It's hard to believe I'm back here again. If you've read my blog, you know that weight is an issue for me. I'm not one of those people who can eat regular and stay at a healthy weight. As a matter of fact, the only thing that has worked for me in order to lose weight has been extreme deprivation. And you know what happens with that, there is usually a yo-yo affect. That's why the majority of people with weight issues gain the weight back within 5 years. I am that statistic. I had major weight loss in 2021 using Options Medical Weight loss. It was a meal replacement plan where you ate 4-5 bars and shakes a day and then ate a dinner comprising a vegetable and a meat. It was simple and it worked well with my busy lifestyle. I would keep the bars and shakes behind my desk in my credenza and eat them in between meetings. They I would vary whatever my family was having to eat just the meat and the vegetable or I would eat one of my frozen keto meals. My favorite was the keto pizza I found on Wio Diet website. It worked well. I started at 250 and got down to 212 before I hit a plateau. I didn't exercise and as a matter of fact, every time I exercised, I'd gain weight. I assumed it was because of the inflammation that exercise caused. I never liked working out anyway so that worked fine for me! I started October 2021 and made it through the holiday season and by May 2021 I was ready to graduate from the program. 

The summer came, and the food at the summer festivals came with them. The world was opening back up after the pandemic lock down and I hadn't accounted for how much of my staying power during my diet, had to do with the fact that I wasn't going anywhere. I was on an appetite suppressant as well, that you can only be on for six months, and once I was off of that- and my appetite came back- it was a real problem. 

Within a year, I had gained all the weight back that I lost. Some of the weight gain was due to emotional eating. I've had a rough summer. I was in the hospital with one of my teenage Twins due to her liver enzymes being off. At the same time, one of my best friends went in the hospital for gallstones and passed 23 days later from Stage 4 Pancreatic Cancer. My grandmother, in the midst of dealing with all of this - had a stroke. It was a lot, everyone was leaning on me and I was holding it all together using food as my crutch. I'm still using food as my crutch. 

I have something called "Back to Basics," and that's like the equivalent of a hard reset on a computer. It's an all or nothing technique, which my therapist is  trying to get me to go away from black or white thinking. But with the "Back to Basics" I employ all of the things that have helped me in the past and it includes: 

* Journaling/Blogging
* Prayer
* Meditation
* 64 ounces of water (only) to drink
* Cleanse (Master cleanse or smoothie cleanse)

*30 minutes of movement 5 times a week

Using this method, I have gotten back on track to healthier eating and jump started my weight loss. I have avoided doing this because I have tried to find some grey area where I am eating healthier and making better choices but knowing my body, this is just not enough. I will continue to give in to the carb cravings until I get back to basics. So this is the day before I take the plunge. I'm trying to work out the details so that I leave no room for error. Thank you all for coming on this journey with me. It is important that I hold myself accountable.  

Hard Reset

The more things change, the more they stay the same. Feels like I’ve been climbing the steep hill of obesity as long as I can remember. Last year, I finally found something that worked: medically-assisted weight loss. I went to a financial planner who helped me achieve my goals of buying a bigger house, buying an upgraded car and saving $10,000. I I achieved these goals within 6 months. So I thought if an expert could help in this area, why not try it for weight loss. Just like with the financial planning, I started Options in October 2019 and by June 2020, I graduated the program shy of my goal of 200 pounds but more than happy at 212 wearing a 14/16 and a size large. It worked! I focused on increasing protein, drinking adequate water and going and staying in ketosis. The greatest thing about keto was that I didn’t have cravings! People ate pizza (my kryptonite) right in front of me and I wasn’t even tempted! I utilized appetite suppressant pills aling with lipo injections to achieve my goals.

But I took the summer off as I traveled… then I got Covid… So all weight loss plans took a back to survival- I was so happy to have survived that I wanted to live life to the fullest! And that included eating my favorites: pizza, soft pretzels, cookies, cupcakes, donuts, pancakes, you get the picture. And after a long drawn out recover from Covid- exercise was the last thing I wanted to do once I was finally able to breathe. 

I recently lost and gained the same 10 pounds through the lemonade cleanse, but when it was over, like Pookie, those foods would be calling me. There was always an excuse: Valentines Day, my Birthday, Easter…and with those days came distractions and poor choices that brought the weight right back. So I’m going back to Options to get the assistance that I need. The only thing I am going to do differently is that I am going to stay to get through Phase 2 so I learn how to eat in a way that I can keep the weight off. 

Join me for this journey! Tomorrow I meet my coach, Matt at Options.