I was feeling a bit sorry for myself at Day 37. My ability to calculate my measurements is flawed, at best, and every time I calculate, I come up with different figures. To say I’m mathematically challenged is a gross understatement. Bottom line is I’m not losing much these past 2 weeks, since the 21 day induction phase ended, which is, of course, to be expected. The water weight has gone. Now we’re down to the business of losing actual fat. Which is considerably sloooooower. And requires patience. Of which, I have relatively little.
I am not gaining. That is the good news. Right about the time I was feeling sorry for myself, I came up with a rationalizaton for having a little binge – otherwise known as Boosting. In the FLFL program, every few days, you’re supposed to double the protein or carbs in one meal, to boost your metabolism again. So….I had a little boost last night. After my workout, I was feeling a little shaky, so I had a bowl of Vector cereal and some twice baked potato salad [ the potato salad was definitely not on the list of allowable foods - full fat mayo and it was SO delicious!]. Anyway, instead of feeling totally guilty about it, I’m rather pleased that, even though I probably overdid it, the rationalization of ‘boosting’ is still holding steady in my mind and I’m refusing to beat myself up over it. After all, I haven’t ‘cheated’ since my last cheat several days ago.
As a long-term IBS sufferer, I’ve also been coping with a serious case of piles for several weeks now and I’m not sure, but the coincidence of starting a new eating program seems to be more than a coincidence, so I’m struggling a bit with that. It’s also making me rather crabby. Well…crabbier than usual. Piles are hemorrhoids, for those of you under 30. They’re only funny if you don’t have them. When you do, your sense of humour on the subject pretty much gets pooped out. Western remedies weren’t doing a darn thing for me [Tucks, suppositories, zincofax], so I hit the local Chinese herbal store and came up with something that’s finally given me a modicum of relief – musk oil ointment and fargelin tablets. I’ve also ordered some Alum online, which you’re supposed to dissolve, dilute and bathe in…we shall see. I also fought off a cold/flu last week, which had me out of commission for a few days. Combined with having piles, it tends to make one avoid exercise, so that has been pretty much off the schedule, but now that I’m feeling a bit better, I worked out last night and plan to work out again tonight. I’m not getting all legalistic about it, because that’s what’s tended to make me want to quit in the past. I got all freaked out if I missed a workout. What’s the point?
On another topic, I was reminded again of how important my privacy/anonymity is to me with regard to losing weight. I received an email invitation from a colleague/friend, inviting me to a nutrition session put on by our employer. After politely refusing, I had a little email rant about the inappropriateness [is that a word?] of my employer getting involved in my menu and the workplace not being the place for discussing nutrition and weightloss, both of which I consider to be private, personal issues. My body, my business. My paranoid fear is that by not participating in these darn things, fat people will be targeted for job action [firing]. Conversely, my belief is that the more we encourage our employers to interfere in our private lives, by jumping on the bandwagon and participating in these things, the more our employers will come to believe that they’re entitled to interfere and they will become more likely to target fat people for job action when they refuse to participate. It’s all a little too “Big Brother” for my liking.
So…for now I choose to silent protest by not participating. Frankly, I don’t have the courage to tell them to stuff it. Us fat folks already know that thin people think they’re better than fat people. We get that message loud and clear every day. When you know that a group of people views you as a weakling and are so convinced that they’re right that they’re also entitled to tell you how to behave, it’s pretty hard to point out how wrong they are and be heard. I’m sure they all think we eat tens of thousands of calories a day. If I were to tell them that I can gain weight eating 1400 calories a day, I doubt very much that many of them would believe me. So…why bother? It’s easier for them to try and dictate to us and feel superior. A rather maddening situation, wouldn’t you say?
Anyhoo, enough ranting.
Fat people unite! Sit on the thin people whenever you get a chance!
September 18, 2009 at 12:09 pm |
Yes, I know all too well how we can consume only 1400 calories and still not lose weight. It’s maddening how our bodies adjust to our activities and our minds think that 1400 calories is now the new caloric intake requirement. When that happens, eat any more than 1400 calories and it seems like we’re gaining weight — which, in turn, means we feel like curbing the calories even further or start exercising feverishly — which, in turn, tricks our bodies into creating yet another false “average”. Ugh! Seems like a lose-lose.
The advice that was given to me was to always vary your workouts and once in a while even vary the number of calories you consume. Doing this would prevent the brain from establishing an inflexible pattern. The problem I always found with this advice was that once I found something that was working for me, I didn’t want to change it. I think the approach I’m going to take is that if any week goes by without a pound of weight loss, I will change things up a bit and try to break that cycle. With all of my efforts to eat right and exercise, I don’t want to wait too long during any one time to see the fruits of my difficult labor.
September 18, 2009 at 5:20 pm |
You sound so much like me in so many ways! “once I found something that was working for me, I didn’t want to change it.” I often feel that way and the idea of ‘boosting’, or eating more always scared the beejeesus out of me. It felt like failure. I suspect that’s old ‘diet programming’ at work. But the fact is, once the body gets the idea that it’s in famine mode, it likes to stay there and the only way to trick it into thinking it isn’t starving is to eat more. Even typing that scares me. FLFLP says to eat a bigger meal every 4 days. Apparently, that’s how long it takes the body to get the idea there’s a famine and this timing is just right to get it to think otherwise. We shall see. I’m down to 239.8 this morning and feeling great about it. That’s a pound down this week, which suits me just fine. I want to get down to 140, but not sure if that’s a realistic goal or not yet. I’ll know better when I’m closer to that weight. I haven’t been there for so long, I have no idea. I try to vary my exercise too, but am struggling with a long-term injury – I fractured the navicular bone in my left foot over a year ago and it hasn’t healed properly, so walking is not really something I enjoy yet. I went for a CT scan yesterday, so I’ll get my results next week. I tend to stick to stationary exercises that don’t put too much pressure on my feet, like strength training with Joyce Vedral. Joyce has different ‘cycles’ that she recommends for different goals. Basically, you circulate her videos, which are surprisingly different from each other. Have you checked out her site yet? http://www.joycevedral.com
I also recognize myself in your comment “difficult labor”. I’m beginning to alter my perception of that. I find myself thinking that yes, it takes effort to plan meals and exercise, but the fact is, when I’m not planning them, I’m still obsessing about food and much of my thoughts are focused on being fat, so a little effort at focusing on the positive is not really that much different from wallowing in the negative. It’s like that old saying, “It’s easier to sit up straight than to slouch”. Paradoxically, I suppose it’s true. With self-discipline, the paradox is that you receive more freedom. More choices.
It’s nice to chat with someone who understands. Thank you for contacting me!
September 18, 2009 at 8:47 pm
Yes, I did check out Joyce’s website you provided. It looks good — the only concern I have is that the female muscle shots on her before and after page were actually a turnoff. For me, that’s not the type of body I want to have. I want to be thin, but I don’t want to have the type of muscles that are more traditionally associated with men. Can you tell me which of her DVDs concentrate more on aerobic workouts and less on weight training?
I mean, I want to do *some* weight training so that I don’t look like a baggy pile of loose skin when I’m done, but I don’t want to look “buff” either.
September 22, 2009 at 4:40 pm
Joyce admits that she is into looking ‘buff’, but that is not necessarily the look you will get when you workout to her videos. She lifts dumbbells up to 20 pounds. You never have to lift more than you want to. I got to 15, but never wanted to go to 20 on a regular basis. I didn’t want to look that muscular either. Unless your bodyfat % is under 20, it’s impossible anyway. I think you will get as muscular as you want to look and let’s face it, unless you work out like a demon every single day like she does, the chances of it happening are pretty slim. Oddly enough, she doesn’t look that buff when she’s working out in her videos. I think she ‘posed’ for the pictures. Try looking her up on YouTube to see what I mean. In the meantime, her workouts are enjoyable, fairly quick, easy to do and relatively cheap – all you need is a bench of some sort [spend the extra and get one that reclines - I didn't and I regret it] and dumbbells, which you can buy at a used sporting goods store. You can also get her videos/DVD’s on eBay, where you may find them cheaper, although she has a $9.99 clearance on right now, which may be even cheaper than eBay.
I liked working out to her videos because I didn’t have to drive somewhere to exercise, I could do it while the kids were napping, or when my DH could watch them and I could wear whatever I wanted. I hate yoga mats, so I do the ab work on my bed. When it is done, I really feel like I’ve done something, even if I only worked out for 25 minutes. 3 or 4 times a week and my overall fitness improved noticeably in less than a month. Carrying groceries and kids was a breeze when I was lifting 10, 12 and 15. I was in such good shape, I moved our entire household almost single handedly the last time we moved. My Mum couldn’t get over how strong I was. I was still overweight, so I still looked like an unfit blob, but underneath, I was all muscle. I’m starting out again at 3, 5 & 8 and am up to 5, 8 and 10 in less than a month. But I want to increase my weights and I like to feel strong. How muscular you get is up to you.
September 22, 2009 at 4:44 pm
If you are just starting out and want to get toned, rather than muscular, I recommend Definition, the Fat Burning videos, Fast Forward, Speedy Non-Stop, Vertical Fat Burning (easier for those who are overweight) and Walk with Joyce. I also noticed she has a Pilates and Yoga video. I don’t have them, but those would probably be good too.