08-06-14, 12:46 PM | ||
Join Date: Dec 2006
|
Quote:
Good luck on you health and fitness goals. I pray you find what works best for you. |
|
08-06-14, 02:51 PM | |
Registered User
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: The Midwest's Best Kept Secret
|
Penny, I am 49, and I lost all my weight after 45. My skin never did catch up! I know how to disguise it, though, with clothing. My legs actually have the worst loose skin because that's where I carried the most weight.
|
08-06-14, 03:05 PM | |
Join Date: Jan 2013
|
I've lost significant amounts of weight three times as an adult (I just turned 40), and each time it was because I started to seriously, seriously take control of my eating. No diet specifics (I have IBS, and twice my weight loss was prompted by needing to eat for that condition). The last time I was sick was in 2007, when I lost more than 50 lbs in about 6 months... and then *kept* it off for another 4-5 years, using the same techniques to keep my eating under control.
In the last few years, that control started to slip, and I put on almost 20 lbs. I felt defeated and confused--why couldn't I just eat like I ate when I was sick? Why was it so EASY for me to pass up chocolate then, but so hard NOW? ...And then, late this spring, thanks to VFers, I discovered a really smart, sensible book by psychiatrist Dr. Judith Beck, The Beck Diet Solution. It's not a diet--she never tells you what to eat or not to eat--it's a handbook for HOW to diet successfully--how to recapture that control; how to stay motivated in the face of challenges like stress, holidays, eating with friends, etc; how to make your health a priority; and how to consistently make good choices for yourself around food and exercise. In short, it was my old rulebook! I have since re-learned all my old skills, the ones that kept me healthy when I was sick, and at a good weight once I got healthy. (And I dropped those ~20 lbs, so I'm back at my healthy weight!) She's a therapist, and takes a tough-love therapeutic approach: Six weeks of daily worksheets and journal exercises, and you MUST commit to things like exercise, planning ALL your food in advance, and keeping disciplined records--but I found it surprisingly effortless for me. I'd never managed to keep a food diary (even when I was sick); now I've done it every single day (except one) for FOURTEEN WEEKS. She also teaches you how to take credit for every GOOD decision you make, so you never feel overwhelmed by missteps, and tempted to throw in the towel. As you can tell, I'm a huge fan. What's so great about it is, you can think of it as an ADJUNCT to *whatever* healthy lifestyle you adopt for yourself--any food plan, any exercise program--it will just help you STICK TO IT. I know that I'll have days I struggle (like yesterday--what was UP with all the unplanned snacking?!)... but it's great knowing that the skills are all still there; I just have to keep taking refreshers! ETA: Since you asked whether we followed a set plan... Dr. Beck has you choose two healthy eating plans (a main one and a fallback, in case the first one doesn't work out for you for some reason). For me, I chose counting calories as my main method, with WW as a backup. I was able to defer joining WW, although it was great to know it was there if I needed it. I think that's one of the things I found so useful with the plan--I felt like I'd be able to tweak my nutrition as I went along, if I discovered something was or wasn't working for me. (A couple of years ago, I managed to lose a little weight with clean eating (no processed foods), but it was SO MUCH WORK, and as soon as life got crazy, all those habits just gradually eroded.) Exercise-wise, I really like rotations (ie, "I'm doing X workouts for X weeks..."), so for the first 8 weeks or so, I was training for a 5k--running for cardio, and doing a "favorite instructor rotation," running through my collection of circuit DVDs by Amy Dixon. Now my rotation is running and alignment/flexibility/core (yoga, Classical Stretch). But I really want to do a heavy lifting rotation sometime (and I know I'll need to tweak my eating plan when I do), so that might be next! Good luck! A lot of us have been there (are there, will be there again), and VF is a great place to get support as you go along. Everyone here is so focused on the positive aspects of a fit and active lifestyle, it's almost impossible NOT to be motivated by them!!
__________________
~Gem Dux femina facti |
Tags |
weight loss, weight loss 75+ pounds |
|
|