Is this a Weight Loss Blog or what?

Theoretically this is what the process of weight loss looks like:


Up until December 2009, I was doing alright with the "weight loss thing" and then I got sick and everything ended up in the toilet. (Hmmm...maybe not a good analogy! I crack myself up)

Today as I was on my facebook account I noticed that a good friend of mine had posted a photograph of herself 13 pounds lighter in a new pair of jeans. She actually credited my blog with helping her. I would like to think it's because I'm an inspiring person but it could just be that she doesn't want to be as pathetic as I am weight wise. I just know that since I haven't really blogged about my success....because there has been none...that she must be inspired to lose weight so that she doesn't end up looking like me!

Well my friend, C.M., I think you may have inspired me. I looked at myself in the mirror this morning and thought..."I have GOT to do something!" So, I think I'm back on the bandwagon. There are no "treats" in the house and I have to go grocery shopping today so it's the perfect time to start anew.

Here's to new beginnings. I'm still not in any frame of mind to post my actual weight. I'm not brave enough but maybe someday I'll tell.

National Geographic

Erma Bombeck said, "I never leaf through a copy of National Geographic without realizing how lucky we are to live in a society where it is traditional to wear clothes."

I totally understand her thinking! There is nothing that makes a fat person more self conscious than being naked. And let's be honest, tan fat does look better than pale fat!

I really don't think I need buns of steel. I'd be happy with buns of cinnamon. ~Ellen DeGeneres

Just that quote from Ellen made me want a cinnamon roll! I'll just look at a picture and be satisfied for now.

It's been quite a while since I've blogged on this weight loss blog and that's because I haven't really been focused on losing weight. I've been focused on staying alive and pain free. I've gotten the "alive" part down and am working on the "pain free" part. I thought it might be a good idea to start back with some sort of exercise. So today I went to an exercise group that the girls at church are doing.

Now...let me be clear...I was the oldest person there. I'm 46, the other 4 girls are younger than 28. They've all borne children but they don't have near the mileage on their bodies as I have on mine.

Today was body sculpting. I have too much to sculpt! My stomach looks like this...only worse! I would NOT put a photo up of my real stomach. I might get inquiries by the FCC or whoever monitors content on the internet...do they even do that? I doubt it. Anyway...

Now that I look at this chick's stomach fat I'm wishing mine looked as good!

This is what the instructor's stomach looks like after birthing 3 children! I even told her that her stomach was concave. She does not have an ounce of fat on her! She rode her bike 10 miles up and down hills for fun yesterday! Who does that? She's healthy and I say...good for her!

Again, not her real stomach but I would venture to say it's pretty darn close!

I don't know how long this exercise regimen will last but I have to do something. I go back to the doctor tomorrow and we'll see what he says about what would be best for my joints. I've never considered myself an unhealthy person. I never had one symptom from being overweight, no joint problems, no diabetes, no lung problems etc. When I've worked out in the past I never felt pain at all during a workout. Since my drug allergy and near death experience I have most of those thing. Today was VERY different. I have to remember that my body has been through hell and its going to take some time to recover.

Its not my goal to have a flat stomach. I don't even really care about that. Again, I'd be happy to shop in "normal" size clothing shops and have more of a choice than the "Omar the Tent Maker" section of the store!

We'll see what Friday brings...it's yoga day.

Why bother....

So I'm thinking that since I've gotten sick and I'm taking Prednisone, that there is no sense in trying to LOSE weight at this point. I should probably focus on getting healthy rather than getting thinner.

Prednisone is not my friend either. I have gained 6 pounds in the last 2 weeks. I literally want to eat my fists off.

Anyone out there have any tips to keep this from happening? Please feel free to share.

The first step might just be NOT bringing "bad" foods into the house to begin with!

I almost did it.

I actually almost woke up thin!

I got deathly ill on Dec 18 and since then I've lost 25 pounds. Now if the Prednisone will cooperate and NOT make me eat like a crazy person!

What is an eating disorder?

According to the National Eating Disorders Association (click on the name to go to the site) an eating disorder is when you have one or more of these issues...Anorexia Nervosa, Binge Eating or Bulimia Nervosa.

Why am I blogging about this on my weight loss blog? Well, this morning I watched Good Morning America. They featured a woman who was pregnant who compulsively exercised and was obsessive about how much weight she gained not only when she was pregnant but at other times in her life as well.

As the segment finished up I found myself really MAD! They classified this woman as having an eating disorder and I wondered why it was that people felt badly for her and were, what I believe is, abnormally concerned for her!

Here's my issue... Why is it that they won't just tell a person who is thin and has issues with eating/not-eating that they should just go eat a freaking sandwich!!! I mean what do they tell overweight people??!!!! To STOP eating a freaking sandwich!!! No one ever tells an overweight person that there is something in their brain that makes them that way!

About 5 years ago I called my insurance company at the time to see if they would cover gastric bypass surgery. I was told they would not. As I thought about it I decided to call back with another question. "Will you cover treatment for anorexia?" I was put on hold while the person checked my plan and was eventually told that if I was seeking treatment for the problem as an outpatient than the treatment would be covered. I was LIVID. I launched into a tirade, to someone who really couldn't do anything, about how unfair it was and that they were discriminating against fat people!

I'm no expert but I would venture to say that overweight people have MORE health related issues than a person who vomits on purpose or who doesn't eat enough!

Why is it that people fall over themselves trying to "help" a person who refuses to eat but we look at a person who overeats as merely being out of control? Is a thin person who REFUSES to eat, or throws up NOT out of control????

I say...GET A GRIP! If you're not going to treat overweight people with the same commitment that you will an anorexic person YOU ARE DISCRIMINATING!

What does a pound of fat look like anyway?

This is what a pound of fat looks like.



I went to Weight Watchers today after spending the morning in my son's classroom cutting 1 1/2 inch strips of green construction paper for some Christmas project they're going to do. I was too late for the meeting but I decided that I should at least go and weigh in.

Once again, I spent the week NOT tracking. Not even posting my weight gain from last week or ever tracking one thing I put in my mouth for the week. I don't know why I've developed such an aversion to tracking all of a sudden. That's another blog post.

I was totally prepared to step on the scale and not see any loss but to my "shock and awe" I lost one pound. At first I was like..."Well, that stinks!" but then I thought, "Well it's one pound less than I weighed last week and at least it's something."

After the day was almost over I decided to Google an image for a pound of fat and found the photo that I posted here. I'm actually impressed by what it looks like. It's gross looking but it looks more substantial than just saying, "I lost one pound."