A slightly diminished pep in my step!

Lauren · Posted: Wed Mar 21, 2007 11:59 am Post subject:

Getting better every day! I am walking a lot more, mostly without persistent pain, which is excellent, and is totally invigorating me!

The PT guy has me still doing the short spurts on the recumbent bike, a bunch of stretching and strengthening exercises, and a few sets of leg presses - which was awesome! I miss my weight training! And while the weight he had me pressing was like less than a quarter of what I normally can do (pre-accident), it felt great to feel muscles working. It is SO sad how quickly muscles atrophy when they go from being used to not being used! The good news is that they have muscle memory, so they'll come back when I start working them more...

Yay! Still maintaining my weight successfully, wavering about 1 to 1.5 pounds over my lowest weight, but still several pounds under goal, so I am cool with it, and finding this a very interesting learning experience on how much food I can eat when not exercising - and how much easier it is to maintain (or lose) when I am exercising!

Hope you're all doing well!

Lauren

bdg · Posted: Wed Mar 21, 2007 6:42 pm Post subject:

Glad to hear you are doing better, and it was great to hear your story tonight. Way to go Lauren for maintaining through this hardship!

Lauren · Posted: Thu Mar 22, 2007 6:46 am Post subject:

Thanks, Brian, it was awesome chatting with you ever so briefly! I hope we can all connect again soon! I am glad you guys called in, it felt comfortable telling the "story" to people who I've already begun to know a bit here! You, by the way, are kicking some serious a**!

Keep on keepin' on!

Lauren

bdg · Posted: Thu Mar 22, 2007 6:37 pm Post subject:

Thanks! I just can't wait to start kicking a** at maintaining instead of losing. The losing has been easy, the maintaining looks like work to me.

Lauren · Posted: Fri Mar 23, 2007 8:35 am Post subject:

Totally understand, Brian, I was terrified of maintenance. The daily rituals of MF had become so easy and ingrained in my being, that the idea of deviating and trying to maintain scared the heck out of me. I just approached it ssssslowly, and introduced only a few new foods. Even now, I still eat very much like while I was on the weight-loss plans. I pretty much eat a 4 & 2, I still eat every 3 hours, and I feel "safest" when sticking to the foods that I know will keep me thin. I have introduced fruit, which I love, which has brought me the greatest pleasure in maintenance, and which I genuinely love so much, it might as well be chocolate!

Anyway, I think the fear you feel and that I felt keeps us honest and on point. The same way that the nerves you feel before some big presentation actually help you and provide energy and gusto in your project, it will also keep us in check, on point, and honest. Let the nerves work for you, they have for me!

Cheers!

Lauren

bdg · Posted: Sat Mar 24, 2007 7:38 am Post subject:

You know, thats what I figured is I will have to use that fear for motivation. Now to work on the other issues I have since maintenance is still a couple of months away.

Lizabette · Posted: Mon Mar 26, 2007 5:21 pm Post subject:

Lauren · Posted: Thu Mar 29, 2007 10:42 am Post subject:

Thanks so much, Liz, you seem to do quite well at keeping up with the boards ... but that's coming from me, and everything's relative! :-)

I am a pretty resilient chick, always have been. I think it's because I'm an optimist, and even in the worst of times I always believe that something better is right around the corner. I annoy the heck out of cynics, because I can find a silver lining on everything. But I have that while still being a realist - it just seems that nothing is impossible, and MF just added to that belief.

Really, not a knock on anyone who has struggled with this or any diet's compliancy, I just believe that there's a moment in time when nothing is more important - nothing - than being kind to yourself and losing this weight that's overwhelmed us. People talk about their struggles in life, or holidays that pop up, or whatever, and I just don't see how that matters.

Most people here don't know this, but just a couple months into my MF experience, my sister, who is only 35 years old (34 at the time), was diagnosed with a horribly rare and aggressive type of cancer. My sister and I are extremely close, and if ever there was a reason to fall off plan, it would be the stress of this event. But instead, it seemed that this was an even bigger reason to continue to lose the weight, to be fit and well enough to care for her emotionally (and physically, if required), and to not have it be about me and my struggles and my difficulties. My sister, who's always been thin, who lives a totally different life - she lives in the suburbs, is married with two wonderful children, and who really didn't have the health issues that I have had (mostly related to my weight, I now see), now had a really serious issue, and it wouldn't be fair to have my weight issues play a role in her recovery process.

I think this is what it comes down to: people think it is selfish to put all the focus on themselves in the weight loss process, that you need money to buy MF, or time to exercise, or you feel bad not dining with your friends, or making your heavier friends feel lousy, whatever. But it's WAY more selfish to live obese. People can't rely on us when we're obese to be as available, physically and mentally. We're not willing to go anywhere, do anything, put ourselves out there in the world in the same way. We spend more time alone (closet-eating), we spend more money on food that no one else sees, we can't travel as easily, we can't just hop on a plane or bus or car or walk or any of that. It's not selfish to focus on yourselves now to lose the weight, it's selfish NOT TO.

My sister has had quite a journey, and is still in the midst, but is doing well. I, the optimist that I am, have known all along that she would do well. She has to. It's just that simple. She's also told me that she could not have lived with knowing that I fell off my diet because of her diagnosis - and fortunately, she didn't have to! I call 2006 the Best of Times and the Worst of Times, because I finally started a new life and my sister had to fight to keep hers. But it's the struggles in life that make us appreciate what we have.

So, this is my veeeery long response to Lizabette saying that each event teaches us something. Getting hit by a car just reinforced, once again, I can just get myself up, wipe myself off, and start anew. Even without all the extra fat, I still bounce. Gotta love being resilient!

Lauren

bikipatra · Posted: Thu Mar 29, 2007 11:03 am Post subject:

Thank you so much for this post. It's such a reminder of how unreliable I was at the height of my obesity. I was so tired I missed appointments repeatedly. I was so selfish. It hurt me to walk more than two blocks so much they honestly believed I had peripheral artery disease. Finally, they just figured out I was so sedentary and had gained my weight so quickly my legs couldn't carry me! I was pounds away from needing one of those scooters. Now I can walk 2-3 miles, no sweat!

Lauren · Posted: Fri Mar 30, 2007 11:22 am Post subject:

It is amazing, Biki, how backwards our thinking can be, right? It never truly dawned on me how my obesity affected everyone around me. I was looking at pictures of me at my 30th birthday, just 3 months before I started MF, and all my friends were standing around me, while I was sitting. I asked my friends the other day why they always came to me or stood around me in pictures, and one innocently said that it was just what they did, that it would be easier for me. I asked if the consciously thought about it, she said not really, it just became the way of life. So, basically, everyone's actions and behavior had become ingrained because of my limitations - physically or mentally. How truly sad.

I realize now that all the trips my family would plan, tickets to shows that were bought, a million things I can't fathom right now, were always planned to accomodate me, to make sure there's an aisle seat, or whatever. I really just didn't "get it," didn't realize how my eating affected their lives. I love them to pieces for not making me feel perpetually guilty about that, but it's really sad!

Deep thoughts by Lauren...

Ha.

lauren

Lizabette · Posted: Sat Mar 31, 2007 11:42 am Post subject:

LAUREN,
Thank you so much for taking your time to respond to my post. If I had to miss reading a post it wouldn't be yours.
In a sense, I feel that my weight loss accomplishment is so minute compared to yours,
But it takes the same determination and comittment for a 60+ pounds loss as for a 160+ pounds loss...
I sometimes wonder, though, if I could have done what you did! I think it would have been harder to have even begun the journey!

You said, Really, not a knock on anyone who has struggled with this or any diet's compliancy, I just believe that there's a moment in time when nothing is more important - nothing - than being kind to yourself and losing this weight that's overwhelmed us. People talk about their struggles in life, or holidays that pop up, or whatever, and I just don't see how that matters.

The things you said about letting things like holidays, family crisis, etc. get in our way of losing weight are just so true.
Who is the person who does not have trying situations and events happen to stop us, if we let it?
It makes no difference what happens to us or what excuses we use...the battle still must be fought and won in the same way.
And we know that those things we overcome, makes the victory that much sweter.

I'm glad your sister is doing better. It reminds me that I lost my sweet sister to cancer during my weight loss journey.
We had such fun doing things together...
and of course I still miss her so much.

Thank you again, LAUREN. Please post as often as possible.
I don't say it lightly, but you surely can't imagine what an inspiration you are to all of us...

Serendipity · Posted: Sun Apr 01, 2007 3:52 am Post subject:

Lizabette · Posted: Sun Apr 01, 2007 2:16 pm Post subject:

Hey, JO, you and LAUREN are kind of in the same boat as far as amount of weight loss is concerned...
and I admire you both for making that huge decision to begin climbing that mighty mountain of decision!
And the point is that anyone can do it, with few exceptions, by doing just what you two did.
I do try to be kind and understanding to all those who struggle so hard to stay compliant, and I just want to say, You don't have to struggle, guys, you can just do it!
And you are right, losing the weight is a breeze, when the decision is made that losing the weight is the most important thing!. (With all the health benefits that entails!)

So, is that the crux of the matter then, you think...something as simple (and tough) as making that decision?
Can someone who has been constantly struggling with it, finally step back and say, NOW is the time to make that decision to change my life---forever?
I believe so.

You said: The thing is, Liz, no matter how much we've lost, we've been on similar journeys because we have made that tough decision to change our lives....that's the hard part and you did it! Don't think that your accomplishment is any less worthy!

Thank you for that, JO. And that includes everyone who has 30 pounds or 230 pounds to lose...the tough decision has to be made before success is possible.
There is HOPE in your words for everyone.

Lauren · Posted: Thu Apr 12, 2007 4:42 pm Post subject:

Hey, folks! Just didn't want anyone who may have noticed I vanished for a week to think I fell off any wagons...or, maybe nobody did notice, and this is a huge wake up call that my ego is too big! :-)

I was in Bahamas for several days, which was great, and I am home just for a couple days, and then off to Vegas for a business trade show. I am crazy busy trying to get all my local work done prior to departure - hence my disappearing act!

I am doing great, finally back up to my running routine, and while I am still slightly behind where I was before the accident (in terms of endurance), I did have a great run the other day of 4.5 miles, so I am back in the game! Yippee! I am still going to physical therapy, and still have some back issues that mostly show up when I am trying to stand up perfectly straight or suck in my abdomen (you'd be amazed how many back muscles you use when trying to do something with your abs/core!). But I am improving day by day, and my physical therapist said there is NO WAY I would have recovered this quickly had I not been in such good shape when the accident happened. And we ALL know that my being in good shape is in large part thanks to our fabulous MEDIFAST! Another testimony!

Still easily maintaining (actually dropped another pound), and life is all good...

Hope you're all kicking a** and taking numbers...

Ciao!

Lauren