Debra’s iDiet Weight Loss Group Journal: Week 4

What a difference a week makes. This week I lost 3.6 lbs! My weight fluctuated wildly; down almost 5 lbs in 5 days (not possible to lose that amount of fat in 5 days) and then went up almost 4 lbs in 1 day (again not possible to gain that amount of fat in a day). I’ve learned several things this past week.
I’m learning not to overreact to what the scale says each morning. I had stopped weighing myself a year ago because I became so upset when I didn’t lose weight that it ruined my day. Now, not weighing in for a year was an extreme reaction. I have a tendency to be a little bit obsessive (okay, sometimes a lot obsessive) about some things. I like my home/work space clean and tidy. I have to exercise a certain amount each day in order to feel centered and balanced. I have a need to control things that’s rooted in a chaotic childhood growing up in a dysfunctional family. With therapy, I’ve figured some things out but I’m still a work in progress!
So my goal each day is to accept the scale and know that I can change it. My weight does not define me; it is not my happiness. I can choose to be happy, regardless of what I weigh. I’ve made a choice to lose weight; not my mind! It’s something I’ll meditate on daily. I don’t want to make the people around me crazy!

I discovered that eating fiber cereal for breakfast with a high fiber bar for a snack between 10:30 and 11:00 works really well. I followed this with lunch (the time fluctuated based on my work schedule). I’ve made lunch my largest meal. Based on my exercise schedule this works out great. No snack in the afternoon because I eat an early dinner. I don’t eat anything after dinner. Sometimes if I haven’t had enough to eat and I wake up hungry in the middle of the night, I have a half a teaspoon of peanut butter (Skippy’s creamy) and go back to sleep. Lots and lots of water. I don’t like anything carbonated. 3 mugs of EarlGrey tea with Splenda and 1% organic milk.
There’s a lot of choices with the iDiet. I eat lots of salads, chicken, yogurt, cottage cheese, fruit, etc. I happen to like these foods which makes it easier. The trick is portion sizes, time of day you eat and the basis of the diet which is high fiber. Fiber makes you feel full. You have to drink lots of water as well. For people who like to cook, there’s lots of recipes. For those who don’t cook, there are menus for you too. It’s easy to follow this diet.

I had never done a weight loss group before. I do recommend it for the support. Also, we bring in food each week we’ve found that works on the diet. This includes dishes on different menus in restaurants. We share strategies on how to eat at a party. This is a food plan for life which doesn’t require that you hibernate in your house afraid to go anywhere else to eat. That’s no way to live!
There is even a strategy for getting back on track if you’ve gone off the deep end and eaten a really big meal full of foods that are not on the diet. I love a program that is based in reality. It’s not possible to eat perfectly all the time. There are holidays, birthdays, bad days, etc. Instead of saying the hell with it and stopping your weight loss plan, you can recover and continue on with weight loss. Life is full of ups and downs, so is weight loss.
When I was younger I could lose weight easily. At 46, I lost 60 lbs in 4 1/2 months! It doesn’t work like that any longer. It will probably take at least that long to lose 30 lbs this time. I’m happy I’m losing! Before iDiet, no matter what I did my weight wouldn’t go down. I thought I would never be able to lose weight again. That I was doomed to continue gaining weight for the rest of my life. A horrible way to feel.
Even my husband is learning about weight loss. At 51 he has gained weight for the first time in his life. He’s always weighed 160 lbs and been a size 32 his entire adult life. Recently, he gained 10 lbs and none of his pants fit. He’s lost about 7 lbs but his weight has shifted and he needs to go up a size to a 33 waist. I know. It’s hard to feel sorry for him! I’ve gone up and down from a 2 to a 14 over the years; so a change by an inch in waist size doesn’t seem like much. To him it is though.
Life is about change and how we react to it. We can fight it or surrender. Or find a happy medium. I don’t want to surrender totally to the aging process. I want to remain healthy and active. I do want to learn to accept the reality of aging. The gaining of wisdom without the gaining of weight! I don’t expect to weigh what I did when I was a dancer. I also don’t have the same flexibility I did then. What I want to hold onto though is the feeling I had when I danced. The freedom of movement and of spirit. That is something I can take with me throughout my life.
I hope my weight loss journey is helping you with your journey. It doesn’t have to be about weight loss. We’re all moving along with our lives. Sometimes it’s easy and sometimes it’s hard. I’m learning how to make my journey easier. As I get older I realize that there isn’t an infinite amount of time left. How I chose to spend that time becomes more important. I don’t want to make myself (and those around me) unhappy. I want to enjoy all aspects of my life; my family, my work, my home.
I appreciate your emails offering support. It means a lot to me to hear from you. Until next week!

About our guest blogger Debra Goldman:

Debra has been an athlete, trainer and Pilates instructor for over 30 years, and she has referred clients to the iDiet program for several years. She noticed that every one of them lost weight, maintained their weight loss, and raved about how easy and enjoyable the community groups were. Like most people, Debra has faced and overcome a variety of physical injuries and health issues — some that make weight maintenance more difficult. So she decided to join an iDiet group, and journal the process. Join us on Debra’s weight loss journey.
Debra Goldman can be contacted at:
Pilates Works, Inc
253 Cochituate Rd
Wayland, MA 01778
(508) 655-1178
www.pilatesworksinc.com