Some time ago I decided it was finally time to care enough about myself to lose some weight and get healthy. Highly determined and armed with all kinds of information, I started on my weight loss journey with a numeric goal in mind. After about a year and some serious effort, I managed to come within 2 lbs of my goal. However, it wasn’t meant to be. You see, I had done some research online to find my "ideal weight" based on my height, and found a weight that I was trying to get to. Turns out this "ideal weight" wasn’t so ideal for me after all. I managed to cause myself some medical problems that, after several months and several hundreds of dollars in medical tests and non-answers from multiple doctors, turned out to all be related to the fact that I had managed to lose too much weight. (Maybe the fact that I couldn’t find pants that would stay up should have clued me in, but I was so focused on reaching the magic number that I ignored the other signs!)
So, in my effort to be healthy, I spent last November and December eating all the candy and treats I wanted, and managed to put on about 20 pounds and solve my medical issues. However, I felt swollen and bloated (obviously – 20 pounds in two months will do that to you) so I knew I needed to work on losing some weight again. So my new goal was to find a weight that wouldn’t cause me medical problems but that would still be low enough that I’d feel good about myself and how I felt and looked. And I’m proud to say that after 7 weeks of 30 minutes of exercise a day, 6 days a week, and watching what and how much I ate, I’m back down 13 pounds and medical-problem-free. So now I’m learning to maintain my weight by continuing my 30 minutes of exercise and eating a healthy amount and variety of foods. And so far things are going well.
The moral of this story? Don’t believe everything you find on the internet. I found this erroneous weight in more than one place, and I tried for months to lose those last two pounds, only to watch my weight yo-yo and feel myself get more and more frustrated. So pay more attention to how you feel than the number on the scale. And don’t exercise yourself to death or starve simply because you want to reach a number. There’s a healthy way to reach a realistic and healthy weight goal! I’m living proof that it can be done!
My exercise plan? MWF I do 15 minutes of isometrics for my legs and buns, followed by 9 1/2 minutes of High Intensity Interval Training on my stationary bike, followed by about 3 minutes of inner thigh exercises. TThSa I do 15 minutes of isometrics and weights for my arms and shoulders, followed by 15 minutes of isometrics for my abs.
My eating plan? Eat a good variety of food. Most (if not all) whole wheats. More beans and nuts than meat. Healthy fats instead of empty fats. Enough calcium. Fruits and veggies every day. Drink plenty of water (I drink between 60 and 80 oz of water a day, depending on my exercise) in addition to juice or milk.
My weight plan? Watch the number on the scale. If it’s too high one day, eat a little less than I would have otherwise. If it’s too low one day (like it was yesterday), eat a bit more than I would have otherwise, or maybe have a treat (like the cheesecake I had last night).
Hopefully, with all of this, I can keep my weight where I want it, and stay healthy.
