Why Losing Weight is Healthy

Seems pretty self-explanatory, right? We lose weight to look and feel better. But there are other reasons to lose weight too. 

I’ve mentioned in my page My Fat History that when I was 250, I had high blood pressure and I was pre-diabetic. I also had high cholestrol. 

*Not My Pic

 

Blood Pressure (aka Hyper Tension) 

Don’t let the numbers confuse you. There are two numbers, the one on top and the one on the bottom. For example: 120/90. 

*The top number is your systolic pressure, the pressure created when your heart beats. It is considered high if it is consistently over 140. 

*The bottom number is your diastolic pressure, the pressure inside blood vessels when the heart is at rest. It is considered high if it is consistently over 90. 

*Not My Pic

At my heaviest, my blood pressure was about 140/100. That’s very high. The lower number is the dangerous number. I had my yearly physical yesterday and my blood pressure is now 110/60. I no longer have high blood pressure because I lost weight. 

My resting pulse yesterday was also 68. A “normal” resting rate is between 60-100. Lance Armstrong’s resting heart rate is rumored to be 37. 37!! 

High Cholesterol 

High Cholesterol can lead to stroke, heart attack and death. A high range is 200–239 mg/dL, which is Borderline-High Risk. Less than Less than 200 mg/dL is desired. It was well over 200 when I weighed 250. My current Cholesterol level is 160. 

*Not My Pic

 

Have I convinced you yet? Losing weight DOES improve your health, whether you can see it or not. 

I also talked to my doctor about my seemingly constant hunger. She said it was probably a combination of high metabolism and also eating refined sugars. She said that eating refined sugars spikes my insulin level and that creates hunger in the body. I know I eat too many refined sugars. That’s something I struggle with every day. But I had no idea it spiked my insulin like that. 

She also recommended learning about the low-glycemic diet. My goal is to get a book on it and learn more. When I first read a book about it last year, I dismissed the concept because counting calories was working for me. Why fix what isn’t broken? But now that I’ve lost the weight and I’m training for things, I feel like I need to know these things.  

Low Glycemic Index food (less than 55) 
Foods with GI index between 55 and 70 are consider intermediate
High Glycemic Index food GI (more than 70) 

An example of some foods by glycemic index: 

Waffles: 76 (high) 

Carrot Juice: 45 (low) 

Cheese Pizza: 60 (medium) 

Porridge: 49 (low) 

Cornflakes: 83 (high) 

Whole Milk: 27 (low) 

Cherries: 22 (low) 

Apples: 38 (low) 

Peanuts: 15 (low) 

Asparagus: 15 (low) 

QUESTION: Why do you want to lose weight? And do you follow the Low-Glycemic diet?

Body Image Stuggles

My post yesterday seemed to touch a nerve with a lot of readers. I got a lot of really great comments and private emails:

Lori at Finding Radiance said:  “I really struggle with body image. Sometimes I see myself as size 8, other times I think I look closer to the old me at 250 pounds. It does seem to be getting better with time, but not sure if that will ever go away. You have to shift your focus to the positive. If you dwell on the negative, then it breeds upon itself.”

And one of my favorites from Lisa at Bike, Bake Blog: “What a refreshing post……it can be so easy to focus on the negative sometimes – but I consciously try to turn it around and focus on the positives instead. Such as – instead of “argh I have put on weight” – I remind myself that “I have done 10 races in 6 months and have never been fitter”. A little extra weight is not the end of the world?!”

I took Kelly’s advice from My Healthy Passion: “I allow myself to wallow for a few days. I almost think it is healthy to allow myself to be in a bad mood. Then after some good wallowing (and usually a few tears…crying ALWAYS makes me feel better) I make myself focus on the positive things.”

I wallowed a bit and feel MUCH better today. I think having a great run yesterday helped that. It reminded me that my body does great things.

So why ARE we so hard on ourselves? Upbringing, media, poor parenting, blah blah blah…

I plan on changing that. As I stated in my post about June Goals, I’m going to think positive thoughts.

Some other things we can all do:

1. Be realistic. My body type/genetics is never going to be a size Zero.

2. Appreciate what my body can do at it’s current weight and size.

3. Don’t punish myself for overeating by overexercising.

4. I only weigh myself once a month for a reason: it’s to NOT obsess about the number on the scale.

5. Test yourself. Try something new. Be impressed with your abilities.

QUESTION: Did I miss anything? How do you think positive thoughts?

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Lastly, I want to profile another weight loss success story. Please email me at 110pounds at gmail dot com.

June Goals

Have I mentioned that my bf’s mom is a great cook? We headed over to the other side of town to celebrate a birthday (and eat yummy food). She grilled up some amazing T-bone steaks.

T-Bone Steaks

The pictures from last night are a bit blurry. I was trying to be sneaky taking pictures. Question: If you’re a blogger, do you get embarrassed taking pictures of food in front of people who “don’t know”?

There were also baked potatoes with all the fixings.

Potato Fixings

Green onions, REAL sour cream (not the light I usually eat), shredded cheese, HOMEMADE bacon bits. Oh, heaven…

Awesome Dinner

The steak was incredibly flavorful and juicy. Michael’s stepsister made amazing Red Velvet cupcakes for dessert. They were moist and delicious! I ate two of them (they were miniature).

Bite Size Dessert

I’m not too sore today. I have no pains from my new shoes (yay!). My hamstrings are MUCH better. The Foam Roller worked! My quads are on the sore side though.

I’ve been reflecting on what goals I want to work on this month. Last month’s goals went pretty well.

1) Drink more water.

2) STRETCH!!

3) Use sunscreen.

I feel pretty successful in being consistent with my goals. I could have been better with the stretching but I did okay. And just because it’s a new month, that doesn’t mean I’m not going to continue to do those things. I think I’ve incorporated them into my routine so that they will become habits.

So my new goals are going to be:

1) Lose 2 pounds in June (making my weight 149).

2) Think positive thoughts (especially about my body image).

3) Create a Running Playlist on my iphone.

QUESTION: What’s your goal for June?

The Naked Post

from http://www.postsecret.com/

I’ve been a bad blogger. I’ve been in a funk lately. This weekend was a bit of an emotional roller coaster and I’m trying to dig myself out of the hole I dug. There’s nothing beneficial about having a pity party!

I don’t want my blog to just be a “diary” of the food I eat.  I don’t think that’s interesting and I want this blog to be of more value to people who are struggling to lose weight and be healthy. Because of the blahs lately, my blog has become a “food diary.” It was easy.

Lately I’ve had a touch of the Post Race Blues. Reach the Beach was awesome and fun. I had a great time training for it. Every weekend revolved around long bike rides.  I’ve had nothing to train for since May 15th. The easy, logical solution would be to pick some event that’s sooner than Hood To Coast (end of August) and train for that. Unfortunately, our schedule is pretty packed for the summer. We have weddings, family reunions, our anniversary weekend, friends visiting from out of town, and family visiting. There’s just no time!

Reach the Beach

Another factor has been the weather. It’s been solid rain since May 15th. Seriously–the most depressing weather! This is the time of year we start hiking on a regular basis, plan camping trips, and BBQ. I am so sick of this weather!

My body image issues of late are stupid, I know. I shouldn’t be down on myself. I’ve come a LONG way and I should be proud of what I’ve accomplished. I should focus on the positive things and loving my body the way it is.

-Loving the few extra pounds because they are a part of me.

-Loving the layer of fat on my stomach because it protects my vital organs.

-Loving my curves because that makes me a woman.

-Loving my large hips and breasts because some day when I had kids, I’ll need them!

-Loving my big thighs because they are strong and powerful and as a result I swim a mile in 40 minutes.

A lot of “I shoulds”. Despite reminding myself of these things and trying to think positive, it’s been really hard lately.

QUESTION: How do you get out of a “funk”? And how is your body/self image right now?

Fitness Bucket List

FITNESS BUCKET LIST

Another blog I follow, http://ohsheglows.com/2009/08/28/my-fitness-bucket-list/ had a great idea to make a “Fitness Bucket List”. It made me think about my own fitness goals I want to achieve. I thought I’d make them known here.

Bucket List

1. Complete 55 mile bike ride in Reach the Beach (May 15, 2010).

2. Complete Hood to Coast Relay (August 2010).

3. Run a 10k.

4. Run a Half Marathon.

5. Compete in a triathlon.

6. Take a pilates class.

7. Take a yoga class.

8. Retake the Tai Chi class I loved.

9. Go hiking in Greece! http://www.greecetravel.com/hiking/

10. Try a rock climbing wall.

11.  Go on a camping/biking adventure.

12. Bike ride in a different country (preferably a country with an excellent wine selection! 🙂 ).

13. Try a Bikram yoga class.

14. Take a Spin class.

15.  Do the Roy Webster Columbia River Cross Channel Swim http://www.hoodriver.org/HRCCC_MemberTemplate.asp?MemberINDX=497&CategoryINDX=10

16. Take a Cross Fit Class.

17. Go cross-country skiing.

18. Bike Orcas Island, etc. http://www.thesanjuans.com/Biking%20in%20the%20San%20Juan%20Islands,%20Orcas%20Island,%20Lopez%20Island,%20Friday%20Harbor%20and%20Anacortes.htm

19. Swim in the ocean.

20. Wear a bikini.

More to come later! I keep thinking of more goals!

How to Stay Motivated

Vegas before….and after! The picture on the right was taken last summer in Vegas. I was the skinniest I’d ever been. I gained about 15 pounds this last year. I hate it. I felt like a failure after losing 110 pounds! Part of it is muscle because I really changed my work out routine this year (added a weight program and started running). The main part of that is medication I took for a year. It was nasty stuff. I’m off it now and hope the weight starts to come back off. I want to get back to that Vegas weight.

I think most people start exercise/diet programs with the best intentions but it’s difficult to stay motivated. Here are a few tips I’ve learned along the way:
*Listen to music while at the gym. Or talk radio. I recorded a few radio shows I liked but couldn’t hear at work and it helped me stay on that elliptical machine longer.
*A few gyms now have mini television screens attached to the machines. I’ve been known to get sucked into an HGTV program and all of a sudden I’ve been on the treadmill for an hour!
*Choose an exercise that you enjoy.
*Get a buddy! Having someone to work out with keeps you motivated because it’s fun and you’re accountable to each other.
….And the most important for ME:
*Have achievable goals!

Achievable goals are less overwhelming. Want to run a marathon? How about making your goal to run a half marathon instead? It’s less stressful and overwhelming. Sometimes when I run, I start to feel overwhelmed, tired, or bored and want to stop. I tell myself, “I’ll just run to that next light post” and once I get there, I usually keep going. 🙂

While I was losing weight, it helped immensely to have goals and specific dates to reach my weight loss. Here is an example:
1. I wanted to lose 50 pounds by my brother’s wedding.
2. I wanted to train for my first 5k run.
3. And currently, I am training for Reach the Beach and Hood to Coast.