Sunday, November 2, 2008

This Kind of Loss I Like!

...weight loss, oh YEAH!

My body and I, we're pretty forgiving of one another...we've been through a lot together and due to that fact, many years ago I determined I would be kinder to it and decided to stick to the resolution of Never Dieting Again, Ever.

And I've stuck to that.

Dieting put me on a crazy cycle of...something...that just never worked for me and instead made me very very concious of eating, in all the wrong ways. You just don't fix a food fixation by creating further fixation.

Now I realize there are a lot of things that are so normal about the way I eat. Sometimes emotions trigger a longing for comfort foods, sometimes we include foods in celebration. A lot of folks think both of these need to be banished, but I've always thought there are powerful connections there we can't ignore.

A few things I have tried to become more aware of, and more deliberate about:

1. My body must be maintained via what it needs than rather through what I think I want as far as instant gratification
2. I need to treat my body, and its limitations, with respect
3. My body does not define who I am
4. My body does affect nearly all I do
5. My body responds well to careful attention
6. Stress must be examined and dealt with constructively, or my body will become ill
7. I need adequate rest, water, movement, and sunlight

As I've gone about my Un-Diet, here are some facts personal to me that I've come to realize:

1. When I cook at home, we eat better
2. I no longer care to look young, look like someone else, or dress for success
3. I would like to be able to wear whatever I like and make cute homemade skirts and tops. Someday I hope to be a size where I can do that
4. My weight issues prevent me from enjoying many activities I've always wanted to be free to do. This does not discourage me...it keeps goals in my mind's eye as incentive to treat my body well for the longterm.
5. I love milk, hot homemade bread, real butter, real foods. I have learned that any of these is so enjoyable that I don't need much of it to satisfy me.
6. Vegetables...if I will cook them homemade (or serve some raw) it infinately rounds out my eating to be much more satisfying and reduces my cravings
7. If I'll eat real foods, I will not fixate on food
8. Since I've become diabetic, I seldom crave sweets...weird, huh?
9. Kombucha has cut my cravings down to nil, keeps me detoxed, and has speeded up my weight loss...with no other changes having been tried. I FEEL BETTER now after drinking it each day for a month. Sometimes, I have no craving for it, so I don't drink it. Some days I have to have glass after glass of it, always over ice.

I've got a long road ahead for my ultimate weight loss goal. I've done it before, and know it can be done by doing one thing: the right thing, long enough...that's it!

I'll be adding in alphalipoic acid and biotin at minimum dosage levels for additional blood sugar support. We continue to supplement with regular dietary addition of fresh gynura procumbens "diabetes plant" leaves.

All of this is leading somewhere...

I'm at the cusp of an important number in my weight loss..you know, one of those numbers that represents a big hurdle...an ugly number that must be gotten past. I'm 4 pounds shy of passing that number, big Yay!! As of the beginning of this year, I've now lost a total 14 lbs. I've lost it without dieting, though with some deliberate changes, and am really hoping to be passing one of those landmark Big Ugly Numbers after the next 4 lbs.

This past week, I lost 2 lbs (included in above total)...a big surprise!

There are three things which may have contributed --

1. We're drinking a lot less milk since the prices are so high, though I'm not limiting it in cooking
2. I'm drinking a LOT of kombucha daily
3. I'm cooking at home for nearly every meal


I'm not sure which of these, or which combination is the biggest factor(s), but Yay!! I'll keep on trucking

Just posting this since any downward trend in the weight numbers is really a good thing at this point :)

9 comments:

Amanda said...

CONGRATS! WAY TO GO! KEEP IT UP...

Rita said...

Hey, thanks for such a good list. We have started eating at home a lot more almost all the time. The main reason. Rudeness! Waitresses and people are in general rude. I have made it a practice to leave a nice tip sometimes $5.00 for the small meals my daughter and I have when eating out. I'm tired of the two of us walking in and being seated in the worst place when no one else is there and it is not a rush time. If I kindly ask to be seated elsewhere I am remembered and put in some crummy spot the next time. So we have been eating at home even if the meal is one of the most simple. I like people and enjoy eating out but hey I'll have cereal at home if people insist on being rude. Thanks for letting me share.

Anonymous said...

Yeee Haaaa!!!! Way to go.... Dieting never works.... It is about doing the right things.... Sometimes I get so worked up for eating "bad" that I punish myself by eating more "bad" things. Keep up the good work. Take care ...
Christina

MamaHen said...

Congrats on your weight loss Robbyn! even though it may not seem like alot to you, that is quite an accomplishment. I'm rooting for your continued success.

Nola said...

You go girl! Eating right is a total commitment (says me, although I don't always do it)! Even though I enjoy eating out, it is so much healthier to eat at home; you know exactly what is in your food and YOU can control the portion size. Keep up the good work!

Throwback at Trapper Creek said...

Congratulations you! That is great,and I appreciate your list of your struggles with food. We all have them, and it is sometimes so hard to overcome.

thanks for being so frank, and again CONGRATULATIONS.

It's me said...

Hurray for you!!!

:)

Anonymous said...

mazel tov on honoring your body!

Ottawa Gardener said...

I'm glad to hear about your undiet success. Growing and cooking your own food really does make a for a healthier body, I believe, as it burns a lot more calories! At any rate, it sure does does better.