Here I am. I've gained back 35 lbs of the 75 I lost in 2005/2006. This puts me at about 85 lbs to lose, but at least I'm not starting at 275 as I was in August of 05, nor above 300lbs as I was in 95, when I did Mcdougall before.
What is it, that made me still overeat, even though I was stepping on my scale every morning and seeing the weight creep up? Why did I lose my mental energy about this? most of all, because I do love "the rush" of a good cardio workout WHY did I stop moving my body? I have not exercised regularly in about a year
well, there are reasons, rather depressing ones that I don't necessarily want to go into here. Suffice it to say, I was rejoicing (and so, I had to feast, right?) and then I was grieving (and therefore, eating to comfort myself) and the scale kept crawling back up. grrrrr.
I know for a fact, because i wasn't in the game mentally, I was able to stand on that scale and "tsk tsk" myself for continuing to gain, yet step off the scale and go straight to a fatty, over protein, rapidly consumed (and hardly tasted) breakfast. Or, a bowl of cereal with milk, snarfed down and hardly tasted...and lunch, the same. Dinner, too...not being "psyched up" for it, meant I wasn't doing anything real about the weight coming back up.
so, getting my mind ready has been my first step...no, getting frustrated enough with myself for regaining half the weight I lost, was my first step. From there, to a serendipitous find on some diet website: The Gabriel Method. It is all about changing oneself within, before doing anything with diet or exercise. Seriously, the only assignment to begin with is to "imagine yourself thin" for 10 minutes every morning before getting up and every night after going to bed. And...adding ground flaxseed to a meal every day. he also recommends a protein powder. I've done some of that but it has sucralose in it...blch...I don't like anything artificial in my food, so that was out...
After a month or so of thinking myself thin, I began to crave something: big green salads! And that's been the only thing I've changed up to now: eating at least one great big tossed salad every day. It is a genuine craving. I strongly desire to eat a plateful of leafy greens and various chopped veggies, every day. And that's pretty much where I've been for the entire summer. Eating whatever meat I wanted, adding cheese, and whatever dressings I've wanted...on top of those big green salads.
Then for a couple of weeks, I ate by the Fit For Life method, which for me meant eating only fruit in the mornings...and finding myself so HUNGRY by noon, I would overeat for noontime. and, lost zero pounds in two weeks of "proper food combining" (the author prefers vegan eating, but doesn't insist as long as you don't eat meat and starch at the same meal, and he considers fat to be "neutral" so there is mayo and butter and olive oil on Fit For Life...)
and finally, thinking back to my highest energy days on McDougall 15 years ago, I googled McDougall Plan and found the website and have been clicking around for about a week. Gave myself permission to eat some oatmeal and fruit for brekkie on Friday...yum, and satisfied clear until noon...
and now I'm really excited to get a move on, starting tomorrow...well, tonight I plan on walking for 30 min. Tomorrow I will start with core exercises, and eating the 12 day menus as posted on the website (and following some of Lesha's recipes on her blog! slurp!)
yeah, I'm pretty excited. Revved up and ready to GO!