Check Out "From Fat to Finish Line"

Hey, hey! If you have a Netflix account, check out "From Fat to Finish Line" it's out now on their streaming platform. I know a few of the people highlighted in there... well, know them from SparkPeople. They have done it, and it was inspiring to follow their journey then, and it is now. People like me, and others out there need to know that there are others with the same struggles, and that it is possible to be successful, healthy and happy in the long run, even though the process may take years, and involve a lot of dedication, sacrifice and even pain at times. It's also available on Amazon Video streaming, DVD and BluRay

Here is a trailer for From Fat to Finish Line:

Okay, so now you know what I do when I take a day off from exercise... but at least I'm staying in the frame of mind and mentally working on my progress.

Taking a Knee

I'm taking a knee today. Taking the day off. I'm still doing my thing, but only with calorie counting. Yes, I count. I track every morsel that passes my lips, and every ounce of anything but water, which isn't much since I drink water all day with the exception of one cup of coffee in the morning. I'm taking the day off from exercise today though. I didn't want to, but...

Here comes the excuses, or as my husband would say "You know what I'm hearing, don't you?" It's true though, sometimes there are just days when you have to give an excuse and take it. I fell a week and a half ago, and landed right on my left knee. It's been stiff and achy ever since. I've been working through it though, and I would have today, but yesterday I also sprained my right ankle. It hurt like crazy, could hardly walk last night and still this morning. It is getting better though, thankfully. I can walk normally now. But I want to go to the health club tomorrow and swim, so I want to be able to walk. So, I'm taking the day off and babying my ankle and knee.



It's true that the whole healthy lifestyle thing, especially during the weight loss, getting fit process can involve some pain, a lot of dedication, and tons of willpower at times, and it is all worth it. However, some days you have to know when to take a knee (pun intended. lol).

Fear: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

Fear is pretty much a built in emotion that is hardwired into everyone's brain. How we perceive it, I suppose is different depending on the experiences we've had in our lives. For the most part, fear is a very important psychological element. Good fear keeps us from standing to close to the edge of a cliff, diving into murky water, fear keeps us from getting into all kinds of dangerous situations. So when is fear bad? Fear gets out of hand when we (and I mean I here, but I'm thinking it pertains to a lot of people) let it take control and talk us out of things that are good for us. Fear can derail our plans of living a healthy lifestyle.



Now to be fair, it's not fear's fault. Fear thinks it's doing the right thing by us. It is protecting us from the emotional damage that might come from failing. It is protecting us from the physical damage that might come from doing a new exercise, or maybe from what it perceives to be the inevitable. Sometimes, we even cause our own fears from being afraid of being too happy. A friend had a post about this today. Having trouble feeling elated for long over a good weigh in, but not having any difficulty experiencing the negative feelings of giving into a craving days ago, and still feeling that emotion. 

I know that fear. It is a common enemy, but the enemy is me. The little voice in my head that says, "hey, who knows you better than I do? It's been 54 years, do you think I don't know what is going to happen? You know this can't last, right? Do you think I want you to be upset if you falter? Give up now, don't put yourself through that." Or when things have been going good, and this is even more the case for me, I don't have a problem feeling good about the positives, but when a little blip happens, like not losing anything when I've been doing everything right and have been losing well for weeks. My little voice starts up with "see, it was bound to happen. You know it. I know it. Just give it up and go eat a doughnut and be happy." Not... no, no, no... but there have been times in the past where I've given up. Especially when those little blips happen too often. 




That's the Ugly fear, the negative person that even the most cheerful optimist hides deep down inside. For me it's a weight issue, for someone else it might be a performance issue, a speaking in front of people issue, or any one of millions of personally ingrained issues. That fear has no useful purpose other than a perceived sense of safety. It's not real safety, and it only hurts us (me) in the long run. It stops me from trying, so today I am saying GO away little voice. You don't know me as well as you think you do. I am a lot stronger than that, and I'm not letting you convince me otherwise ever again. 

The Martian Message

I just watched one of my favorite movies of 2015, and arguably the best one of the year--at least that's my opinion, The Martian, for the millionth time. I watch it whenever it comes on one of the movie channels even though I have the DVD. It is packed with exhilarating adventure, danger, inspiration and power. Not to be a spoiler, but the main message of the movie is easily encapsulated by the speech at the end by Mark "the Martian" Watney: 

"At some point everything is going to go south on you. 

You can either accept that or you can get to work. 

You just begin. 

You do the math. 

Solve one problem, then solve another problem, and then another and if you solve enough problems you get to come home." 

Of course, considering the grand scheme of the movie it is the plot outline, lol, but really it should be a plot outline for everyone in life--especially people who want to achieve a goal like weight loss. At some point everything is going to go south on you. You can either accept that and give up, or you can get to work. 

BE the Space Pirate! 

GET TO WORK. 

How to Train (the Addiction) Dragon

A friend posted a comment on my SparkPeople page about how she could identify with my being a food addict, and she also added a quote that she had read about it that so rang a bell with me I just had to do a post on it. The quote was: 

"alcoholics have to slay the dragon, while food addicts have to learn to walk the dragon three times a day." 

Food addiction is as powerful and dangerous as any other serious addiction. It causes life-threatening physical, mental and emotional illnesses. Unlike any other type of addiction though, food addicts can't just quit their "drug of choice." People can't live without food, no matter how much they weigh, so food addicts have to learn to live with their addiction and control it... we have to re-train our bodies and minds... we have to train the dragon to survive. 



I've often said, motivation isn't enough, it takes fear and a deadline. That is funny, but to some people it may seem harsh or mean. Fear should be a real thing for people with a food addiction though. Fear of what could--WILL--happen if the addiction isn't overcome. I had a real glimpse of that possible outcome not too long ago at my heaviest. 

I had just given up for a long time, and gotten myself to the point of serious issues. I was at a point where all I did all day was lay on the couch, not because I didn't want to move, but because it hurt too much to move. It hurt to the point where I'd be there and have to go to the bathroom, but I would stall and wait to the last minute because it would hurt so bad to get up and go there--15 feet away! It got so bad that just going from couch to bedroom--30 feet away--would make me gasp for air and hurt so bad I would almost collapse. 



In just 4.5 short months those issues are in the past, even though I still have a long way to go. But I have to REMEMBER those times. It wouldn't take much to be right back there again, and likely worse because pounds don't just come back, they come back with friends... fear has to be a part of the motivation to overcome addiction, but the good news is, once you have trained the dragon, the joy and accomplishment is as powerful as any addiction. 

It didn't happen overnight, even though it did happen amazingly fast: I couldn't do much as far as exercise went at the beginning, but I found ways to move that I could do. Chair aerobics lead to swimming and finally the ability to get on the floor and do some floor exercises. Walking is still my enemy a bit, but I'm working on improving that. However, now I incorporate all kinds of exercises into my weekly schedule, and am up to swimming laps 1.5 hours 4xs a week. I can never let myself forget though, and I have to remain constantly vigilant of the certain foods that are trigger-foods for me. Food addicts have a slightly different issue when it comes to dieting/healthy lifestyles. 

Most people can eat "bad" (for want of a better word) foods in moderation, food addicts have some foods they may never be able to eat safely again. I know what mine are: cake, ice cream and pizza... okay, never again may be too far to go, and those weren't the only foods I ate in excess, but I have to always be aware of those foods, knowing they are the gateway to relapse. Those are the foods that fire up my dragon. They turn on my addiction, and cause me to lose sight of my goals, eating anything else in my path, especially high carb foods. If I choose to eat them even in moderation, I have to make sure they don't take control. For right now, for me, and for most addicts still in the process of getting to a goal, they aren't an option. 

Remember the Why

The Proof is in the.... Doctor's Visit

I am so happy today. Hubby is on this journey with me. He has never had as serious a weight issue as I have, although he is overweight. His big problem has been Type II diabetes and high blood pressure. Since we both decided to be serious about changing our bad eating habits and exercising several hours a week, we've both seen improvements, but the real proof was at hubby's first doctor's visit since beginning our program of changes on September 15th.

His A1C was 5! FIVE!!!! That's so great I was so happy. 

His blood pressure was 120/80! A normal reading! For him that's amazing. 



The proof that this works is all around in many little different things, but this was the icing on the cake. 

I'm so proud of him for sticking to it all, and getting his numbers so under control. 

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Even though this wasn't MY victory, it showed some very important things. Living a healthier lifestyle changes EVERYTHING. I found this picture on a friend's page at Spark People and it is soooo true.


I've only lost about 25% of the weight I have yet to lose, and already I am sleeping MUCH better. At my highest weight I would wake up with a start regularly feeling like I was gasping for air. Hubby told me I often scared him when I was sleeping. I used to swallow antacids like candy every day too, and right from the start of my healthy eating plan that eliminated all simple carbs, I haven't had to take ANY at all. Instead of buying a large bottle of bargain brand antacids every week, I haven't bought a single one in 4.5 months.

Weighing In with a Laugh