I started did one round of the Fast Metabolism Diet back in February and lost 11 pounds. The focus is on clean eating, drinking water, and moderate exercise. I liked the plan, but it does require a lot of planning and prepping of meals. So, consequently, I stopped. Then my weightloss stopped. Imagine that? Well, I figured I had about a month before school started, so I could use my free time to prepare some meals to freeze and get into a routine...less stress is always better. So, I completed a week of FMD, and I was down 2 pounds! This is exciting for me...it doesn't count as a loss on my DietBet, but it is me moving in the right direction. So, my goal for this first DietBet is to lose 2.2 pounds a week to reach my 4% goal. I am excited~
Another incentive I have for me include getting a new tattoo everytime I lose 20 pounds. They serve as reminders of my journey (but are symbolic of other things I value in my life: my kids, running, etc...). I already have my next one picked out...I just have to reach my goal.
I used to be a competitive runner. In fact, my freshmen year of college, I weighed 100 pounds less than I do now. I could run a 5k in 18:21, a half in 1:31, and a marathon in 3:09. It seems so overwhelming that I allowed myself to get to where I am now. But, it wasn't intentional...(yeah right, people say...who forced you to eat...) But, life is stress. Some people drink. We say they have a disease and need help when they drink too much. We say it's genetic, and they are predisposed to those conditions. So, it's less of a stigma. Some people smoke. Though society is not always thrilled with smokers, it is mostly socially acceptable to do so. You can buy both alcohol and cigarettes at grocery stores. Some people do drugs...and we sometimes pity the rough lives they have had to live; sometimes blaiming thier circumstance and predeposition to drugs on genetics again. Celebrities check themselves into rehab all the time, so again, the stigma is not so bad. But...overeating....people who eat instead of doing drugs, instead of smoking, instead of drinking...they are just lazy people who let themselves go...according to the majority of society. A person who is overweight is made to feel far more inferior than a thinner person. I am often overlooked in stores, and I know it is because of my weight. I was once in a jewlery store with a co-worker looking at rings. The lady pulled out numerous selections for my thinner co-worker to try on. I had to ask her point blank three times to allow me to try one ring on. Soceity's derisive attitude sends people like myself hiding in shame, afraid to don a swimsuit in 120 degree weather because someone might see me, take a picture, and ridicule me on the internet, or worse to my face. The image I included here just visualizes soceity's view of overweight people, especially women. Couple that with the barage of comments like "oh, she really let herself go" from former coaches, to "look who got fat" from fellow community members at local races and students who say "She needs an exercise program, she's huge!"...It's enough to just want to stay in the house and not come out. Add in the everyday stress of raising a family, working full-time, and dealing with living in a construction zone for a house for over year...things get pretty high strung. I've tried WW on and off for over 10 years. I've done Slim Fast, Paleo, Vegetarian, Diet pills, etc...they all lead me back to where I am today...hooked on the feel good reaction I get from eating. So, yes...I eat. It numbs the stress, and stops me from going completely nuts on people...but it is killing me. So, as Huey Lewis said, "I need a new drug."
I miss the "runner's high" I would get when I was training for marathons...but I can 't run like that right now because my knees hurt when I run outside. So, I am slowly getting back into things with a treadmill, the Fast Metabolism Diet, and my GB Girls Diet Bet Group.
Here's to a healthier me in 4 weeks!