Day 71 of Phase 5: Another drop. What are your weight loss obstacles (and a catalog of mine)? Are you overcoming them?...and I can have the a/c on higher now (not as heat intolerant) and 90% of my shoes don't fit! PLUS: Dang, the organic blackberries are a-rocking my world!

Whoa? Really? I guess IF and working out on an empty stomach did help fat loss.

Tanita-san: 208.4

That's -1.8 lbs since Sunday's weigh-in.

I'll have to continue that experiment. :D See if this is atypical or if I can expect a solid drop on days when workout after an IF. If I see a pattern of stronger drops with it, it will be my exercise eating system of choice.

I was lightheaded a bit this AM, so I checked my B.P. after getting up: 105/66. Pulse: 55

Wow, no wonder I was getting lightheaded. Good thing I get my labs done today and see the doc soon. May be time to ditch Ramipril altogether. I'm on a tiny dose (she halved my lowdose in Jan when I was passing out from low BP). I may not need it anymore. Fingers crossed.

For those out there with medical/metabolic impediments to weight loss: keep reading, keep learning, keep trying, see professionals (but be aware that sometimes the science takes a while to catch up to the "world is flat" sort of phenomenon in nutrition). It's worth investing in books, dietitians, cognitive therapists, whatever it takes to heal your issue. Sometimes, healing your issue may be as simple as AVOIDING SUGAR AND REFINED/PROCESSED FOODS ALTOGTHER .

Every body/DNA has particulars, but "modern" foods don't seem to benefit a whole lotta us. Figure out what gives you energy, a good mood, and doesn't pack on pounds, and eat that way. I suspect if you go to MORE fruits and veggies and ditch the stuff in boxes and aluminum cans in supermarket aisles, your body is gonna respond.


I have multiple metabolic strikes against me. I kid you not. I am a mess. (Less of a mess at 209 than 299, tho.) I have hurdles that many of you probably do not. Behold the catalog of my obstacle course:


I have a super low metabolism and am post-menopausal (which don't help none, I can tell you), I have several chronic health disorders, I have Metabolic Syndrome, including insulin resistance/prediabetes that made my skin turn charcoal grey-to-nearly-midnight-black in spots it was so bad, and that's not completely resolved YET with 90 lbs loss. I have hypothyroidism. I also take 2 medications that increase appetite.  And I had a DNA test that confirmed I am one of those with markers for obesity AND low metabolism and a higher than normal propensity to absorb fat and not wanna release it without high effort. I was a former binge-eater. I'd eat enough for three men at a pop until I was in horrible bully-busting pain from being overstuffed. I tied food to comfort. And suffering from depression (since age 9), I would hit food when an active depressed cycle showed up.

The impediments to exercise have been: a set of bad knees, mostly the left, which has a torn ACL since 1989, a bad right ankle from a childhood fracture that makes some footwork in Pilates really difficult, an right knee that has succumbed to decades of obesity and makes awful crunchy noises. Asthma (bad, since infancy). Bursitis, L shoulder. And just being BIG. Anyone who exercises when morbidly obese deserves a pat on the back, cause moving AT ALL at that size is a herculean effort, much less moving with effort with weights or walking briskly. Plantar fasciitis that hasn't been as bad as 13 years ago, but can flare up if I do too much on my feet. Much improved with weight loss and mostly wearing sneakers or flats or very well padded shoes. No stilettos for moi.



So, you think you got it bad? (And you may have it worse than me, but that should clear it up that I have to fight for every ounce off.)


If I can lose, chances are you can. If I could stop binge-ing (10+ months with no binge so far), you can. If I could cut down to 1800, then 1700, then 1400, then 1200, you can. If you need to.


If I, a dedicated exercise-hater and couch potato (and I still love being on the couch reading or watching J-dramas and anime) can exercise regularly, you can.

Believe you can. I couldn't do it until I began to step out in faith and worked on learning why I binged/overate and committed to exercising (when I did NOT NOT NOT want to move).

So, what are your weight loss impediments? I know many of us have these individual obstacles, emo and physio. What makes it hard for you?

Okay, I gotta shower and do my curls for the lab work and then do some Whole Food-ing.

BACK..........

Well, had a hard time finding shoes to wear out. I've been pretty much living in sneaks, so it's been a while since I put regular dress shoes on.

Most of my shoes, I just discovered, don't fit. I must have lost more off my feet. I had to put a shoe insert and cotton in my red flats that I bought in February....they were flopping off my feet. My sandals just slip off or my foot slides off to the side. I don't buy cheapo shoes .Most are $100 , some a bit more, some less. And now..I can't wear them? Egads.

Oh, well. I will live in sneakers until goal weight if I gotta. :D

Oh, and I had to start wearing one of my fave rings on my index finger. I had moved it from ring to middle finger late last year. Now even middle finger...too loose. I guess it'll be a thumb ring soon. Wedding band (the "fat" one I got when I ballooned to 240+, not the original) is on middle finger. :)

Really nice day, warm. High 80s. I didn't use the car's a/c. I've noticed since dropping the last 20 that I'm not as heat intolerant. I can keep the air at 76 or 77 instead of 70 and 71, which was my norm through 2010. That's nice. :)

Oh, and to the commenter who asked about the book recommending fasting workouts, see THE NEW EVOLUTION DIET by De Vany. :D

I'm off to break my fast now that my bloodwork/urine have been taken. I went to Whole Foods, got some goodies. Had a craving for Swiss chard, so got some (it looked purdy). Got cooked turkey breast and chicken skewers from the deli, as well as some hard-boiled eggs , so I don't have to think about supper for hubby or have to go through the annoyance of cooking/peeling eggs for snack/salads. I got some fruits and veggies (I hit the Farmer's Market yesterday, so I was pretty well stocked). Some cheeses. From the meat area, I got pork chops and chicken cutlets.  Some Fage. I didn't get nuts, cause I like the walnuts from Fresh Market better.

My breakfast-lunch combo will include some breakfast stuff I like (boiled egg, fruit--mango, strawberries, raspberries,, blackberries, nearly all organic--not the mango, it's local, we have a tree, so it's half-organic, since we use a "non-toxic/green" pesticide/lawn care service) and some lunch stuff (organic mesclun, shredded carrots and beets, cucumber, red peppers, an organic locally made garlic-dill-EVOO-apple-cider-vinegar-sea-salt dressing, skewer-grilled chicken with vegetarian green curry sauce (which I can have as it's not got fish sauce). And Mrs Dash table blend for my eggs instead of salt. :D  I also sipped on some unsweetened coconut milk (only 50 calories, and it was pleasantly milk-like, and since I stopped buying milk and only use unsweetened Almond Breeze lately in its place, I looked at this as a possible second milk replacement. I like it.)

Ooh, I'm making myself hungry. Which is fine. Haven't eaten since dinner last night. I can be hungry. :)

Do something health-promoting today, okay?

UPDATE: BUY THE BLACKBERRIES. Normally, I skip them, cause they're often not sweet and it's not worth the expense. This batch of organic blackberries today were terrific. I only bought 'em cause I saw a lady just load up with like 4 pints of them, so I asked, "Um, are they sweet right now?" She said, "Oh, they're lovely." I trusted her. And I wanna go back and get a bunch more. SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Who needs cake?