LOL. I used to use that line all of the time before I started losing weight. Never mind that the only thing that was shrinking was my supply of sugared treats. This last week I put on one of my workout tank tops and it hugged my middle showing every roll of extra skin and what's that? FAT!
I stepped on the scale and paid attention for the first time in a while. I had been watching it creep up, but the number awaiting me was a call to action - 163. That's what I weighed Sunday morning. That is not o.k. I would loved to have lied to myself and blamed the dryer or 'putting on muscle', but really, where would that get me?
Instead I walked in the kitchen and made a peanut butter/chocolate pound cake. What?! It was for my Mom's birthday, it was actually Tuesday, but we were celebrating it as part of our usual Sunday get-together. It was decadent and damn tasty and it was my last sugar for the sake of sugar moment until my birthday next month.
After realizing I had put on 11 pounds over the 152 I had been maintaining and 15 pounds over my lowest weight, I was disgusted with myself. And before anyone tells me not to be hard on myself, realize this - I know what got me to 260 pounds and I was doing it again. I was eating too much AND to much sugar and fat.
When trainer Traci and I talked about the eating thing on Tuesday she said, "You have to get back to eating healthy foods." I moped with shame and admitted, "I have been eating healthy, I've just been eating junk on top of it. So all of the calories of the fruits veggies, whole grains and lean proteins get combined with the calories of the junk. It means I am simply overeating."
Those words are hard for me to write, but they confirm something I have said all along - I am recovering from obesity, there is no cure. Like alcoholics I sometimes crave a pill that would truly help me stay healthy, but I know it's not really about the food - it's about the behaviour surrounding the food.
The past few months I had become a 'secret eater' again. Fat filled crap doesn't count if you eat it in the car where no one can see you, right? You can have the three cookies if you eat your carrots. If people in the office don't see me down that second piece of birthday cake, they'll still respect me. You see, it's a sickness. It's an addiction.
You find yourself bargaining your way into that bag of 100 calorie chips, it's only 100 calories. But when you add into that the handful of M&Ms you had and the cookie you will have and the treat from Starbuck's that's standing in as your 'second breakfast' and the protein shake you 'should have' after your workout and the two servings of the entree and... And I think you get the point, gluttony is realized.
The other thing I really impress upon people is that being healthy is a lifestyle change. You can't just do it for a while and then go back to what you were doing - that's a diet and diets don't work. No, you have to maintain your healthier habits for life. Yes, you can have sweets once in a while - but it truly has to be rare and controlled. Half the cake when nobody is looking is still half a cake.
So I really was, until a couple of months ago, shrinking my clothes in the dryer. My pants size was between 10 and 12 and I need them snugger. Well, check that off my list, they are definitely snugger. Now, I have to shrink me back into them and I will.
On Monday I cut my calories to about 1,400 a day. The current plan is:
Breakfast: small bowl of high-protein/fiber cereal w/ skim milk
Coffee: skim milk, drizzle of cream, Splenda
Morning snacks: Several small portions of fruit to keep my blood sugar up, if it drops too far, I will be starving at my next meal and prone to over eat
Lunch: Yogurt, fruit, carrots
Afternoon snack: Something high protein and fruit
Dinner: big salad, big bunch of veggies, reasonable entree
Dessert: strawberries with teaspoon+ of vanilla sugar.
I have been lacking energy lately, but by mid-afternoon yesterday my energy was picking back up. Just three days in and I am seeing results in how I feel and I have lost 2 pounds. Amazing what happens when you do what you are supposed to do.
But this time, when I get back down to 148, I am not going to let myself plateau. This time I am going to take my body fat to where I want it to be and then I can look at maintenance. No more of this standing on the edge of the shore, dangling a toe crap, it's time to dive in and finish the race.
Yours in health, Kate
Showing posts with label body fat. Show all posts
Showing posts with label body fat. Show all posts
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Friday, August 8, 2008
Walk from Obesity
(As promised yesterday...)
My short-term goal is to get my body fat within striking distance of a maintenance point before September 27th. Why? So I don't end up feeling like a big hypocrite when I go speak at the "Walk from Obesity".
I was invited some months ago to speak at this annual walk. It acts as a fundraiser/ educational event to help people who suffer from obesity. It's a chance for overweight people to come together and find another way to live. It is sponsored by the bariatrics department at Iowa Health, so they talk a lot about bypass surgeries. But they also talk about other options, including the one I took.
I interviewed the organizers last year before the walk for a talk show I do called "Information Iowa". I was very skeptical because I was concerned it was one big commercial for surgery. I consider bypass and lap band procedures to be the absolute, unequivocal, LAST resort for people. I want proof from anyone who claims to have 'tried to lose weight a million times' really has before they face going under a knife and possibly dying.
So when they invited me to speak, I was humbled and flattered and jumped immediately. Not because I like having my ego fed, but because this is a chance to do what I have made part of my mission since having success in weight loss - inspire others.
However, as I get ready to head to the Iowa State Fair for what will be my "off" day this week, I am facing the fact that I have not been as diligent as I need to be. My healthy eating has been held down by too much sugar and fat for several months now. I still eat the healthy things and workout, but I could be rid of the remaining fat if I would stay out of the cookies.
So, I have set a schedule to meet with trainer Traci every two weeks between now and the end of September. I am making the effort to put in longer workouts. I will get near 19% body fat by the walk. Then I will maintain it.
At that point I will feel like I can stand before a hundreds of people and talk about my recovery from obesity. I can tell my story and not feel like a liar. I tell people to eat healthy and know that I have rededicated myself. I can Walk from Obesity too.
Yours in health, Kate
My short-term goal is to get my body fat within striking distance of a maintenance point before September 27th. Why? So I don't end up feeling like a big hypocrite when I go speak at the "Walk from Obesity".
I was invited some months ago to speak at this annual walk. It acts as a fundraiser/ educational event to help people who suffer from obesity. It's a chance for overweight people to come together and find another way to live. It is sponsored by the bariatrics department at Iowa Health, so they talk a lot about bypass surgeries. But they also talk about other options, including the one I took.
I interviewed the organizers last year before the walk for a talk show I do called "Information Iowa". I was very skeptical because I was concerned it was one big commercial for surgery. I consider bypass and lap band procedures to be the absolute, unequivocal, LAST resort for people. I want proof from anyone who claims to have 'tried to lose weight a million times' really has before they face going under a knife and possibly dying.
So when they invited me to speak, I was humbled and flattered and jumped immediately. Not because I like having my ego fed, but because this is a chance to do what I have made part of my mission since having success in weight loss - inspire others.
However, as I get ready to head to the Iowa State Fair for what will be my "off" day this week, I am facing the fact that I have not been as diligent as I need to be. My healthy eating has been held down by too much sugar and fat for several months now. I still eat the healthy things and workout, but I could be rid of the remaining fat if I would stay out of the cookies.
So, I have set a schedule to meet with trainer Traci every two weeks between now and the end of September. I am making the effort to put in longer workouts. I will get near 19% body fat by the walk. Then I will maintain it.
At that point I will feel like I can stand before a hundreds of people and talk about my recovery from obesity. I can tell my story and not feel like a liar. I tell people to eat healthy and know that I have rededicated myself. I can Walk from Obesity too.
Yours in health, Kate
Saturday, July 26, 2008
Bring on the Muscle
I trained with Traci a week and a half ago. We did my measurements. I have (no surprise here) put on a couple of pounds since my last weigh-in. I wasn't shocked because the last month has been rough. I have been honest here that stress and covering the floods really messed with my eating habits.
The odd thing was the fat test - the caliper said 17%, the electricity said 26%. Okay. 17% would be phenomenal, but lower then I would really want to be, because women need 18% or more body fat or your girl things start getting out of whack. 26% would be acceptable and healthy, but not anywhere near where I want to be.
Two oddities came to light here - 1. my other measurements were smaller (waist, thighs and pinch locations), so the caliper would appear right; 2. I might have been a little dehydrated, so the electric one may not have worked.
The gist of it is, there is only one absolute way to know how much fat is on your body - (within 2-3%) and that's a Dual-energy X-ray. It is mainly used for bone density, but it looks at your entire body make-up at the same time. I have called my doctor about getting one. Not only do I want to know my body fat, but two years of changing my eating habits has left me curious about how it may have affected my bone density.
Overall what this all says is, I need to be careful what I put in my body. Pathetic that after two years I need to be reminded of that. But I believe I am a recovering obese person and like recovering alcoholics, you are never cured, you simple continue to recover and dealing with your addiction gets easier over time. As I have mentioned before however, eating is the worst addiction of all - you can't just give it up cold turkey, it will kill you.
The other thing this reinforces is that muscle building is muy importante. I need to keep piling on the muscles to - 1. burn more calories, 2. protect my bones, 3. be strong.
Now I just need to write one of these entries entitled "Bring on the Protein". I don't get enough and it's hard to 'bring on the muscle' without it. Oh well, like everything else in life, it's a work in progress.
Yours in fitness, Kate
The odd thing was the fat test - the caliper said 17%, the electricity said 26%. Okay. 17% would be phenomenal, but lower then I would really want to be, because women need 18% or more body fat or your girl things start getting out of whack. 26% would be acceptable and healthy, but not anywhere near where I want to be.
Two oddities came to light here - 1. my other measurements were smaller (waist, thighs and pinch locations), so the caliper would appear right; 2. I might have been a little dehydrated, so the electric one may not have worked.
The gist of it is, there is only one absolute way to know how much fat is on your body - (within 2-3%) and that's a Dual-energy X-ray. It is mainly used for bone density, but it looks at your entire body make-up at the same time. I have called my doctor about getting one. Not only do I want to know my body fat, but two years of changing my eating habits has left me curious about how it may have affected my bone density.
Overall what this all says is, I need to be careful what I put in my body. Pathetic that after two years I need to be reminded of that. But I believe I am a recovering obese person and like recovering alcoholics, you are never cured, you simple continue to recover and dealing with your addiction gets easier over time. As I have mentioned before however, eating is the worst addiction of all - you can't just give it up cold turkey, it will kill you.
The other thing this reinforces is that muscle building is muy importante. I need to keep piling on the muscles to - 1. burn more calories, 2. protect my bones, 3. be strong.
Now I just need to write one of these entries entitled "Bring on the Protein". I don't get enough and it's hard to 'bring on the muscle' without it. Oh well, like everything else in life, it's a work in progress.
Yours in fitness, Kate
Thursday, April 10, 2008
BMI My Butt
5' 4" + 150 pounds = 25.7 = "Overweight". Well, yes and NO.
Those are my stats according to the lovely tool - here.
The site also answers what BMI (Body Mass Index) is:
"The BMI is a measure of your weight relative to your height and waist circumference measures abdominal fat. Combining these with information about your additional risk factors yields your risk for developing obesity-associated diseases."
Here are how they breakdown:
Underweight = <18.5
Normal weight = 18.5-24.9 - Where you want to be.
Overweight = 25-29.9 - My current rating claims this.
Obesity = BMI of 30 or greater
Another one they do not show (and where I started) - Morbidly Obese = BMI of 40 or greater.
That my BMI says I am overweight has been bugging me for a while. Then I found a spot on this site that says:
"{The calculator) may overestimate body fat in athletes and others who have a muscular build."
And there it is. I knew that, but I wanted it in writing and the National Institutes of Health have been kind enough to do just that.
You see this simple calculator takes only weight and height into account. Not the endless hours I have spent in the gym proudly packing on muscle. My recent fat measurement tells a much truer story. My body fat is 21.3%. Very healthy, in fact, athletic, which is where I have wanted to be along.
So, the point of my post is: One number does not tell the whole story. You have to bring together many numbers to be clearer on where your health really sits. Do your research and you will know what your real plan should be.
Yours in health, Kate
Those are my stats according to the lovely tool - here.
The site also answers what BMI (Body Mass Index) is:
"The BMI is a measure of your weight relative to your height and waist circumference measures abdominal fat. Combining these with information about your additional risk factors yields your risk for developing obesity-associated diseases."
Here are how they breakdown:
Underweight = <18.5
Normal weight = 18.5-24.9 - Where you want to be.
Overweight = 25-29.9 - My current rating claims this.
Obesity = BMI of 30 or greater
Another one they do not show (and where I started) - Morbidly Obese = BMI of 40 or greater.
That my BMI says I am overweight has been bugging me for a while. Then I found a spot on this site that says:
"{The calculator) may overestimate body fat in athletes and others who have a muscular build."
And there it is. I knew that, but I wanted it in writing and the National Institutes of Health have been kind enough to do just that.
You see this simple calculator takes only weight and height into account. Not the endless hours I have spent in the gym proudly packing on muscle. My recent fat measurement tells a much truer story. My body fat is 21.3%. Very healthy, in fact, athletic, which is where I have wanted to be along.
So, the point of my post is: One number does not tell the whole story. You have to bring together many numbers to be clearer on where your health really sits. Do your research and you will know what your real plan should be.
Yours in health, Kate
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