Making Life Changes
The Secret to Permanent Weight Loss
I have found the secret to losing weight! Making real changes. I believe everyone knows that. I think most people like to kid themselves that they can change a little bit, for a while.
I was talking to a friend who had been losing weight in the spring. She lost a decent amount of weight, but as soon as summer came along she couldn't stay on the diet. She said over the summer she has gained back about 5 pounds, which really isn't too bad.
She told me that she can't get back to things because she has several things coming up. You know, like weddings, birthdays, showers and things like that. If you are going to make real life changes you can start today. That just means you will start eating the way you plan to eat even when you are attending special events.
I have made changes that I hope will last me for life. I know if I continue to eat the way I am eating today I won't have to worry about weight gain in the future. If I gradually allow myself to return to my previous eating habits, I will gain the weight back and probably much more.
I admit I have added a few things into my diet that I wasn't eating a few months ago. I am continuing to watch the scale to see if those foods are affecting me. I am at the top of my healthy BMI now. I think I want to lose about 10 more pounds. I am not ever going back to eating processed sugar. I can't handle sugar! Sugar is a poison to my body. It's like crack. I eat some, I crave more. I can eat the sugars that are in fruits and do fine. I have added some apples to my diet and I am still losing weight.
I plan to stay away from wheat and most processed foods. I might have something with a little breading on it occasionally. That is not something I really need to eat and I feel better when I don't eat that stuff.
Here is my weekly weigh-in!
Loss 35.5 pounds total
Starting weight - 184.5
Week one - 180.0
Week two - 179.5
Week three - 179.0
Week four - 178.5
Week six - 176.0
Week seven - skipped, was on vacation
Week eight - 181.5
Week nine - 174.0
Week ten - 172.5
Week eleven - 172.0
Week twelve - 171.5
Week thirteen - 170.5
Week Fourteen - 172.0
Week Fifteen - 167.5
Week Sixteen - 169.5
Week Seventeen - 168.5
Week Eighteen - 168.0
Week Nineteen - 167.5
Week Twenty - 161.50
Week Twenty-One 161.0
Week Twenty-Two 159.5
Week Twenty-Three 160.0
Week Twenty-Four 159.0
Week Twenty-Five 157.5
Week Twenty-Six 156.5
Week Twenty-Seven 154.5
Week Twenty-Eight 153.5
Week Twenty-Nine 152.5
Week Thirty 152.0
Week Thirty-One 150.5
Week Thirty-Two 149.0
My scale is 2 pounds light!
You are so right Betty, how I am eating now is how I will eat for the rest of my life... I am not saying I won't allow myself a small treat here and there but I won't allow myself to eat the way I used to. Mainly processed sugar is pretty well eliminated from my diet and I don't crave it all, not like I thought I would. Congratulations on your weight loss...
ReplyDeleteHi Betty, I think the lifestyle change involves a deep investment. I was telling a new member of our TOPS chapter that any diet will work, but only if the person is individually invested in it. The reason why so many commercial diets fail people is because they have external motivation rather than internal motivation. You must commit with heart and soul. It is a deep matter of the soul, which is not just superficially about weight. It is about fixing a dysfunctional life. It is about dreaming bigger dreams. The weight lost is the most superficial aspect of all of it. :D
ReplyDeleteYou are definitely right - the changes made while "dieting" should be real life changes that you intend to keep, for the most part (for me, maintenance includes a little bit of cheating once in a while!). I went paleo when I wanted to lose my last 20 pounds... and I lost it! I've kept it off by being 90-95% paleo still, two years later!
ReplyDeleteI know so many people who have been on radical diets, only to gain back everything they lost. I agree completely with you about changing your eating habits for good! Everyone is different and each person needs to find a way of eating, that allows them to lose (or maintain) their weight, that works for them. I am very fortunate in that I can eat whatever I want, I just need to pay attention to my portion sizes. I have learned that as I get older, my portion sizes are getting smaller.
ReplyDeleteHi Betty, you are so right. You have to make changes that you can sustain for the rest of your life or you will end up gaining the weight back. I can't say I have eliminated anything from my diet but I have reduced my portion sizes and eating more often.
ReplyDeleteCongrats on the weight loss.
We seem to be on a similar wave length today. LOL
ReplyDeleteGreat job, Betty! Very proud of you and all that you have accomplished!