I wasn't always a gal that struggled with her weight. When I was young, I had the metabolism that wouldn't stop. I ate anything (and everything) I wanted. I had chocolate ice cream tons of times a week; I had pizza ad nauseum...You get the idea.
Then one day, I went from a size 2 to a size 8. Then 10. Then 12. Then, *gasp*, I woke up one morning and had to buy a size 14. Now, let's be real, I realize it didn't happen overnight. My unhealthy relationship with food started when I was probably, well, 2. (as in, years old...)
When I was a tot, I would eat the fat off of country ham. Just the fat, left the lean. I would eat pats of butter. I ate the inside of bread (you know the ooey gooey warm delicious softness). I ate chocolate pudding, cakes, ice cream. SUGAR SUGAR SUGAR. Now, I need to qualify this post by saying that I do NOT blame my parents or other family members. I was a kid with just quirky habits. And I was skinny, so...there...
As I grew older, I stopped eating the fat off of the ham and stopped eating the butter. But, I did NOT stop with the bread and confections and ICE CREAM. I ate all the time. I was not athletic, but, I ate like I was training five hours a day for something. I never forgot to eat. I couldn't have developed a disorder if my life depended on it--well, in my mind, at least. But, I did develop a disorder of sorts. I became an emotional eater. I eat with any emotion. ANYTHING. You're sad? Let's have cake. You're excited? Let's have cake. You're mad? Let's have...well, you get the idea.
Something "unmagical" happened when I was about 22/23. That's a separate blog post in and of itself, but, after the tipping point, I began to gain weight. Like crazy! After my Mom died in 2005, I shot up 45 pounds. FORTY FIVE!
Well, it was 2006 and I found myself at the doctor and hearing him tell me that I needed a colonoscopy. Stat. I had all kinds of issues going on and we needed to figure it out. After that day, and the removal of some suspicious things, I freaked out. I like to say that the "prep" was what got things started on my weight loss, but, I don't know that for sure. Either way, I went from a 12 to a size 4. In a matter of a few months. I thought I'd reversed whatever it was that had caused me to gain so much weight.
WRONG.
Just a short time later, maybe a few months, a year or two, my weight shot back up. (It is hard to tell how quickly it happened.) Of course, I was still stuffing my face with everything under the sun. And drinking alcohol (beer mostly) like it was my job. Before you knew it, I was sailing past a size 10, right into a size 14. I had urgent gallbladder surgery in 2014 where they found a stone almost the size of my gallbladder (what?!). Gallstones are basically bile sludge and cholesterol that builds up. Yeah, my blood chemistry SUCKED. I was up to 175 pounds and eventually, I hit 180.
June, 2015, I started CrossFit. I was SURE that any of my issues would be quickly resolved the more I did that "intense" workout. Nope. Wrong. People kept telling me to clean up my eating and I kept saying "Nah. I'm good. I'm doing CrossFit - I need the calories. I'm gaining weight because muscle weighs more than fat. I'm not getting enough calories obviously because I'm gaining weight and I've sent my body into starvation mode." LIES. ALL LIES.
January, 2016. I had enough. Granted, I had small weight loss. I was down to about 165 to start the year. My box was participating in the Lurong Resolution Challenge. It was a 5 week, get your @$$ in gear nutrition and fitness program. The focus was more nutrition. So, I signed up to participate just KNOWING that I wasn't going to lose much by some dumb eating plan. Wow, was I wrong. And what's more, I won the competition (well, technically one of our coaches did better than me, but she was a coach and couldn't win :( ).
March, 2016. The competition has ended. I'm down to 150. I've lost inches from nearly everywhere. I received the "Athlete Spotlight" for my CrossFit box. When I learned this, I cried. A lot. I felt like I was a true athlete. This wasn't anything I'd ever been before, much less considered myself to be!
May, 2016. I'm down and holding steady at 145. I lost roughly 8% body fat. I had my measurements done before and after the challenge and the fella had to check the file 3 times to make sure it was the right person. :) I have about 3% more body fat to go. I want to get down another 8 pounds. I feel like I'm going off the rails, though. I just want to eat. And eat. And eat. And drink beer. You know what? I feel like crap, too. I felt so GOOD at the end of the challenge and here I am, right back to where I started, mentally. The difference is, I have a whole new wardrobe that I have to keep fitting into.
So, I'm doing it. I'm going back to a modified version of the challenge diet. I need to get rid of that sugar habit. AGAIN. I *might* have killed about 3 bags of jellybeans since Easter. I'm not proud. But, I'm an addict.
So, y'all watch this. I'm going to be healthy. I'm going to stay healthy. I don't want to feel like crap and I'm not going to feel like crap.
"Pounds in the kitchen, ounces in the gym."
"Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants." ~Michael Pollan
-LG
Life IS Good
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