Slimdude

You know how there is some talk that it is actually WORSE to be a “yo-yo dieter” and keep on losing and gaining 20 pounds than to maintain a constant weight? I think I am a Yo-Yo-er.

I’m not sure if I gave you the run-down on myself as far as my weight past goes, but here it is:

*All my high school and early 20s, I was about 135-140. Sometimes 145. No big deal. I had very very active jobs, plus when I was in high school we walked everywhere with those backpacks on! My jobs have always been the type where I am on my feet and moving for 8 hours. Stuff like Fast Food, retail, box UnPacker, et cetera… so it was not very hard to stay that weight. I always looked like one of those surfer dudes out of a magazine and I was really happy with that. I had muscle and I had abs even though I never looked like Arnold or Sly that is never how I wanted to look. I’m not one of those guys who is trying to see how big I can get my biceps or what the latest anabolic supplement craze is…

*In 2001 I found myself UnEmployed and eating a lot of pizza and chips and by October of that year it was the first time I weighed 172 pounds and I did not even realize it until I saw some pics and then stepped on a scale and I was really surprised!

*Started doing cardio 5-6 times a week and weights again and lost the weight, got back to 140 and I stayed there give or take a few pounds until 2004. In 2004 I entered USAF BMT and since the exercise went up further and the meals slimmed down, I lost ten pounds to be around 130, which was waaaay too much, IMO. I looked too thin.

*Well, in the years after BMT I sort of lost the plot and began eating junk food, not exercising except as mandatory AND I developed a weird habit of waking up at night and gorging my face on junk food. By the beginning of 2006 I again found myself at 172 pounds.

*The first thing I did was start exercising more often. I now work out for at least an hour a day, six days a week. Sometimes I even work out twice. Sometimes. And my second workout is usually something easy like a brisk walk. This is in addition to consciously being more active. Get up and dance with my son, take the stairs, park the car far away, you know the drill… this change alone and I dropped about 10 pounds.

*Then I started eating healthier foods. Read any sane diet book and it’s the same. Stay away from sugar, HFCS, Hydro-Fats, Trans Fats… eat more lean proteins, low and non fat dairy, lots O veggies and fruits and look for whole grains. I really didn’t lose any more weight just making this switch, but I sure felt way better than when I was eating pizza and chips all the time!

*Portion Control is what worked! That is why I love “diet” microwave dinners like Lean Cuisine, South Beach, SmartOnes, etc (I kind of think Healthy Choice is gross). And I like all the South Beach products like cookies and cereal bars because not only are they “better for you” (More protein and fiber and less sugar) but they are PORTION controlled. And I do “meal timing”, I eat my breakfast at about 6am right after exercise, and then every 3 hours apart if I can. MEAL - SNACK - MEAL - SNACK - MEAL and sometimes a small snack in the evening.

*Last fall, I managed to cease my night-time eating habit and I actually got down to below 150 at one point.

*But then the holidays hit, I fell off the wagon, and now I have been maintaining 160-ish for months.

I’m ready to stop the YoYo. I want to rid myself of this final 20, this belly for the last time and maintain it.

Which reminds me, wouldn’t it be great if we had a Maintainence Challenge Forum? After you lose all your weight, the teams compete each week to see which team maintains their weight? For every week you maintain your Goal Weight within , oh, say three pounds… you earn points and the team with the highest points wins for the week?

Just an Idea. Maybe I’m just dizzy from all the Yo-Yo-ing.

—Matt

Hey thanks Angela and Ash for stopping by and commenting. It really does mean something that total strangers would take the time out to comment. And Ash… yeah there have been weeks where I only watched the scale once a week, but it didn’t make any difference regarding my moods or weight-loss. Now… if I was a guy who got all nuts every time the scale went up then I’d HAVE to stay off, no doubt. But you can see (or read, rather…) that it doesn’t bug me, even when I “mess up”. I’ve pretty much accepted that the following formula applies :

EXERCISE + GOOD DIET + STOP EATING AT NIGHT = WEIGHT LOSS

EXERCISE + GOOD DIET - STOP EATING AT NIGHT = NO WEIGHT LOSS

SO I can either accept my current belly and continue to binge and snacks or I can face down the beast and stop doing it and reclaim my flat stomach. It’s all in my court.

I appreciate the fact that there are no “haters” on here. Sometimes in the past, when I tell people I’d like to lose about 20 pounds, they act like I’m crazy. Well, not crazy. But they try and placate me. Like “oh, you look fine…” and I can’t tell if they are saying that to make me feel better?? Friends and family KNOW I gained about 20 pounds over the years. You can see it most obviously in photos. People who are didn’t know me at 140 pounds maybe just think of me as “moderately chubby.” Like I’ve said, weight-loss is relative. It’s like I’m sure you ladies go nuts when you hear someone like Scarlette Johanson or Tyra Banks wants to “lose a few”. You think, “from where???” BUT I’m telling you, even as I sit here Blogging… I am squeezed into pants that were issued to me when I was 140 and I am sitting at 160 now and I have a GUT hanging over my pants that I did not have a few years ago and I will be DAMNED if I accept that BS about just being heavier as we get older. Maybe if I was an older woman who had kids or something that would be different. Perhaps your hormones do change and you just CAN’T get off that “last 20″.

But for me, I think I can. If I would just stop stuffing my face at night.

Here is another sort-of-related thought : Diet Soda. It’s bad… it’s not bad… etc. I think, from a weight-loss perspective, it is actually good for me. In the past I have lost a lot of weight and I drank diet soda all the time. Very often at parties or gatherings, it is a life-saver because if I wasn’t drinking a Diet Coke I’d be downing cake and cookies and whatnot. But some people don’t like it because of the fake sweetners. I’m just saying I like diet sodas and I don’t think it’s neccessary to give them up to lose weight. For other health concerns, maybe…

Let’s see, what else? Oh yeah, do you ever do that thing where you have events coming up and you really really hope you can lose 5,10, or more pounds before it comes up? I have a few of those. Like for instance I have a Detail on Friday and I really really need to watch my diet and not binge at all anymore because it is so freaking hard to fit into my uniforms and it makes it so much worse when I carb-binge beforehand. I also have a 2 Family Reunions on Labor Day weekend and I hope I am at least 155 for those. My anniversary / USAF Ball is the 14th of Sept (my ann is actually sept 20th) and boy I’d love to be right around 150 by then. Do ya ever do that?

Gosh I hope I can make 140 by the first week of Nov. Remember my promise to myself? If I make it, I can buy a Nintendo Wii… if not I have to buy new uniforms! Argh!

I…Must… Stop… Eating by 6:30pm!

—Matt

You ever hear that one? DANG? I think it’s very country.

Why on Earth would I make such an exclamation? Oh… take a wild guess! Well, BuddySlimmers, yours truly had a truly great big binge last night. I don’t even know why, I didn’t FEEL THAT FRICKIN’ HUNGRY!! And yet at about 10:30pm I just ate and ate and ate…

So I peeked at the scale this AM and it says “162″ and I know some of that must just be food but still I’m dissapointed because I was on the road to big-time weight-loss this week. I feel like I’ve let myself down and my new team, the Worker Bees down. I should have come on here and Blogged or done some dishes or even Gazelled or something, but noooo…. I just stuffed my face.

But I am DETERMINED to remain Positive. I will simply eat a little lighter today (but without skipping any meals) , do my 4-mile walk DVD and tonight will be a brand new chance to “redeem” myself and get back on track…

In good news, I am pretty sure I have noticed the Celebrex is working to diminish my pain during the day. I’m happy about that. I have a follow-up with my Primary Doc on Sept 4th and then a follow up with the specialist at the end of Sept.

No news about the house yet. I can’t believe I read that, concerning the miners that were trapped… they are basically giving up the search because the area is too unstable to risk further lives.

It just goes to show me that there are people with so much bigger worries and concerns than just 25 extra vanity pounds…

—Matt