Two months ago today, on January 17th, I got my wake-up call and thus began my… what? My New Life? My Healthy Journey? I keep trying to think of how to describe it. I think I shall call it my Turnaround. Also Turnover. I began turning over all of my old habits, thoughts, fears, activities (and lack of) and really trying to examine what got me to that point. It’s been a very busy two months.
Here’s my little self-assessment after two months have passed. In the tradition of the maddening “narrative progress reports” that my kids used to bring home from school, because the poor little darlings were’t thought to have enough self esteem for letter grades:
What’s Going Well:
- Well, I’ve actually lost 16 lbs! That’s no small potatoes. And I intend to keep going. I’ve been through a plateau or two, and a day or two of discouragement, but the trend is steadily downward. And that can’t help be encouraging.
- I haven’t had a major bout of Emotional Eating since Jan 17th. I can’t even describe how shocked, incredulous and frankly moved I am by this. Previously I would not have thought this possible. I truly have found ways in which to ride out the emotions, write them out or talk them through. And they have passed. In the many times that I’ve dieted in the past, THIS part was never really addressed. So it’s huge. HUGE, I tell you.
- I am pretty happy most hours of most days. Which I can say has not been true for YEARS. I mean, I used to have some happy moments in what were either “regular” blah or downright bad-feeling days. NOW, I have moments of absolute ECSTASY within days that are mostly happy or at least content, with little blasts of unhappiness now and then. I don’t know whether to attribute this to the endorphins from exercising, to the fact that it just feels comfortable and nicer to be smaller and fitter, or the fact that I am channeling my emotions properly rather than using food. Probably ALL of the above.
- Most importantly, I think I am improving my health. I have been able to discontinue my blood pressure medication that I have been on for over five years. I think I’m going to have more improvements when I next see my doctor in April. I’m moving in the right direction.
What is Going Better But Could Be Improved:
- Low-level anxiety that This Cannot Possibly Last.
- Insecure in my new habits (this is echo of first point)
- Probably too much focus on the scale
What Needs Major Improvement:
- Eating breakfast. I’m getting tired of eggs, not wild about many other breakfast foods, etc. I KNOW it is the most important meal and that it jump starts your metabolism and all that! I really need to work on this one. I am going to experiment with eating lunchy/dinnerish foods in the morning and see if that helps any.
- (more echo of point one) “Breakfast like a queen, lunch like a duchess and dinner like a pauper.” This is what I’ve read repeatedly but still dinner is THE MAIN EVENT around our house. I wonder how much it would help if I could actually implement this style of eating. We did eat like this in Latin America, where the main meal is at noon, then dinner was more like what we’d call a “snack.” And I did lose 26 lbs while living in Central America, but that was probably the hard labor and turista. 🙂
Conclusion: All in all, things are going shockingly well. I have to say that I am cautiously optimistic. But nervous, you know, because I’ve never done this before.
March 17, 2009 at 6:43 pm
You are awesome! Keep going (it’s what I say to friends and to myself when it comes to novel writing, too). 🙂 🙂 🙂
p.s. thanks to u, i have no more chocolate cravings.
March 17, 2009 at 6:54 pm
Awesome! Woo hoo! Losing 16 pounds in two months is no small feat — so be proud. You’re on the right track. Just stay focused & motivated. Just like anything in life!
March 17, 2009 at 7:43 pm
You are so amazing! Congratulations on all your many successes on this journey.
PS I’m reading ZOE as well — and typing up lots of notes (so far 5/6 of the way through reading has led to 14 pages of notes).
And I ordered 5 instead of 10 of those books I really wanted about cooking, nutrition, emotions and losing weight. A mini-book binge… Still working on this stuff!
March 17, 2009 at 9:06 pm
p.s. 16 pounds in 8 weeks is awe inspiring. It blows my mind! I am very very proud of you. We will be here to keep cheering you on.
March 17, 2009 at 9:09 pm
Thanks you guys. Now what will be TRULY awesome and amazing is if I am still here a year from now, in the same or better shape. Now THAT would be miraculous.
March 17, 2009 at 10:11 pm
Wow! This is a great two month wrap-up! I’m impressed – you’ve done so well at tackling the tough stuff, and you have such tangible results, too.
My one-month results are abysmal. I need to step up and cultivate some of the passion you’re bringing to your turnaround.
By the way, breakfast does nothing for me. Hate the foods, hate taking the time, but, yes, need some fuel. I have soy milk and about a cup of some frozen vegetable that I microwave (often corn with lime juice) (no nutrition to speak of, but tasty).
My big meal is a large salad at lunch. It’s not really “big” the way a US American dinner is, but it’s big in terms of volume, and it’s the meal that takes the longest to eat. It’s also the one I look forward to most. (Maybe because of that breakfast?)
Dinner is smaller in terms of what’s actually on the plate – maybe four ounces of fish (which I do eat a few times a week, although I’m otherwise vegetarian) and roasted vegetables, or something similar. We eat late, and the lighter evening meal also pays off in better sleep.
March 18, 2009 at 12:37 am
Congrats on all your progress!
Sometimes I eat lunch/dinner foods for breakfast, and I have found that I really like eating breakfast foods for dessert!
March 18, 2009 at 1:05 pm
What a great post and what a great job that you are doing. You really have learned and come a long way on this new journey/turnaround that you have done. I especially like point 2 you made about how you ride out your emotions. Eating is not the solution. For me it has been and I don’t like that. I need to change my thinking and I got a lot out of how you do it. Writing about it and verbalizing it is such a more productive way. Thanks so much for sharing that.
Also Congrats for being able to get off your medication. That has to feel awesome. 🙂
March 18, 2009 at 1:56 pm
Wow! That is amazing and enviable progress. I think what jumped out at me the most was the medication. That’s incredible! It’s a *real* example of what weight and lack of exercise does to our bodies.
Very motivating!
March 18, 2009 at 3:56 pm
Congrats on all your successes! You should be very proud of yourself! 😀
Getting off medication is always a big deal too!
March 18, 2009 at 4:27 pm
You have done so well, losing 16 pounds already! Great post – love the self-evaluation!
March 18, 2009 at 7:10 pm
Yay! 16#s!!
What about crustless quiche for breakfast?
– mary