To what would you attribute your weight loss success?

Yesterday, I was posed that question by someone who's been trying to lose weight and is working out like crazy, but seeing minimal results.

Have I been successful because of Weight Watchers? Cycling? or Something Else?

My instant answer is I am successful because I tried. Because I wanted to be. But let's be honest, I desperately needed the tools provided by Weight Watchers to be successful. I would have never been successful without it. Weight Watchers all the way. Cycling just allows me to eat REALLY bad stuff on occasion (such as the golden pastrami burger at the busy bee- Yowzas).

The next question was do I pay for weight watchers? Yes, it's $20 a month after the introductory period. and it is VERY worth that $20. Very. I went from a size 12 to a 4. (Though in honesty, my clothes range in size from 4-6, depending on brand, style, and fit.) I am loving being a size 4. I refuse to ever stop being a size 4. :-)

Then, is it hard to stay on track? No. It was easy until summer hit. Then my routine changed and I got lazy/had excuses, and I'm pretty close to my goal, so I've gotten more lax and am taking it less seriously than I was. WW has an app for smartphones (which I don't have), but I think it would be super awesome if I did. I love that you can input recipes and it will give a points value. They also have a database of foods like cheese etc. so even if you don't know the exact nutrition facts for the cheese in your deli sandwich, you can still calculate the points for it.

But do you feel like you're starving or robbing yourself of things you love? No. Never. Not at all. I still eat pizza and cake and whatever else I want. I'm just smarter and more informed about it. We go out to eat way too much, and I'm still losing weight. A lot of it is listening to my body, and thinking about it. I "feel" hungry, but is it because I'm bored, or sad, or stressed, or tired? Do I really need to eat, or am I still full from the last time I ate? I have definitely had to change my eating habits and I've learned to like different foods, but I know that I can still have "bad stuff" (I don't really like to label things "good" or "bad" more like, sometimes foods, rarely foods, and as much as you want foods.) if I want it. I just choose not to want the "bad stuff" most of the time. Or I know different brands/ways of eating it that makes it not quite as bad as it could be, or the mainstream. Honestly, I don't really miss eating the way I used to eat. I don't feel deprived at all. If I want something, I eat it (like the 37 point sandwich I had a few Fridays ago). I just make up for it later (by not eating dinner, because I was till stuffed from my super-sandwich, or by riding my bike to work the next day. It was totally delicious and worth it, by the way.) For me, if I don't see it, I don't think about it and I don't miss it. However, I do suffer from food-envy. If you're eating an ice cream bar, I want one too (so I choose a WW or Skinny Cow one). I can successfully avoid the donuts at staff meetings when I've eaten before-hand. I cannot avoid the donuts when I'm hungry, and they're sitting in the office calling to me for 8 hours.

Honestly, maybe the secret to weight loss is mindful eating. Be aware of what you're eating (it has That many calories?!) and why. If you know you have trouble eating junk food, and that junk food will be available, come up with a plan (like being so super stuffed (on fruits and veggies) that the sound of a donut is not appetizing, or having my WW or Skinny Cow options).

My question to him/her was: Are you using your fancy scale? Maybe you're gaining muscle weight? Is the body composition changing, even if the weight remains the same? I highly recommend that everyone get a fancy scale. There is much more to health than your weight. For example, many obese people actually suffer from malnutrition because they're eating all the wrong things and they're bodies are not getting what it needs. And then there's me:

I have lost over 30 lbs. I weigh under 135. My healthy weight range is 120-150. My BMI is 22.3 (healthy is between 18.5-24.9) In April I had 95 lbs of muscle... I'm down to 92. So, I guess it's not a huge drop considering I've lost 15 lbs since April. I don't have enough good cholesterol and the ratio of good cholesterol to total cholesterol could be better. My blood pressure is also too close to borderline for my comfort. I STILL am 30% body fat (Healthy 21-31%) , so yes, still healthy, but a little too close to the borderline for my comfort. 30% of my weight is roughly 40lbs of body fat. Where the hell is it all? My face is much thinner than I'd like it to be. I've lost what little boobs I had... But I still have my thunderthighs. I had thought that maybe I was "destined" to have thunderthighs, since I'm very near my goal weight and still have them... but seeing that 30% tells me that I still have some work to do. I have spent the day researching how to build muscle mass. It requires weight training, which I have 0 motivation to do alone. It's boring. Give me my bike, please? Did you know that having more muscles protects against osteoporosis? My bones aren't quite as dense as they should be (5lbs, vs 5.3). It's also hard for me to put 4 points into a protein shake... but I'm probably going to start drinking more and more of them again. I'm going to experiment with working out every single day, and see if my muscle mass starts going up...

Also, while I'm giving weight loss advice: Don't do it alone. Being able to talk to others about food ideas, struggles, and tracking your progress with thier's is really good. Weight is contagious. Seriously. The behaviors and habits of the people around you become your own. If your family eats garbage, you're more likely to eat garbage. If one family member starts a diet, the others are likely going to start eating healthier too, even if they're not counting calories, or points or anything else. Look at the families of the people on Extreme Makeover: Weight Loss Edition, they lose weight too. My husband has lost over 10 lbs, without "trying" or concentrating on it to the same extent that I have. :-)

Is there a universal answer to weightloss?

So, I get a lot of questions about what my secret for weight loss is, or advice, etc. For the post part, it's "just buckle down and do it." Because that's what most of the problem is. People are stuck in the wanting to lose weight stage, without wanting to do anything to change it... Uh... Yeah.

But once you're out of that stage, there are TONS of tiny things to learn and remember to help along the way... To increase your success and to keep you motivated. These are my oft-repeated tips in a nutshell:

Expect to lose 1-2 lbs per week (or roughly 5 lbs per month). If you lose more than that consistently WW will actually increase your points target so you lose the weight in a safer manner.

The most important things are to remember that it's a marathon and not a sprint, and that it's a lifestyle change, not a diet. Even if you only lose .5 lbs in a certain week, every .5 adds up. and the longer you take to lose it, the more ingrained the habits will be, and the longer the weight will stay off. So if I have a milkshake or hot dog or something, I'm living and enjoying my life, and I'll be more successful in the long-run because I won't go off my "diet." Also, it might be beneficial to compare your new habits, with the old ones. So instead of beating yourself up over having some pizza, realize that you ate fewer pieces than maybe you would have in the past, and that's progress.

You have to track everything. It's actually pretty easy because you can just google food items or restaurants if you don't have the nutrition info handy. WW also has points values in their database for lots of stuff. It will teach you so much about food that you may not have known before. It definitely did for me. I didn't pay attention to what I ate at all.

Another great thing was that I had another friend that was doing WW, and my mom was too. None of us "joined together," but it was good to be able to ask for advice on food/brag about progress. I think that having other people around is a great motivator.

I've also noticed a pattern that every 100 calorie pack I've looked the points up on is 3 points. It's not 100% firm that 33 calories is 1 point, but it's a useful tool if I'm away from my computer and wondering the points of something.

At the same time, who am I to give YOU advice on your weight loss? What works for me, might not be what works for you. Or, the difficulties that I have might not be the difficulties that you have...

When to ask for help

No man is an island. Social support is the key to human survival. Studies have shown time and again how important other people are to our lives.

Months ago, I had to sit my husband down and have a talk with him about my feelings about how he eats. I think I've written about it before, so I'll be brief. I felt really deprived when I was watching the way he was eating. He was putting temptation in front of me, and I'm really bad at abstaining from junk when I have easy-access. I had to tell him that I needed his support to lose my weight, and that his eating habits were making it really hard for me, and that it was also putting added strain on our relationship. Since then, I've been trying to redirect him to get him to lose "Mike": our baby that he's carrying. Because he looks like he's pregnant, and Mike talks. It's kinda funny. You can never force someone to do anything, they have to make the decisions for themselves, but you can give them enough encouragement, that eventually they make the decision. My husband is finally there. He said that Mike is going to be gone by Christmas. Then he said by August. I am doubtful about August, but Christmas is nice. He's already lost 10 lbs, without counting points, but by snacking less in the middle of the night.

We've been watching the Tour de France, which is really encouraging for our cycling, because it makes us want to ride more and harder and faster. Which I love. We haven't done an organized ride since May. :-( I gotta get back in the saddle. I haven't ridden in 7 days. :-(

A coworker of mine joined WW a few months ago, and for the first few weeks, she did really well, even getting to her pre-pregnancy weight. But after that milestone, she started gaining weight again. Her life is really hectic right now (divorce), so that's making it even harder. Additionally, half of our coworkers are Islanders. Islanders EAT. They eat and they make enough for everybody. They force you to take their food. It is a LOT of peer/cultural pressure to EAT. One of her best friends is an Islander. So they eat. How can you turn down free-food? Especially when your stress and depression says, "It'll make you feel better?" We've started running laps around the building again, and I rode it with my odometer to determine how many laps to a mile (about 7). When we run, we have the privacy to talk about our stress and our issues. She also asked me to text her every morning to remind her to track her points and what she eats. Right now she says she's barely eating though.

Another woman I know (who is a compulsive/emotional eater and over 350 lbs) has decided to lose weight too. She's started reading the labels of her foods. She's reading the blog for help and inspiration. and she told her boss. Who now makes her take walks around the building on her breaks. and takes the salt shaker away from her when they take lunch breaks. She reports that the more people she tells, the better she's doing. Because they're there to help her. To push, and motivate, and hold her accountable. I am a lot more likely to jog around the building when I have a partner, then when I'm alone. I feel less silly. and we both know we should do it so we force both of us to do it. Instead of it having to be me alone motivating myself. It also gives this woman a great sense of pride because she has people checking in on her. Instead of beating herself up and calling herself names and being depressed about where she is, she has people saying to her "Good job! Great decisions! I'm so proud of you." and she has people that she can talk to, and brag to about how well she's doing. It has done so much for her self-esteem. To take control of her life, to be self-sufficient. She had the opportunity in April to work with a personal trainer for free, and she didn't. :-( But she's taking the help she can get now. Better late than never.

Another reminder why there's more to health than weight

We had our health fair at work yesterday. They did blood draws, etc. We also took an online health assessment survey. Apparently I am too stressed, and my nutrition is bad. Still. Really, my nutrition is bad? Grrr. I'm just not as consistent as I should be. I prefer fruits to veggies. Some days I don't eat any, and some days they're all I eat. and I still love my sweets. Can't get rid of my sweets. As I have changed my eating habits, I have become VERY particular and picky about what I eat. I prefer this brand/type of frozen veggies or meals to that one. and I get grumpy if I'm stuck with the wrong brand. :-(

Coincidentally, Thursdays are my weigh in days, so yesterday I weighed in and I've lost a total of 30 lbs! Yay! 30 lbs! 30 was my original weight loss goal. I think I'm going to lose 5-10 more pounds. After I got home, we went on a bike ride too. My health fair said that I'm still not getting enough exercise, or the right kind of exercise. My HDL levels are extremely low. My overall cholesterol is good, but I have very little of the good kind of cholesterol (like, I have less than half of what I should have.) But there's an easy way to fix that, keep my heart-rate in the target range when I work out (my heart rate typically goes EXTREMELY high when I work out.) and I need to get more healthy fats (like flax seed or fish oil, and I have supplements of both of those, I just haven't been taking them).

I am getting acupuncture done next weekend and I've never done it before. So we'll see how that goes. and hopefully by next year, I can get my numbers even lower!

When I had my screening, a coworker was like, "you're the healthiest you've ever been, aren't you?" Which is pretty much true. and then he pointed out that I'm the only person in the company who is at a healthy weight. (Which isn't true. There's 2-4 other people who don't appear to be overweight... but when there are 20ish others who are CLEARLY overweight... Yeah. Very unhealthy workplace unfortunately. :-( ) Just because I'm the healthiest I've ever been, doesn't mean I'm done with taking care of my health. It doesn't mean that there isn't more progress to be made. and just because I may be healthier than my peers, doesn't mean that I'm not still unhealthy in some respects.

Barriers to taking action

I received this comment today about yesterday's blog:

"oh MAN. that blog post hit me right where it counts. the issue of homelessness has been such a huge topic of interest to me, and such a struggle. I want to love them just like I do everyone else, but I almost ALWAYS give in to fear. I fear the awkward exchange that might take place. I fear what others may think as they walk past. I fear the silence I might encounter, etc. But averting my eyes and pretending I don't see doesn't help."

The complicated issue for me of homelessness is recognition. I want to help, but I don't want people to think I'm helping to show off. You know? I want to ask my coworkers who leave the building if the homeless guy is still there, so I can bring him lunch, but I don't want them to think I'm asking for attention/recognition. (I almost NEVER leave my desk. I don't take lunch breaks.) I don't want to seem like I'm bragging by talking about it... I want to inspire others, but I do not want to be an inspiration- if you understand the difference?

I feel slightly guilty for taking pleasure out of it. I was 2.5 hours late to work today, so I didn't see him, I guess he moved somewhere else, idk. I am hoping to build a rapport with him and to get to know his story, but again, that's for my personal gain: because I have always been curious about the issue.

When they ask for money, I tell them that I never carry cash, but that there's a down the street, and what would they like? A jacket? Shoes? Something to drink? Have they eaten today?

I feel that this action is more meaningful... But that could just be a cop-out to making myself feel better about it. I do not trust that they won't go buy drugs, booze, cigarettes, or junk food with the money. I am controlling... I know that. I want to make sure that they're getting proper nutrition by handing them fruit or a prepared meal. I don't want to give someone $1. I would rather spend $20 on lunch or a gift card to a restaurant, etc.

I also feel that handing them some change is TOO easy. There's no personal interaction. Does the homeless person feel cared for when you drop them some change? Do they feel more human when we stop and ask about their needs? I have no way of knowing, but I have my assumptions.

I have really only had interactions with 3 homeless people, one being the guy in yesterday's post.
One day, when I was walking downtown, a woman approached me (she was very close to me, in my face, I thought she might try to mug me) and asked for some money for bus fare. I told her that I didn't have any money to give, but that I would walk with her to the trax station (right across the street) and buy her a ticket. She got this demonic look on her face and yelled "WELL FINE!" and RAN off. She honestly looked like she was possessed, the look of hate on her face and how rapidly her demeanor changed when I offered my alternative. It was very disconcerting.

In college, I knew I wasn't going to use up my meal plan, so I used it to buy a bag of no-cook, no-refrigeration needed groceries and then I took it to the homeless guy I saw every day. He said "God Bless You" when he took the groceries. I also stopped at a place that had a "now hiring" sign up and asked for an application. They were very excited, thinking that the application was for me. They acted like they wanted to hire me on the spot. I told them that the application wasn't for me, but for the homeless guy who frequents the area. They pretty much said not to bother. That experience really opened my eyes to the barriers that homeless people experience to finding employment. White, middle-class America thinks that they should just get a job and fix their own problems... But if employers aren't willing to give them the opportunity? WTH. We've got some problems here. How is a homeless person supposed to get a job if they can't clean up and look presentable for an interview? :-(

One small change.

I saw Rent Thursday night. Rent was already my favorite musical. But wow. Wow. It was so much more amazing than I'd ever imagined it could be. I felt very convicted by the show's scenes about homelessness. I felt guilty. I felt grateful for what I have. I wished that I had the ability to do more. But really, that's a freaking cop out and an excuse. I do have the ability. I can't do large, grand gestures, but I can do something. I have money to do extra things for myself and my family. I'm pretty spoiled. I throw food away because I don't eat it all.

There's a homeless guy who sits right outside my work everyday. I've been ignoring him for weeks. I wonder how many people pass him every day and don't even think twice about him. This morning I made eye contact with him and then he started speaking to me. So he's a polite panhandler. He waits to be acknowledged before soliciting. How long have I had some of these meal replacement shakes, and other items in the fridge here? I buy food in bulk. I have things to spare, and it really doesn't cost me much. I gave him my banana on Friday as I walked into work. I went to the fridge and grabbed my extra protein shake, but when I went back downstairs he was gone. I wonder where he went.

I'll admit it, I am very apprehensive about giving panhandlers money. I do not like to do it. I pretty much don't. But, I can give him food. and either he will eat it, or he will trade it for something else, but at least now I know he's had the opportunity to eat.

This morning, I rode past him on my expensive bike while listening to my iPod and wearing my expensive cycling gear. Man, I sure am lucky to be able to have these nice things. I shared my clementines with him (giving him the ones with the best color because sometimes some of them aren't great and I don't want him to think I'm giving him my garbage and my rejects. and I gave him one of my protein shakes that have been in the fridge for months, but aren't expired.) He made a comment about how healthy he's going to be and how he'll be running and doing summersaults down the street in no time. He didn't complain. He didn't ask for anything else. It was a nice exchange. I've always wondered what people's stories are. How did you end up in this predicament? What happened to your family? I've always been too afraid to ask.

Did you know that there are over 1 million homeless individuals in L.A.? That's crazy. That's a LOT of people living on the streets. Dying on the streets. What a terrible way to die. I've also been watching Secret Millionaire. It makes me wish I was a millionaire so I could help people. That's a cop out and an excuse. I can help people. This episode actually shows how much just one person can do on his own. The show is really motivational, and I highly suggest watching it.

I've been reading Anne Rice lately. There is a nun in "The Tale of the Body Thief" named Gretchen. She and Lestat talk about how you can't look at the big picture and try to change things on a grand scale. The impact that you make in individual lives matters, even if you don't see a widespread change in the whole society. I firmly believe this. Life matters. Life is precious. Each individual life is worthwhile. We only get one life to live. Make it the best you can. It really hurts to know that some people only endure extreme hardships in life and get very little enjoyment and pleasure.

We are extremely blessed. I know that we always want more. More more more. I am so guilty of this. But we also really need to sit back and be appreciative for what we do have. and man, I have a LOT. I am SPOILED. I have a nice home. I have extra money to go out to events and such. I get to take vacations. I am LUCKY. and I know that. and I am going to try to pay it forward. What is belief without action? I need to get off my ass and quit waiting for someone else to make a change in the world. I need to quit convincing myself that there's nothing I can do. I need to quit idly wishing I could do something. Having my hippie, idealist beliefs means nothing if I don't actually do anything to help others. All that does it make me a lazy hypocrite. and that's not really who I'd like to be. Hopefully I can make this personal change more long-term, instead of being a brief fad-like experience. I don't want to go back to being a hypocrite.

"Plateaus" and Breakfast

I don't really believe in "Plateaus" when it comes to losing weight. When partway through your weight loss efforts, you just slow down or stop losing weight, and "it's your body's fault." I think it's more of partway through the weight loss efforts, we get bored. We are seeing results and so we get a little lax in our eating/exercising regimen.

I have been struggling in my weight loss for the last few months. I have still been consistently losing weight, but it seems to be getting more difficult. I think I figured out why: food fatigue. I am bored with what I eat. Because food spoils, I will buy something and eat it every day until the package is gone, so that it doesn't go bad. I REALLY need to stop doing this. Because I'll eat the same thing every day for 3 weeks, and then I'm sick of it and don't want it anymore, and then I'll start going out to eat to find better food options. That's bad.

I've decided that I need to bring something different for breakfast everyday. I have plenty of options. I've come up with plenty of breakfasts that I like:

1. whole-wheat english muffin (4pts) with canadian bacon (1pt for 4 slices) and laughing cow cheese (1 pt per wedge). I eat each half of the english muffin separately, so I'm eating it slower and get to experience the flavors longer. This is a 7 point breakfast. Though that might be perceived as a lot of points for breakfast, it is extremely filling. I typically can't eat this all in one sitting, and I have to finish it about an hour later. I prefer the whole-wheat english muffin to the sourdough (my husband's favorite) because it has a sweeter undertone. It just seems more full-flavored to me. I savor eating the whole-wheat ones more. I've gotten burnt out on these before, but at other times, it's an absolute disaster if I run out and don't have time to go to the store for more. Interestingly, I used to think that english muffins were gross and awful and why would you eat one, but now I love them.

2. banana (0 points). I love bananas. I rarely experience banana burn out. Typically, if I don't have a banana, my whole day is thrown off. I love bananas. I don't know what it is about bananas, but I find them to be very filling. I think it is the sugars. Also, I don't like the way the sugars stay in my mouth as an after taste, so I drink a LOT of water to clear the flavor out, and who doesn't need more hydration? I also have add-ons to my bananas like peanut butter (5-8 points), or these 100 cal chocolate sauce or caramel packets (3 points)

3. yogurt (2-3 points). Sometimes I add this to cereal instead of milk to make it thicker/more filling/more flavorful. I have burned out on this twice now.

4. carrot juice (2 points per serving). When I was doing a much more ambitious job of making sure I got my servings of fruits and vegetables in, I would pair this with an english muffin for breakfast. I hate carrots, but I actually really enjoy carrot juice. I got really burned out on carrot juice though. :-(

I typically mix and match these items. Every once in a while I'll eat a frozen breakfast item. These breakfast items are great for me because they require very littler preparation. I can just grab them and prepare them once I've arrived at work. These items are also really good snacks for later in the day too.

I tried getting the Hostess Smart Bakes muffins/FiberOne muffins, but they are way too small for the points values (4 points) and they are not filling at all.

On the weekends my husband makes breakfast. He adores HUGE portions. The picture above is Furry Thom eating one of Jake's breakfasts. That's a pre-weight watchers breakfast. Now, there would be less/no cheese, a much smaller helping of hashbrowns (if at all) . Sometimes he does turkey sausage which is 1 pt per link. Another change is that now there's always some fruit on the plate too, whether it's a clementine or berries. There's also typically an english muffin on the plate too (in the old day's it'd be toast, which can be over 6pts depending on the bread). I should take a picture of a new breakfast plate sometime.