Phase 1 - Conquering Addiction
Being over 100 pounds over weight makes eating and life in general very different than when you are at a healthy weight. At that time food addiction took complete control over me. I couldn't go a single day without eating sweets at night or eating almost triple what I do now. I didn't have the ability to stop. Food itself wasn't the problem, or even willpower. My body itself was almost thinking on its own. I knew I needed something drastic if I was going to conquer this.
My hubby and I decided to do the HcG diet. It was one month of the most boring foods possible and constant 24/7 focus on food. By the end of it, the thought of eating or smelling cooked cabbage again made me want to vomit. But, it worked. I lost 30 pounds, and my husband lost even more. Just like all diets, though, if you don't make permanent changes to your eating habits, you will gain the weight back. I gained back 15 of it. Eating normal food again, was just too wonderful. However, the habit of restricting my calories did stick and I was able to keep off at least that 15. That month was horrific and exhausting so I kind of "burnt out" and took some time off from dieting. I documented some of that experience starting here.
What I learned from this experience was being so extremely overweight required a drastic measure to be taken. Some might disagree with this, but of any diet or even TV show I've seen, they always make a drastic change in the beginning. This seems to be the only way to break free from addiction. Addiction to food or sugar, is so all-consuming, it seems to take a major shock to the system to start being able to think without thinking of food/sugar first.
After I did the HcG, I had learned a lot about myself I knew I needed help, and I couldn't handle another round of the HcG diet. Diets like the HcG diet are major shocks to your system. This can help stop cravings, but it also requires 100% focus. I still felt powerless against sugar and carbs. Some friends of mine had gone to a bariatric doctor that specializes in medical weight loss. Essentially, through his classes, and through my own experience, I know that when you are obese, you can't expect to lose weight on willpower alone. Sure, some people have, but most don't. Our country is filled with obese people, and even more on diets. The percentage of people successfully losing large amounts of weight is small, and most of them have had help of some sort. Some people are very judgmental and scared of taking medication for weight loss, but if you want to truly conquer the addiction aspects, taking a pill can sometimes be the answer. I chose this route, because I wanted help fighting addiction, but also learned that taking care of health problems is essential to losing weight, too. Taking a pill is also more than just popping diet pills from a drug store. I'm talking about medication your doctor prescribes and monitors.
For me, though, what helped more than anything, is getting my PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome) under control. PCOS makes you insulin resistant, and high in testosterone. Going to this doctor, I not only got the classes and encouragement they offer, you get blood tests and continual monitoring. I was able to get on Metformin (a type II diabetes medication), which helped more than anything. I also took Phentermine. I never took the recommended dose, always much less, mainly because I didn't want to become dependent. I only wanted to use when I absolutely needed it. The doctor didn't like that I didn't follow the plan like he outlined, but because I kept dropping weight, he couldn't argue with how I was choosing to do things. I also started back on Chromium supplements and other vitamins. But, the combination of all of those helped get my hormones back in balance and get the addiction under control. I also take herbs, but that is a whole other story for later (it also how I manage things now, without medications).
Phase 1 consists of a major shock to your system. It also, in hindsight, was not the hardest Phase to be in. I think your body knows it's out of balance, and wants to let go of the extra fat. Also, essential in Phase 1 is to find and take care of health problems, and find the diet that fits those issues. Any sort of insulin resistance seems to need management like diabetes to a certain extent (in my opinion). Seeing a doctor during all this helps you monitor your levels so you can get the help you need, and make sure your diet fits your body's needs. I would also strongly suggest a doctor specializing in weight loss. They are far more in tune to those specific needs. Checking thyroid issues, or other health problems can be the reason it's hard to lose weight. I scoffed at TV shows or clips on TV that suggested seeing your doctor for everything, mainly because I believe natural health is better than Western medicine, but in this case, blood tests and treating PCOS was essential to my success.
One side note - I never exercised at all during Phase 1. My only focus was food. It was all I could do at the time. Plus, I was too heavy to exercise comfortably. I decided that it was not necessary at the time, and I was right. Not putting too much pressure on myself was key to staying on track and being successful.
On to Phase 2. Phase 2 consists of Food, mainly.
My Weight Loss Story Part 1
My Weight Loss Story Part 3
Friday, January 24, 2014
Tuesday, January 21, 2014
My Weight Loss Story Part 1
I felt like I needed to document my weight loss story. So many people ask me about it, so I'm writing it all out, and then I'll throw in a few thoughts I've had on it. It's long so I will divide it into parts.
Through my sister-in-law, we had the opportunity to "try out" for the Biggest Loser t.v. show. She had tried out before and made it on the show as an extra. Because of that the show gave her a "front of the line pass" to come back and try out again. She recruited my hubby, but they ended up liking a husband and wife team instead when they found out he had an overweight wife. I was not keen on being on the show, but tried out for my husband's sake. My sister-in-law was able to try out with a friend. We all got on-camera interviews, but none of us made it on the show. I was happy about not making it, but sad for my husband and sister-in-law. They were both super excited about the opportunity. (This is the extremely condensed version of many months of our life.) The long version can be found here.
So, after eating freely with the prospects of being on Biggest Loser, and wanting to be as heavy as possible for the show's sake, we gained even more weight. We were both miserable, and now with not making it on the show we were ready to diet hard core. Plus, I was now officially 100 pounds overweight. This takes me to my first "phase."
Phase 1 - Conquering Addiction, & Handling Health Problems
Through my sister-in-law, we had the opportunity to "try out" for the Biggest Loser t.v. show. She had tried out before and made it on the show as an extra. Because of that the show gave her a "front of the line pass" to come back and try out again. She recruited my hubby, but they ended up liking a husband and wife team instead when they found out he had an overweight wife. I was not keen on being on the show, but tried out for my husband's sake. My sister-in-law was able to try out with a friend. We all got on-camera interviews, but none of us made it on the show. I was happy about not making it, but sad for my husband and sister-in-law. They were both super excited about the opportunity. (This is the extremely condensed version of many months of our life.) The long version can be found here.
So, after eating freely with the prospects of being on Biggest Loser, and wanting to be as heavy as possible for the show's sake, we gained even more weight. We were both miserable, and now with not making it on the show we were ready to diet hard core. Plus, I was now officially 100 pounds overweight. This takes me to my first "phase."
Phase 1 - Conquering Addiction, & Handling Health Problems
Thursday, November 15, 2012
Printable Calendar
Here is a super easy, printable calendar. For any computers without Microsoft Publisher, this calendar fits the bill. Not fancy, but easy.
http://www.softschools.com/math/calendar/monthly_calendar_printable/
http://www.softschools.com/math/calendar/monthly_calendar_printable/
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Honor in Preparedness
My friend LeAnn sent this to me, and thought I'd share.
The Truth and Honor of Preparedness
By Kellene Bishop
(Author’s note, this is a previously published article from our “Best of Collection” with a few modifications to reflect the challenges of today.)
Preparedness is a full-time focus for me as opposed to a hobby or a trend. I live it, breathe it, and think about it constantly whether I”m working or playing. Obviously I teach and write about it regularly as well. I will also choose to use spare time to learn about how I can be better prepared by spending time reading a novel or non-fiction work that illustrates other possibilities for which I’m not yet prepared.
Why? Because I believe that preparedness is about honor.
Many persons would label those who strive to be better prepared as a bunch of paranoid lunatics. And yet they would not think of calling our honorable men and women who serve in the military, who are on night watch with AR-15s in hand right now, “paranoid.” Yet are those of us who are watching carefully to what is going on around us and trying to mitigate our losses of life and freedom “paranoid?” No!!
A person who is prepared is honorable. They are willing to carry their own weight to protect themselves and those they love instead of naively or cowardly delegating that responsibility to others. We are all night and day watchmen. Thus we all need to honorably command our posts as careful guards over our family’s safety, nutrition, and peace. No one can delegate that responsibility without bringing shame upon themselves. It’s hard to think this way when we’re enjoying life’s luxuries or being tossed to and fro with life’s schedule, but it doesn’t change the state of what truly is. There’s honor in being prepared, not paranoia.
If you’re not paranoid, then surely you must be crazy, right? Tell that to the police officer who disciplines himself to train 3 times a week with his firearm instead of relinquishing his lifesaving skills to the whomping TWO times a year that his department pays for firearm training. He’s not crazy. He simply values the breath of life—whether it be his own, his partner, his family, or members of his community. The Supreme Court says he’s not obligated to protect any citizen—he’s only required to protect the interests of the State, City or County he’s hired by. So certainly he doesn’t require shooting practice 3 times a week to protect a non-living, breathing entity, right? (Yes, that’s sarcasm.) We are ALL defenders of our community, family, and selves. We cannot delegate that responsibility to someone else—not today and certainly not in the future in the midst of some disaster. There’s honor in being prepared, NOT the improper label of being mentally deranged.
Preparedness isn’t about hoarding. It doesn’t mean you have a scarcity mentality. If that were the case then there are millions of farmers, Amish, and Mennonite people throughout the U.S. that are crazy hoarders who must believe that the world as we know it will end tomorrow. (This list would also include the founders of Costco, Sam’s Club, and BJ’s!) It isn’t hoarding to have a year’s supply of food, water, and other necessities. Rather it’s the epitome of the Boy Scout theme! Having supplies of food and water has nothing to do with hoarding. It’s about fighting back against inflation, poisonous food recalls, disasters, crazy crowds, limited time, future “nutrition” manipulation, water contamination, etc.
It doesn’t take much more time to pay for 6 cases of chicken than it does to pay for one. And at least the one who prepares is PAYING for their items. Would our critics prefer that we simply become looters in a time of trouble and chaos? I’ve watched herds of looters on my television screen every time a disaster of a hurricane or tornado is imminent. And yet I still haven’t seen one of the cowardly opportunists be prosecuted in court. Hmmmm, maybe that it the message intended. ‘hoarding is bad and we’ll fine you money for it, but looting is just fine and we’ll feature you on the 6 o’clock news for it.
Is it not more honorable to financially stabilize our homes by being prepared with the bounty that is available now, rather than become criminals or desperate cowards in the future? Regardless of the compromised law of the land, clearly, there’s honor in being prepared, rather than having a scarcity mentality.
Is there one shred of honor in the person who claims “I’m coming to your house when things go south” (and means it)? Let’s think about this for a minute. How would you respond if a person were to say “When I run out of money, I’m coming to your bank account”? Or “When I get sick because I was foolish, I’m bringing my disease to your house to let you care for me.” “When I lose my job, I’ll just eat your food, have you pay my bills, and pay for my schooling.” Of course there’s no honor, integrity, or virtue in such thought processes. And yet it is these same individuals who mock and impede those who would prepare themselves for just such occasions. When one takes themselves out of the selfish “me, me, me” mode and begins to think about the care and nurturing of others, there’s HONOR. When one decides NOT to violate eternal laws by delegating the responsibility of taking care of their fellowmen to some governmental agency, there’s honor. When one looks past today to prepare for the well-being of those they love tomorrow, there’s honor. When one actually prepares to put themselves in a position where they actually HAVE something to share with others who have nothing, there’s honor.
Yes, there is most certainly honor in being prepared. May we always remember this and never be swayed by those who do not.
(Author’s note, this is a previously published article from our “Best of Collection” with a few modifications to reflect the challenges of today.)
Preparedness is a full-time focus for me as opposed to a hobby or a trend. I live it, breathe it, and think about it constantly whether I”m working or playing. Obviously I teach and write about it regularly as well. I will also choose to use spare time to learn about how I can be better prepared by spending time reading a novel or non-fiction work that illustrates other possibilities for which I’m not yet prepared.
Why? Because I believe that preparedness is about honor.
Many persons would label those who strive to be better prepared as a bunch of paranoid lunatics. And yet they would not think of calling our honorable men and women who serve in the military, who are on night watch with AR-15s in hand right now, “paranoid.” Yet are those of us who are watching carefully to what is going on around us and trying to mitigate our losses of life and freedom “paranoid?” No!!
A person who is prepared is honorable. They are willing to carry their own weight to protect themselves and those they love instead of naively or cowardly delegating that responsibility to others. We are all night and day watchmen. Thus we all need to honorably command our posts as careful guards over our family’s safety, nutrition, and peace. No one can delegate that responsibility without bringing shame upon themselves. It’s hard to think this way when we’re enjoying life’s luxuries or being tossed to and fro with life’s schedule, but it doesn’t change the state of what truly is. There’s honor in being prepared, not paranoia.
If you’re not paranoid, then surely you must be crazy, right? Tell that to the police officer who disciplines himself to train 3 times a week with his firearm instead of relinquishing his lifesaving skills to the whomping TWO times a year that his department pays for firearm training. He’s not crazy. He simply values the breath of life—whether it be his own, his partner, his family, or members of his community. The Supreme Court says he’s not obligated to protect any citizen—he’s only required to protect the interests of the State, City or County he’s hired by. So certainly he doesn’t require shooting practice 3 times a week to protect a non-living, breathing entity, right? (Yes, that’s sarcasm.) We are ALL defenders of our community, family, and selves. We cannot delegate that responsibility to someone else—not today and certainly not in the future in the midst of some disaster. There’s honor in being prepared, NOT the improper label of being mentally deranged.
Preparedness isn’t about hoarding. It doesn’t mean you have a scarcity mentality. If that were the case then there are millions of farmers, Amish, and Mennonite people throughout the U.S. that are crazy hoarders who must believe that the world as we know it will end tomorrow. (This list would also include the founders of Costco, Sam’s Club, and BJ’s!) It isn’t hoarding to have a year’s supply of food, water, and other necessities. Rather it’s the epitome of the Boy Scout theme! Having supplies of food and water has nothing to do with hoarding. It’s about fighting back against inflation, poisonous food recalls, disasters, crazy crowds, limited time, future “nutrition” manipulation, water contamination, etc.
It doesn’t take much more time to pay for 6 cases of chicken than it does to pay for one. And at least the one who prepares is PAYING for their items. Would our critics prefer that we simply become looters in a time of trouble and chaos? I’ve watched herds of looters on my television screen every time a disaster of a hurricane or tornado is imminent. And yet I still haven’t seen one of the cowardly opportunists be prosecuted in court. Hmmmm, maybe that it the message intended. ‘hoarding is bad and we’ll fine you money for it, but looting is just fine and we’ll feature you on the 6 o’clock news for it.
Is it not more honorable to financially stabilize our homes by being prepared with the bounty that is available now, rather than become criminals or desperate cowards in the future? Regardless of the compromised law of the land, clearly, there’s honor in being prepared, rather than having a scarcity mentality.
Is there one shred of honor in the person who claims “I’m coming to your house when things go south” (and means it)? Let’s think about this for a minute. How would you respond if a person were to say “When I run out of money, I’m coming to your bank account”? Or “When I get sick because I was foolish, I’m bringing my disease to your house to let you care for me.” “When I lose my job, I’ll just eat your food, have you pay my bills, and pay for my schooling.” Of course there’s no honor, integrity, or virtue in such thought processes. And yet it is these same individuals who mock and impede those who would prepare themselves for just such occasions. When one takes themselves out of the selfish “me, me, me” mode and begins to think about the care and nurturing of others, there’s HONOR. When one decides NOT to violate eternal laws by delegating the responsibility of taking care of their fellowmen to some governmental agency, there’s honor. When one looks past today to prepare for the well-being of those they love tomorrow, there’s honor. When one actually prepares to put themselves in a position where they actually HAVE something to share with others who have nothing, there’s honor.
Yes, there is most certainly honor in being prepared. May we always remember this and never be swayed by those who do not.
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Round 2 VLCD 8 (Day 10)
I've completely deviated from the traditional hcg diet and have lost 6 pounds in 10 days. Basically 8 days, since 2 of those days I was fat loading. I have been eating very small amounts, mainly veggies, teeny bits of carbs, very little fat and taking my hcg. I stalled twice due to "eating what I wanted" on two of those VLCD days. It's crazy, but if you look at it closely, I have lost 1 pound a day each day I chose to watch carefully what I was eating. I am pretty much never hungry, and feel completely satisfied. So far this is working incredibly easy for me and can see doing this for life. This also makes it far easier to stay committed to when I love what I'm eating every day. Lots of variety, and lots of flavor.
If I start to stall or gain I will cut back and be more careful, but so far this is working great and I'm steadily losing weight without even feeling like I'm dieting.
If I start to stall or gain I will cut back and be more careful, but so far this is working great and I'm steadily losing weight without even feeling like I'm dieting.
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