Weight: OK, now what?
So, I did it: my BMI is in the healthy range, blood pressure normal for the past three months.
That's the good news, and the bad news is: so, I did it. No more watching the little ticker go down on MyFitnessPal, though I still track intake daily.
Now the hard part begins. I lapped up friends' congratulatory messages on MFP, reveled in NSVs (Non-Scale Victories) like being able to walk–if not dart–up subway steps with huffing.
When you weigh less, you need to eat less: bummer.
I'd played a barely-conscious game with myself for several decades: gain during a period of permissiveness, then eat consciously, restricting calories (but never extremely) to bask in the achievement of losing, with a little time spent on the well-populated Isle of Denial in between. But at almost 65, I can no longer cycle, because the "fun" phase is too risky.
Equilibrium is a bear! Look at Carrie Fisher, who dropped 50 lbs. in nine months with Jenny Craig, and appears to have been bit in the behind by maintenance. (I love her line that she "has gone through every letter of bra size, now all that's left is Sanskrit".)
Here's a before/after shot from Jenny Craig; the after is around August 2011:
In May 2012 this shot apeared in the UK's Daily Mail:
I'm not posting this to mock Fisher; keeping it off is the real challenge, and besides, who can stand to eat packaged food forever?
I figure I'll will have to log to the grave; this is not morality, it's math. I can only eat wisely if I know the score; without the count I'm in trouble faster than you can pop a can of tonic.
Women I know who have maintained triple-digit losses say the same thing as those who took off 5 or 10 lbs: every meal has to be a choice. They do not buy the 'inevitability of re-gaining', among other weight-loss myths explored in this recent New York Times article.
Have you seen the graphic, difficult and moving photo essay "Half" by the young woman photographer, Julia Kozerski? During her 160 lb. loss (50% of her original weight), she documented the truth of her changing body: she shows neither the airbrushed, taut perfection nor perky joy displayed by diet industry pitchwomen.
I'm not joyful; I'm relieved, because I lost weight for a health issue, and that reason shows measurable improvement. Of course, no one assumes that. The fellas at the gym tell me I look "so much younger". I just smile; they mean well. And one day they might have to keep it off.
That's the good news, and the bad news is: so, I did it. No more watching the little ticker go down on MyFitnessPal, though I still track intake daily.
Now the hard part begins. I lapped up friends' congratulatory messages on MFP, reveled in NSVs (Non-Scale Victories) like being able to walk–if not dart–up subway steps with huffing.
When you weigh less, you need to eat less: bummer.
I'd played a barely-conscious game with myself for several decades: gain during a period of permissiveness, then eat consciously, restricting calories (but never extremely) to bask in the achievement of losing, with a little time spent on the well-populated Isle of Denial in between. But at almost 65, I can no longer cycle, because the "fun" phase is too risky.
Equilibrium is a bear! Look at Carrie Fisher, who dropped 50 lbs. in nine months with Jenny Craig, and appears to have been bit in the behind by maintenance. (I love her line that she "has gone through every letter of bra size, now all that's left is Sanskrit".)
Here's a before/after shot from Jenny Craig; the after is around August 2011:
In May 2012 this shot apeared in the UK's Daily Mail:
I'm not posting this to mock Fisher; keeping it off is the real challenge, and besides, who can stand to eat packaged food forever?
I figure I'll will have to log to the grave; this is not morality, it's math. I can only eat wisely if I know the score; without the count I'm in trouble faster than you can pop a can of tonic.
Women I know who have maintained triple-digit losses say the same thing as those who took off 5 or 10 lbs: every meal has to be a choice. They do not buy the 'inevitability of re-gaining', among other weight-loss myths explored in this recent New York Times article.
Have you seen the graphic, difficult and moving photo essay "Half" by the young woman photographer, Julia Kozerski? During her 160 lb. loss (50% of her original weight), she documented the truth of her changing body: she shows neither the airbrushed, taut perfection nor perky joy displayed by diet industry pitchwomen.
I'm not joyful; I'm relieved, because I lost weight for a health issue, and that reason shows measurable improvement. Of course, no one assumes that. The fellas at the gym tell me I look "so much younger". I just smile; they mean well. And one day they might have to keep it off.
Comments
Judy C: You might ask your dr. to refer you to a nutritionist to work out a plan that also fits your food exchanges. A slow loss will be a great step.
Madame Là-bas: Oh hello there, thought I saw you on the Isle. Not logging over days- made me smile.
I log the low with the high and make my food diary public so my friends can say, ah, Duchesse was hitting the pecan pie there.
If I know I'm going out with the girls, I bank calories from earlier in the week so treats are built in to my calculations. (A Weight Watchers tip.)
I don't indulge and tell myself I'll cut back 'later'. Those games with myself got me that "suitcase weight" gained and dropped many times.
Made a big change in my habits but a bigger one in accountability, b/c scared silly by seriously high blood pressure.
At this point I cut myself some slack, try my best, hit the treadmill about 5 days a week, go to stretching classes, shiatsu, Alexander lessons - many kinds of maintenance. Could I lose another 10 lbs...probably, but my face would be so gaunt and it would be such a painful struggle with my body, I'm content to stay where I am.
Good luck and don't be too hard on yourself.....
I have to weigh myself every morning - I know this isn't always recommended, but for me I need to not have any "creep". Congratulations on your loss, and I have a feeling you'll maintain it.
Swissy
I looked at the pictures of Carrie Fisher and what surprised me, much more than the weight gain, was her lack of grooming. From head to toe she looks disheveled and careless. I realize she's just walking the dog but clean hair & clothes would go a long way in improving her appearance. I wonder if she's ok.
I have only ever gained a lot of weight with pregnancies, >50 lbs each time. That weight left of its own accord. So the perspective from a lifelong BMI of something like 20 is that over 50 - even if you never gained weight as a young woman - not gaining it now takes constant vigilance.
I don't really mind the vigilance though, because I'm used to it, and because I have come to experience the self-restraint as something happy for myself. Just as I now feel about reducing my alcohol consumption.
You just learn to live this way and find happiness in the doing.
I sense this is what you have come to as well. Again, congratulations.
It is diligence and hard work losing weight when one is post menopausal!
I still have quite a few pounds to lose and when I see how slowly the weight is coming off I do admit to getting frustrated. Your results do give me hope.
It is interesting to me how blood pressure and weight gain seem to go hand in hand.
Thank you for your inspiring post today.
LauraH; You're doing a lot and mention something I want to post on, the movement disciplines that assist posture, gait and balance. I think women tend to get obsessed about weight but there are other aspects of health that are as important, depending on your body.
Kathy: I dn;t see what's wrong with that, it's just data. We all know our weight fluctuates (and why) so why not, if you want to and it keeps your from the creep?
Swissy: Yep, that's about it! I figure doing those things is like brushing my teeth, not an option.
M; It wasn't hard to decide once I saw those numbers, as heart disease and diabetes run in family. Agree, Fisher not groomed there. She has long struggled with her mental health. Apparently she tweeted in Nov. "Just because I sound crazy doesn't mean I feel crazy."
LPC: Yes, I made that mental 'hop'. Seems easy now and there will always be room for treats, just not all and anytime.
hostess: My advice, FWIW, is forget about speed, just make the shift, if that's what you want. Gone are the days when we could drop 3-4 lbs in a weekend by eating lightly.
I do feel for Carrie Fisher - I´m a great fan of hers, she is a really gifted artist, but, as you said, troubled by bipolar disorder.
I weigh myself every morning, because I've found at this age, it's incredibly easy to gain 3-4 lb in a week just by going out to dinner a couple of times. I am NOT going to gain back any of this weight. I am working on exercising more, mostly for health reasons, because I don't think it really helps you lose weight. It's all about the food choices and portion sizes!
And Tabitha, I don't know your personal situation, and know from your pictures that you are gorgeous; but I respectfully suggest that if you are hungry every night, that's just not sustainable, plus it's no fun! I will say that following Weight Watchers (somewhat loosely these days), I am NEVER hungry. Of course, sometimes I'm hungry for cookies, or chips & dip, but I just don't eat those much. But just plain hungry...no. I can eat plenty and maintain my 50 lb loss. And I still drink wine mostly every evening, just have to make different choices about what I eat and how much of it. I'm so damn healthy I can hardly stand it!
---Jill Ann
sophisticatedlady666: Thank you for speaking up! Congratulations, know what that took. (WW Lifetime Member from so long ago my card is typewritten.) Yes, once the stickers and applause stop you really have to motivate yourself. Plus, all that dropping down in points- though we know the reason, it's so hard to relinquish every one! I gained back much of my WW loss when I stopped logging. Keeping my eye on the cals (or points) is the only way to keep it off.
Viktoria: Changing the reflexive behaviours is a key tactic. For me, it was food @ my computer. PdesP was fueled by licorice Twizzlers! Getting through holidays w/out a gain shows real change, good for you!
Carrie Fisher has a tart, original comedic voice and I so hope she can manage her illness.
JillAnn: Big applause! While there are varying opinions about the role of exercise, I like what one of my MFP friends said: "Watch the calories in, they are easiest to manage." Exercise has many, many other advantages though.
Both MFP and WW let you "earn" mopre cals or points w/ exercise, but I don't eat all of them back or I just maintain. (Some people do 'eat back' the exercise cals and still lose but I think they are younger.)
Tabitha *is* a knockout and your comment echoes my thoughts.
re "being a spokesperson": She is open about her experience in interviews and has described her breakdown and the treatment in "The Best Awful" (called "a thinly-disguised autobiog"); good article on that here:
http://www.bphope.com/Item.aspx/280/hollywood-kid-carrie-fisher-and-her-best-awful-
And yes, we'll be managing this forever, just one day at a time....
Duchesse: love, love, love your blog and the intelligent and thoughtful comments of your readers.
I was aware of how metabolism works when the body thinks it is being starved. This is just a bit different as allowances have to be made for individual body needs. In other words, you could look just like someone else in size and body type, but your nutritional needs COULD be different. The nutritionist is concerned that WW (and others) generalize too much. I'm just reporting by the way.
lets face it - there is only ONE way to control our weight. The answer?
CONTROL.
Watch what you eat. Watch your weight. Adjust intake to match 'outgoings'.
Its not rocket science but everyone wants to make every excuse in the world (slow metabolism, funny genetics or whatever). There is no other solution.
Just control.
Weight yourself. Too heavy? reduce intake. Too light? Increase intake. It is not complicated. We just keep wanting to take shortcuts and find exuses.
No one forces food down our throats. We put it there. Only WE can take control of our own weight.
60 years of watching my weight has taught me this.... and I have to remind myself of it daily. No shortcuts or excuses. Take control.
Judith
TB: Terrific system. I'm pretty much like that, I call it "automating" meals, b/c found if I had to really think through every food choice I got too focused on food and the regime became a bigger deal than it is. Deja Psu found the same thing. The system is in fact freeing.
Susan; When I did WW they did allow variation depending on how much carb you liked, and I think today there is even more flexibility in the system. Nutrition is a field that is stuffed with various theories, approaches and contradictions. Women with specific health issues (like diabetes or auto-immune system diseases) may need more specialized advice from a nutritionist but most of us are just eating too much, or too many empty calories.
Judith: Tell it, sister! The a-word-accountability- is the foundation to a healthy weight and (now that I think of it) other sound habits.
Judith
What other women do, as long as they don't force deep-fried-Mars-bars down your throat, is absolutely none of your business.
You have no idea what challenges another human being faces. I could be every bit as judgemental about your lack of compassion - a far greater failing than a bit of pudge, even though it may shorten the pudgy person's life - and your crap about "accountability".
Obesity is a SOCIAL problem, caused by carcentric planning that doesn't favour daily-life exercise, and corporate crap food.
Yes of course individuals should fight it, but that will not solve the general problem.
And I do feel sorry for those who have gained because of meds. That's a much tougher situation to deal with than just needing to be accountable.
I spent a lot of time denying or ignoring my situation and it was not till the very scary bp that I said, OK, I'm doing this". While I think of myself as intelligent, I wasn't intelligent about that.
But once willing to be accountable, now I have no excuses, do I?
lagatta: There are *many* causes of obesity and some people are challenged with many factors at once. While no once forces anyone to get in a car or spend hours in front of TV, it's definitely harder to eat a good balanced diet if your income is low- and oh how I wish we subsidized salads in restaurants like Sweden (?) does.
You are both identifying important dimensions to addressing obesity, yours, the social, and hers, the tendency of a person (for whatever reason, but usually tired, stressed and facing other demands) to make excuses instead of mobilizing will.
I've worked a lot in the neighbourhood on healthy eating programmes for people who are considerably poorer than I am, with far less education: things like community kitchens and access to exercise programmes for people with specific health challenges. I succeeded in getting access to cardiac programmes for people who couldn't afford private ones. Many people have been pressing for a community centre with a public pool and it should be up and running later this year, knock wood!
Late magical nun (speaking of WILL!) Madeleine Gagnon and some of her sisters were involved in that too.
As for cars, it is not a matter of forcing anyone into them, but a lack of safe and feasable alternatives in many jurisdictions in North America (and even in Britain). Nordic Europe does much better.
It's hard being overweight.
It's hard losing weight.
It's hard to keep weight off
Chose your hard.
Good lick and thanks for sharing.
It's hard being overweight.
It's hard losing weight.
It's hard to keep weight off
Chose your hard.
Good luck and thanks for sharing.
Right now, I'm focusing on smaller portions and moving more. We'll see.