Making the most out of your weight loss/health program

Happy Saturday. I hope you are all doing well. I’ve had an interesting week. I saw my Podiatrist this week and my left foot continues to be stable. I have shared about my Charcot foot that I was diagnosed with in May of 2017. I’ve been stable now for two years which is exciting. I continue to count my blessings. I went swimming on Wednesday this week which was really great. Swimming remains a big plus for me because I can go as often as I want without impacting my foot.

I did take a bad fall on Friday. Usually I’m extremely cautious in the snow and ice because of my feet. I walked outside though on an ice covered sidewalk and did not even think about it. My feet went out from underneath me and I landed hard right on my back and right side. I am quite sore today, but thankful nothing was broken. The only thing hurt was my pride because I burst into tears in front of other people. It happens though and I am fortunate that people rushed to get me ice and make sure I was okay.

Today I want to share my ideas for making the most of your weight loss or health program. I’ve shared that I use Lose It to track all of my calories and macros. I track the key items that my dietitian has told me are important to my journey. I’ve gotten tracking down to a science and I really work hard to track every day and timely. Lose It is one of those apps that sends a notification to my phone when I have not logged which I then use as a gentle reminder. Some days I’m on it before I get the notification. I pay a little to use the journal ahead feature and sometimes if I’ve had a rough eating day, I use it to journal my plans ahead of time for the next day.

I know myself well and because of this I do try and track most of my day early in the morning. I do better when my day is very well thought out and planned. If I know I have a business lunch or lunch with co-workers, I try and estimate how much and what I will eat. I then have a lighter breakfast knowing I will eat more for lunch. I do recognize this takes time to get in the routine of doing. Trust me when I say I know what it’s like to be busy. My day starts around 4:30am and then at work I stay extremely busy as a manager at a busy healthcare job. I have a thirteen year old son who has after school commitments and so sometimes I leave work to rush home and get him. We are committed to cooking most of our meals at home, so dinner is often a bit later. I’m still doing a lot of cooking on Sunday’s though to help with the early week rush. My Instant Pot is turning out to be a truly great gift on busy nights to get a quick meal out. Tonight I made a whole chicken flavored with oranges and seasonings in under fifty minutes.

I use the recipe feature to input my homemade dinners and treats because I often try to lighten them up a little. Using the recipe feature I can see how many calories, protein, and carbs are in a cup. Sometimes if it is higher than I would like, I experiment right in the recipe feature to cut something out or substitute something healthier.

Making the most of your weight loss or health program takes time and energy. In my opinion though the longer you are in the routine, the easier it gets. I learned from a weight loss class long ago that people who journal are more successful. I track every bite, lick, and taste as my Weight Watcher’s leader used to state. It does not help me if I fib on my daily journal. I also track all of my daily activity even if it was housework or extra walking at work.

Some people greatly benefit from meetings and this is one thing my app does not offer. I do belong to a bariatric support group on Facebook and in fact just joined a second group for support. One of them does offer support group meetings. I find social media helpful in these support groups because I’m engaging with other people who want to lose weight or who are losing weight. When I met with my Psychologist before my Gastric Bypass, she made joining some type of support group a condition of my surgery. To have the support of others is really important. Many of the health programs or weight loss programs have forums you can join.

Talking to my Psychologist has also been extremely helpful in identifying patterns I wanted to break. As I have shared surgery was a tool. It did make the initial weight loss a little easier because I physically could not eat. It’s not an easy process by any means, but surgery did help me cut my portions way back. Now eight months after surgery I do have moments or a whole day that my eating has not been on track. I’ve not had any weight gain other than a pound or two of water/fluids, however I still make choices sometimes that worry me. I do not want to end up where I was before. The difference now though is I’ve journaled for over 220 days straight without fail, I participate in my support groups, and I’m committed to this process. I ate 12 pieces of Dove Candy on Thursday, but recognized what I had done. I stopped eating for a few hours and drank about 3-4 cups of water to flush my system. Then for dinner, I had rich hearty broth from a Taco soup I made and added some cheese for extra protein. I ended my day at about 200 calories above normal, but I have to be okay with this. This is going to happen from time to time. It’s not about perfection, but about getting back on track quickly. Weight gain is even normal now and then, but not letting it stop your overall goal and progress is important. I do incorporate treats into my daily calories often, however the 12 pieces of candy was extreme. I decided for my future success buying a whole bag and keeping it in my office is not going to work. 🙂

I reflect when I need to about overeating, but I try and celebrate success often. Non Scale Victories are also a must on your journey. It is important to focus on things that are not linked to a number on a scale. Some of my early non scale victories were loose fitting clothes, lots of energy, less medications, better sleep, and so much more. One of my favorite non scale victories is just feeling more in control than ever of my choices.

Please feel free to share your personal success with me so we can celebrate together. You are also welcome to post a question to me in comments or on Facebook. Best wishes to all of you on your journey to better health.

Mandy