Weight loss journey (republished from Facebook)

I have had two friends message me asking for my diet plan. Two things first : 1. There are tons of diet plans out there. They all work for someone. 2. Weight loss is different for those who are chronically and morbidly obese than for those who have 30 pounds to lose. There are physical, emotional, and cognitive issues that are qualitatively and quantitatively different. I started this journey 12 years ago at somewhere over 320 pounds. I was wearing size 28 clothes. I am 5'8". I now weigh 239 and size 20 clothes are very loose. My goal is to be in healthy BMI , which would be under 164. I want to get there by my 60th birthday - Jan. 2016. I put all that info because I want my plan to be in context. It is a journey. I am in the second leg of the journey.

My weight loss plan Part I: Mindful Eating 2002-2008 (320-264). In this phase I swore off dieting forever. When you read this plan, you will probably want to skip it. I think that for me this was the key that unlocked weight loss. I don't think I could be doing what I am doing now if I had not done this first. Here were my rules (I still follow these as my basic plan).
1. I can eat anything I want but it has to be exactly what I want. If you can learn this, everything else is easy. But this is very hard. I found I ate everything in sight and had no idea what I wanted. Also I misinterpreted my cravings. I would think I was craving pizza- but actually anything with tomatoes would work. I thought I was craving cupcakes, but fruit would work. This rule took years.
2. I had to stop eating before I was full. Takes the brain a bit to register satiety. So I started with just eating half of what was on my plate. This is tied to rule 1. The better I chose what my body wanted, the less food it took to satisfy.
3. Had to eat when I was hungry - even if it was bedtime. But still had to follow rule 1 and 2.
4. Had to eat regularly - three meals a day, minimum. I had such a strange relationship with food. I was always hungry, but feared food.

That was the basic plan. Over 4 years I lost 70 pounds. Then for 4 years, I drifted, became less mindful and gained and lost the same 15 pounds over and over.
Part I Structured Mindfulness August of this year I decided I needed to regroup. At 264, I joined Weight Watchers online for a 3 month jump-start. Kept my rules, but followed WW rules for calorie count and portion control. When that subscription expired, I began using My Fitness Pal for tracking.

What is different?
1. Many people do low carb and it works for them. It does not work for me, I am always hungry when I have tried it . For me, low calorie, low fat works best.
2. My body craves complex flavors and textures. Eating plans with plain chicken breasts and steamed broccoli do not meet rule 1 for me. So I have learned to cook soups, stir fries, casseroles, stews, etc. which are chock full of veggies. I cook two big recipes every weekend and freeze portions so I can grab things on the go. I love veggies and fruit. I eat lots of high fiber grains. I know lots of folks eliminate rice, potatoes, bread. I eat those in moderation. I divide plate in thirds- one for protein, one grain, one veggies or fruit. Recipes are usually half or more veggies.
3. I try not to eat out much. When I do I go for simple dishes that are low fat, where it seems less likely that there are hidden calories. And portion control. Rules 1 and 2
4. I avoid sweets. Rule 1 and 2 strictly enforced!
5. I record everything on My Fitness Pal most days. Try not to skip more than one day a week. If I find if hard to record things, this means I am not being mindful.

If this is all too complicated, I recommend either Weight Watchers or Mayo Clinic online. Or for free WebMD

Political Correctness or Simple Truth

In our special education classes, we talk about handicapism and person-first language. Don't say learning disabled student; say student with a learning disability. Don't say retarded kid; say kid with an intellectual impairment. There are those who say this is just being politically correct, but those of us who work with children with disabilities and their families know how real this difference is.

This was brought home today when I read a post on Facebook from my friend Lane. She was so excited that her wheelchair was delivered.  Now she would be free to do things she wanted to do with much less assistance. Before, she was trapped in a body that wasn't working for her.  Now she is liberated.  Think of that when you hear someone say that a person is confined to a wheelchair.  Far from confined,  they are given wings.

Another View

So, in my last post I began to make my point about the importance of having a record of our days, of being present and accounted for. It was maybe a bit maudlin. So another view of why you should just grin and bear it when the camera comes out.

Can you guess what is so funny? What could make all these people laugh?

I will give you a hint. They are looking at pictures from the holidays, being displayed on the TV screen. Apparently, what they are seeing is sidesplittingly funny.

Are you ready for the reveal?

THAT is NOT a becoming picture. I look fat and old, and my poor brother, well, it probably is best to leave it unsaid. But look at the delight we brought our family. I love this horrible, silly picture, because I watched my family's delight.

Present and Accounted For

Much of my life I have been absent. Or at least tardy. Never quite in the middle of things, yet making myself noticed. This new digital age can be a bit unnerving. Used to be you had family pictures but they weren't particularly good quality. If you squinted just right you could see yourself the way you chose to remember. But with the advent of digital imaging there is a record of all your days in crisp detail. It isn't always flattering.

I never thought of myself as someone who was particularly photogenic. I had assigned myself decades of being fat and unhappy. Years when I was depressed and depressing. But as I have sorted my pictures for 'Throwback Thursdays' on Facebook, I found a strange thing. Yes, there are years of fat pics. But guess what, most of the time I am smiling. And not game face smiles, but genuine big grins.

Last week a friend asked me to take down a picture I had posted of her on Facebook, She said it was not flattering. Of course I did so. Immediately. But it made me sad. Because we need a record of our days. There are pictures we thought nothing of at the time that trigger a whole sequence of memories. We don't know the importance at the time. But years later, we are so glad that picture is there. I will start with one from a very long time ago.

It is not a particularly flattering picture of Nana. She is in a gown with a wad of Kleenex in her hand. You can only see her profile, not her eyes. But you can see how she looked at her dear son, and how much he delighted in her. It was taken on the last visit I had with her. It was some time in the early 80s shortly before she died. We lost Dad 3 years ago. I don't have many pictures of Nana, even fewer with her and Dad. I treasure those pics.

So take my picture, and I will take yours. You have my permission to post any pic of me anywhere. I will promise to only post pics of you I think are flattering. If you ask me to take them down, I will do so. But the computer never forgets!!