kristaphillips Okay.
So I am attempting, for the billionth time, to lose weight.
Between four kids, one angel baby, and my intense addiction to all things brownies (and lately, Dr. Pepper…) yeah…. My middle has not “un”expanded as much as I would have liked after these sweet kiddos were born.
I’ve always been a bit of an emotional eater. It’s where about 75% of my weight issue comes from. Food, especially the high-calorie (aka yummy…) kind, tends to bring a moment of comfort… thus the reason they call it comfort food! This is fleeting and not lasting. I get that. But, especially Annabelle’s first two years of life when emotions were flying VERY high, those moments of comfort were needed.
Yes, it would have been fantastic to be able to control my emotions sans chocolate chip cookies and McDonald’s….
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| On vacation… my hubby and I worked out EVERY DAY! The fitness center overlooked the beach…. If there was ever a way to get me to work out, THAT was definitely it!!!! |
But I didn’t. And it could have been MUCH worse, both in how much I ate and my choice of comfort aids. Some turn to alcohol or smoking or even drugs. I know a lot of people end up needing medicated to handle such high-stress times. (Which, by the way, I TOTALLY understand.)
Chocolate doesn’t seem so bad of a coping mechanism when I look at it that way!!
I’ve tried, partially successfully, in the past year or so to lose some. I’d go up and down and honestly, I just wasn’t ready yet. I was still figuring out how to cope with this new normal God has given our family, and my weight was just not an issue I had the mental capacity to address with any kind of success.
But… it’s time. I NEED to feel better about myself. I NEED to be healthier.
And honestly, it’s a lot about that. My daughter and I were talking about this last night, in fact. I’m realizing that I see and label myself (mostly jokingly but, honestly, I was serious) as fat WAY too often in front of them.
In our discussion, I told her (and myself) that the excess fat on my body that jiggles in way I DO NOT like… and the number on the scale that needs to have some extreme double-digit subtractions going on… those things aren’t the problem.
They are a symptom of the problem.
The PROBLEM could be lots of things, and probably IS lots of things. Unhealthy eating… not enough exercise…. medical issues… depression… These are all problems. Symptoms could be low energy, excess weight, flabby stomach, weak heart, bad health, low weight… those are all things that those problems CAUSE.
I am very guilty of focusing on the symptoms. Mostly because it’s what I see, and what I don’t like, and what I want to fix. I’m not one of those who LOVES to exercise. In fact, I kinda hate it, so I probably never will be in love with it. But I can learn to enjoy it… can remind myself that it is GOOD for me and a GOOD example for my kids.
And I know that I’m a horribly unhealthy eater. Can they, like, hypnotize someone and make them love vegetables and hate brownies????? But I can start to say no to bad things… eat in moderation… and start making some healthier eating choices. This doesn’t mean we can never splurge… because… well. I’ll be honest. My name is Krista, and I like McDonald’s Chicken Nuggets from time to time. Even though they do come from pink goo or whatever….
Here is the thing I am learning. I need to do what is right for ME. I LOVE hearing others weight loss stories and how they got healthier. I’m a super fan of The Biggest Loser. But we all lead different lifestyles. Have different taste buds. Different time schedules. Different likes and dislikes. What I’m doing this time is listening to all the advice I receive, and figuring out what can WORK for me… so it can be more than a temporary fix that I can only keep up for a moment… it can be a lifestyle change. And if I try something and it fails… I’ll just try something else instead of giving up. (What usually happens…)
My current method is counting calories. My hubby and I do this together… because if one of us is counting and the other isn’t… it makes it hard to stay good!! It also allows me to “cheat” now and then and eat something that might not be great… but if I DO… it’s much less I have to eat. So I usually make sure my calories are WORTH me eating! I’m also trying to limit my pop intake (I know, I know, I need to ABOLISH it… this is another topic for another day!) But again… the more pop I drink, the less food I get to eat. So it is incentive to grab that calorie free water instead!
I’m also making a HUGE effort to exercise more. Talking walks with my family so they can get exercise too, taking the kids to the park more, doing a weekly Zumba with a few friends from church (lives may be lost if cameras are used….) and working out at the rec center in town, as well as taking the kids swimming there this summer. These are all things I haven’t been great at doing in the past (or because of Annabelle, hadn’t been able to before now.) But now she is a bit older and MUCH more stable… Momma can get out more. And this is GOOD!
I’m also doing some fun low-stakes fitness challenges with friends to try to help motivate! I am ALL about motivation and losing weight with friends!
So, there it is. My “big” not-quite-so-fat Quest. Trying to attack the PROBLEMS that caused my excess flab (fab visual there, I know…) in the first place… and hoping for results!:-)
I’ll check in every now and again and let you know how it is going!!
Anyone else on a similar quest… or want to be?
Hubby and I use the myfitnesspal.com app to track our calories… so if you’re on there, feel free to be my “friend” and we can encourage each other! My “name” is easy…. kristaphillips!
Myfitnesspal rocks! I used it for a couple months at the beginning of this year, then got to be so healthy that I don't need to use it any more. No joke. Like seriously, my eating habits have improved WAY much. (Incorrect grammar…)
I had Lyme disease for 6 years (and as a 20 year old, that's a long time), and it was really a long progress to be healed. One of the big things our doctor commanded us to do is change up our diet (even though I never really ate too unhealthfully…)
Our whole family began the quest to eat healthier and now we thrive on veggies (mostly fresh), meat and fruit as well as nuts and seeds. Oh yes, and some spices and olive oil and for a special treat… Butter! Yum!
I'm thrilled to say that I'm now over Lyme disease (although my body is still in the healing process), but eating healthy as helped so, so, so much!
I haven't had sugar at all this year (I mean, I've had things that had sugar like salad dressing – before I got strict with what I eat- but nothing like even a bite of cake, etc…) And the only times that I actually miss sugar is when I'm really, really tired.
All in all, I also lost almost 20 pounds (which is basically all I need to lose, although another five pounds would be nice). Anyway, this was way more info I've as of yet shared on the Internet about this kind of thing, but I thought maybe it would help encourage you to keep going! You can do it! Be strong! And me oh my goodness, don't give up on the Myfitnesspal, it really is a huge help!
Enough for hugely long comments. =)
Aidyl
I've been on again off again with my Fitness pal… but usually it is a vacation or holiday that trips me up! I'm "on" again at the moment and LOVE IT!!!
Congrats on a new healthy lifestyle!!! You're doing amazing!!
I was in the same boat – 4 kids, 4 angel babies, not enough time in the day – and realized that I had to make some changes. I've lost 30lbs so far, & these are the things that helped me.
Made to Crave by Lysa TerKeurst. An amazing book, about how women were created to crave God, but so often turn to food in those times. It also focuses on caring for your body because that's what God wants you to do. There's a daily devotion book, too.
Shakeology. Kind of expensive, but I figured if I was going to spend that much money/month on something, I darn well better make other changes too, like diet & exercise. I drink it for breakfast (the chocolate is delicious with skim milk, frozen banana, & a spoonful of natural peanut butter) & have so much more energy. It also reduced my cravings for other things. I thought I was crazy & it was all in my head, but I made my husband try it too & he said the same thing. (you can check out http://www.myshakeology.com/triciabrown11 if you want more info on it)
I had to find time to exercise where I wouldn't be constantly interrupted by my little ones. I know I won't exercise at the end of the day, & it was fine to say I'd do it at naptime, but then I'd get busy with other stuff, and so…5am it is. It took about 3 weeks before I wasn't dragging & it became a habit. My husband gets up & works out with me then, too, & that makes it much easier.
Goals/rewards – I set little goals for myself & outlined a reward for each. A kindle book, a pedicure, new sneakers, etc.
Myfitnesspal is a great tool. I have to start using it again…!!!
Good luck – know that you're not alone!!
Little goals are awesome!!!! I haven't been doing enough of that for myself, I think. But most of my incentive has been "lose weight so you can buy clothes that fit you!" but before vacation, I decided to go ahead and buy some because I was SO INCREDIBLY tired of wearing things that made me feel like crap.
And you know what? After I bought them, I FELT better about myself… and thus wanted to exercise more. It made me want to lose more weight to KEEP feeling better about myself. I guess positive motivation works well for me!
KP, I'm with you. Every time you've had a challenge, I've said, "I'm with you!" and every time you've fizzled out, I've fizzled out too. (Not BECAUSE you did, but WITH you. I have GREAT intentions, just not so much follow through….) Anyway, if there is anyone on Earth who can understand your weight thing, it's me. I have about 150 excess pounds on me. I have flab EVERYWHERE, so I totally need to do something about it. I'm also feeling really bad too, so I have started making a few changes. My first change has been to eat IN more. I was a big, "I'm tired. Let's run through the drive-thru" kind of mom. Now, I'm trying desperately to limit that. Aside from a church ladies get breakfast at Cracker Barrel, I haven't eaten out, hmmm…, at least since my birthday! YAY! (That's better than I thought!)
I second Made to Crave. Lysa is AMAZING!
I like myfitnesspal also, but I haven't been on there in a long time. I might just have to come find you!
By the way, the goal I made right before my birthday is to be 104 pounds lighter by my next birthday. That's 2 pounds per week. I lost four in week one, so I'm trying to convince myself that that does NOT mean I have a free pass this week! 🙂
You can do it. 🙂
You and me, girl, you and me. We're gonna do this!!!!
I'm right there with you, Krista. I drink way too much Diet Coke and I totally think its affecting my sleeping patterns. And I have a tendency to snack at night and I definitely see a pattern between stressful times in my life and my weight. I really need to change some habits.
That is so great that you exercised every day on your vacation. What a great start and maybe because you did it on vacation, you associate it will fun now?? I'm like you I HATE exercise.
I also loved Made to Crave.
Not sure I associate it with fun now… but I like how it makes me feel, and so I'm trying to grasp onto that and keep up that "good" feeling!
Yay! So proud of you, girlie! I promise, exercise will become addicting the more you do it. Those endorphins are no joke. 🙂
I doubt I'll ever be addicted like I am to Dr Pepper and chocolate covered caramel… but I think eventually I'll get to like it a bit more:-)
Hey, YOU and I need to start sending stuff again!!! I miss your crits and reading your stuff!!!!
My son works at mcalister deli and sometimes he will bring me home treats like chocolate spoon cake! So bad for me!! I took up running having never ran in my life. I love it and after 3 years i am still doing it. It is more sporadic now because of schedules but i crave it like chocolate. Also enter a race like a color run or something with your older girls. They will love it and it will motivate you! My kids love doing runs with me. My 16yo son just did a mud run with me and my 14 yo will do the half marathon With me next year.