Part 1: My History with Excess Weight

It seems to be the appropriate time of year for this subject; after all, television and social media are full of ads and articles about it. Yeah, it's called weight loss. It seems like people either focus on diet OR exercise. I've tried them both - separately. It seems through the years I've either tried modifying my diet or trying some type of exercise to lose weight. I've never been much for fad diets and specific exercise programs, but I have tried aerobics, water aerobics, jazzercise, walking, etc.

I was a skinny child; I mean SKINNY. Then in high school, I gained what everyone referred to as "baby fat". I was assured it would eventually go away on its own. But I wasn't satisfied so I participated in P.E. with a passion. In my sophomore year, while attempting to do 100 chin-ups, my neck spasmed into a migraine-type headache. My mom took me to the doctor who promptly took me out of P.E. and put me on Valium - he said I was too stressed. Thank God my dad took me off the Valium and I was soon back to exercising. This cycle seemed to continue through my life - exercise, injury, no exercise.

During my second pregnancy, I embraced the falsehood that you are eating for two and gained way too much weight. Then I never lost it. I had a bad habit of cleaning up the leftovers immediately following dinner. I was full, but I couldn't bring myself to throw food away. Since it was only a spoon of this and a spoon of that, it wasn't worth saving. So I ate it and the weight added up!

Even working as a waitress didn't help. I was on my feet for 4-6 hours at a time, but I kept the weight on. When my feet started bothering me, I decided to get a desk job. Yeah, that was the answer. Ha ha. I soon found myself eating a huge breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I started walking during my morning break for about 15 minutes, but that wasn't nearly enough exercise and weight just kept adding up. On reflection, I really believe that the stressful job I was in just exacerbated the problem.

The reason I believe stress played a big part is because after reaching a whopping 288 pounds, I started losing weight when I lost my job. I didn't do anything special - no exercise, no special diet. I did make an effort to eat a healthier diet and cut out one meal a day. I ate a small breakfast or lunch and then dinner. I eventually got down to 213 pounds and seemed to stick there.

I was active in the garden, but not every day. I found myself injuring my back or neck. Some things I do, like crocheting or writing, don't require much movement. I tried walking, but I had problems with plantar fasciitis and a bad hip. I could go about a quarter mile without pain, but anything more caused problems. Back to that exercise-injury cycle. Not to mention, walking around my neighborhood was not appealing. (I envy my friend who lives on the beach where she walks her dog. I would love to live in the mountains where I could enjoy the scenery.)

Last October I realized, I was frustrated. After losing the initial 75 pounds, I was still considered obese. Every time I exercised, I would hurt myself. I was eating healthy, but that wasn't enough. All I knew was I couldn't give up.

I made a few observations in my mind.

• On the show, Naked and Afraid, the contestants often go days without eating and always lose weight. Since having my gall bladder removed, I can't go days without eating, but I CAN get by on one meal a day. Maybe not long term, but once in awhile won't hurt.

• Recently my husband (who lost nearly 100 pounds in 9 months by eating apples, almonds, and tomatoes) commented, "It doesn't matter how you move; you just have to move." 

• Along with that wisdom, I also realized YOU MUST BURN MORE CALORIES THAN YOU EAT! If you want to eat a lot, you have to move a lot. If you don't want to move around much, you had better eat less.

So I made three changes since October. I came across a trick that is working for me. I mix 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, and a pinch of pink Himalayan sea salt in a 10-12 ounce glass of water and drink it first thing in the morning. It supposedly boosts your metabolism. I started losing weight again, but not much. (BTW I understand that Himalayan sea salt does NOT raise blood pressure and is full of beneficial minerals, but check with your doctor if you are hypertensive.) I drink the ACV/lemon juice/sea salt/water every morning, I often get by with just dinner (At first I was very hungry, but I got used to it.) And I exercise with resistance bands and my version of dancing - ie. moving to music. I'm now down to 192 pounds so it's working for me.

My point? Use common sense and do what works for you. Most of all, don't give up. If I can do it, so can you.

**Disclaimer** I'm not giving medical advice here; I'm just sharing what works for me.