Let me start by saying, I am not a diet expert, physical ed expert, or anything like that. I am simply a woman who is on the journey to try to get healthier. I, like many others, am in the search for the cure to being fat & unfit. This is simply my "spot" to share my journey and to get input from you about your journey. Maybe we can help each other on our way.A little about me:
I am 44 years old and am classified as morbidly obese. Yikes! What a horrible term, "morbidly". As a certain comedian says, I like to think of myself as "Fluffy". :) I have always been a little big except when I was born. In fact, I was tiny when I was born & spent a lot of time in the hospital. A friend of mine in high school & I came up with a theory (not scientifically proven) that if you were born a small baby then you ended up being a big adult. We said this because we knew several people who were born under 7 lbs. who ended up being large people and others who were born over 8 lbs. and were much smaller in size.
Genetics is a definite cause for why we are the size we are but it is also lifestyle, etc. Both of my parents are overweight as well as several members of my family on both sides. Yet, I do not want to be like that.
My parents have many health concerns and I know that weight & inactivity play a HUGE roll in that. My Dad has heart issues & has a pace-maker. He also has diabetes & several health problems due to this. My Mom has fibromyalgia, diabetes, & several other health issues. I have watched them both struggle with their health for several years.
I am married to a wonderful man, Mike, for 7 plus years. We have been together for 10 plus. Mike is my second husband and between us we have 7 kids. He has 2 sons & a daughter, I have 2 daughters, and together we have 1 daughter and an angel baby. Most of our children are older and have "left the nest". Mike's daughter is married & has a beautiful son. His boys are both out on their own & working. My oldest daughter is in college & my youngest is graduating high school this May. This leaves our youngest, who is 4, to keep us on our toes.
These are my motivations to get better. I do not want my children to have to take care of a sick mom. I want to be able to chase my 4 year old in the park without feeling like I'm dying. I want to look better for my husband so that he can feel proud showing me off.
I have always been a large person. This has always been a self-esteem issue for me also. I was at my skinniest when I was 19 but it was not a health skinny. I had gotten into a bad relationship & place in my life where I had no food. I walked everywhere I went and I was in an abusive situation. But, I looked good, LOL. Yes, I laugh about it now. It's in the past.
Now, I am taking charge of my life and my health for my future. Not an easy thing to do by any means.
I have always loved food. Sugar is a weakness. I am at my happiest when I can cook or bake for family & friends. I just love to do it. It's in my DNA. LOL! Now, I'm just having to re-teach myself on better things to cook & eat to better serve my body & not my "emotions". Yep, emotional eater here at times. Food is comfort. So, I'm finding healthier options in the "comfort food" zone.
Meal prep has become the latest thing out there & I have to tell you, it really helps. You may think that it's a lot of work but honestly, it helps me really think about the choices I make of what I put in my mouth & fix for my family. I take time on the weekend, when I can, & I fix my lunches to take to work. This helps keep me from running out from the office to get the junk food fix or trying to throw something in a bag in the morning as I'm running out the door. Now, I can just open the fridge, put the containers in my bag, & I have my breakfast, lunch, & snacks all ready & healthier to go. This also helps me plan dinner for my family. There are many places you can go to get healthy recipes and information for meal prep. I tend to search Pinterest and I also follow Eating Well, & other fitness magazines. These give me ideas of healthier alternatives & good recipes.
Phone apps have become a help to me also. I am using My Fitness Pal to track activity & log food. No, I don't always like logging my food but it's a real wake up call as to what I am putting into my body. I also use the My Plate app by Livestrong.com. This one is recommended for use when you have diabetes or pre-diabetes (which I have). Their website is also a good place for exercises, recipes, & general information. Right now they have a Stronger challenge that you can sign up for that actually gives you weekly grocery lists, meal plans, & daily exercises for you to get help towards your goals.
Activity trackers are great helps also. I currently us the Misfit app on my iPhone with the Swarovski Crystal tracker and the Shine tracker. These help track steps, activity, & sleep. It has been a real eye opener for me to see what my sleep patterns are. It's a proven factor for weight loss also that we need to get good, restful sleep. I recommend you find a tracker that can help you see what you do. (not sponsored by any of these sites listed in this post)
Exercise/activity is really important. I enlisted the help of my niece, who has a Masters in Kinesiology, to set up an exercise program for me. I'm not a spring chicken & I have a mostly sedentary job now. Therefore, I had to ease into a workout program so that I would not do damage to my body. My niece has me doing interval training with weights 3 days a week with 30 seconds of activity then 30 seconds rest for a total of around 30 minutes. We will increase the activity time & shorten the rest as I get more active. The other 3 days a week are walk/jog days or because of weather, exercise video days.
So, I have a plan and now I'm just trying to work on it. I plan to share exercises, recipes, meal plans, & progress here when I can. Like I said, I'm NOT an expert. I'm just a person who is trying whatever I can to make my life better. Thanks for your time!!
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