Weight Loss Part 2

For my last weight loss blog entry I discussed how I changed my eating habits. This entry will focus on exercise and maintenance.

I learned very quickly that daily exercise is very important. After I had my hysterectomy it took me quite awhile to get moving. I don’t even think I started walking until mid December of 2008. When I did start walking it would take me about thirty minutes to complete a mile. I actually only started out walking a half a mile at a time as that is all my body would allow me to do. Every week I gradually increased my distance by one lap at the track. Next thing I knew I was at one and a half miles.

It was at this point where I started jogging. It’s actually quite funny…I would walk two laps then jog one …walk two laps then jog one. Then I would walk one…jog one…and so on. As I did this I gradually increased my distance. When I hit about the three mile mark I decided to train for a Half Marathon. I used the Hal Higdon training schedule as my guide for training:

(http://www.halhigdon.com/halfmarathon/index.htm).

I did not follow it exactly. I didn’t do any of the strength training he recommended. If I train for another Half Marathon I would incorporate the strength training as it will help with time. I didn’t do it then because I wasn’t sure how to go about creating a strength training program and I didn’t really have the time to research it.

As I trained for the Half Marathon the miles that I ran increased. There were several short runs and one long run every week. Towards the end I was running/walking about 25-30 miles a week. The shorter runs I was able to run most of and the longer ones I would walk fast/jog about equal distance.

I think the key here is setting a goal and being consistent. With the right diet and regular exercise the weight will come off. Habits are hard to change but once they are changed they are easy to keep. You won’t feel miserable forever. You will start to notice that your body actually craves foods that are good for you and it will crave exercise too.

I will admit I have not done much running since I have been here in Germany. However, as soon as I am recovered from all my surgeries and given the “all clear” to exercise, I will be adding it once again to my daily schedule. I feel so much better when I do.

As far as weight maintenance…I wish I could help there. I actually have no clue how I have kept my weight off. Although I have not totally reverted back to my old eating habits I have once again started eating desserts, candy and rich foods. I live in a country that when you go out to eat one portion can feed the whole family…LOL! I eat about one third of what is given to me and either share the rest with someone in my family or I take the rest home and eat it for another two meals. The only thing that I can think of is I now eat breakfast EVERY morning; I can’t function without eating breakfast. I didn’t eat breakfast for twenty years. I’ve always heard that breakfast is the most important meal of the day and I fully believe that now. Just make sure you eat something that is healthy and the right portion size.

I hope this has helped. Best of luck to everyone!! You CAN do it!!!

Picture below is the first professional picture I had done since I lost my weight...it is my "after" picture :). I'm sure most of you have seen it on FaceBook. My "before" picture is on the "Weight Loss Part 1" post.

Weight Loss Part 1

Ok…so here is the weight loss post as promised. Well, part one at least…LOL! As I mentioned a few weeks back I was celebrating a year of keeping my weight off. I had lost 50lbs and went from a size 16 to a size 8 from Sept 2008 to March 2009. I wish the answer to how I lost it was simple, but it really isn’t. I don’t actually have a precise answer. All I can do is share what I did to lose the weight and what I think is the reason why I have kept it off.


I’m not sure how many of you know this or not, but I had a hysterectomy in Sept of 2008. A few weeks after my surgery, someone asked me if I had been losing weight. My answer was, “Not that I know of.” Later that night I got on the scale at home to see if I had and I saw that I had lost 18 pounds without even trying. I know…not exactly what you wanted to hear…18lbs WITHOUT EVEN TRYING. Actually, I should say without consciously trying. After my surgery, it took me several weeks to regain my appetite. So…in reality…I had cut back on my food consumption and this had caused my stomach to shrink and decreased my caloric intake.

I also had to change my diet due to some other health issues I had been having. I’m still dealing with these same issues today . I cut out all sodas, candy, and chips for over a year. Foods like pizza, lasagnas, and casseroles…I still do not eat these items. I also cut out most processed foods and fast food items. Now I can’t stand eating at fast food places. I prefer a Caesar Salad over a Burger any day. You are probably thinking, “Well what in the world did you eat then?” Yeah…let’s just say that I only ate because I had to not because I wanted to.

It was at this point where I thought, “Well…I’ve lost 18lbs let’s see how much more weight I can lose.” So…I started Weight Watchers with my next door neighbor. Let me just say that I never thought of this as a diet. I had noticed that Weight Watchers actually had a lot of foods/recipes that I could eat AND make for the whole family. They have some really cool cookbooks!! Weight Watchers is not really a diet at all; it is a lifestyle CHANGE. Weight Watchers taught me about portion sizes, caloric intake needs, and regular exercise. No…they did not pay me to say this…LOL! The thing about Weight Watchers is that you can eat whatever you want but you have to stay within your allotted point range. You learn real quickly what foods to eat and what foods not to eat. For example a small order of fries from McDonalds is 11 points. When you only get 22 points a day, do you really want to allot half of your food points for the day on fries? No way!!! You’ll be starving the rest of the day.

So…the first thing that I did was change my eating habits. Basically, I went to whole food meals and kept track of my portion sizes. Most people do not realize what portion sizes really are and often fulfill their caloric intake for the day in one meal. I wrote down and logged EVERYTHING I ate and drank every day. And here is something that will make you smile; I ate ALL day long. Breakfast...snack…lunch…snack…dinner…snack…AND 6-8 bottles of water a day. The key is to stick with it. I weighed myself once a week. Some weeks I did not lose any weight, others I lost several pounds. The pounds add up and one day it’s like, “Oh my goodness….I’ve lost 20lbs!!!”

I hope this helps. There are two other areas that I will write about shortly, exercise and maintenance. This first post is just a teaser as I have to head to bed; big day tomorrow…surgery #2.

Btw…an awesome website that is FREE and is similar to Weight Watchers is www.sparkpeople.com. This program is very comparable to Weight Watchers and there are no fees to use it; a great place to start researching while I am recouping and writing the next post.


Also...below is a picture of my face close to when I was at my heaviest.  I weighed about 20 lbs more when I was at my heaviest than what you see in this picture.  It may look familiar to some of you as it is also on my Facebook page.