In the Water, Weight Doesn't Matter

An amazing thing happens when I get into a pool.  I feel light and giddy. I feel like playing and doing flips.  Silly me! I actually did one, even though it took me eight tries.  Yes, I failed seven times in public, but the feeling of the flip was so exhilarating and playful that it was worth every attempt. 
 
I love the feeling of the water and how it takes away the drag of gravity and is so renewing and freeing.
 
I grew up near Lake Michigan and spent a lot of time there swimming and enjoying the beach.  Then I moved to central Indiana, where people think any old puddle is a real lake.  To me, it isn’t a lake if you can see across it.  Still, I take what I can get. Most of the time that means I swim in a pool. 
 
It is also nice that pools have stairs and less debris for my feet to get tangled in, such as seaweed.  I do miss the great outdoors, the feeling of the lake breeze on my face, and the smooshing of sand between my toes.
 
Growing up, I just liked swimming.  I never knew what a favor I was doing myself by just having fun in the water.  Water provides resistance, like weights or bands.  It also provides a great cardio work out at the same time by getting your heart pumping and all of your parts moving.  Later in life I discovered water aerobics classes and love them to this day.  They do the same things, but in a more directed approach.

I Lost 150+ Pounds--and I Didn't Give Up*

Many of you asked me why I never gave up, how I lost this weight, and why I s
 
I try to fight the good fight against my ill health with intensity and fire now.  LOL!  No.  Actually I fight against my ill health one choice at a time.  I used to fight with fire and intensity, but I always burned out and gave up, calling myself a failure once again.
 
It all started very simply with one change at a time.  As I got used to the change, I changed something else.  For example, I made a rule for myself to eat from small plates when they were available.  Then when I got used to that I began ordering small instead of large and sharing meals at restaurants.  1% organic milk became a staple grocery item, and then I added more whole grain products, fiber, lean protein, and fruits and vegetables.  One of my favorite sources of healthy fat became spray canola, olive, or sunflower oil. 

Could Gratitude Be the Key to Weight Loss?

Did you ever stop to think how "More" centered the world is getting. It's getting pretty selfish. They say in addiction studies that when your brain says "I want more___," that is usually your addict talking. Think about it really. If food were a drug, and some do compare it to one, that would explain why we cannot stop eating MORE until something is gone. Personally, I listen to that voice, the "more" voice. If I hear it, I say "You're the addict! You WANT me to eat more." I then get away from the food as if it is toxic. Eating less becomes easier from that standpoint. I'm not here to argue food addiction with anyone. I'm just telling you a little trick that helps me.
 
More of everything is available and we seem to want it all.  I love this line from a Sheryl Crow song: "Happiness isn't getting what you want; it's wanting what you've got." 

I think if we were grateful for the blessing we do have in our lives, we would be more fulfilled and less "hungry."  We crave newer and better things and experiences, and there is nothing wrong with that sometimes.  It's when we can't have it and placate our boredom with food that we get in trouble.

Hey, You! Cheer Up!

A parody, to the tune of Hey, Jude.
 
Hey you, I know it’s bad,
You’ll have to get strong to make it better,
Remember to always lead with  your heart,
Then you can start to make it better.

Hey you, don't be dismayed,
Your body’s made to go out and move more,
The minute you make sweat come from your skin,
Then you have started to make it better.

And anytime you’re feeling pain,
Hey you refrain,
Don't eat the weight of the world, instead go lighter,
For now you know that it's a Spark,
That lights the dark,
By making his world a little brighter,
Na na na na na
na na na na

Hey you, you’ll never let me down,
You have found Spark, we’re in it together,
Remember to always lead with your heart,
And that Spark can make it better.

How to the Weather Life's Storms

 
Tea and sympathy, not cake and apathy.
 
Have you ever had one of those days, weeks, or years, when everything that can go wrong does?  I’m going through that storm now.  I’ve recently lost two pets, a cat and a bunny; a close friend passed on as well. I’ve had hives for three going on four weeks, prednisone shots and pills, both cars of our cars broke down at once… and the list goes on. 
 
In the old days, I would say “To heck with it! I DESERVE to eat whatever I want!”  While, I still do indulge upon occasion, I plan for it and do sometimes go over.  I’ve found that in the middle of so many uncontrollable things in life, the one thing I CAN control is my program to get healthier.  It’s mine!  Nobody is going to mess with it.
 
Yes, I DESERVE to be healthier.  Let’s face it. In a whirlwind, you need something to hang onto, and SparkPeople is that for me.  I’m not talking about a website.  I’m talking about you there, reading this.  I’m talking about the community we have. We care for each other. I’m also talking about our common goal of getting in better shape by exercise and eating healthier. 
 
We all have bad days, but we are bound together by a common cause and a common goal.  We want to be healthier.  We want to believe. 

Imagine Your Cravings Away!

How would you like to cut back your calories with the power of imagery?  Simply imagining the food and the sensations can help, according to a New York Times article.

"In one test 51 people were divided into three groups. One group imagined eating 30 M&M’s; another, three M&M’s; the third, none. When a bowl of M&M’s was then presented to the group, those who had imagined eating the most ate the fewest.

"The researchers chalked up the results to habituation: the manner in which the brain gets used to repeated experiences. In the same way that imagining a coral snake wrapping itself around your ankle might make you sweat, imagining eating food might have physiological effects: it may be releasing dopamine, the neurotransmitter associated with pleasure and satiety."    

Research has proven time and time again that imagery and visualization are strong tools for many purposes.  Athletes, seriously ill patients, and those who have other personal goals have used these methods successfully. 

Don’t Tell Me What I Can’t Do!

I love the saying from the television series Lost that character John Locke always repeats, "Don’t tell me what I can’t do!"  I think that’s part of where I got that attitude from.  That saying just clicked with me.  I think it’s because I was told that I wouldn’t and I couldn’t by so many, but then I did! 
 
What did I do?  I, and believe me this is a miracle, lost 150 pounds and went from bedridden to able to walk a bit, longer with a walker.  The pain is still frightful; however, where there is a will there is a way.  You should always discuss your pain with your doctor.  Even if they are less than receptive, they need to hear your needs.  If at any time you are told "Just lose weight," ask them how to deal with that when you can barely move.  If you’re dismissed as a whiner, find another doctor!  There are medicines, physical therapy, and other tools available to you to help you through the pain so that you can move.  There are even assistive devices, like canes, walkers, shower benches, heavyweight lifestyle websites, among other things to get you up and moving.

Clever Cardio for Those with Mobility Issues

One of my mantras is: "That which I cannot do now is my aspiration, not my defeat."
 
If you are have trouble moving or haven’t exercised in awhile, it can be very daunting to take on new cardio moves.  Most cardio moves involve the need to be on your feet, so I’m going to give you a few that don’t.  This is part of the CAN DO SparkPeople attitude I would love to see people embrace.
 
As most of you know, I was totally bedridden at 460 pounds and have lost 150 pounds.  I had to come up with some cardio moves that did not involve my legs because at that time, I couldn’t use them.  Clever Cardio, let’s call it.  That’s the cardio you come up with when you think out of the box or throw the box out completely.  Remember everything is better with music.
 
Here are some exercises that worked for me. Always consult with your health-care provider before starting any new workout routine.

Down 143 Pounds, Ann Shares Her Story*

Editor's Note: EMMABE1 has lost 143 pounds and counting with SparkPeople. Ann, who is from Australia, recently answered ~INDYGIRL's questions via email.
 
~INDYGIRL: What was your a-ha moment when you decided to finally lose the weight?
 
EMMABE1: As far as one single a-ha moment – I really didn’t have one! It sort of snuck up on me.  There was a huge media blitz on "healthy living" and this maybe had some effect. I was also having problems with osteoarthritis in my knees and ankles, so my doctor was talking "knee replacement."  The risks were too high at that weight; however I knew that one day the time would come.  With weight loss, healthy eating and exercise, I have managed to stop all pain in my knees and at this time, replacement is definitely "off" indefinitely!

~INDYGIRL: How much weight have you lost?
 
EMMABE1: 65 kg (143 lb approx.) I had lost 35 kg (77 lb approx.) in the 7 yrs before joining SparkPeople, but was just "fiddling about" reducing the amount of food and calories I was eating, but not changing my lifestyle.  Consequently I was still wearing the same size clothes despite the weight loss, and because of this I was totally fed up with what I viewed as yet another failed attempt.

Staying on Track: Instant Gratification vs.Long-Term Goals

This blog is dedicated to my team, The ~Indygirl Challenge, who told me they wanted to know how to get past the desire to satisfy that instant desire versus stay track for a long-term goal.  I’m not going to fib: This is a tough one!

I used to think I wanted to reach my goals more than I wanted anything, but obviously not.  I wanted to cope more, as an emotional eater.  The world is very full of emotion-causing events--some good, some bad. I needed to learn other ways to cope with my emotions.  (I blogged about Dealing with Emotional Eating last week.)

I also had to want to reach my goals more than I wanted to feel the food in my mouth, taste its deliciousness and feel overly full.  That last part is VERY important.  I’ve discovered I can have the food and all the wonderful sensations it brings, but with portion control and rules.  For me, certain foods can only be eaten when I'm away from home, such as candy bars, fast food, donuts, and anything else that would hinder my efforts and trigger a binge.  Then I allow myself ONE small or standard-sized item, and leave it at that.  Once I track it, it is added to my SparkPeople Food Tracker for the day and I move on.
 
Most of all, I had to want something worse than I wanted the food.  In my case it was freedom from my room/house.  I had been stuck in it for a few years and really wanted out and back to a life of going to movies with my husband, shopping with my girlfriends, and working again.  I was very lonely.  Sitting at home alone in pain is one of the biggest triggers for me to overeat.  I desperately wanted out of the situation.
 
As my journey started, I gained friends on SparkPeople.  They cheered me on as I wrote blogs and expressed exactly what I was going through.  I now NEED SparkPeople more than I NEED excess food.  The people on the site help me with my emotional eating by always being there and taking time to stop by my page, even when I don’t always have the time to reply back.  When I’m coping with heavy emotions, someone cares.  That makes a difference.
 

Dealing with Emotional Eating

Have you ever had a bad day and then headed home only to blow your calorie count out of the water?  How about those days when you are so frustrated that you can’t even wait to get home and repeatedly hit the vending machine for a treat?
 
Emotions of any kind can bring on the cue to our bodies to want food.  If we are joyful, we celebrate with cake. In times of sadness we take casseroles to comfort the grieving. In anger, we punish ourselves by eating everything in sight.  Often times we console our own sadness, loneliness, or boredom with food. 
 
Since times of old, there have been celebrations with food, and it has been at the center of a society.  No wonder it is so engrained in us to desire it.  Society as a whole is very centered on eating and dieting.  How do you fight it?

How Blogging Helps You Reach Your Goals

Before joining SparkPeople, I thought blogs were kind of silly.  I mean, why would you want to lay your life out for everyone to read?

But, I discovered, blogging is a great way to get your feelings out.  It gives people a way to anonymously, sort of, vent their feelings of joy, anger, grief, and whatever else they may be feeling at the moment.
 
Often times, those same emotions lead us to eat in isolation.  We feel like nobody will understand and that we are alone in our feelings.  Bloggers find that there are other people in situations just like their own and that they are not alone, they are part of something bigger.  When I blogged about weighing 460 pounds and being bed-ridden with fibromyalgia, herniated disks, pinched nerve bundles, bad knees, arthritis, and clinical depression, I honestly felt like "I’m the only one with this many hurdles!" 
I was so wrong. 
 
People who have read my blogs have shared their unique but similar struggles with me, and it feels like we are kindred spirits.  

Bigger Products for Bigger Fun

Being a larger or handicapped person is not easy. I won’t even go into the societal issues, but it is just difficult to find products that fit your lifestyle or assist you in ways that may be difficult to talk about. Well, I have researched sites for you and have come up with a few solutions to various needs and desires to fit the larger and/or less able lifestyle and make it a bit more active, comfortable, and fun. This blog will focus on products to help you have more fun in life. I also wrote one about products that help make life a little easier!

I'm Almost To Goal, So Now What?

I know there is a part of me dreading reaching my goal, because then what?  I’ve been a dieter and the funny, creative fat girl all of my life.  I don’t know how to be anybody else.  It’s a good thing, in that particular case, that I have a lot of weight to lose.  It gives my mind time to adjust. That’s such a change from my days of “I want it NOW!”  
 
Maybe that’s why I never lost the weight before.  Perhaps the speed I was losing at did not give my mind time to adjust to the new me.  Heck yes, I enjoyed the compliments, clothes, and feeling smaller.  In my head though, I was still the same fat person with low self-esteem.  I was fighting the same emotional battles the same way--with food.  I was still totally obsessed with what I was eating, wasn’t eating, or was going to eat in a given day.  
 
This time around, I’m making small lifestyle changes and it has taken me since December 2005 to lose 150 pounds and counting.  I don’t have that panicky fear that the weight is going to come back this time.  I know it isn’t because I am a different person now.  I’m still the funny, creative fat girl, but someday I’ll be the funny, creative girl.  This slower weight loss has allowed me time to adjust and learn to cope, while reinventing myself.  

15 Hunger-Fighting Foods

The day started innocently enough.  I ate my healthy breakfast, and I really wasn’t hungry after that.  A car trip later and I’m drooling like Homer Simpson at the sight of a Dunkin’ Donuts sign.  Should I or shouldn’t I?  One won’t hurt.  No, usually one doesn’t, but it does cause cravings--mad crazy cravings!  I find myself staring straight into the abyss that might be a downfall of super sugary and fatty portions.  I control it by driving through and getting one and leaving.  If I get any more than that, I’m in trouble.   
 
Surely you know the foods you eat that cause cravings.  They are the magical ones like chocolate that send you into another world with just a thought.  Everyone has their personal favorites.  We often concentrate on what we shouldn’t eat in large quantities or what triggers our hunger, but what about those foods that satisfy us?  Finding foods we should be eating that are healthful, tasty, and filling can be fun.   
 

Hunger sometimes has much to do with emotions and comforting, rather than true stomach hunger. (Stop emotional eating before it starts.)