Lifestyle Change

Diets don't work! 
What I've tried and why it didn't work for me;

Weight Watchers- I really like WW because the meetings are inspiring and they do encourage life style changes.  But I lost weight really slowly and I had to plan every single thing that I ate. It took a lot of effort and time.  I loved going to the meetings but I can't fit those into my schedule every week.  So I tried WW 4 different times, I did lose weight.  I would exercise so I could eat more points of junk food.  See the motivation?  But as soon as I stopped going to meetings I gained every thing back. :(

HCG- Oh my hard and expensive!  $500 for 6 weeks of shots and you live on 500 calories a day- no carbs, no sugar, no fat- at all!  I did it for 6 weeks and I lost 35 lbs.  But I gained it all back because it wasn't a life style change.  And I was so sick of living on salad and grilled chicken.  Giving myself the shot everyday took 20 minutes of gearing myself up to doing it.  It was really horrible.  :(

Exercising- I  could say a lot about this.  Let's be honest, the only reason I wanted to exercise is so I could eat what I want.  Pathetic.  I've done- Zumba, trainers, weight lifting, treadmills, workout videos...I do like exercising, I've tried many things.  BUT I do not lose weight unless I exercise 90 minutes a day minimum!  It's just how my body works.  So it's hard to fit in my schedule.  Maybe if I wasn't working 40 hrs a week plus another 10-15 hrs at home (I'm a teacher ya know) and had my kids to play with and run around everywhere, then I would make time.  I'm not a morning person.  My natural body clock runs going to bed late and sleeping in.  So what happens is I stay up late and get up early for work.  Late at night is when I get things done- cleaning, work, laundry, etc.  It's extremely hard to get motivated to exercise at night.  Another option is after school but I haven't seen my babies all day and all I want to do is play with my kids, plus help with homework and make dinner.  The other option is the morning and that's never going to happen.  I'm so sleep deprived right now.  The other phenomena that happens to me when I start exercising is I get really sick, like really sick, I guess my body is allergic to it.  LOL.  But seriously, I want to incorporate it into my routine.  It's my goal.  I think it's vital for me and my family.

Hypnotherapy- Pretty much a joke, but I buy into everything, I'm not hard to convince.  Tried it for a while, nothing happened.  It didn't make me love vegetables or exercising.

Weigh Down Workshop- pretty good program, ties God into the weight loss and food addiction.  I liked it, I lost some weight.  But gained it back just like everything else.

Atkins- Oh my goodness.  So this is funny.  I've tries this a few times.  The most recent time I did it for 2 weeks.  It was crazy hard.  I remember at the end of 2 weeks just eating pure sugar (I have a problem).  I went to my pantry and ate brown sugar right out of the bag!  That's how deep my problems go.  Sad. 

The Zone- Good concept.  Lots of planning.  Too hard to do for me.

Slim Fast-  Easy and convenient, not for long term success.  Not filling, was hungry.  

There are others but I think I am making my point.  And please don't say to me it's just a matter of input/output, it's not that easy and you don't know what it's like to have metabolic syndrome

Diets Don't Work!

So I needed something that

1- didn't take a lot of effort or planning

2- was convenient and not expensive

3- had the support element (like in weight watchers)

4- had long term success- the goal is health not just losing weight

That's hard to find.  But I think I've found it.  A program that inspires health long term, has support, and is convenient.   Just a little bit of planning so it works for me!

In 2 weeks I've lost 13 lbs and 13 inches.  Pretty dang awesome!  I am feeling so energized!  I know the weight loss will slow down but I also know it will be steady.  I have a goal to get to my ideal healthy weight by Christmas, or maybe in sooner.  I love what I am doing.  Eating every 3 hours I have not been hungry at all.  My emotional eating has tugged on me when I'm stressed but I chose not give in.  It's awesome!  The first few day I felt a little tired and had a slight headache but that's it!  I kept saying to Tom how great I felt!  It's like when I was so sick for 10 months being pregnant and when you have the baby you feel like you can run a marathon.  I didn't realize how sick I was.  That's how I feel now, just awesome!

Let's talk about my diet pepsi addiction.  I would drink it all the time- morning, all day, and even right before bed.  It runs through my veins, it has kept me functioning and awake for years.  Guess what?  I barely drink one a day now.  I drink tons of water and I love it!  I have never loved drinking water.  And I used to get headaches a lot, but in the last few weeks only one!  YAY!  Success!!!  I still enjoy drinking one every now and then but it doesn't rule me.

I'm sleeping better, I don't feel hungry or have uncontrollable cravings.  I think this is going to work.  Watch me!  Happy, Happy, Happy!!!


Best wishes to all of you who are struggling and trying to get healthy!  Let me know if I can help you!  I actually started as a health coach, it's awesome! 

before                    first week                second week

I am excited to see these weekly pictures get progressively smaller! 
#watchmelose  #committed