My use of the words ‘weight’ and ‘wait’ in the title is intentional and it’s becoming a heavy subject indeed. I’d tipped over into another category some time ago and it’s time to scale back on the indulgences and take serious action about my weight.
This is a subject that I’ve been meaning to write about (or perhaps avoiding) for about 5 years now. Back then, I’d even gotten so far as composing an introduction to a post that went like this;
With the move into our new town-home a year ago, we are now closer to a different location of our HMO than we had been going to so I decided to switch over to that facility which meant selecting a new doctor. I had done this about six months ago … and as I looked at my history I realized that it had been several years since my last general check-up visit so I made an appointment to see my new doctor.
This doctor was very nice, reviewed my history, asked questions, answered questions that I had, and upon noticing that it had been a few years since there had been a standard test of blood tests done, ordered some lab tests. I was current on other diagnostic tests and my blood pressure was good but she did recommend that I get a flu shot to which I agreed. She gave me a quick physical once over and we were done. As the doctor left the exam room she told me to see the nurse for a visit summary report.
A few seconds later as I was gathering my things she returned and said that she had forgotten to mention that my BMI had tipped above 30 and that she was recommending that I take advantage of the HMO’s health education programs on weight management. This wasn’t a big surprise as I knew what the scale had read but it was a bit of an eye-opener for me to have my doctor make such a strong recommendation. She was respectful, polite, and most of all, right on point. Fine, whatever.
She followed up on this recommendation via email a few days later after my cholesterol test results showed me to be in the high range of acceptable. Ya, this was serious but, with Thanksgiving coming in a few days, I chose to give myself a few more days of liberty before changing my ways. My biggest challenge to maintaining a healthy diet is stress eating in the late afternoon or during my commute home, primarily in the form of packaged candy that I can buy at work. I suppose it gives me a bit of late-day pick me up and/or helps to alleviate the boredom of the one hour plus car ride home.
I don’t know what my exact weight was on the day of that appointment in November of 2015. At the time, I was tracking weekly weigh-ins on my work calendar, but I no longer have access to that account. Fortunately, on January 1, 2016, I began keeping track of my weekly weigh-ins using my Fitbit app and which I’ve continued to do nearly every Friday morning since. Scrolling through that history as I prepared to write this post was an eye-opening experience. And I’ll cover some of it in a bit. For now, let’s cover (or uncover) some other history first.
My weight has fluctuated a bit in the last twenty or so years and the clothing in my closet that I cannot wear is a testament to that. None of my current extra weight can really be attributed to motherhood as I lost all my pregnancy-related weight gains while breastfeeding my youngest child. I was nearly back to my pre-marriage weight by the time he was weaned at 9 months. My weight is where it is today due to 23 years of hormonal ebbs and flows, the stresses of life, and a slow, persistent creep.
Towards the end of the summer of 2007 (when I weighed about 20 pounds less than I do now), I recall having reached a point of being profoundly unhappy with my weight and had decided to take action. I knew about portion control and healthy eating so I didn’t feel a need to follow any particular diet other than to ‘make good choices’, to eliminate sweets (candy, ice cream, desserts), and to cut back on wheat products. To this day, I don’t know what other magic was involved but I was able to lose nearly 25 pounds in about 5 months. When I started, I had been between a size 10 and a size 12; in the end, I was a size 8 and I was ecstatic. Then I guess I got too comfortable because, within three years, I had gained it all back. And in the next four years, I had gained another 25. Hence the doctor’s recommendations, even though I’d lost some weight in the year prior to that physical exam and was weighing less then than I had at my peak.
And that doctor hasn’t been the only one. At least twice in the past five years, I’ve had health practitioners recommend that I take steps to lose weight and lower my BMI. I know the subject of BMI can be a tad controversial and I don’t mean to say that I felt shamed in any way about my weight. But realistically, I was and am teetering on the bounds of what I should weigh for optimum health.
I am, fortunately, in good health otherwise (knock wood). Except for a weekly pill for low bone density, I take no other prescribed medications. My blood pressure is in the healthy range as is my cholesterol and blood sugar. Sure, there was that DCIS diagnosis back in 2017 but all checks since have been good. So what harm could a few extra pounds cause me?
For one thing, there is the issue of the slow creep. If left unchecked, would my weight eventually reach a point of stasis or would it continue to climb? My mother struggled with her weight most if not all of her life. In photos of her as a child, she appears to be on the plump side as they might have said back in the day. I don’t what she actually weighed at her peak as an adult, but I do know that she wore a size 22/24 and she was less than 5 feet tall. Perhaps she was close to 300 pounds? She had a terribly arthritic knee in one leg and a bad ankle on the opposite side. Eventually, she acquired an electric scooter to get around outside of her home because walking any significant distance became nearly impossible for her.
Am I doomed to follow in my mother’s footsteps (metaphorically speaking, of course)? I know that she was frustrated with her weight and had attempted to diet many, many times without any lasting success. To her credit, though, mom was able to lose quite a lot of weight and keep it off in her late 70s. And when I say a lot of weight, she was literally half her previous size. Mom still needed to use the scooter due to her knee and ankle issues but she likely added a few years to her life by losing that weight.
Sadly, I don’t recall her ever sharing what had led to her success other than cutting back on what she was eating. By observation of her and my father’s habits (from a distance), it seemed that they both were eating within a smaller window of time primarily because it appeared that they were sleeping longer. So whether by design or by happenstance, some of her success may have resulted from intermittent fasting (IF).
I first wrote about IF in the early days of my blog in a post called ‘Fast’cinating Study On Eating Habits (clever, huh?). Despite having gained weight in the interim, I feel that my appetite and eating urges are most under control when I stay within a 7 to 9 hour daily window for eating. In doing so, I typically put off eating my first meal of the day until after 11am (or later) and attempt to limit any after-dinner treats to early evening.
So, what am I waiting for? Nothing and no one other than myself. In fact, I’m pretty happy to report that I did not gain any weight during these past pandemic months. Rather, I’ve actually been able to slowly but steadily lose some poundage, about 12 so far give or take a few ounces. I think that there are a few key lifestyle changes that have helped me achieve this loss. Briefly, I’m getting more sleep, I’m eating healthier foods, and I’m getting more regular exercise. Go figure.
Getting more sleep and getting more regular exercise are both chiefly related to having more “me time” as a retiree. That’s a given. The “eating healthier foods” part has come about primarily due to COVID and the associated social distancing mandates as well as my son’s recent health issue. At home, The Husband and I tend to pick and prepare food in a fairly healthy manner. Mostly grilled or baked lean proteins, lots of veggies, low-fat starches. Nothing fried or smothered in a cream sauce. When eating out, however, I’ve noticed that we would make our choices based on what we wouldn’t normally make at home. Often with a much higher calorie count. Not a problem if eating out was only a once-a-month occasion as opposed to the typical two or three times a week that often occurred pre-pandemic.
Restaurant closures early on during this pandemic had us, as well as yourselves I presume, eating at home much more than usual. Even when outdoor dining was allowed, The Husband and I were leery of the associated risks for exposure. More and more, we’ve become rather accustomed to eating at home and spending less on food-related costs. In those rare times when we did dine at a restaurant in the last few months, how easily we fell into our old habits when ordering our meals. Best to stay clear.
Additionally, our son has been battling chronic headaches of an unknown origin since mid-summer so back in November, he began to address the issue with his diet. Besides cutting out processed foods which typically are made with headache triggering additives like MSG, foods like aged cheeses, tomatoes, and avocados are also a no-no for him. He has also opted to cut out gluten. Wanting to be supportive, his father and I prepare our dinners geared around what our son can eat. No take-out due to uncertainties of how items might have been prepared. We’ve also cut way back on our buying of snack foods since most of those are on the ‘should not eat’ list (his and ours). These changes have helped keep my caloric intake down as well. The only bread I’ve been eating lately is my homemade sourdough and I bake up a batch every week.
As I said earlier, I’ve been intending to write this post for quite a long time and now I have. Currently, momentum is on my side. I’m hopeful that I can continue to make progress in losing some of the gains, weight-wise, that I’ve made in the last 20 years or so. No more waiting around to take action. The time to act is now. Updates on my progress will be forthcoming.
Stay well and let’s keep in touch! Subscribe, tweet, follow, friend, pin … all options are available. I look forward to hearing from you soon. And click here if you’d like to join this week’s link-up
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17 Comments
It’s hard to face the reality of needing to lose weight – I commend your doctor for being up-front about it, as many will just not get into it with a patient. I lost 50 lbs about 13 years ago, over the course of 18 months (I did Weight Watchers, then worked for them for 9 years). Since I quit that job in Aug 2019, I’ve also found my weight has crept back – the pandemic early on was really hard on my mental health and I ate my stress, until it got to the point where my lovely non-stretchy designer vintage clothes weren’t fitting. That caused me to rein myself in. Mostly I’ve been stopping my evening snacking, which has been helpful – I allow myself only to have chocolate for holidays (my next chocolate fix will be Family Day in February!), which makes it feel more special.
Kudos to you for sharing this, Rena! I know you can do this!
Sheila, thank you for the vote of confidence and for your encouragement.
If you ever read Straight A’s blog, she changed her diet to vegetarian (I think that was what she did) to deal with headaches, and amazingly it not only helped her headaches, but also allowed her to get pregnant (they were trying to adopt because of infertility issues). It’s always amazing how food can make such a huge impact on our lives.
I recently wrote a post about our food journey lately because Rob is seeing a naturopath who has us incorporating more of a nutrient rich diet.
My favorite saying lately, “Every time you eat or drink, you are either feeding disease or fighting it.” It’s been a good thing to help our mindset.
XOXO
Jodie
http://www.jtouchofstyle.com
Your post about Rob was very interesting. Isn’t so wonderous how what we eat can affect us in unexpected ways? This hasn’t been our first time dealing with dietary issues. When she was a pre-teen, it was determined that our daughter has an allergy to milk proteins. So far, our son is sticking to the “headache avoidance” foods and all seems to be going well for him.
I have heard wonderful things about Intermittent fasting and this post adds to it. Good luck and thank you for sharing your experience!
xoxo
Lovely
http://www.mynameislovely.com
Thank you for stopping by and commenting.
I’ve changed my diet to be mostly vegetarian lately and I’ve noticed how much cleaner I eat now. It is a lower fat diet with no processed junk and it is also low in bad fats!! And, with the extra time with being in more with Covid, I’ve gotten more into walking, running and strength training. I think the hard part is getting started and making it part of your day to day, so that if you don’t do it… you miss it and realize you don’t feel as good. Good luck on your health journey, it sounds like you’re making good steps!
Carrie
curlycraftymom.com
With all the stresses of life, we can at times forget how much better we feel when we take care of ourselves through good nutrition and exercise.
I lost a few pounds on a low carb diet 18 month ago and have managed to keep it off by avoiding most of the bad carbs while eating the good ones, and making sure my diet includes things I can’t give up (cheese, houmous, the occasional sausage, a couple of chocolates a day ). Plus since lockdown started I now walk nearly every day. I spent years yoyo dieting so now it feels good to be relaxed and confident about my diet. Good luck!
I’m glad to hear that you figured out a routine that works well for you.
You look fabulous, Rena! I am really glad that you mentioned intermittent fasting. I have been meaning to write a post about my experience with IF. I sort of fell naturally into IF a few months ago. It started from severe anxiety that was not allowing me to eat anything from the time I woke in the morning until late afternoon. I usually go to bed by 9:00 so my food intake was limited between 2:00 and 7:00 pm. Just by making that change (even though it was involuntary at the time), I lost 15 pounds in about 3 months. Now my body is trained to only eat between those hours and while I haven’t lost any more weight, I have been able to easily maintain my current weight. I have added daily yoga sessions as well which help with both my physical and mental health. And the only supplement I currently take is Vitamin D (and of course marijuana)!
Shelbee
http://www.shelbeeontheedge.com
Thank you, Shelbee. I’ve become so used to my compressed eating schedule that it’s very easy for me to wait up to 3 hours after I wake up to eat my first meal.
This was very interesting to me especially about the intermittent fasting and also your son’s headaches: I have noticed I do much better if I have a smaller window for eating and make better choices and I had just decided last night to do a 2 week experiment with eating only between 11 and 6 ish and cutting down on a lot of sugar. I have noticed a number of food do trigger my migraines, namely american bread, too much cheese or too much sugar.
http://www.chezmireillefashiontravelmom.com
I know that eating too many wheat items (gluten) can affect how I feel but I find I don’t have a problem with my homemade bread.
I agree with that! It is when I eat store bought bread products.
I have a friend who does intermittent fasting and swears by it. He doesn’t do it for weight loss, but rather for health reasons and he feels much better for it. I was told by a gastroenterologist that I must eat regularly (I suffer from IBS) so I’m not a good candidate for fasting. However, I have done a couple of raw food diets (eating only raw vegetables and fruit, juices and soups) over a week and both times I felt amazing afterwards. I guess it cleanses the entire system. It wasn’t easy though. It’s like a detox, with back and leg pain though which seriously sucks.
I avoid gluten and lactose because of my IBS, but I think most people feel much better (and lose weight) if they avoid these things too. It might be an idea for your son to try too? Also I highly recommend meditation (and yoga!) for both of you. It helps….everything lol!
Big hugs
Suzy x
Yoga is a good idea. Thanks