Thursday, November 8, 2012

One Year Anniversary


It has been one year this week that my daughter Rachel kicked off my weight loss journey by striking a deal with me that she would cook for me and I could only eat what she put in front of me (see http://busymomofnine.blogspot.com/2012/03/my-weight-loss-journey.html).  One year later and I have lost 60 pounds, 43.5 inches, and am down 8 pant sizes.  I went from not working out at all to now running 20 miles a week, and hitting the gym three days a week.  For the first time in many years, I can walk into a room and not have the passing thought that I am the largest person in the room.  I feel “normal” and am so thankful God has brought about this change in my life. 

I’m on the home stretch, with still 25 pounds to go.  The weight comes off much more slowly these days, but until I hit the magic number, I will continue counting those calories, tracking the macros (protein, carbs, fats - see http://busymomofnine.blogspot.com/2012/04/about-percentages.html), keeping up with all the working out, and holding back on certain foods I one day look forward to eating again.  I can’t wait to get there!

While doing the above is how I am losing weight, that is only the physical part of it.  So much of dieting is mental.  You have to really be at a place in your life where you really, truly, honestly want to lose the weight.  You have to be at a place where you are willing to give up things to get there.  You have to want it badly enough to do things you may even hate (like working out).  And you have to be ready to persevere through the plateaus and the temptations along the way.

You also have to learn to view food differently.  Food is fuel, not comfort.  Your body needs fuel, good fuel, to run properly.  But it doesn’t need to run on a full tank.  The recent gas hike we experienced in San Diego caused me to change my approach to fueling up our 15 passenger van (an incredible gas-hog).   We knew the situation was temporary, so rather than fill up, I would just put enough gas in to get us to the next event.  Once the crisis was over, I went back to filling up as usual.  Dieting is like that in some ways.  Each meal isn’t about “filling up”.  It’s about getting enough fuel in your body to get to the next meal.  You will leave each meal with plenty more room for additional fuel.  But you will have enough to get through the next three or four hours.  “Filling up” is for another time in my life, when I can "afford" it.  Until those last 25 pounds are gone, I’m still in “crisis” mode, putting enough fuel in my body to make it to the next meal.  No more; no less.  It takes awhile to get used to leaving the table still wanting more.  It takes even longer to stop trying to convince yourself you “need” more.  That’s a huge part of the mental challenges dieting brings. It took many months before my attitude towards food began to change.  But as you stay the course and weight starts coming off, it gets easier to truly want to lose more.

It’s been a long time since I’ve posted any recipes, so here is my newest favorite snack: cinnamon crisps.


Heat oven to 400.
Cut up two corn tortillas into eight triangular pieces in a small bowl.
Mix with 1–1.5 tsp. olive oil
Add two packets of Stevia and sprinkle with cinnamon.  Toss to mix well.
Lay pieces out on a cookie sheet and bake on the first or second shelf in oven, roughly 5 minutes.  Flip and bake another couple minutes, or until baked to your “crispiness” preference.
Smells and tastes great! Yum!

I think I'll go make myself some as an Anniversary Snack.  What a difference a year can make! (Picture on right is a visual of the 43.5 inches lost.)