Buy Walking VideosQuestion of the Week: What Have You Done?
In my past, I have done so many things to lose weight that I really regret now. Every time I starved myself to lose weight, I just made things worse for myself. Sadly all that starvation didn’t even work and just made my bingeing worse.
What have you done to lose weight in the past?
What worked, even if only for a short amount of time?
What was a complete and utter failure?
If you could go back in time and stop yourself, what would you stop? What would you encourage?
Can you stop the cycle now and start encouraging yourself today? What would you tell yourself today to help your future self?
I find it so disappointing that everything I tried as a teenager to lose weight was actually harming me and I didn’t even get thin in the end. If I could go back in time, I would tell my past self, “You can eat anything you want. You just can’t eat everything you want. God knows, I’ve tried…“
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April 16th, 2007 at 9:14 am
What have you done to lose weight in the past? Exercise and diet restrictions.
What worked, even if only for a short amount of time? The only thing that ever worked for me was when I was taking a health class in college. They showed all of these videos on the horrible affects of eating certain foods on your body and scared the crap out of me. The entire time I was in the class, all I ate were fruits, vegetables and whole grains. They also had us working out three hours a day for a week. I got really thin in just seven days.
What was a complete and utter failure? Every time I’ve tried to restrict my diet, I would gain weight. I would go into panic mode and end up eating even more when I tried to diet.
If you could go back in time and stop yourself, what would you stop? What would you encourage? I would go back and not listen to what people suggested to me as to what I should do or eat and decide for myself based on what I’d learned and my own instincts. I would encourage myself to do what made me feel good and positive about myself, for myself, and not care about what other people thought.
Can you stop the cycle now and start encouraging yourself today? What would you tell yourself today to help your future self? In October, I went to Kona, Hawaii, to watch a close friend of mine compete in the Ironman there. It was amazing. I’d thought that these people were just crazy athletes looking for a challenge, but discovered that there were people there from all walks of life with all different body types. And they were all out there, doing this amazing thing. I discovered it was more about personal achievement, striving to do something for yourself, an ultimate goal. From the day of that race forward, I have changed my outlook on exercise. It isn’t about looking good to me anymore, it is about feeling good, about finding out what my body can do. I am in better shape now than I have been in my entire life. And I’m not dieting or on a strict workout regiment. I don’t do weigh-ins or measure my waistline. I work out to see what my body and mind are capable of doing when they work together. I eat to fuel my body now for its best performance. I look forward to running, riding up a long grade on my road bike, jumping in the ocean to swim up the coast. Because I can. I’m alive and healthy and I’ve finally learned to celebrate that. My mantra: My body is a temple and I shall cherish it and celebrate within it.
April 17th, 2007 at 9:50 pm
What have you done to lose weight in the past? I have tried everything. I was 11 years old and watching Richard Simmons on t.v. and eating a strict diet with measured cheese and tuna with mustard, no mayo. A teenager eating only a cookie and a chocolate shake each day (that actually worked), seeing a registered dietician, trying prescription weight loss drugs, the “every new book on the market dietâ€, purging with laxatives and vomiting, slim fast, weight watchers, finally to bariatric surgery. What worked, even if only for a short amount of time? I had decent success on both Rotation Diet and Atkins Diet. I lost over 150 pounds with bariatric surgery. What was a complete and utter failure? Laxative abuse! OMG, the cramps and never being able to leave the house…pale and sick feeling all the time. If you could go back in time and stop yourself, what would you stop? I would have stopped letting my husband define my worth by my weight and hence, stop letting him have the power to make me feel bad about myself. I ended up heavier after each failed diet attempt than I was to start with. What would you encourage? Work on self-acceptance. That is where I am. I accept myself as a size 12/14/16 with flab and wrinkles and scars. (and I got rid of my negativity-spouting husband)
Can you stop the cycle now and start encouraging yourself today? I try. Sometimes I tell myself some of the same negative things my husband used to tell me. I try to stop myself, but it is still hard. What would you tell yourself today to help your future self? My future self is well on the path to success. I no longer fear meeting a new man because he might see how flabby I am under my clothes. If he makes it to that point, he shouldn’t be worried about my imperfections. On the other hand, I still struggle with eating. I have maintained my bariatric weight loss but got nowhere near the weight I thought I would. I was 30# lighter after the Atkins diet –the first time. Right now, I am eating a modified Atkins diet, only because I am having difficulty controlling my blood sugar (it gets too low- like 41, from eating carbs) and I also have been holding quite a bit of fluid on my legs, and Atkins helps to diurese. It really isn’t as hard on your kidneys as taking Lasix, though. my advice to my future self: You are more than the number on the scale or the size of your clothes. Part of the problem you have is that you are too thin for your skin. If you’re not willing to grow back into your skin, you have only to accept that excess skin. Back to acceptance.
April 19th, 2007 at 5:31 am
What have you done to lose weight in the past?
There was a period when I went to the gym 4 times a week. I felt great, but I lost no weight. My eating hadn’t changed (or at least it hadn’t been reduced. Perhaps I was eating more?). I stopped that and later started Weight Watchers. It worked! I lost almost 70 pounds! I felt great, but I wasn’t exercising at the same time. I’ve since gained 50 pounds back. I feel terrible.
What worked, even if only for a short amount of time? Weight Watchers worked for me. Paying attention to my consumption. A community for support.
What was a complete and utter failure? The same. As opposed to you, Laura, when I give myself complete permission to eat what I want and stop paying attention, I gain like crazy. It’s unhealthy and I feel like I’m trapped. I can’t get back on a diet that will help me lose that weight again. I almost wish I had never lost that weight, because I wouldn’t know what I was missing.
If you could go back in time and stop yourself, what would you stop? What would you encourage? Great question. I’d stop the complete disregard for myself. I’d tell myself that, no matter what’s going on in my life or what others are saying or doing to me or how badly I’m treated by the one person who is supposed to love me the most, I need to pay attention. I need to stop hearing others. I need to stop listening, because she’s not well. She’s not herself. That’s what I would say. (Hey, you asked.)
I would encourage myself to get some more activity WHILE I was at the lower weight. I would say “Ernie, look at me. Look at yourself. Ask others to tell you, if you need it. Stay away from the sweets. Pay attention to what’s going on and care about it.”
Can you stop the cycle now and start encouraging yourself today? What would you tell yourself today to help your future self? I don’t know. I’ve tried. Any suggestions?