Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Frustrated

Back in January 2008 I worked up the courage to divulge my weight here on this blog. I've been tempted to delete that post ever since but forced myself to keep it on there so I could look back and see how far I had come once I got to my weight loss goal. Even though I ranted and raved about how much I wanted and needed to lose weight I ended up gaining an additional 16 pounds to reach my highest weight ever in November 2009. Talk about frustration.

Every other time I lost a significant amount of weight I did it by severely changing my diet and hardly doing any regular exercise. I've always been active even at my highest weight but playing on the weekends didn't make up for sitting at a desk for 40+ hours, lazing around and stuffing my face all week.

In the 80's I spent almost a year eating nothing but JC food out of a box to lose 50+ pounds. I couldn't continue to live on that stuff although I've heard that the JC food out of a box has gotten much better since then. I wanted to be able to eat what everyone else was eating and didn't want to live on cardboard boxed food forever.

In the 90's I lost over 60 pounds by avoiding all "white" foods. I still can't believe I was able to do this for so long. I love all those white foods which are so bad for me and give me nothing in return but more fat on my a$$. I amazed myself by staying away from the white bread, pasta, rice, potatoes, flour and sugar but I couldn't keep it up forever. I stayed on my own modified version of Atkins/South Beach and the weight melted off but I couldn't live a life without bread and pasta. I knew my Italian Grandma must have been doing flips in her grave. Life is not worth living if you can never eat a piece of bread or pasta again. This wasn't something I could sustain for a lifetime. It worked until I accidentally ate a crouton and blew right back up like a balloon hooked up to a bottle of helium.

By the time I got laid off from my daily dose of high stress in November 2009 I was bursting at my pant seams at my highest weight ever. I was so miserable and depressed about my work situation it was hard to stay focused on anything else. I binged and grazed all day long to keep my emotions and frustrations inside instead of lashing out and telling those abusers how I really felt because I thought keeping my job was more important. I paid the price in pounds.

I've been away from the corporate hell hole for almost 4 months now and have lost an average of 5 pounds a month. Five measly pounds a month is far from rapid weight loss and I wish it were falling off quicker but I'm happy it's coming off consistently.

I have been religiously attending the gym and getting my sweat on like a good little bunny. I've been rocking that elliptical machine in 60 minute intervals an average of 5 days a week and recently started throwing some weights around. I've been playing on my Wii and wearing a pedometer and striving to get those 10,000+ steps a day. It's not coming off fast but it is coming off.

I'd like to pick up this turtle pace so I'm going to tackle my diet in addition to cranking it up at the gym. There's a novel idea, huh? Combine diet and regular exercise to get results. I think I've heard a few people say that's the key to the weight loss mystery. I don't know why it has always been one or the other for me.
I haven't had any severe binge episodes since I escaped the stressful work situation but I haven't really gotten super strict with my diet either. I've basically been eating what I want in moderation but if I want to speed up the process I'm going to have to sacrifice a little and learn to stop eating at night, cut down the weekend snacking and turn down the fattening foods in social situations where I tend to get in trouble.

I'm not discouraged but I am frustrated that I'm not losing at least 2 pounds a week. It's time for me to put the two pieces of the puzzle together and get this game on the fast(er) track.

21 comments:

  1. I can totally understand your frustration but seriously girl, you are determined!

    I think there is a balance we all need to find. The one between food and exercise. It's all about moderation, disciple, and understanding the simple science of calories intake vs. burn.

    Have you looked at the Body Bugg? I know it's a little pricey and not easily affordable to everyone but maybe something like that would give you a better idea of the calories you are actually burning in the gym (just a thought!)

    You have mastered losing the weight consistently and healthy - you should be very proud!

    I am excited to see you on your way. You can do this.

    Julia
    http://jewliagoulia.blogspot.com

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  2. I totally understand how frustrating it is when you feel things are going slowly but 5lbs a month isn't that slow! That would be 60lbs in a year! And "they" all say it's better to lose slowly and consistently.

    That said if you are in the frame of mind to tackle the diet side of things then go for it but start small. Pick one thing to change this week/month and go with that.

    Whatever you decide you can totally do it! Just remember we will all make bad choices now and then but that's ok. Just so long as we don't let those bad choices build up or cause us guilt. We have to let them go and move on to the next good choice.

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  3. 5 pounds a month is a great consistent weight loss. If you did that for a year, that is 60 pounds. 60 pounds! The more you lose and gain over the years, the harder it is to have those big losses every week. Not to mention as you get older....

    Exercise is key, though. I think adding that in and just continuing what you are doing will get you there. It's not fast and sexy, but it works.

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  4. Chickie, remember that slow and steady wins the race.

    I too get frustrated with the slow losses but, those are the ones that will stay with you. 5 a month is AWESOME!!!!

    Personally I can't lose weight if I'm not doing a combination of eating well and exercising. That's one reason I love this time of year so much--I get to mix it up and go outside!

    I have never done an eating plan where I CAN'T have this or that. What we need to learn is to eat everything in moderation. So obvious and yet it's so hard sometimes to follow that simple rule.

    Just keep rockin' that elliptical and the weight will be off eventually :)

    BTW, I read all your posts but can't remember you divulging your weight ;)

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  5. I can so understand your frustration. I'm travelling the same road as you on this journey. Why can it not go faster and why do I turn out to be the perfect person to sabotage myself. Darn!!

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  6. I know that sort of frustration extremely well! It's been with me for well over a year now and it's not going away.
    Sometimes I can handle it, sometimes I can't. It sometimes seems so unfair! The weight will seem to pack on in the blink of an eye. But it never does the same when you want to loose it!
    You seem to be doing good, though. At least you are loosing weight! Muscles are heavier than fat as well, as you know. SO you might be loosing more than the scale shows you.
    Good luck!

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  7. I do understand your frustration, but from the outside looking in, you're doing great!

    I just read an interesting "shake things up" article that I'm not entirely sure I agree with, but it's non-caloric food for thought:
    http://bit.ly/cQXDbX

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  8. we have all been there! we want the weight to come off yesterday.
    the gym and eating in moderation will definitely do the trick.
    take pride in those 5 lbs a month, that is awesome!

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  9. slow and steady wins the raise. set your cals at 1800 and see what happens.
    It couldn't hurt.

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  10. or the race.
    if it would win a raise...so much the better.

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  11. Jewlia: Thanks for the support. I'm waiting for my FitBit to arrive. It was a little less expensive than the Body Bugg which I just can't afford right now.

    Crazylady: You're right, it's the little changes that make the difference in the long run. I need to change my focus away from the scale and just keep doing the right thing.

    Lori: You've been inspiring me to hit the weights after my cardio so I'm hoping that building the muscle will help with the weight loss in the long run. No, it's not fast and sexy but I'd be happy to be 60 pounds lighter by this time next year. Big picture, right?

    Manuela: I've been trying not to eliminate anything because I need to do this for life, not just until I lose "x" amount of pounds. Here is my one and only weigh in post: http://finallyfiguringitout.blogspot.com/2008/01/weighing-in-finally.html

    ShellyD: I love reading about your races. Now if we can stop sabotaging ourselves and keep our eyes on the prize ...

    Me: The scale is always such a mindf*ck for me. Maybe it's time to break out that tape measurer again.

    Cammy: Yes, I think it's time to shake things up. I like it shaken not stirred anyway. ;)

    Love2eatinpa: It's the "moderation" part that gets me everytime. Life is full of excesses but I don't want to see the evidence on my a$$.

    Cmoursler: It would be a great incentive if I could get a raise by working the slow and steady.

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  12. Hey girl! Thanks for the comment this morning. If you want to email me (listed on my blog), then we can talk about clothes...and thanks for the offer. I also want to know what the hell a FitBit is, lol. I've wanted a Polar heart rate monitor or one of those Body Bug things I keep hearing about, but just can't justify spending the money on one for obvious reasons.


    P.S. I would KILL to finally become consistent enough with my eating to lose 5 lbs a month and actually KEEP it off, lol. I'm like you...I've got the gym down pat, but it really does take a combination of both to get it right and keep the scale moving downwards. Total bummer, right? lol

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  13. I think 5 pounds a month is fantastic! but of course I know its all relative and I can understand your frustration. the point is that you should definitely be proud of what you are accomplishing especially given your past, and its a real testament to leaving your job that you have been able to do this and focus on it and its happening naturally without the stress of your job. just keep at it, be consistent, and youll continue to lose the weight and those 5 pounds every month do add up.

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  14. I know you're frustrated, but are you saying you've lost about 20 pounds? That's fantastic!

    I just wrote a little blurb about this, but I've been hearing over and over again lately that diet is really 80% of the weight loss equation. I'm excited to see what happens for you when you get the diet AND the exercise going on.

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  15. Hi MB,

    Thanks so much for commenting on my blog today. I haven't been to yours in awhile and was glad to see you having such nice patient progress. I hear you wanting to tweak things a bit in order to speed the loss. It seems you've been going steady for long enough that it's a great idea to make further changes - now that you're in such a consistently losing mode. I'll be following more closely (again!) to watch your progress. Best of luck with finding the right recalibration.

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  16. I too can understand the frustration you are feeling and how you want the weight to come off quicker. Its frustrating in deed. We just need to be consistent and find a balance. I'm struggling as well and I wish I had some words of wisdom. There are some great comments here and all I can say is "I feel you."

    As a side note, 5lbs a month is great. It really is. Do not discount it. I've been stuck at 178 for 8 months and I workout 4-6 times a week. Urgh... Something is something.

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  17. I'd use a lot of caution in going after your diet. It can backfire, big-time. It sounds like you've done a lot of unsustainable diets in the past, and the temptation can be overwhelming. I suggest small, non punishing changes, like maybe eating healthier at night, weekends, (fruit instead of chips stuff) instead of trying to stop familiar behaviors altogether? Speeding it up for me seems to always lead to binges, I had to accept my slow-assed weight loss, and tread carefully, though I didn't like. You know yourself best, please be careful!

    Dieting >> bingeing >> weight gain.

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  18. The determination will pay off. It took me years to get off the weight. The high and low's stink but just take one day at a time.

    Have a great weekend.
    Jill

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  19. I hear your frustration and raise you a congratulations for losing 5 pounds per month.

    I bet losing the stress of your 40+ per week ass-sitting desk job (I have one too!) has made a big difference.

    Thankfully the longer days mean for more activity. But I'm with you. I'm back on the better food and exercise wagon, too. So we'll do it together! = )

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  20. Sorry for my bad english. Thank you so much for your good post. Your post helped me in my college assignment, If you can provide me more details please email me.

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  21. there is no need to be frustrated due to overweight. losing weight is not an easy task . with passion and self confidence you can lose weight. don't take tension and with confidence in yourself , you can lose weight by regular exercise and healthy food.

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