Will power, determination, self-control, and restraint are a few qualities you might expect in a person of High Maintenance. I posses none of these qualities.
In order to maintain a certain look, a certain state of mind, or even a certain level of well being, you must control the indulgences. Over indulgence of food can lead to weight gain as it has with me. I come from an over weight family. I have seen first hand the effects of the “yo-yo diet”. I decided a while back that it would be too hard to fight genetics. I thought that I was predestined to be the “F” word: FAT. My thought process was this: why struggle and put forth effort to lose weight only to gain it back plus some? Instead I will enjoy life (i.e. FOOD) to the fullest. Where did this land me? At age 22 I weighed 190 pounds. At age 23 I gained 54 pounds during my first pregnancy and gave birth to a 7lb 12 oz baby boy. I did lose all the pregnancy weight plus a few pounds. But just as I anticipated, I gained most of it back. Age 25: 185 lbs, gained approximately 45 pounds during second pregnancy. Gave birth to a 7 lb 6 oz baby boy….Joined a local weight management support group lost all the pregnancy weight plus some. I dropped down to 168 pounds. WOW. For many people 168 might sound like the “F” word. I will not sit here and tell you that I looked like a super model or anything close to it. I will tell you that at 168 I was comfortable enough with my body to wear a bathing suit in front of everyone at my husband’s company picnic. Previous summers I was so uncomfortable in my own body I would not even buy a bathing suit. I wore a maternity bathing suit for about three summers, and was only pregnant for one of those-the last one.
So where am I now? I am climbing my way up from rock bottom. This past summer I was diagnosed with Hyperthyroidism. Huh? That means that (at least for a time) my thyroid {the gland in charge of metabolism} was working overtime. Sounds like an excellent problem to have, right? Naturally you would think that if my metabolism is kicked up a couple notches I can eat whatever I want and burn it off pretty easily. Well, the main problem with this theory is that I was actually gaining weight from eating too much. I was hungry all the time, and never felt full. I quit going to the Dr because it was costing me too much money and he did not want to treat my thyroid until it cycled its way to hypoactive (under active). Going through all that did one thing; it made me angry. I was angry at food, and I was angry at the Dr, and I was angry at myself. During that time I gained back much of the weight that I had lost over the last several months. I let myself slip back into old habits such as eating the food my kids did not finish, eating fast food too often. My worst habit and hardest to break was stopping at the convenience store on my way to work. I would get a cappuccino and a honey bun, or some other type of junk food. I would do this nearly every day. I started feeling hopeless again. It did not seem to matter whether or not I tried to be healthy, my body was going to do its own thing and I could not control it. One thing I did learn from the Dr is that the thyroid hormones are similar to a scale, when one is high, the other is low, but eventually it can balance itself out. It took me a few months to get my mind in the right place, but I think I am there now. I have started making better choices when it comes to food. I gave my debit card to Joey so I cannot stop and get junk food on my way to work or at lunch. I am bringing fruit and vegetables back into my daily life. I made a challenge with a co-worker to eat better, drink water, and exercise. For me it is more of a personal challenge within myself, but the competition aspect of it keeps her motivated. I have also partnered up with another friend who drives me to challenge myself and encourages me stay on track. She is helps me stay accountable. This journey is a difficult ride when you face it alone. You just have to do whatever it takes to stay on track. For me, it is having the accountability, and cutting out the crap.
In order to maintain a certain look, a certain state of mind, or even a certain level of well being, you must control the indulgences. Over indulgence of food can lead to weight gain as it has with me. I come from an over weight family. I have seen first hand the effects of the “yo-yo diet”. I decided a while back that it would be too hard to fight genetics. I thought that I was predestined to be the “F” word: FAT. My thought process was this: why struggle and put forth effort to lose weight only to gain it back plus some? Instead I will enjoy life (i.e. FOOD) to the fullest. Where did this land me? At age 22 I weighed 190 pounds. At age 23 I gained 54 pounds during my first pregnancy and gave birth to a 7lb 12 oz baby boy. I did lose all the pregnancy weight plus a few pounds. But just as I anticipated, I gained most of it back. Age 25: 185 lbs, gained approximately 45 pounds during second pregnancy. Gave birth to a 7 lb 6 oz baby boy….Joined a local weight management support group lost all the pregnancy weight plus some. I dropped down to 168 pounds. WOW. For many people 168 might sound like the “F” word. I will not sit here and tell you that I looked like a super model or anything close to it. I will tell you that at 168 I was comfortable enough with my body to wear a bathing suit in front of everyone at my husband’s company picnic. Previous summers I was so uncomfortable in my own body I would not even buy a bathing suit. I wore a maternity bathing suit for about three summers, and was only pregnant for one of those-the last one.
So where am I now? I am climbing my way up from rock bottom. This past summer I was diagnosed with Hyperthyroidism. Huh? That means that (at least for a time) my thyroid {the gland in charge of metabolism} was working overtime. Sounds like an excellent problem to have, right? Naturally you would think that if my metabolism is kicked up a couple notches I can eat whatever I want and burn it off pretty easily. Well, the main problem with this theory is that I was actually gaining weight from eating too much. I was hungry all the time, and never felt full. I quit going to the Dr because it was costing me too much money and he did not want to treat my thyroid until it cycled its way to hypoactive (under active). Going through all that did one thing; it made me angry. I was angry at food, and I was angry at the Dr, and I was angry at myself. During that time I gained back much of the weight that I had lost over the last several months. I let myself slip back into old habits such as eating the food my kids did not finish, eating fast food too often. My worst habit and hardest to break was stopping at the convenience store on my way to work. I would get a cappuccino and a honey bun, or some other type of junk food. I would do this nearly every day. I started feeling hopeless again. It did not seem to matter whether or not I tried to be healthy, my body was going to do its own thing and I could not control it. One thing I did learn from the Dr is that the thyroid hormones are similar to a scale, when one is high, the other is low, but eventually it can balance itself out. It took me a few months to get my mind in the right place, but I think I am there now. I have started making better choices when it comes to food. I gave my debit card to Joey so I cannot stop and get junk food on my way to work or at lunch. I am bringing fruit and vegetables back into my daily life. I made a challenge with a co-worker to eat better, drink water, and exercise. For me it is more of a personal challenge within myself, but the competition aspect of it keeps her motivated. I have also partnered up with another friend who drives me to challenge myself and encourages me stay on track. She is helps me stay accountable. This journey is a difficult ride when you face it alone. You just have to do whatever it takes to stay on track. For me, it is having the accountability, and cutting out the crap.
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