So,
February 2011 I weighed about 144 lbs. Now, I'm 5 feet tall, exactly, on a good day. Obviously, that weight is too much. I'm stocky, like an Italian mobster, but that's no reason to weigh as much as one. So much about being a Hungry Girl, figuratively and literally, is about weight, because the two are really tied closely together. Here's a quick timeline to outline the past year and half for you. Take a look at my journey and see how I went from a naive 144 to an informed 136.8:
2010:
This year I stayed at home, walked for an hour 3x a week, ate as much pasta and pizza as I could hold, and didn't hold a job.
2011:
I was introduced to a little at-home excercises, and to two sister diets: Paleo and Primal. Both of these diets forbid the eating of sugar, grains, and any/all processed foods. Paleo takes it a bit farther, forbiding all dairy and legumes. My weight, which had been 144 that February, dropped to 130 by May and stayed there. I weighed 129.8 the middle of August, but otherwise, even though I began running 3x a week that summer, my weight didn't change. I was working, working out, and eating better, or so I thought. The problem here wasn't just my moca addiction (70$ average per month at that point), it's that I was just dieting (20% error rate). I wasn't eating smart.
So, what does eating smart mean?
Jump ahead to the spring of 2012. I started driving 6-hour round trips every weekend to see Emmy at her then-college. We ate out ALL THE TIME. I had been so poor in the winter of 2011, I was forced to eat only ramen for every meal just to survive. Suddenly, a new and permanent job came along, and I started home-cooking more in the Paleo/Primal vein and eating out every weekend. My weight sky-rocketed just as quickly as it had dropped the previous spring. I shot up to 138 by Emmy's graduation in May.
How does Mom come into all this? Well, I expressed my depression over various issues at that time, but also over my weight gain, which I felt was out of control. I didn't know what to do, or where to turn. I still didn't have enough money to hire a personal trainer or take an excercise class. Mom knew exactly what I should do.
"See a nutritionist," she said.
I have to admit, I was curious. She said her work had done a nutrition program, with 3 1-on-1 visits spaced out over that spring to help get the participants on the right track. "I needed to find my resting metabolic rate," she said, "and learn how to eat again. How to eat right."
Finally, in July 2012 I had enough emotional energy to drag myself off to see Dr. K. "Doctor K," I said, "I don't know how to eat anymore. The diets I thought were so good in 2011 haven't paid off, I plateaued, I hit 130 and couldn't go anywhere from there. Please teach me how to eat again."
We laid out some foundation-building information. I didn't take notes, so unfortunately I didn't remember the tenants from that first visit very well. What I did remember, however, was this: Grains contain a certain kind natural ingredient that, to be quite frank, your brain needs to keep it healthy. To which my immediate response was "You mean I can eat pasta again?" Yes, she said, but portion control was key. You should only ever be eating 1 cup/1 portion the size of the palm of your hand at a time, with a fruit/veggie supplement or a small amount of grain, like rice or pasta on the side. And I should be working out 3-5x per week for 45 minutes or more each time.
My body, she explained, has a resting metabolic rate of 1,220 calories. My resting metabolic rate can be measured with a small breathalizer machine after several hours of fasting in the morning. The rate of 1,220 means that currently that's the amount of calories per day my body needs to maintain a certain weight. If I worked out enough so that my body was demanding 1,500, but I was only eating 1,220 weight loss would follow.
The next 2 months between appointments I very slowly began to control how much I was eating. I used to make 4.5 meals a week w/ 4-6 servings in them each, which means I was eating on average 22.5 + 7breakfast = 29.5 meals a week, with extremely large portions each. That was in the spring. I cut it down to 2.5 meals made per week + breakfast. Now I make 1 meal that lasts me 5 days at work, I have pasta (only 1 helping, no seconds!) and a bagel w/ cream cheese for breakfast. I'm eating way less than I used to, and even though I feel frustrated sometimes, I'm no longer gaining weight at a crazy rate. Following what I learned in July I hit a new plateau (since I know I was over 140 again at some point but didn't have a scale until August) down around 137-138.
Losing weight can be tough, but the best part is that it isn't over yet. I saw my nutritionist again last Friday for the first follow-up since our initial appointment. "Doctor K," I said, "I tried getting to the gym, but it's not a positive enviornment (the apartment complex gym always has little shit kids in it trying to watch tv and a rotating handful of creepy dudes). I work 3rd shift, Emmy just started a new job, and I'm so tired when I get home. But when I don't excercise I feel awful, like I've let myself down."
So we discussed goals, what sorts of excercise I do enjoy, and how to kick that 138 plateau out the door. "You just glow when you talk about hiking," she told me, "the way you describe it, I can tell you really love it." I smiled and shot back with my secret goal, "I want to hike the Appalachian Trail someday." "Then let's review how to start training for that."
These are my current goals:
~Crack down on the portion control even more, get serious about 1 cup per entree.
~When I go out to eat request a to-go box immediately, and divide up the correct portion amounts right away.
~Turkey or chicken products instead of pork
~Look into kick-boxing and hiking instead of walking the treadmill. Aim to work out 2x per week, a manageable amount.
~Cream cheese: light, whipped, or non-fat.
~For Coffee: instead of half&half, move to 2%, 1%, or skim milk.
Other things to keep in mind: avoid saturated fats as much as possible, since they put pudge directly on the tummy. 1 lb of meat = 4 servings. Also have a look at yoga/excercise dvds from the library and a video rental store to see if those are something I can manage at home.
So, in hindsight I've learned alot, but I feel confident that I can take control over my weight and my eating habits, but still eat well and continue down the road to being a Healthy Hungry Girl! Thanks, Mom, I owe you a big hug for helping me to get started!
xoxoxo
~Kim
