What just happened?

One year ago I joined a competition and lost a bunch of weight!  I was very successful!  In the end I had lost 31lbs. but a year later I have gained 24 of those pounds back.  Why does this seem to be the natural cycle of things?  Why have I lost weight, and lots of it on multiple occasions, but I always seem to gain it back.

For too long I have sought to reset my normal weight set point.  But time and time again I have failed.  I have tried severe calorie restriction, and while this does allow me to lose weight quickly, it does not last.  I have tried low glycemic index, and I lost lots of weight that way also it did not last either.  Both of these were based on limiting components of nutrition like carbs or fat or protein.  And this has always seemed so artificial.  My grandparents were not heavy, and neither were their parents!!  They didn't worry about fat, carbs or anythings else, but instead worried about feeding their families with food!!!

So why is it so hard for us to maintain a normal weight?  I have talked to my father and my grandmother and have found that they ate multiple servings of food, and lots of different kinds of food, and curiously, they ate things cooked in lard, ate lots of fatty meats, and lots and lots of veggies, and lots of different kinds of veggies prepared in lots of different ways.  They ate baked goods, but they were made at home with fresh farm raised ingredients, and they never got fat!

So what was different?  They DID NOT eat processed crap!  They ate bread as a side of the meal, not as the basis of the meal.  They ate meat at every meal, they were pig farmers, and crop farmers.  They ate a diet that today takes a fair amount of planning and work!  It is a marked departure with what we are told we are supposed to eat, and not supposed to eat.  So as of now I will be relearning how to eat, because I am clearly not eating incorrectly.

I am committed to learning what food is, and what food is not!  I am committed to working hard to plan and shop for real food, and creating a new way of eating that is really an old way of eating.

I should mention that I have read Tim Ferriss' "4-hour Body", and Loren Courdain's "Paleo Diet", so I understand the basis for not eating crap, and the fact that calorie restriction is a fallacy.  So I am now reading Jonathan Bailor's book "The Calorie Myth."  I am developing a more well rounded understanding of what we need to be eating and why.

So let my journey begin! (again)

Month #2, Week#4

Another tough week on the weight loss train, but I think that I am going a little manic.  The competitive part of me is becoming unhealthy.  I am mostly making healthy choices about diet and lifestyle, but I am lacking in two important areas, sleep and good judgement about exercise.  I have been waking in the morning to do my workouts, but I have also been going to bed later and later due to the demands of Work, School, Meetings, Track, Family, etc.  I just have to much on my plate, and that mixed with the fact that I feel the need to win is just too much.  I have lost a good amount of healthy weight this month, in increments of 1 to 3 pounds a week.  This is natural healthy weightloss, and somehow I feel as if I must be more driven, so this will be the end for me in the Pounds for Pounds challenge.  I don't want to sacrifice my health and well being in the name of winning the challenge.  I simply want to lose weight at a healthy pace and feel better.  I think that I am on that road.  Thanks Pounds for Pounds for the impetus to lose the weight that I have so far, and for helping me to make the decision to make better choices!  Cheers to you all!!

Here are my numbers for this final week:

This week 1.2 lbs

This month 8.4 lbs

Total for the year 31.6 lbs

Month #2, week #3

So I really thought that I would not have done well this week.  We went to visit my parents in the desert, and we stopped at Hadley's and picked up some Almond Brittle, Praline Pecans, Honey Orange Almonds, and Chocolate Toffee Pistachio's.  A bunch of sugared up nuts for sure, and I enjoyed them immensely over the weekend.  But I have kept up my Paleo style of living and kept up with exercise.  Last week I put in 20 miles plus some "garage-fit" exercises.  This week so far I have put in 13 miles and some "garage-fit", and began coaching track for my daughters yesterday and ran about a mile and did all of the warmup and stretching work with them.  So I am proud to announce my results:

Oh, usually I post my results on Facebook for a group that I have been on this journey with, but I have given up Facebook for lent.  I have a really unhealthy relationship with Facebook and need to refocus.  So here is the visual proof of my weight.


And here are the numbers:

This week 3 lbs.

This month 7.2 lbs.

Total this year 30.4 lbs.

Yes, I have reached a milestone marker for me.  30 lbs, and more than 10% of my total beginning body mass!  I am very excited and proud of myself.  This is the first time in my life that I have ever intentionally lost this much weight without paying someone or being severely depressed.  Now that I know I can do this, I think I will keep going!  Thanks to my Pounds for Pounds group, you have been an inspiration!  I did this in 50 days, maybe I will reach my goal by day 100.  We will see.

Month #2, Week #2

So this week we finished up celebrating my youngest daughter's birthday and we ate out a lot, but I tried my best to stick to the plan.  I didn't eat any wheat, dairy or potatoes, but I did have some peanuts and sugar.  Trail mix and gluten free cookies.  But in the end, I really tried to enjoy them and did not simply fill my gut with them.  I worked at eating a sensible amount and felt good about it.

So I am proud of this weeks accomplishment.  My life is way to hectic and disappointing right now as I don't feel like I can do everything that I need to be doing, but at least this is one thing that I am able to be successful with.

This week 2.8lbs.

This month 4.2lbs

Total for 2013, 27.4lbs

Month 2 week #1

First weigh in of the second month.  Well with a family SuperBowl party and my youngest daughter's 6th birthday party all in this same week I thought that I had gained weight, but to my surprise I actually lost a pound.  Yes I lost 1 pound.  Most of the week I was pretty certain that I had gained weight, but now I am both surprised and happy!  So here are the numbers.

Not the best start to the month, but I am now on an official losing trajectory.  I am sticking to the Paleo lifestyle, and the piece of pizza that I had at the party last night was actually pretty unsatisfying.  It made me feel sick!  So I am happy to stay the course!! Let's see where it takes me!

Week #4 Weigh In

At the end of the first month I sit here a little disappointed.  I know that I lost a bunch of weight, for which I am grateful and proud, but I am also disappointed by this last week.  I thought I should have done better.  But instead of getting discouraged I have decided to use all of this as fuel for determination.  I will do better next week, and the week after that, and on and on.  I can do this!!

So after that rant, here are the numbers:

This weeks total 2lbs.

   Overall total 23lbs.

Weigh in Week #3

Wow!  Call me surprised, because that is what I am this week.  We spent the weekend in Palm Springs with my family and I cheated a little, and I felt guilty, but I shouldn't.  There are supposed to be "cheat meals"  along the way.  But my thought was during a losing phase this was a bad idea.  Who knew I would do so well this week.  Here are my numbers:

This much for the week! 6 lbs

This is my overall total! 21 lbs