Often, people assume that health and fitness professionals have never had to struggle with their weight. You may think that we love to exercise and must have a natural aversion to all decadent or "sinful" foods, too. But that couldn't be further from the truth—at least for me. I was fit as a child and teen, and I am now as an adult. But college was a different story... I gained about 35-40 pounds in college. I can't tell you the exact number, because it depressed me to get on the scale, so I just stopped looking. I was a little underweight when I started school, because I was exercising like a fiend and eating way too little. (I thought what I was doing was healthy. How little I knew then.) So when college started and I was living off of dining hall food, barely sleeping, and engrossed in a stressful major at a competitive school, I didn't have time to exercise like I used to, and I started stress eating. After under feeding my body for so long and then eating more, my weight ballooned up quickly—to the point that none of my clothes even fit! Talk about embarrassing. I came home for the holidays and my tell-it-like-it-is grandmother said (in front of everyone), "Nicole sure has gained weight in college!" (Thanks Grandma…I hadn't noticed.) My weight issues continued for a few years. I remained overweight and unhappy, and was constantly getting ready to start new diets and fitness programs. I'd tell myself "No sweets starting Monday!" or "I'll exercise for 2 hours every day." Each plan would last about a day or two, and then I'd gorge on bags of candy and start skipping my workouts. I struggled with emotional overeating and an obsession with food, all the while hating how my body looked and wanting to change desperately! So what did change? I learned to accept myself and care about myself. I learned to stop saying no to sugar, carbs, candy, or other "bad" foods. I learned to listen to my body's REAL cues for hunger, to stop reaching for food to cope with bad feelings, even when my body wasn't hungry. I re-trained my brain so that it was no longer "normal" to snack every time I watched TV or went to a movie. And I stopped obsessing with my weight (I threw out my scale). It didn't happen overnight, and I didn't even lose weight for a long time. It wasn't easy. I had setbacks, but I'd keep them in perspective and just keep trying to be better to my body and myself. Even without losing weight at first, I was happier. And I knew that eventually, my body would return to what was normal. Over the years, I continued to drop weight without even trying, just by eating in moderation (when hungry), exercising in moderation (without focusing on the calories burned), and focusing on my health overall. Now I'm at a point where I'm happy enough with my body. I'm fit and healthy and I can look good enough in my clothes to not feel self-conscious. At the same time, I can enjoy eating without obsessing about the calories or fat, and I can exercise as much as I feel like, without forcing myself to do things that I don't enjoy. Overall, the things that helped me most were:
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on-writing-service/ platform that will help you deal with such a problem. Report
Being in my late fifties when I finished, I was overweight, post-menopausal, and according to my doctor, pre-diabetic. I tried and tried to take off the weight with no success. You said you don't weigh yourself, don't count calories. Well, I wish I could do that too, but now I've lost almost 30 pounds and the only way I've been able to do that is weigh and count calories. Yes, I've incorporated exercise into my life, but I did that before with no luck on the weight loss.
I think everybody is different in regard to how it's done. My big concern now is working on losing those last 10 or 15 pounds is how to keep it off. That's the next challenge! Report
I also really enjoyed reading how you managed your weight loss. I like the simplicity, the natural flow that it seems to have. I must admit that sometimes I get carried away and start obsessing about calories and control. What happens? I feel let down every time I look in the mirror (because I'm not a stick) and I let myself get way too hungry. Then everything in life (not just weight loss or health) seems impossible. Reminders, like yours, that we need to be kind to ourselves and try, not to overly restrict ourselves (while ramping-up our exercise--of course!) and eagerly expect to drop 3 dress sizes in 3 weeks, but try to love ourselves and listen and respect our bodies true signals. Thank you!! Report
I'll be so happy the day I can throw out my scale. Report
I refuse to go to either extreme anymore. I finally feel comfortable with myself and with the help of Spark People I am going to finally master a healthy lifestyle. Thanks for the tips and letting me know others are out there with the same feelings. Report
I started Spark almost 5 months ago and I am proud to say that I have lost about 35 pounds. I was especially happy that I was able to maintain and ENJOY the holidays!! I am still unpacking a lot of negativity that I hold against my own body, but I know that this is a work in progress. I have made a stand; the feelings I get when I can keep up in a difficult spinning class or do push-ups will no longer be tainted by society's constant message that looks mean everything. I can feel the positive changes that I have made and it makes me happy that I am actively pursuing a healthy me for a healthy future! Report
As I'd posted on one of your other blog entries, I am just tired of fighting with my body, tired of obsessing over numbers, but I'm also tired of not being able to "manage" my weight very well. I just want to feel strong and healthy and be comfortable in my own skin. I'm about 15 pounds from the high end of my health weight range. I'm irritated with how my martial arts uniform fits (or doesn't) and I'm letting my reflection in the mirrors beat me up mentally at every class.
Your guidelines at the end of this post make a lot of sense and are good reminders. I realized that when i was first married, I maintained for a LONG time in the upper 160s and we didn't own a scale. And I do, in small ways, compare myself to others. The Wise Me and the Insecure Me need to have a heart to heart. I also realize I worry about what other people might think. At 40, I feel like I shouldn't be doing that but I do. That's something else I need to work on.
Thank you! Report