Before forcing myself to get back to the gym this week, I wasn’t exactly what one would call “in shape.” Having just returned from a a hiatus over Christmas that extended until the end of winter, I’d acquired four months of bread/snacks/ couch potato weight and was feeling generally lethargic. (more…)
A friend with whom I shared my food log (www.myfitnesspal.com) commented on how little I ate. I also noticed that she had a few issues dealing with her weight loss — I shared my thoughts through an email…..here it is.
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My blog is not about losing weight. It is about re-gaining health. I am a middle-aged woman, with a full-on life. I lost control for a while, gained huge amount of weight in a very short span, and got very ill. I was told I couldn’t live much longer if I did not do something about it. The starting point for me was to lose the excess weight. It was not easy. It was not hard either. It was just about making a decision and taking action. I decided to take one day at a time. Every day, I focussed on that one day. And slowly, things changed. I lost the weight. I re-gained my health. My diabetes went into remission. I no longer suffer from hypertension. My liver is fine. The stone in my gall bladder is getting smaller. Is it a “miracle” as we would like to believe? No. It is simply, about making a decision and taking action, and sticking with it, every day.
One common phrase I have heard over and over again, “You are so lucky, you can exercise, I have no time to exercise”!
Seriously, one thing we all have in common is the 24 hours we get. What we do with those 24 hours each day, is what makes us different.
Make the decision and take action:
I have been there — making hundreds of excuses for not being able to exercise> some of my common excuses were:
Step one:
Track What you put into your body
Managing your intake (food, beverages)
log on to www.myfitnesspal.com.
It is website to track calories. (Don’t worry about what others say about counting calories……for the time being simply do it). It’s free. It’s polices your intake, without anyone else knowing about it. It’s yours, it’s private. EVERY morsel that you intake, you add in there, so you know how many calories you eat every day. For average women over 25 yrs , they can about 1200-1500 calls should be enough (including the beverages we consume).
I would constantly say ‘I don’t each much” until I started tracking the calorie intake. I was in for a rude shock. I was eating food equivalent for 3 women every day. You will be shocked how much we actually eat – little morsels, little extras here and there all add up.
Step two
Start walking – Start moving your body: Not just from the bedroom to the refrigerator please.
Start walking….with 20 mins, then build it to 30 mins a day at a steady pace. Slowly keep increasing the time. Increase the intensity.
Join the gym and start doing some strength training, all the better….
Step three:
Sleep well. Try and get at least 8 hours of sleep…every night please (not every week!)
Sleep is so under valued, but is the most necessary for all of us. A well rested body can do much more — requires less food, has more energy to do things …..
Step four:
Think positive. Surround yourself with positive people. Not those who suck the energy out of you.
Most of us, rush to the refrigerator when we feel low. Try and be happy, (life is full of ups and downs and it is not easy) so surround yourself with positive people. This is very critical.
Not those positive types who need to eat and drink to feel positive – if you know what I mean.
Step five:
Educate yourself about food and nutrition
If you are reading this, chances are you have access to internet and the information world. The best thing one can do as we go on this journey of lifestyle change, is to educate ourselves about food and nutrition. Learn to read labels at supermarkets or when you buy groceries. Make sensible decisions. Just because it is commercialised, it doesn’t mean it is good for you.
For example: (a detailed blog on this to follow)
stay away from sugar substitutes.
stay away from ‘diet’ drinks
stop buying processed food (and convenient foods)
eat simple food but home cooked.
low fat is not necessarily fat free or good
Step six:
Keep loving yourself
Keep loving yourself…..I have to remind myself every day that I am the most important person in my life. My happy self brings in happy energy around me…and to me spreading happy energy is what keeps me going.
Keep a log…you will start noticing small changes initially. Until in about 3 months, you will start receiving compliments as others will notice it as well…!!!Take plenty of pictures…I swear I have loved seeing my “before and after” .. it’s an amazing feeling to see the progress one has made and how we can change things if and when we take control.
With love and best wishes to all….Keep walking…keep logging…keep loving….keep happy…stay beautiful (inside and out) xxxx
That July morning, when I woke up to a different day – when I saw darkness around me in many forms, was the lowest day of my life. The symptoms were painful. I got myself to a doctor, series of tests…all suggesting I had severe Type 2 diabetes, huge stone in my gall bladder, hypertension amongst other ailments, all due to obesity.
Time stood still. But more than that, life stood still.
I had no idea of Diabetes except that I had lost a few family members, who lost their limbs first before they passed on. And at very young age. I had a history of diabetes in my family. I felt I had no chance. My doctor suggested getting the gall bladder out. But, he wouldn’t operate (or just couldn’t) on me as I had severe diabetes, which meant the chances of infection was very high and so was the healing time. I was scared inside to undergo surgery as I had no fall back option for my young twins if something were to happen to me. Those were dark days. Long days and longer nights. I felt alone. Miserable. Lost.
I decided to take charge of my life…
