Kim’s Journey to a Healthier Place

One great thing about this blog is the fact that it makes me hash through behaviors and feelings dealing with food. I’ve learned a lot about myself and why I do the things that I do. One thing that I’ve learned, and seem to quickly forget, is that “JUMPING” back on the wagon isn’t something that occurs easily for me. I’m more of a “one day at a time” kind of person. So, if I’ve been piggin’ out for several days, sometimes the easiest thing for me to do is just make each day a little better than the last until I’m back OP. This can include something as simple as  getting my water in,  one less snack during the day, or not getting seconds at dinner. I find this task so much less daunting. Especially with the holidays. Because honestly, I wasn’t ready to get rid of ALL the Christmas cookies and candies yet. I just wanted a couple days more. And I did, but I’ve had less and less each day. Today I think I will FINALLY be OP since 2 days before  Christmas. I know, I know, that’s quite a while to indulge myself, but I’m back to my old self again. YIPEE! I even got in a 60 min. walk this evening. I feel so much better. Now I just need to eat dinner in moderation and today will be a complete success!

Happy “gettin’ back on the wagon” to everyone! Give taking baby steps a try if you’re having a hard time. Sometimes the wagon is just too far away to make one huge leap. It was for me, at least! (c:

Okay, so yesterday was NOT an OP day. I didn’t even remotely count points and ate everything in site. I had a follow-up doctors appointment yesterday and my husband took me to lunch afterwards- BLT w/ mayo, fries, and chili. When I got back to work, I proceeded to attack the candy dish- M&Ms, Tootsie Rolls, taffy, etc. After work I had a couple Christmas cookies (time for those to go!). For dinner we ate out again because we had to run errands- buffalo chick sandwich w/ loaded baked potato, yeast roll, strawberry pretzel dessert (leftover from Christmas). Bad, huh? I was absolutely miserable. Overeating also keeps me from sleeping well, too. So I’m tired today. Today will be better.

I gained 2 pounds this week! Rock on! (If you’re confused, read my last 2 posts.)

Okay, next week I’d rather maintain or have a small loss. I don’t think gaining every week is the answer. But for eating everything, I mean EVERYTHING X 2, I wanted for 3 solid days (Sun.-Tues.), +2 pounds isn’t too bad.

Happy Weigh Ins!

Ah, I’m kind of glad to be back at work today. With the chaos of last week’s medical stuff and Christmas, it’s nice to be back on schedule. I still have a few doctors appointments/ tests during the next few weeks but that’s okay. Wonderful Husband has been just that… absolutely wonderful! He’s taking such good care of me. (c:

Christmas was great. My brother came in town for the week (whom I don’t see very often during the year), and we spent a lot of time with family. I got gifts that I really wanted including a heart rate monitor for exercise, black coat, day spa gift certificate, small food processor, etc. I ate everything my heart desired for 3 days. I don’t regret it a bit. Today is back OP and we’re moving on, folks! That 3 pounds loss was a nice buffer for the holidays. I’ll be weighing in probably tomorrow morning. I’m totally expecting a gain and will disappointed if I don’t! I think my family is making sure I have a gain, too. It seems as though everyone is now on the bandwagon that I’m losing too fast. I’m working on it.

I hope you all had a great Christmas, too! 

I’ve been absent lately and believe it or not, it’s weight related! If you’ve been reading my blog, you read that I fell while jogging about a month ago. Well, I was a little misleading about that. I actually fainted. I fainted again Monday night at home. This is new to me, and after Monday night’s episode we did some investigating. My physician admitted me into the hospital for 24 hours for observation and tests to determine what was going on.

 He’s not too happy with my weight loss. Well, the speed of my weight loss. I know I’ve lost it fast, but please trust me, I’ve completely followed the WW rules and many weeks go over my weekly points. I’m not doing anything unhealthy that I can see.

Turns out, this once obese girl with borderline high blood pressure now has low blood pressure aggravated by a mild heart arrhythmia that was previously undetected. When my blood pressure dips, I faint. We’re working on the details of how to manage it all. The lower blood pressure is due to my weight loss, and my body hasn’t figured out how to balance itself out yet. I guess it’s trying to recalibrate itself for my new healthier body, but it’s a little confused. The doctors made it sound as though it may get better with time once my body finds its happy medium.

On top of all that, I think a viral infection triggered the episode Monday night. So now I have a cold and it’s TOM. What a week! On the flip side, I did WI (not on my usual day because I was hospitalized on Tues.) and I’ve lost 3 pounds. “Huh?” Yeah, that’s what I said. I ate like crazy last week, endured the stress of this week and lost 3 pounds. Now I’m not sure I should celebrate. Dr. A. wouldn’t be too happy. I’m still going to lose my last 8 or so pounds, but I may take my time. That may happen naturally since I’ve been told to cut down on my already mediocre exercise regimen. I’ve been told to cut down on the intensity but 2-3 times a week is fine, I guess.

This is so confusing. Here I’ve been trying to make myself healthier and I’ve adopted all these new healthy habits and my body is rebelling. I’m going to keep with it though. Just maybe a little slower- if I can! I can’t believe 3 pounds this week! 

So next time you feel like you’re losing too slowly, reconsider! It’s probably best!

Merry Christmas to you all. You guys mean so much to me and have been such a support for my journey. There’s nothing better than knowing that there are other women (and maybe a few men out there) that are battling the same things that I am. What a wonderful community. Blessings to you all and your families! 

I had an office Christmas party at lunch today, and I’m going to my husband’s Christmas party tonight. Both are mostly finger foods, which I find so much easier to navigate with WW. At lunch I hit up the fruit and veggie trays full force and ate a slice of turkey on a small roll. It was easier just not to put wings, fudge, brownies, and spinach dip on my plate. Those things don’t really do anything for me anyhow (unless it were wings at a restaurant or homemade brownies, which neither were). Tonight will be more homemade fare, which will be a little more difficult. But usually in crowds, as long as you have something to drink in hand, people aren’t paying attention to how much you eat, which could be good or bad. Last year, the crowd gave me an excuse to revisit the buffet over and over again. NOT THIS YEAR! I’ll just get a few spoonfulls of good, holiday goodies. Kim, leave the routine stuff alone- choose your battles wisely! Good luck to everyone else facing holiday parties. I’ve got 2 more on Thursday!

That’s right folks! Bubble Yum now makes Hershey’s Genuine Chocolate Flavor bubble gum! Now you can chew on chocolatey goodness for only 25 calories! I bought some today at Target, and it’s awesome! It really does taste good. When I make bubbles, it even smells like chocolatey goodness! What will they come up with next?

I’m trying not to be too hard on myself, but I’ve got to get a grip! I don’t want to not enjoy the holidays and it’s good, yummy foods, but I need to limit it to good, yummy foods only served at Christmas. Seconds at dinner, raiding the pantry, etc. is not enjoying good, yummy holiday foods. So the “battles” to choose are the good, yummy holiday foods. Fine, enjoy them in moderation, but don’t choose the “battles” that have been sitting in your pantry for 4 months (i.e. Fiber One Bars, chocolate chips and marshmallows). I’m gonna extend maintenance at this rate! Slow down, Kim!!! Good, Yummy Holiday Foods only! Christmas isn’t an excuse to eat everything in arms’ reach for the whole month! 

I think I’ve figured out the reason I binged last night after WI. I work alone in my office with my corporate office many states away. My first review was today. Someone flew out to go through my office and watch me in action. I didn’t want to admit to anyone and especially not to myself that I was nervous. I was. So the binge *duh, I now see the writing on the wall* was emotional. But I guess a binge is always emotional. Hmmm…. I’ve never looked at it that way. See, this blog thing pays off! It makes me think and deal with things that otherwise would go unanalyzed. I binge because I’m unhappy in some shape or form, and last night I was nervous. There, I said it. Well, the review went fine. I’ll be at the gym tonight for damage control. Was the binge worth it? Absolutely not. It only made me nervous with an upset tummy.

Note to self: Don’t eat when you’re upset! Talk to someone about how you’re feeling, blog, anything to deal with emotions. Don’t ignore them!

Just a quick post. Last night was WI and I lost a pound. Not too shabby. This week will be a real challenge, but I’m okay with having lost 50 pounds by the first week of the New Year, even if the road is a little bumpy between now and then. Have a great day everyone!

Side note to self: I did binge last night after WI. Not my best moments… *sigh* Hopefully I can get to the gym tonight to redeem myself. I’m okay with eating the extra roll or going out for ice cream with the husband, but binging is NOT okay! It’s mindless!