Hello. My name is Lisa and I weigh 200 lbs. I never thought my weight would get this high, but the fact that it has has managed to make me see that I need to get serious about losing it.
When I walk into a room, the first thing you see of me is my belly. It's huge. When I was pregnant with my son I ended up with 3X the amount of amniotic fluid as normal, meaning he was swimming until the last minute and the muscles running down my belly are stretched out like an old rubber band. Stick a bunch of fat on top of that and I look 6 months pregnant. When I meet someone new, more often than not they ask when I am due. I then explain that I am, in fact, not pregnant, and that this is the leftovers from the three kids that are already here. They are always more embarrassed than I am.
I am tired of my clothes being too tight. I am tired of being winded after playing with my kids. I would like to spend my time thinking about other things than my weight. So, I am going to do this. I am going to lose 50 pounds. I don't have a specific date to do it by, but by next summer I want to be FAR on my way to being in better shape.
An artery in my heart burst open a couple of weeks after I had my third child, two years ago, and I am thankful to be here. I had strict physical restrictions, but have been cleared for exercise now. I am starting with an hour's walk three times a week, down to the university on their indoor track. I plug in my iPod and walk walk walk. I get to listen to my podcasts, which I love.
I need to start doing sit-ups, which I am sure will be the most effective thing to reduce my belly. I got a crick in my back last week that hasn't gone away, so I haven't started yet. I have started stretching in the morning, hoping it will help my back so I can get on with the sit-ups. So far - nothin.
Food choices are where I hit a brick wall. I snack. Triscuits are my favorite, but goldfish, crackers, Wheat Thins and pretzels will fill in without a fuss. And then there is lunch. Lunch is the hardest meal for me to eat healthy. By the time I get around to it, I'm starving, so I don't want to take the time to make anything. A Triscuit lunch is quite tasty. Also, I am by myself. The kids have eaten and are either asleep or playing.
Today I REALLY wanted to make a pizza for lunch. I really did. But I didn't do it. I had bean salad with cheese on it and a piece of bread. Yes yes, cheese. But some grated cheddar is a ton better than a pizza filled with it. I am actually quite proud of myself for not eating the pizza!! That's a first - not giving in. I'm telling you, this weight loss may be hard, but I am doing my best this time.
I went to the store today and didn't buy snacks. I have a package of pretzels in the cabinet left over from a party we had last weekend, but it isn't opened, and I ain't going to open it. As long as it isn't opened, I think I can resist it. Same thing for those Lipton pasta side dishes. Good lord, I think most of my excess weight is due to those things. So fast to make, so yummy. I have ONE sitting on my cabinet shelf. This is my convoluted reasoning - if I have one, I won't need to buy one. This is keeping me from eating it. I know that if I eat it, I will buy more. Not one. A variety. And then there goes the effort to lose weight for a week or two. No, having one there is my protection against eating them. Odd, but it works.
When I walk into a room, the first thing you see of me is my belly. It's huge. When I was pregnant with my son I ended up with 3X the amount of amniotic fluid as normal, meaning he was swimming until the last minute and the muscles running down my belly are stretched out like an old rubber band. Stick a bunch of fat on top of that and I look 6 months pregnant. When I meet someone new, more often than not they ask when I am due. I then explain that I am, in fact, not pregnant, and that this is the leftovers from the three kids that are already here. They are always more embarrassed than I am.
I am tired of my clothes being too tight. I am tired of being winded after playing with my kids. I would like to spend my time thinking about other things than my weight. So, I am going to do this. I am going to lose 50 pounds. I don't have a specific date to do it by, but by next summer I want to be FAR on my way to being in better shape.
An artery in my heart burst open a couple of weeks after I had my third child, two years ago, and I am thankful to be here. I had strict physical restrictions, but have been cleared for exercise now. I am starting with an hour's walk three times a week, down to the university on their indoor track. I plug in my iPod and walk walk walk. I get to listen to my podcasts, which I love.
I need to start doing sit-ups, which I am sure will be the most effective thing to reduce my belly. I got a crick in my back last week that hasn't gone away, so I haven't started yet. I have started stretching in the morning, hoping it will help my back so I can get on with the sit-ups. So far - nothin.
Food choices are where I hit a brick wall. I snack. Triscuits are my favorite, but goldfish, crackers, Wheat Thins and pretzels will fill in without a fuss. And then there is lunch. Lunch is the hardest meal for me to eat healthy. By the time I get around to it, I'm starving, so I don't want to take the time to make anything. A Triscuit lunch is quite tasty. Also, I am by myself. The kids have eaten and are either asleep or playing.
Today I REALLY wanted to make a pizza for lunch. I really did. But I didn't do it. I had bean salad with cheese on it and a piece of bread. Yes yes, cheese. But some grated cheddar is a ton better than a pizza filled with it. I am actually quite proud of myself for not eating the pizza!! That's a first - not giving in. I'm telling you, this weight loss may be hard, but I am doing my best this time.
I went to the store today and didn't buy snacks. I have a package of pretzels in the cabinet left over from a party we had last weekend, but it isn't opened, and I ain't going to open it. As long as it isn't opened, I think I can resist it. Same thing for those Lipton pasta side dishes. Good lord, I think most of my excess weight is due to those things. So fast to make, so yummy. I have ONE sitting on my cabinet shelf. This is my convoluted reasoning - if I have one, I won't need to buy one. This is keeping me from eating it. I know that if I eat it, I will buy more. Not one. A variety. And then there goes the effort to lose weight for a week or two. No, having one there is my protection against eating them. Odd, but it works.
