shape I want to be, that I can't really point to one thing and say, " this is it, the magic bullet that will solve everyone's weight issues forever". The fact is, long term weight loss and overall health, is only achieved by adopting healthy habits for life. This doesn't mean a life sentence of deprivation and misery. You can learn to love the process, you can be addicted to exercise the same way you can be addicted to junk food, and if you listen to the needs of your body, you never have to feel less than satisfied. I also strongly believe that every body is different and has different nutritional requirements. I don't believe that everyone needs exactly 2000 calories a day regardless of age, body type, gender, activity level, or nutritional content of the calories in question, or any other factor for that matter. I don't believe that hunger is something that is desirable or healthy. I do believe that if you want to be healthy and in shape, you have to move your body more than is required for your normal everyday life and you need to feed your body with the nutrition that it needs and not with harmful non-food substance that we've tricked ourselves into thinking taste good.

So, eat right and exercise, is it really that simple? Yes and no, there are a wide range of opinions and options within both of those fields and plenty of room for confusion, but yes, if you do the things that you body needs to do to be healthy and in shape, then your body will be healthy and in shape. I've never been very excited about structured and rigid diet and exercise plans. My philosophy is entirely centered around intuition. That being said, I have read some diet books and borrowed ideas from them, whatever felt right, but I've never been on a diet. I just don't have the self control. I really love food. So I'm going to lay out my food and exercise philosophy as clearly and in as much detail as I can and I hope if you are struggling, you can find something in there that will make a difference for you.

Food

It's amazing the variety of diet types you will come across when searching for "healthy recipes". What one person considers healthy, diet friendly food another considers blubber creating poison. Many people still consider animal fats to be bad for you. Things like eggs and butter and cream and red meat. I think that animal fats are healthy as long as they come from healthy animals that ate healthy food and lived healthy lives. Many think that diet food is iceberg lettuce and apples, food that is high in fiber and not much else, I don't think this strategy works, I think that food should be nutritionally dense. The more nutrition you get out of every bite, the less you have to eat to feel satisfied, the less you have to eat to have the energy you need to exercise. This is also one of the reasons I think that high quality food is more cost effective than cheap food, but that's another post. I believe that food should be 100% food. Not 20% food and 80% chemistry, or any other such ratio. Yes, modern science has done wonders for our health and well being, it has also done harm, however well meaning. We were designed to eat plant and animal matter that contains trace minerals from the soil in which it grows. Petroleum is not a part of the food chain. I am a big believer in herbs and spices and their ability to improve the bodies functioning as well as including as much variety into the diet as possible.

So, a variety of whole food ingredients, as close to their natural state as possible, preferably not grown in chemical laden nutritionally depleted soil. Animal products from pasture fed or equivalent, happy livestock, Including meat and fish in moderation. All lovingly prepared into irresistible culinary delights in my own kitchen.

I've always thought this way, but I've improved over the years in more consistently putting it into practice. A couple of big changes I've made since the weight started coming off, we significantly cut down our meat consumption to less than once a week, maybe twice a month. We found a good, affordable source for pasture fed eggs, and they've sort of filled in the gap left by the meat. We found someone to barter with for raw milk, which we drink skimmed because we like the taste, but I use the cream in cooking, so it all gets consumed. I expanded my knowledge of wild plants a lot this year, and we are so blessed to live in a part of the country where wild food is so very abundant. The variety this adds to our diet as well as the freshness of ingredients that I've just picked in the back yard before preparing a meal I think makes a difference. I've also been consciously including more healthy fats in my diet, because the theory that if you feed your body good fats, it will crave bad fats less and store less for a famine just makes good intuitive sense to me. Sources of these are nuts and seeds, dark chocolate, avocados, olive oil, salmon, to name a few. I also add high energy foods like whole grains and proteins in more abundance to have energy to exercise harder.

The biggest difference though, has been all in my mind. Although I've always eaten pretty healthy, I never realized I was eating too much. I've never thought to examine why it is I'm eating. I just thought if I feel like eating, it's because I'm hungry, but when I started to pay attention, I realized that often wasn't the case. When my head said I was hungry, sometimes it really meant :"I'm bored", "I'm tense", or just "that tasted really good, I want more of that experience". So I've learned to only eat when my stomach says I'm hungry and then to make every bite worthwhile.

Exercise

My plan is some form of exercise everyday of the week, including yoga at least once a week and cardio for 5-30 minutes a day, strength training 4-5 days a week alternating upper and lower body and core work every day. Do I accomplish this? No, but I get a lot closer than I ever did when my goal was 30 minutes of exercise three days a week. I find that when my goals are lofty, if I fall short, I still get a pretty good workout. Plus it's easier to stick to it when it's just part of your daily routine, it becomes habit.

I was blessed to get a YMCA membership after my 3rd was born, which has been wonderful. I get two hours of child watch a day, which means an hour and a half workout and a shower. Pure blissful luxury! I did see some progress, though, right before I got pregnant with my third when I was just trying to sneak in exercise whenever and where ever I could. I will always remember taking the kids to the high school track and telling them to play in the grass in the middle while I ran around the track. I got less than a quarter of the way around before my then 4 and 2 year-olds started crying hysterically and chasing me screaming "wait, mom, wait!". I made the most of every motion back then, squats and lunges while doing laundry, jumping jacks when I was between activities, running in the yard with the kids. I should do that more now.

So, top excuses:
Don't have time: I have found I have more time in my day and get more done when I devote two hours to exercise in the morning. This is because I'm setting the pace for the day, I get my heart pumping, get my body moving and I have more energy to keep it moving until the end of the day.
My life is exercise. I chase kids around all day: If the only energy you expend is the energy you have to expend, then that is all you will have. When you work out, you are building up a reserve of strength and stamina that you can draw from when your days are more demanding than you expect. Also, the fatter you get, the less able you are to play with your kids. I was amazed by how limited I was in my range of motion and physical ability when I was fat. Now I can crawl and climb and explore with them, It's a lot more fun!
I don't feel well: This is a big one for me. I have a back injury that causes recurring problems, some weird hormone imbalance that always has an unexpected surprise for me, and with a house full of kids, frequent viral infections come with the territory. Still, I know that the more you exercise, the better you feel. You will strengthen injured muscles, more effectively fight infections and see your whole quality of life improve. I get headaches much less frequently the more I exercise. Move as much as your body lets you. Something is always better than nothing.

I love the results of exercising. It's empowering to feel strong. It's fun to be able to do all the things I love to do without getting winded and being frustrated by my own limitations. My body feels so much better without all that weight on it, and I love the way I look in a way I never did when I was thin and just took it for granted. I love exercising itself, I had to learn this attitude. I always loved physical activity like hiking, swimming, stuff of that nature, but I had to learn to like working out. Good music helps cure the boredom, but the thrilling part is in paying attention to your body and the roller coaster of rushes and fatigue and second winds. Endorphins are a great recreational drug. It really is amazing what our bodies are capable of and so much fun to see yourself develop and improve.