mauvaisroux- thank you and thank you!
Sunnigummi-
time- march of 2004 to november 2004
Food:
I had a couple of events occur right when I started losing, so it's hard to say what really caused it. I shattered my ankle that march and was laid up. I went through some emotional stuff that caused me to take a look at my life. I was living alone and laid up, so eating to entertain myself was no longer an option. I had also just begun taking BCP to help manage cysts and was symptomatic for PCOS. I wasn't eating anywhere close to before my accident, so I couldn't handle the amounts I was used to. After a few weeks, I noticed my belly shrinking and when I got on a scale a couple of weeks after that, I was about 35 pounds down. I took that as a motivation. As far as eating, I ate a primarily meat free diet (the meat that I was eating was not cooked in a good way- fried or fast food). I cut my meals and half, but ate more frequently. My meals also focused on fruits and veggies. Breakfast became a part of life and I cut pretty much all processed foods. I completely stopped eating out and put a hold on bread and pasta. I have since reincorperated them, but I was pretty uneducated about what I was putting into my mouth, so i kinda had to step back and look what I was doing. I became a serious label reader. I didn't follow any plan, but the more "raw" I ate, the better I felt. I started reading up on juice fasting and the benefits of a raw diet. I don't eat completely raw or anything, but I've found that it provides a base for how I structure my diet. And it's worked for me. Like I said, I just realized that I was putting entirely too much food in my mouth and it wasn't always the right stuff. Looking back, I was a calorie cycler, between 1000-1600 per day. I try to keep it around 1600 now.
As far as exercise goes, I was still healing and couldn't run anyway, so I stuck to the elliptical and bike. I have always loved being active, but I just had to be consistent about it. I also took up pilates, bought a few aids (5-10 pound weights, stability ball, etc...) and took it from there.
Personally, I have found that I'm imperfect. I will not eat like a saint all the time. My saving grace is consistency. If I'm consistent with exercise, then it's easier to recover from a bad food day. If I'm consistent with my eating, I can give my body a break from working out. Exercise is becoming more important to me than ever, though, as I've taken up running and love it.
I've learned that our bodies are so incredibly different. Some can do it their own way, some do low-carb, WW, whatever. Find your balance. My outlook on food is this: Calories in vs. calories out and getting the most out of the foods I eat. Balance is key. I believe in produce, dark chocolate, wheatgrass, and a colorful plate.
Thank you EVERYONE for your compliments! you know how to make a girl