"If I Could Only Become An Exercise Fanatic, I Would Be Thin"

I believe the above statement is a myth that many of us believe. On the one hand, I believe strongly that getting fit cures much of what ails you because of obesity, especially fatigue and mobility. But I also believe that much of the problem of obesity stems from complex and widely varied problems with our mental health. If you don't work on the mental aspect, being fit isn't the cure for your large waist line. I think--and you hear this a lot from health care professionals--that a comprehensive approach is best.

My pet peeve has always been people who talk about this or that diet or method while people with eating problems perk up and want to know every detail. There still seems to be the notion that there's a secret out there that will somehow easily solve why we're overweight. I'm sure there's not. You have to really examine yourself and find something that works for you--for the rest of your life.

I advocate for improving your fitness in whatever baby steps you can so you can relieve yourself of some or all of the problems associated with being very overweight. You may believe that the heart of your problems is your body image and that's not fixed until you become super-model-thin. But I'm here to tell you that getting strong and capable by things as simple as walking does wonders for your self-image and your self-esteem even while you still may be very overweight.

Start getting stronger in whatever way you can so you can start living your life again, right now. But simultaneously work on your eating as best you can, without looking for the quick and easy fix.

What I'm Currently Doing with My Eating

I'm not an eating expert, and I'm not even sure if what I'm doing is the right thing for me, let alone you, but I'll share with you what I'm currently doing.

Since I started a year ago, I haven't weighed myself (outside of a Tanita scale weigh in every couple of months at my clinic.) There have been a whack of scientific studies reported on in newspapers over the last few years that say regular "weigh-inners" are better at losing weight. However, I know how to lose weight. I've done it massively at different times in my life. That's not the problem.

The problem is changing my lifestyle permanently. So I'm trying to eat the least I can and still not be hungry. Because I weigh so much, I have a high caloric need (relatively speaking) and regular exercise helps too.

I'm trying to change what I eat and how much I eat. I'm attempting to do so organically and naturally. If I focus on the scale, I'll set myself up for eventual failure.

Permanent changes are a must.

More on this soon.

An Anniversary of Sorts Today

You could say the journey to better health that I'm on (and writing about in this blog) started one year ago today.  On this day last year, I saw a nutritionist for the first time. The visit didn't meet my expectations. I had been offered the services of my clinic's nutritionist for years but I declined. I had it in my big, pointy head that a nutritionist had to be a Food Nazi. I thought I'd be asked to eat like a "normal," healthy person who doesn't overeat and consumes vegetables for breakfast.

I wish my doctor had filled me in better on what would be involved. I might have gone sooner. That fact is, I didn't even agree to go to a nutritionist. I signed up for the Craving Change class and got forwarded to the nutritionist.

Nutritionists don't expect you to throw everything you know out the window. They nudge you into making small changes--changes that you decide you can achieve. And, by God, they're used to dealing with finicky, stubborn, half-crazy fat people!

How on Earth?

Chocolate for Easter, chocolate for Halloween, Chocolate for Christmas, chocolate for Valentine's Day. How on earth can a person watch their figure?

I, Too, Thought Exercise Was a Dirty Word

One member of the vast team of medical people keeping me alive told me the other day that she doesn't like to use the word "exercise" because so many people have an strong aversion to that word. People my age grew up believing that exercise was only for the very determined and that it involved straining oneself. In the last couple of decades we have all been told that normal everyday things like walking and gardening are also exercise. So why do we still hate that word?

I think too many people still equate it with work instead of pleasure. I learned the magical benefits of exercise fifteen plus years ago yet I still let myself become a couch potato who viewed exercise as a whole lot of work that, weighed against doing nothing, seemed like too much effort. But truth be told, I had, in fact, stopped living my life, because who wouldn't want to go for a walk? A walk is a pleasant and enjoyable thing for everyone who is at all able-bodied.

Or how about the motto "No pain, No gain"? I've never experienced pain in my fitness endeavours. I know that elite athletes will push themselves to the limits to get better and probably experience lactate acid in their muscles when they push it. But you and I need to push ourselves to improve our fitness and health just by going for a walk.

To the sedentary, walking is pushing our limits. But our bodies wake up and adapt. We get fitter, stronger and healthier by doing very gentle things. I'm going to continue using that dirty word "exercise," if you don't mind.

It seems to me that...

It seems to me that when you lose ten pounds at a lower weight, it shows up much more than at a higher weight.

Anyhoo, I got weighed by the Tanita scale yesterday and I'm finally under my home treadmill weight limit of 325 pounds. I also fit into the tables at the local mall food court for the first time in a long time. So that's nice.

I also thought I saw the tip of one of my toes yesterday.