Quote:
Oh my goodness - I had/have SO many goals. You can see them in my blog right here Meeting goals several times a week is really helpful. To be perfectly honest though, this whole process has been, and continues to be, mind over matter. I said to myself "I WILL lose weight" and so... I did it. A friend said a silly saying to me at the start of my journey "there is nothing to it but to do it" and I SWEAR that statement has gotten me through some really tough moments. Originally Posted by ADL
I have a question, when you began your weight loss did you have mini goals or did you just take on everything at once? Also I don't know if you are an emotional eater but if you are, what did you use as a substitute for food when dealing with emotions? And finally, could you post some of your favorite recipes? I think what you did is amazing - you have such internal strength. I can't find the willpower to lose even a few pounds.
The other big thing for me is that I made a deal with myself that I would stay on track for one year. I had a little talk with myself that basically said "you spent 36 years eating like you had 2 buttholes, lets spend the next ONE year being a little more sensible" so, that's what I did. When the 1 year mark came and went, I was doing so well that I just kept going. When I had a hard time during the year I would say to myself, "you can't have that cookie now, but in 8 months, it will be OK to have one".
As far as emotional eating, I would say yes I am, but I think I am making healthier choices now (actually - when I am super stressed out now, I go for a run but that was NOT the case for the first year. I would drink bottles and bottles of liquid instead of eating). I also eat when I am bored, so I try to keep as busy as possible. I am a calorie counter so I always made sure what I was eating fell into my allowed area. I hate plain water though so I drink hot tea, kool aid sweetened with Stevia, and diet soda like a fish.
There are a handful of recipes on my blog, but if you want more, let me know. My eating habits have changed quite a bit over the last 17 months. I just dropped my calories down to 1200 a day recently, so my meals now look miniscule and are probably boring; the earlier recipes (like the ones on my blog) are a lot more fun
Actually, my newest favorite recipe is my 200 calorie lunch. I was calling it tuna salad, but then I realized it is more like veggie salad with tuna:Toss together:
1 can of tuna, water discarded
1 zucchini (raw) that has been peeled into thin strips with a vegetable peeler
1 green onion, sliced
1 c. cherry tomatoes, halved
juice of 1 lemon
1-2 tsp each of: paprika, dill, thyme, salt (or garlic salt), pepper, chili flakes, mustard seeds. Adjust seasonings to your personal taste.
The great thing with this recipe is you can use any combination of vegetables, and any spices you like. I have tried bell pepper, red onion, basil... cucumber, tomato, jicama... carrot, celery, bell peppers ... eggplant (pan seared and cubed), basil, red bell pepper, fat free feta... the possibilities are limited only by your creativity and willingness to try tuna with "different" pairings.
I have a flap that hangs over on my belly (still has fat in it - I am still on my journey) that hangs over a good 3 inches. I have that weird wrinkly/foldy skin on my arms and upper thighs super bad, my once grandiose boobs now resemble runny eggs hanging off a fork, and my butt is starting to have saggy skin.
