So, You Said You Lost Some Weight, Right?

I sure did! I didn’t do it quickly, either. Because I’m lazy and a huge procrastinator, it took me approximately a year to do when it should have only taken me perhaps four to six months. Oh, my diet didn’t/doesn’t help. It’s better now, but still could use improvement.

Anyway, around March of 2010, I started going to the gym regularly; three times a week doing the circuit training. Hubbs was also able to convince me to start doing protein shakes and by protein shakes, I don’t mean those Special K shakes. While those taste really yummy, they have more sugar in them than protein which is counter active.

No, I found a powder that I really liked that had something like 32 grams of protein per scoop and maybe 2 grams of sugar. Found it at my local NutriShop, it’s called Pro5 and it’s by Nu-Tek: I got the one for women, obviously.

Started drinking one of those every morning for breakfast and then one directly after a workout. I’d have a regular lunch and a regular dinner, eating some snacks along the way; some good, some bad.

Eventually, my cravings changed from craving carbohydrates to craving protein. When that happened, along with my tri-weekly trip to the gym (with obnoxiously long breaks in between; I told you, I’m lazy, but I’m workin’ on it), weight started to come off.

At my heaviest, I weighed 167lbs (for my friends across the pond that’s approximately 75.75kg; I hit that at 31. Now, at 33 I hover around 112lbs (50.8kg). I think the last time I weighed that, I was probably in junior high.

Let me say something right now: I never expected to get below 140lbs (63.5kg); I believed that at a certain age, my body just wouldn’t get down past a size 8 and I was perfectly happy with that. When I zoomed right past 140 and the weight just kept sliding off, I was literally amazed. I’m still amazed. I don’t believe this body is mine, well, I’m slowly getting used to it, but it’s quite a different dynamic.

Something else silly that I want to tell you that I firmly believe helped in achieving the body I have today: my Skecher Shape Ups. It appears they have a TON more types from which to choose, which is great! I have two pair; after I bought the first pair I fell in love with them and bought a pair of ‘Mary Jane’s’ for a little more of a casual look.

It was not fast and I will not sit here and tell you that because of them I lost a ton of weight or that they firmed me up to where I am now because they didn’t. They did, however, *help* with the process in the beginning, as I was able to wear them daily, but they definitely helped with the back of my thighs and my posture.

Okay, I digress.

My diet is…not great. It’s decent, but I really could get more greens in. When people ask me about how I lost all this weight, I tell them what I believe was the biggest part: more protein than carbs and lots of good fats. Animal fats. Yes, you need animal fats for a healthy body, brain, and overall well being. That was something I was reminded of watching Fat Head by Tom Naughton.

I’m not going to preach about how to eat because it is different for everyone. I mean, there is an overall ‘blanket’ of what every person should take in, but it’s relative to every person. I don’t even know how many calories I take in, in a day. I don’t really care, my body screams at me when it needs something and I have learned to just listen to the thing, since it has more of an idea of what it needs than I do.

What you need to keep in mind is: you cannot go on a diet. No such thing. I’ve finally figured this out. It’s a change in how you eat forever. It is impossible to go on a diet for a couple of weeks, lose a few pounds, return to your crappy way of eating, and expect to keep that weight off. Won’t happen. Can’t happen. Your body tells you so.

I won’t advocate for Jenny Craig, Weight Watchers, NutriSystem, or the like either. Unless you want to buy JC or NS meals or deal with a point system for the rest of your life, don’t bother. Sure, they’ll work for a time, but as soon as you start eating regularly again, guess what’s gonna happen? All that glorious weight you lost is gonna come back and with a vengeance. Just sayin’.

My diet these days, consist of Muscle Milks, burgers, fruits, chicken, some carbs in the form of cereals, pasta, the occasional potato, and breads. I used to love my breads, pastas, and potatoes, now it’s all I can do to get any one of those things into my gullet.

When it’s said to eat several times a day, well, I do that too, but it’s not a conscious effort. It sort of worked itself out that way. I wake up starving to the point where I can’t go back to sleep if I don’t put food in my stomach and then I’m only good for two or three hours, if I’m lucky. I feel as though I’m constantly eating, it’s daunting. I didn’t eat nearly this much food before and I was so unhealthy.

I have so much more energy these days and I’m so much happier. All kinds of things are better. I find I don’t have to sleep nearly enough and even if I want to, I can’t. I have too much energy to stay asleep. Sex is fantastic these days, which is going to be a blog post all on its own because it’s something that should be discussed and not from which should be shied away.

Anyway, in the end, if you want to be healthy, you have do a mixture of both working out and eating right. I know, it’s so cliché! I’m guessing there’s a reason for that. The other thing is, one has to remember that thin does not automatically equal healthy and heavy does not automatically equal unhealthy. Another blog, for another time. I’ve blathered on long enough in this thing.

Questions, comments. Love ‘em, just don’t be a jerk about it.