So the posting schedule I think I'm comfortable with is Monday - Thursday posts regularly and then adding Friday - Sunday posts as a bonus. So that's what you can look forward to, and I'm sticking to it!
Fat is like HIV/AIDS
Yesterday was World AIDS Day, and I didn't actually know until after I posted for the day. So, this post is in memory of those we lost to the disease as well as those who are living with it step-by-step and day-by-day. Much love to you all!~
Now, on to regularly scheduled programming...
Fat waits for no one. No one has to give it permission. No one has to invite it over. No one has to even talk to it! Fat is the red-headed stepchild that no one wants to be seen with in public.
Why does Fat sneak up on us? There are a couple of reasons -- 1) it catches you with your pants down (you didn't even see it coming) or 2) you weren't being conscientious about your eating habits even though you knew a visit from Fat was right around the corner. Either way, you've got to clean up your life.
If you are so busy with other things that you can't take the time for yourself to see that you are actually unhealthy, that you aren't taking in the best foods, etc. you need to take a step back and take some time for you.
If you just didn't care either way about your weight, have I got a newsflash for you? It's becoming more difficult as days pass by to "justify" being Fat. Not only is Fat uncomfortable, but it's also disgusting, awkward, and just all around unnecessary. The only reason you should EVER be Fat is if you have a tapeworm or some other disorder that otherwise prevents you from being healthy.
Another thing is, Fat is a DISEASE. It's actually very similar to HIV/AIDS. No one dies of HIV/AIDS, they die of complications stemming from the disease. No one dies of being Fat - they die of complications from it - like heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, sleep apnea, etc.
There are only three differences between HIV/AIDS and Fat -- 1) people with HIV/AIDS have access to treatments but no cures, there is nothing they can do to get RID of this disease. Fat is completely avoidable. 2) Everyday people with HIV/AIDS have to live with (or die because of) one bad choice they or someone else made. Everyday Fat people have the choice of making good decisions for their health - it was not ONE mistake that got you where you are, there were MANY. 3) HIV/AIDS is a contagious disease and can be passed to another human by way of certain body fluids. Fat is not contagious. No one put you where you are but you and you alone.
So, on World AIDS Day, think about the fact that you are blessed to not face the illness and all we (myself included) have to deal with is Fat. Pray for the people who have to live with the conditions of this disease. Also, keep up hope for a cure.
Now, what reason is it that you can't put down the food and commit yourself to doing what NEEDS to be done? Do you want to live or die? Each day you get the make the choice while others aren't so lucky.
How to Get Motivated About Losing Weight
So you know that you need to lose weight, but you're having a hard time making the commitment to do so. The first thing to do is step back and looking at the reason you want to lose weight. Is it for health reasons (i.e. you have an obesity-related illness or are on the verge of illness)? Is it for cosmetic reasons (you just don't like what you see when you look in the mirror)? Or, is it for some other reason?
After you determine your real reason for wanting to lose weight, then you should evaluate how important that is for you. For example, if you are wanting to lose weight to look better - what effect will this have on your life? Are you looking for a partner? Do you want to become a model? While the modeling may be a bit outlandish, it's a real concern. There are many people who want "the perfect body". So, you run to Google (or whatever search engine) and pull up a search for "how to get motivated about losing weight". You find this blog, and you're wondering how this girl who deals with her own issues could possibly help you.
Well, some of the best advice comes from someone who has been in your shoes before. It makes my blood boil to hear someone who has never had a fat bone on their body lecture overweight people for being the way they are. That's something you will never hear from me. I will never lecture or belittle or any of the above. Why? Because I believe that if you're going to get motivated about losing weight, you need to be able to rely on someone who will be compassionate to your needs and guide you in the right direction. At times, I may call you out as needed, but please know it will all be done in love.
One thing that will help in your quest to get motivated is to determine what you need to do to get to where you want to be. One particular piece of software I would recommend is a program called myFitnessPal. Be careful, though, because this system will put your business on blast (if you let it). On the flipside, it also tracks your calories intake and burn. It's a pretty neat little gadget - especially for the price, which is $0.
Ass-Backward Society!
We live in a (pardon my French) ass-backward society!
On one hand, we praise the slender - so much so that it drives even those who are healthy size and weight to suffer from extreme eating disorders like anorexia or bulimia. We showcase the tall, "skinny" model as the "ultimate woman". This of course leads us to believe that thin is in and anything else is...well, you get the point.
However (and this is where it gets interesting) - we effectively price people out of being healthy. I have many theories about this, but only one of them is related to the blog. It's a form of what's called "population control". Population control is when the population of a species is unnaturally controlled by some man-made concept, idea, or mechanism. Now, that's just Big Girl E's definition, nothing out of Merriam-Webster. I digress, but follow me here...
Unhealthy food options are the cheapest. If you think of the dollar menu at any fast food restaurant, processed foods, etc. On the same token, look at organic food or food at more health-conscious restaurants. Of course, if you can't afford to buy the more expensive foods, you will opt for the less expensive alternative.
The cycle goes: you pay less money and get unhealthy food, you get fat and unhealthy, then you die from some sort of obesity-related illness.
Why do we allow them to keep us down and continue to make it hard to be healthy? Does this make ANY sense at all?
Hi, I'm FAT - How Are You?
So I haven't blogged in a while. I apologize to anyone who may count on inspiration, laughs, tears, etc. from this blog. I haven't been consistent, and most of all I haven't been losing any weight. It was never my intention to deprive you of what you seek in this blog, so I plan to now get back on track (yeah right, she said that before).
The Thanksgiving holiday has passed, and now it's time to re-evaluate. As always, since the last time I posted, I have undergone quite a few changes in life - we moved to another state, I've completely dedicated myself to working from home, and the hub got a promotion at work. On a more fun level, we also purchased the new XBox 360 w/ Kinect and the game Dance Central. I have been doing a lot with that here lately. I don't think it's anything considerable as far as losing weight, but it is a great way to get moving.
During this time, I also have been real with myself. I don't know if you remember the post about my traumatic experience at Six Flags, but I recently had another personal breakdown - this type about clothes. It used to not be so difficult to find clothes to fit me. I would just go into the store, find the plus sized section, pick out something appropriate, and move on. Well, now this involves going to multiple stores, not find anything, and ultimately settling for the first thing you find just because you're just happy you FINALLY found something that fits. Shopping for clothes is NOT FUN when you're FAT! It's a horrible experience that leaves you feeling depressed, unworthy, and just plain bad.
Have any of you experienced this? Do you know what it's like to want SO BADLY to just find a cute outfit -- without spending an arm and a leg? I wear a size 20. I wear either a 2XL or 3XL in shirts depending on the cut -- this is mainly due to have HUGE boobs and no other real choices in the matter. For me to be such a person who loves to take the cheapest route possible, I'm not paying attention to all of the money that being FAT has cost me? I'm not deep into buying name brand clothes, but an outfit can easily cost me $40+. I don't buy bras from Victoria's Secret, yet my bras cost me $35+ -- and what's worse is that's for a granny bra - not a cute bra.
I feel isolated as a big woman in America. As my husband says, "when you're big, you have to be in a box". I used to think that was fine and that I could simply build my own little world inside my box. I could start a clothing store selling fabulous plus sized women's clothes for less. But then it dawned on me - that would be me going out of my way to STAY FAT! Who does that? It's like choosing to keep a life-threatening illness. Then, if I did something like that - I would be nothing more than an enabler. I would make women feel better about being FAT, but they shouldn't feel better. They should feel very uncomfortable because uncomfortable inspires change.
It took me 24 years to learn that...
Push Yourself Beyond Your Limits!
I am truly inspired by other bloggers and people I encounter who are also trying to lose weight. Last night after making my post on avoiding weight loss surgery, I did a quick browse around on other weight loss blogs. Well, these people are VERY SERIOUS about losing their weight. They put my blogging to shame. It's cool, though, because I was started this blog solely to inspire other people - especially others like myself. I'm from the coach potato bunch, but I want to let you know that anything you are thinking about as far as losing weight is concerned - you can do it.
Today, I got back to my 5K grind. I did a 5K walk/run on the treadmill. It took me around 45 minutes. In the middle of exercising, I got an amazing pain on my side, but I kept thinking about those other bloggers, and how I much I would love to share an amazing story to motivate my audience (and gain myself some bragging rights LOL). The last 15-20 minutes of my workout was very painful to say the least, but I maintained, and pushed through. It's truly amazing how good you feel after you have pushed yourself to the brink during a workout.
Here's the pics to prove it (in true Big Girl E fashion):
So here's what I challenge you to do: push yourself beyond what you think are your limits (you don't know your true limits). If you never exercise, join a gym (many have free trial memberships available) and start today. If you usually workout for 15 minutes, try 25 minutes next time. If you can walk one mile on the treadmill, try 1.5.
For anyone who lives in the Metro East STL area, here are some ideas:
*** If you prefer outdoor activities, try Fairview Heights' Longacre Park's walking trail (approximately 1.5 miles) or if you want to REALLY challenge yourself, try O'Fallon Family Sports Park in O'Fallon, IL (trail is approx. 2.2 miles).
*** If you enjoy the support of a group, you may try a Weight Watchers meeting. Your first meeting is free and there is no obligation to join.
If you have any ideas or triumphs to share, please comment below...
Avoiding Weight Loss Surgery (Gastric Bypass, Lap Band, and Others)
If you're considerably obese, weight loss (or bariatric) surgery may be your only option. The purpose of this post is not to discourage you or put you down from going that route. The only purpose is to open your eyes to other possibilities.
You don't have to get weight loss surgery to lose even considerable amounts of weight. A bit of diet and exercise should be enough for most people. Depending on your size and current activity level, it may be best to start out with diet changes until you have lost enough weight and are healthy enough to move around. It's always a good idea to get approval from your doctor before beginning any workout activity if you, for any reason, are unsure whether or not you should be exercising.
Initially, I did want to get weight loss surgery. Actually, I was still considering it even after I started this blog. My mind has since changed, and I'm of the belief that if you are able to move, you should be able to use diet and exercise to get the weight off without medical intervention. Plainly put, except in dire circumstances where there is no other choice, weight loss surgery is a cop-out. I'm sure we all know that anything that's worth doing is not easy. Not only will have you have a sense of pride after you lose the weight on your own, but you will most likely be able to maintain your weight. Even still, if you take the "easy" way out and have the surgery, you may not truly get past the psychological issues that caused you to overeat and gain weight like you have in the first place.
According to WebMD, weight loss for bariatric patients tends to plateau after 2 years. After that, you will enter maintenance mode, and while around 80% of patients are successful at maintaining their new, healthy weights over the course of their lives, what happens if you fall into that 20% that doesn't do so well? Well, there is a possibility that you gain all (or most) of your weight back and either face going under the knife for another procedure or following a diet and exercise plan.
But, I'm no medical expert. Maybe you'll take it better coming from Dr. Phil. He prepared a list of things you should consider before getting weight loss surgery. He says:
"Is gastric bypass surgery right for you? There are many factors to consider before undergoing this controversial procedure. Keep in mind the following advice from Dr. Phil:
Exhaust all of your non-surgical alternatives first.Before you think about going under the knife to lose 100 pounds, try everything that you can to drop the pounds on your own. This may mean a combined program of diet and exercise or visiting a nutritionist. Dr. Phil says, "If you're medicating yourself with food, if you're entertaining yourself with food, if you're eating when you're bored, anxious, lonely, depressed, upset ... if you have a lifestyle that's consistent with overeating, they're going to be there after the surgery." Try to develop alternative coping strategies.
Surgery is not risk-free.Because nurses see so many botched cases of stomach surgery, they have a phrase for it: "gastric bypass gone bad." There are many risks associated with the procedure, such as blood clots, pneumonia, incisional pain — even death. One young guest, Tiffany, spent three days in the intensive care unit due to complications from her surgery. "It's just not a problem-free situation as no surgery is," Dr. Phil explains. "The truth is, there are alternatives."
You have to maintain a lifestyle post-surgery.Understand that if you do make the decision to have gastric bypass surgery, there is an active management plan that you have to execute after the procedure. According to Madelyn Fernstrom, Director of Weight Management Center at the University of Pittsburgh's Medical Center, among the things you have to keep up after surgery is "watch all of your protein, fluid intake, vitamins and minerals for life ... That would be one thing to consider and make sure that you understand all of the ramifications and how difficult it is." Know that gastric bypass isn't just something you deal with for a few months; post-surgery maintenance lasts a lifetime.
Program your life for success.
"Things often start for one reason, but they continue for another," says Dr. Phil. For example, if you were an overweight kid and you ate when you were lonely and hurt, chances are you will continue that pattern into adulthood. "If you don't get a new way of acting, a new way of coping, then you will continue to do it," Dr. Phil warns. You can't eat what isn't there, so you have to clean your environment. You also have to get your thinking right and abolish the old, negative thoughts. It helps to have people in your corner who applaud your efforts to lose weight, so set up a circle of support. "Weight is managed, it's not cured," explains Dr. Phil."
Ultimately, it's your body and the decision is yours. Just consider all of your options and at least try to see if you can lose the weight on your own first. You may be surprised at your own capabilities.