Perseverence

Thought I would dust off my blog to post this.  It's too long for FB and I'm super proud of myself, so here it is:

I did it. I finished a year long “healthy living” program I was participating in through my health insurance plan. In one year I lost 35 pounds (plus 10 pounds in the 3 months preceding that on my own,) putting my total weight lost at 45 pounds.

I had to go way back to find  before photos because I used to not allow full body shots of me to be posted publicly.                                        (Ugh) 

It wasn’t easy. There is no magic formula when it comes to losing weight and keeping it off.

It’s about putting healthy food in your body and moving. It’s calories in, calories out, and exercise.

I’ve heard it said a million times, but it’s truly is a lifestyle change.

These are some of the most important things I’ve learned over the last year:

Keep track of what you eat. Take photos or write it down or keep track on an app. Make yourself accountable. Sometimes just seeing how many bad choices or calories I’ve consumed early in the day makes me step back and reevaluate and make sure my next meal is healthy.
Make EVERY plate 1/2 vegetables, 1/4 protein and 1/4 starch.
Eat 2 snacks per day: 1 part produce and 1 part protein.
Yes, I am eating 5 times a day, plus a "treat" (hello wine).  Starving yourself is not healthy. Your body needs fuel.

Try, try try to curb all or nothing thinking. This is a huge problem for me. HUGE.  Just because you indulged in a delicious, completely high calorie unhealthy breakfast(which is TOTALLY FINE every now and then), don’t tell yourself “oh well, I’ve already gotten off track, I might as well eat whatever I want the rest of the day”. Try to get back on track right away. Make the next meal healthy. So, so hard for me! Don't take the weekend off from healthy eating.  I used to do this on WW.  I would literally starve myself during the week so I could eat whatever I wanted on the weekends.  Not healthy!

Weigh yourself 3-4 times per week. If my weight goes up by 2-3 pounds I’m much more likely to revaluate what I’ve been eating. (I hate doing this.  I hate weighing myself so often.  Even on WW we only weighed once a week.  For a few months Joe put a sticker over the numbers on the scale so I wouldn't see them because I would get so depressed when the number didn't go down. Sometimes it didn't go down for 6 weeks.)  Try not to focus entirely on the weight. Focus on healthy food.  Focus on the way you feel, the way your clothes  fit, the way you look in photos as you get healthier and lose weight.

My number one problem is emotional eating. I make bad choices when I don’t feel good (I don’t feel good the majority of the time). When I’m tired, sad, mad,worried. There’s no magic pill to stop that either except: acknowledging my feelings and recognizing they will pass, finding another outlet for them. Not. Easy. It’s a constant battle, but one I’m willing to fight to be healthier.

After photos:

That's our puppy, Lola. I don't think I've posted about her here before.  We're crazy about her.

Through this program I truly believe I’ve gained the tools necessary to keep the weight off for good this time. This is the longest I’ve ever stuck with a program and the longest I’ve ever kept weight off.
I've done weight watchers a dozen times, and was very successful at it, but never stayed with the program more than 7 months, and never kept the weight off for more than 10-11 months.

 I have another 25 to lose to be considered a healthy weight. I'll get there. It might take another year, but I'll get there.  My main focus right now is continuing to eat healthy and exercise, and keep the 45 pounds I've lost off.

I guess the point of this post is:  If I can do it, so can you.  If I can do it with my physical ailments, and my depression, and my tendency for injury, you can too.  

YOU CAN.

If you're interested in the program I participated in, it's called Retrofit Me by Solera.  My health insurance, Blue Shield HMO reached out to me to ask if I wanted to participate in it, and they paid for it,  but I've heard that some employers will pay for it as well, or you can simply pay the fee and sign up for yourself.  It truly changed the way I think about food and what I put in my body.

They even send you a free digital scale (that automatically uploads your weight to them), and a free FitBit that also uploads your daily steps to the website.


If trying to lose weight and be healthier seems too daunting to do on your own, this program helps immensely.

I’m actually sad that the program is ending. I know I can do this on my own but it’s so much better with a support group and accountability.  They have a continuation program that costs a monthly fee where I would still have access to my dietician and other participants who have completed the program, but I'm going to try and go it alone for a few months and see how I do.