Why I'm starting this blog -- thank you, Leslie Ansley, for being my inspiration

January 15, 2009

The smaller picture is me on June 2, 2007

The larger picture is me on October 31, 2008

LAUREN'S HARD COLD FACTS

Today's weight: 189.4
Dress size: 12, 14
Jeans size: 12
Pants size: 12, 14
No workout today: recovering from a cold



Background: On September 8, 2007, I weighed 238 pounds. I was wearing sizes 18, 20, and 1X. I am only 5'4". On that day, I enrolled in Choices Weight Management, a bariatric physician's clinic on Saint Mary's Street in Raleigh, NC. It took some sacrifice and some creative budgeting to scrape together the funds for this giant step in my life. At that time, the enrollment fee was $350. It's higher now.

My rationale for this initial outlay was this: I was 49 years old, and because of my weight, my health was declining, no matter how I tried to act as if it was not. I could invest that $350 now or put out thousands and thousands of dollars over the years as I grew larger and sicker.

As a result of my weight, I had dark, velvety stains at the base of my neck and on the back of my neck. I had skin tags on my neck. I asked my doctor about these things and she was blunt: "you need to lose weight," she snapped. "You are in pre-diabetes. That's what those stains and skin tags mean. If you lose the weight, you won't have these things any more." At the time she told me these things, I had convinced myself that I wasn't "that big." This rationale came from the oblivious soul of a woman who once worked out seven days a week -- 30 minutes of step aerobics and 30 minutes of weight training! Despite my attempts to blow off my doctor's statement, the reality was staring back at me every time I looked in the mirror.

I felt awkward in my own skin, no matter how much I tried to pretend I was in touch with my "inner diva."

I also had a problem with hypertension as a result of my weight. Although hypertension is a very strong part of my family medical history on both sides, I only started seeing my blood pressure increase in 2006, when I was in an incredbily high stress job. I shrugged my puffy, rounded shoulders in resignation when my doctor prescribed hypertension medication for me; I had always known, based on my family history, that once the blood pressure horse was out of the gate, there would be no turning back for me. My cholesterol was high, but that, too, I blamed solely on family medical history.

So, I went to Choices on September 8, 2007, determined to get some help to get this weight off and keep it off this time. During orientation that day, I had a revelation that had never occurred to me before:

Every time I eat or drink something, I am committing that substance to do whatever it is going to do to my body, good or bad. I have control -- total control -- over what I put into my body; therefore, I have to make sure that I only consume quality substances.

Wow! The simple abundance of that revelation almost took my breath away! Even when I was working out seven days a week and looking at fat grams rather than calories, I was not paying attention to the quality of the food and drink I was consuming beyond making sure it was not fried.

Quality for me now means:

• How many calories am I consuming because of this substance?


• How much fat am I consuming because of this substance?


• How many sugars are in this substance I'm consuming?


• How much sodium is in this substance I'm consuming?

Based on my family history, I had no choice but to consider all of these questions. This week, I've added another question to my quality check:

• How large -- really -- is this portion I am consuming?

I went through the initial two-week detox period, where I had to cut out all fats and sugars, and I was to consume 96 to 128 ounces of water per day, a habit I had embraced, sporadically, long before that day. To augment my time at Choices, I researched the low glycemic index, too, and now eat as if I'm actually diabetic.

Now back to 9/8/07: I didn't give myself until Monday to start. I started that day, which was a Saturday. Five days later, I had lost 11 pounds! I shrieked for joy when I weighed in!! I was on my way!

By Thanksgiving 2007, I had lost 30 pounds, and I hadn't done any exercise at all. I do not recommend this! I exercise now, three times a week for 90 minutes, but that is a renewed commitment for me. Exercise does more than keep that jelly shaking from going on (LOL!). It also helps me feel rejuvenated, helps me feel less stressed or depressed, and it helps strengthen bones, joints, etc. It is also an important part of my keeping diabetes, hypertension, and high cholesterol at bay.

BUT...unlike my fanatical exercising in the mid 1990s, this time I've worked to design a program for myself that I can actually live with as I grow older. Now, I do 30 minutes of strength training and 60 minutes on the treadmill, walking briskly at 3.5 to 4.0 miles per hour, and at an incline of 3.5 to 4.0. (I did a lot of damage to my knees with my former step aerobics routine. I love step aerobics, but at the rate I did it, it did not love my knees.)

Okay, so now I've given you some background on the first days of my weight loss. I don't want to bore you with all the minute details, but if you want to know more about the kind of weight loss program I paid for, and in which I've enrolled again, just send me an e-mail at lawn819@yahoo.com. If you decide you want to try to lose weight with a bariatric physician in your area, make sure the physician is certified by or compliant with the American Society of Bariatric Physicians.

HOW I'VE CHANGED SINCE 9/8/2007 (see the weekly stats at the top)

WEIGHT LOST: 50 lbs., with fluctuations

Shoe size now: 9; shoe size then: 10

Blood pressure now: normal, even without meds. I take the meds as a precaution based on my family history. Both my parents, though slim, died of strokes. Their circumstances were dramatically different, but I know I can't take my normal blood pressure for granted. In 2007, my blood pressure was almost consistenly near stroke level, and was elevated even with the medication.

Cholesterol now: slightly elevated; then: nearly in need of high cholesterol meds

No pre-diabetes: the velvety brown stains disappeared, and the skin tags have either disappeared completely or they now look like tiny moles

FEBRUARY 29, 2008: My life in locs began, thanks to Jeunesse "Jey" Hall, at Natural Roots by Jey in Raleigh, NC. If you live in Raleigh and you want a great "gardener" for your locs, Jey is the woman to see!

May, 2008: MAJOR LIFE CHANGE

On May 17, 2008, I moved to Charlotte. It was a true move of God and a sweet blessing. Drop me an e-mail if you want to know all the wonderful details! Anyway, I was away from a bariatric physician's care from May 17 until January 2, but I not only did NOT gain weight (not counting fluctuations), I lost at least a dress size when I got here. I definitely moved firmly into size 12 jeans.

On January 2nd, 2009, I enrolled at Medi-Weight Loss Clinic here in Charlotte, in Northlake Commons off Harris Boulevard. The program is very similar to the Choices program. On the day I started, I weighed 195 pounds (I went a little loony during the holidays), and when I weighed in last Friday, I had lost seven pounds, weighing in at 188.

WHAT'S NEXT

GOAL WEIGHT: 145 LBS.

GOAL DRESS SIZE: 6 or 8

IDEAL DEADLINE: April 11, 2009 (My daughter Kristen's wedding date!)

REALISTIC DEADLINE: December 31, 2009

And that's where you come in, dear reader. If you can stand to read my blog, I hope you will share with me your weight challenges and triumphs, and be my cheerleader! I was inspired to start this blog for two reasons that literally collided in the middle of my day today:

1. I started researching nutritional information for my favorite salads, and my favorite restaurants. I was HORRIFIED! Even the so-called light foods are laden with bad stuff. I already knew this, but seeing it in print is a mind-blowing experience! I am convinced that the only reasons I've kept my weight down are my renewed joy in cooking at home and my insistence that restaurant chefs cook it my way. But I've also not lost any more weight because I stopped being as diligent about the quality of the foods I was consuming. Plus, I've got a love thang with popcorn that won't quit!! I also embrace the fabulous taste of salads with absolutely no dressing or with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. (I've had to refine my drench to a drizzle, but it's worth it to retain the wonderful natural taste of a salad.) I know I get on the servers' nerves, but I haven't encountered a chef yet who doesn't seem to enjoy the challenge of meeting my request.


2. I got an e-mail from a Delta Sigma Theta sorority sister of mine, Leslie Ansley, who is a writing inspiration of mine. She started her own blog because she is going to lose 100 pounds by December 31, 2009. Check out Leslie's blog, The Daily Crouton, by clicking on the title. Let's cheer Leslie on to victory, too!! Leslie is a creative genius at web development and e-media, so her blog is already an elegantly wrought site.

I PROMISE: NO MORE LONG BLOGS!

Okay, I promise you this is the longest blog I'll write while I'm on this phase of the journey. From this point on, I'll just discuss what's happening in the course of a week, and what progress I'm making! I hope to hear from you!