IT'S BEEN TWO YEARS

Two years ago I made the decision to write about my weight loss journey. I spent 3 weeks writing it, editing it, double thinking it, then finally was ready to publish it. You can find that post and the few other posts I have made about this topic here: HEALTH JOURNEY TAB at the top of the BLOG

Two years later I am still down 100 pounds and feeling fine. My bloodwork numbers are excellent and my semi-annual doctor visits are a cause for celebration rather than trepidation. He is happy to see me too, a patient who actually did what he advised.

Something I've noticed: I don't NEED new clothes. Everything from last year still fits. Amazing. I did buy a new dress, in case a special occasion should present itself. I love this dress and the new shoes:

Granddaughter Stella recently went with me to a haircut. She remembers when I was "BIG", too big to get on the floor with her. She likes to remind me this is better, and she's right:

I had a chance to go swimming with Stella recently and wasn't afraid to wear a two-piece swimsuit:

I am often asked how I do/did this. Eat smart, exercise daily. Most days I start with my favorite bowl of high protein oatmeal, find the recipe in the FAVORITE HEALTHY RECIPES under HEALTH JOURNEY

A new recipe I make frequently uses pasta made from chick peas. I got to sample them at Sam's Club, they are good. This time I sauteed some shrimp and added Bang Bang sauce. Another time I add leftover rotisserie chicken and pesto--that's good too. The bottled salad dressing is G Hughes brand, there are several varieties and all are sugar-free:

At our favorite local Mexican restaurant my usual order is Mexican Shrimp Cocktail: shrimp, avocado, onions, peppers, V-8 juice, and a "special sauce" which I have been told is ketchup. It's delicious and other than being high in sodium is very healthy:

I track everything I eat using the MyFitnessPal app. I have used the free version for years and it works well for me. My goals are Protein 25%, Fat 30%, and Carbs 45%, 1900 calories, and most days I hit these goals or get close. I can eat anything I want BUT everything I eat counts.

As for the exercise, I walk about 8 miles a day, 7 days a week, it takes over 2 hours, at a 4 mph pace. I listen to music and sing, plan my day, occasionally do "walking and talking" with friends. I do it first thing in the morning when it's warm and after lunch when it's cold. If it's raining I use an umbrella. Only storms with thunder and lightning keep me indoors:

When I travel I hit the hotel fitness center from 5-6 am. An hour on the treadmill is grueling, I don't enjoy it but I do it. So I can eat whatever I want at the great places I am often taken to:

So this is my annual check-in on my HEALTH JOURNEY. Life is good, I hope to live many more years and it doesn't matter that it took me 50 years to take charge of my heath. I did it. 

Now, let's quilt.

Barbara

THE HEALTH JOURNEY CONTINUES

This marks a year since I celebrated losing 100 pounds by writing about my journey to good health. Find that post here: HOW I LOST 100 POUNDS

I wasn't sure I wanted to write about such a personal thing but was ultimately glad I did as many wrote me to ask more questions, tell me they were inspired, and to share their own success. 

A year later I am officially down 111 pounds from the high of 256. My current weight of 145 is perfect for me. Good clothes fit well, sizes small to medium, 8-10, just right. My doctor is pleased with all my numbers. I am happy and healthy.

The other day I walked past a house I pass just about every day. The woman who lives there was watering flowers at her mailbox. As I passed she said "Your transformation is astonishing. I've been watching you and hoped to talk to you."  Then she asked the usual questions, how much weight, how far do you walk, what do you eat? I gave her my business card so she could check out these few posts about my Health Journey if she was interested.  I thanked her for her kind words and walked on. Her words resonated with me--my transformation IS astonishing to me too. Other than earning the title United States Marine, this is the accomplishment of which I am most proud. And that's saying something at this point in my life. And it only took 70 years!

Today:

A year ago there was one bit of advice I left out. I call it the "10% plan". When I explain it to people who ask me how they can lose a lot of weight, they all say "that makes sense". So I will share it today.

It would have been impossible for me to say "I am going to lose 100 pounds" when I was 256. But I did say "I am going to lose 10% of  my weight". I tracked everything I ate in My Fitness Pal and still do, every meal, every day. And I walked around the block once and hoped I could get home. I started.

256 - 26 = 230   Goal #1. I made it and said "Now for the next 10%".

230 - 23  = 207   Goal #2. OK, now I am close to being in "One-derland", go for it.

207 - 21  = 186    Goal #3. I hadn't been this small in 20 years. Can I do another 10%? Let's see.

186 - 19  = 167   Goal #4. Wow, just 11 more pounds and I can say "I Lost 100 pounds." Let's go for that.

167 - 11  = 156  Goal #5  I was not sure I could get lower than that and felt great. It was 26 years since  I  weighed 156: October 25, 1997, I remember it so well and what I was wearing.  And how I felt.

156 - 11 = 145 GOAL #6, Last and Final. Body Mass Index says I am "normal" weight. And the last time I weighed this I was 24 years old wearing my United States Marine Corps uniform.

There is a 5 pound "buffer" to being 150. When I eat out or travel for a week or more, I am often up 5 pounds. I get right back on track and in a few days I am where I am supposed to be. 

It was FUN to use my 10% plan. I am a "numbers person", so this appealed to me. I set no deadlines, I just took it one day at a time. 

It seems important to show that a year later I am still fit and healthy. I have not regained those "lost" pounds. By the way, they weren't "LOST", I worked them off every day with a healthy diet and lots of exercise. I pounded them into the pavement!

I still walk at least 1-2 hours a day, 7 days a week. Three days a week I work with free weights to build muscle. In hot weather I look like this:

In wet or cold weather I look like this:

                                                    

I workout at hotels when I travel:

Recipes have been shared over the years. Find all of them under the  RECIPES tab above. Some are holiday sweets, many are healthier fare. I eat smart and healthy 99% of the time. That's enough.

A few posts about my weight loss journey have been posted over the past year. For convenience, they are all available under the HEALTH JOURNEY tab above.

Photos tell the story best. 

Here are my 4 appearances as Guest Artist on The Quilt Show with Alex Anderson and Ricky Tims:

2018

2019

2020

2021

Birthday photos for the past three years:

2022

2023

2024

My FAVORITE PHOTO  and my least favorite photo combined:

Before and After 2011-2023

A year from now I will do another update on my Journey to Good Health. Come along with me. You can do it. Just start. It's never too late to change your life. If you want your life to be better a year from now, it starts with what you do today.

My motto remains: BE STRONG, BE PATIENT, BE HAPPY.

Feel free to share this with anyone who might want to hear it:

Barbara

How I Lost 100 Pounds

 First, I must start with the declaration that I am not a Doctor so don't take medical advice from me. Always speak to your trusted physician about what diet and exercise plan is right for you.

WARNING: this is long and has NOTHING to do with quilting. If you aren't interested, come back in two weeks for quilt-talk.

Officially down 100 pounds, 15 months, give or take. Photo taken August 17, 2023:

March 2023:

March 2022: 

Before and After--April 2011 with my husband vs. June 2023:

Since my early teenage years I have struggled with weight. Always overweight, always fighting the urge to overeat. There are many reasons for this, and most have nothing to do with food. Let's just say food has always been my drug of choice, in dealing with the slings and arrows of life. 

Several times before I have lost substantial weight, then gained it back plus some. This time I wanted to lose it and keep it lost forever. A little more than a year ago I started again...

I had reached my highest weight, 256, and size 22s were tight. If not now, when would I fix this? 

This is my story, for inspiration and to answer the many questions I have received since people started to notice.

Everyone wants to know the SECRET. Surgery? Gummies? Nope. Diet and Exercise. The same thing we've always been told. Eat less, move more. So I knew what to do. I just had to START. 

For years, when trying to lose weight, I have used a great app, MY FITNESS PAL. I use the free version to track everything I eat and my daily exercise. 

I use it to plan meals at restaurants, BEFORE I go, so I make better choices. I can eat whatever I want but everything I eat counts. Will it get me closer to or farther away from my goal of being healthy? I love this app and would be lost without it. I especially love the button at the bottom of each day's Diary--COMPLETE DIARY. It says "If every day were like today, in 5 weeks you'd weigh XXX". It is such a simple way to see that having a calorie deficit takes me in the direction I want to go. So I check, even on BAD DAYS--that helps me get back on track tomorrow.

Then I stumbled on a great book about diet and exercise for those of us over 50:

I first read about this in the AARP magazine. The book is easy to understand. It explains why we need more Protein as we age, not less, and how to get the right amount every day. It is not a DIET--it is a plan for eating healthy foods most often, and getting enough Fiber, something else most Americans don't get enough of. It explains the need to build muscle now as we age and how to do that. If you want a plan, I highly recommend you read this, cover to cover. Very educational and a great resource. 

MY DIET: 

Here are my MACROS, the guide I have set for myself:

Calories    1220-- most days I get closer to 1400 and when we go out to dinner it's 1700

Carbs     45%     137 g

Protein   35%     107 g

Fat          20%      27 g 

Sodium  1500 mg

Fiber 21 g 

Sugar 46 g 

These have changed over the years but, with all the diet books/websites I've read, this is best for me at this point.

The Whole Body Reset says women over 50 should aim for 25 g of lean Protein and 5 g of Fiber at all 3 meals. And a little more from 1-2 snacks a day. Men should get 30 g Pro and 7 g Fiber at all 3 meals. 

I don't like to cook nor spend lots of time shopping/planning meals. It has always worked best for me to have a few go-to meals, for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Once I figure those out, I save then in My Fitness Pal, making it so easy to add them to the daily Diary. 

I will do a separate blog next week with my RECIPES. But so you know what I eat most days, here are my go-to meals.

BREAKFAST:

1. Whole oats, frozen berries, Muscle Milk Protein Powder Vanilla Creme flavor, Two Good Greek Yogurt vanilla flavor--one half container to add sweetening and more protein. Oatmeal alone is not a good meal as protein is low.

2. In a hurry, I grab a banana and a big spoonful of peanut butter. My favorite is Jif Reduced Fat PB, but it has more sugar. Natural peanut butter is best but I don't want to deal with stirring cold PB so I use the one I like best. Life is all about choices and compromise. 

3. Eggs---two hardboiled, scrambled or fried in extra virgin olive oil, Thomas' Multi-Grain English Muffin--100 calories and lots of fiber. Since it resembles cardboard, I add butter and some kind of preserves to it. Just not a huge amount of either--I have to be mindful of sugar. 

Oatmeal at home and 1 cup skim milk in coffee

LUNCH: 

1. Cottage Cheese Jello "Fluff": cottage cheese, sugar-free Jello and 1/4 cup no sugar added Fruit Cocktail. Stir, let set, this makes at least 4 servings. Cottage cheese is high in Sodium so I watch sodium for the rest of the day

2. Banana and Peanut Butter--see above

3. Lean protein and a handful of cherry tomatoes and/or sliced peppers or cucumber. Rotisserie chicken is great to have on hand, as is canned salmon and tuna. 

DINNER: 

1. Salad, lots of veggies, add olives, and a lean protein. 

2. Rotisserie chicken, frozen veggies nuked, brown rice

3. Baked Salmon, salad or frozen veggies nuked 

Half salad, half chicken salad sandwich McAllisters deli on the road

Salad with boiled shrimp, at a restaurant but easy to prepare at home

SNACKS:

I refuse to be hungry so I snack when I am and the next meal is still a few hours away. 

Unsalted CASHEWS -- 1/4 cup, my Favorite

An apple and cheese

Muscle Milk Protein Shake--Knockout Chocolate when daily Protein needs a boost (32 g), Strawberry when less Protein is needed (25 g). Zero sugar, plenty of fiber. These travel great as they are non-dairy so I often bring them on trips--chilled overnight they are yummy. Available at grocery stores in the Pharmacy area or on Amazon:

I drink one large cup of coffee with breakfast, using 1 cup of skim milk to make it palatable, just for the caffeine. The rest of the day I drink plain water, at least 100 ounces a day. I sweat buckets during my two hours of exercise so need to replenish that and stay hydrated. If out for a nice dinner, a couple times a month I enjoy one glass of Moscato wine. Otherwise, it’s just plain water for me.

MY EXERCISE: 

The other part of the equation is exercise. I eat every day so I move my body every day. For me, the easiest thing to do is walking. All I need are good shoes. I just have to walk out my door. If I have to drive to the gym, it won't happen.  I just walk.

When I started again last year, I went around the block. Once. Done. The next day I did it again. And the next day, again. The beauty of using MY FITNESS PAL is I can see that I can eat MORE if I exercise more. 

A month in, I was walking at a 3.0 mph pace for 30-40 minutes. Then one day I was "walking and talking" to a friend and I JUST KEPT GOING. I walked for an hour and felt great. That's progress. I kept it up, the weight was coming off and I was seeing results. 

Today I walk at  a 4.0 mph pace for almost 2 hours, most days. As I move into maintaining more than trying to lose much more, I will walk less. An hour a day maximum is my goal.

Now I am really working on building muscle with free weights and lots of squats, lunges, etc. There are unlimited free videos on Instagram and YouTube to help.

Both my knees were replaced years ago, 2007 and 2012. They work just fine now that I have taken off 100 pounds. I can really tell the difference. 

Exercise, love it or hate it, you need it. Find something you can learn to like and JUST START.

MY MEDS: 

Daily Blood Pressure pill, my BP is perfect.

Weekly Trulicity injection--I am still borderline pre-diabetic from the many years I abused my body with food. I hope that can be ended at the next doctor's visit in December. If A1C is normal, that should happen. 

A Multivitamin, B12, and D3--just to keep my bloodwork as the doctor wants it. 

Let's show some pictures:

2018 on the set of The Quilt Show

2020

2021 the perfect BEFORE shot

December 2021 with Sam

July 2022 with Stella

And now from my Journey: 

February 2023

Birthday June 2022

Birthday June 2023

March 2023 onboard cruise ship at Veteran’s Salute

May 2023 on the road in Durango CO

May 2023 on the Road in Huntsville TX

May 2023

 

June 2023

July 2023

July 2023

July 2023, size 10 shorts, size SMALL shirt

August 11, 2023 so close...

MY GOALS: 

All my life I have had goals. Here they are:

1. Weigh less than my husband--CHECK

2. Be able to shop for clothes in Regular Misses sizes--CHECK

3. No longer be OBESE--for me, that means under 175--CHECK

4. Weigh less than it says on my Driver's License--a month ago I burst out laughing at the bank when I saw my DL--175--and I was really 171--CHECK

5. Be able to wear the Special/Favorite clothes I saved from 26 years ago--CHECK

6. Lose 100 lbs--CHECK

Only one more goal, the MOST IMPORTANT OF ALL, maintain this healthy, happy size with daily exercise of one hour or so. No more yo-yo-ing up and down. So far, so good.

I check my weight every Monday and Friday. If it is up, even one pound, I check every day until it is down again. 

You should know, the BMI chart still says I am OVERWEIGHT; at 5'4", I need to be 145 or less to be "normal". I am not sure that will happen and today, it's not a goal. My doctor is thrilled with where I am and so am I. 

In my younger days:

August 15, 1975, the day I was commissioned a 2LT in the United States Marine Corps--one of the BEST days of my life

March 29 1979 1st Lt United States Marine Corps, serving with VMAT 202--my GLORY DAYS

July 1981 the first time I got to goal on WW

I never expect to be this small again, and that's OK. I am so much smarter now than I was as this young woman. I am loved by some wonderful people, and love them in return. I have had several successful careers and think I have been helpful to many people over the course of my life. All in all, I am happy and now, healthy. There are great things ahead for me yet, and I look forward to that. I have a dream, a goal and a plan.

CONCLUSIONS:

1. If I can do it, you can do it.

2. Just start, wherever you are. Make small improvements every day.

3. See results monthly, not daily.

4. When you fall off the wagon, get back on the next day.

5. Next year I will be one year older. If I am to be better, it starts with what I do TODAY.

6. Nothing tastes as good as being HEALTHY feels. Although, Key Lime Pie is right up there...

Next week, I will share a variety of the simple recipes I like to make and eat. UPDATE: FIND THAT POST HERE

After that, let's quilt!

PS. PLEASE FEEL FREE TO SHARE THIS if you like. With the small buttons at the bottom of each post, you can EMAIL, BLOG, share to TWITTER, share to FACEBOOK or share to PINTEREST:

Thank you!

Barbara