2008 - A year in review

2008 wasn't the best year we've ever had, it's safe to say. It seems that half the people I know lost their jobs (including me and Darcy), the economy is terrible, lots of loved ones passed away, lots of people lost their homes, lots of taxpayer money was spent to aid fiscally irresponsible corporations, Eli Stone was cancelled, Knight Rider was renewed, Americans gained over 6 million lbs, 314 US troops died in Iraq, 6000 Iraqi civilians died, genocide rages on in Darfur, New York's "tough on crime" governor canoodled with ladies of the night, Bush pardoned a bunch of drug dealers as well as a developer guilty of fraud, but overturned the developers pardon when he "learned" that the developers father had donated large sums of money to the Republican party, and Tyra Banks continued to receive a paycheck for her talk show.

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I have much higher hopes for 2009.

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In reflecting on my own year, I would say I've had worse. I lost a lot of weight this past year, and I learned a lot about making long term changes. The list below are my tips for success with long term weight loss. Different things work for different people, so these may not be the tips for you, but they are for me, so here we go:

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1. Fail to plan, plan to fail. That's original! ;-) So maybe I didn't make up the phrase, but it's still a truth for me. Planning is paramount to success in weight loss. Creating a meal plan for the week helps ensure that you will buy the right groceries, make healthy well balanced meals, avoid ordering in or eating out, and ensure you try new healthy dishes regularly. Planning to have healthy foods near you at all times, will also help keep you on track. It's often when we feel our hungriest that we are more likely to stumble. I try to always have healthy snacks in my car, office, and anywhere I spend a lot of time.

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2. Drink up! Get at least 64 oz of water in each day. Water cleanses the system, fills you up, hydrates, and has endless positive attributes. I try to get my water in first thing in the morning, so that I don't forget as the day wears on. Since with the lap band I'm not supposed to drink with meals, so I have to remember to drink other times. By drinking most of my water in the AM, by noon, I usually have my 64 oz in and everything else I drink during the day is extra. Other than rare occasions, I don't drink juice or soda, so water and Crystal Light are it for me.

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3. Work it. When working out, as I've mentioned before, you get out what you put in. I've had days when I'm just going through the motions and I'm not really doing all I can to put in a great work out. Usually, however, I try my best to give my all and find new ways to challenge myself in my work out. This yields much better results. Also, try to work out as frequently as possible. Try not to skip many days, even if you're just getting in 10 minutes of exercise on especially busy days. 10 minutes is better than nothing, and it will keep you on track with your commitment to exercise.

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4. Be careful about what you consume. Just because something is fat free or sugar free, doesn't mean it's good for you. Losing weight does not always equal health. I could be a meth addict and lose a ton of weight, but I wouldn't be healthier than I am today, by any means. The same is true (on a much less drastic level) of eating foods that are bad for you, but may cause you to lose weight. Avoid overly processed foods, avoid protein sources that are pumped full of harmful antibiotics, pay the extra for the grass fed, free range animal protein sources. If you buy food that is better for your body (and the environment), you may be spending more money but you will be more mindful of overeating and wasting. Eat as many whole foods as possible.

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5. Cut out the salt. The average American consumes 7,ooo-8,000 mg of sodium daily. The RDI is 2,300 mg, less if you have existing medical conditions. Avoid processed foods, use reduced sodium salts or salt alternatives, cook with fresh vegetables and herbs that add vibrant flavor to foods. Salt not only causes us to bloat, but it increases blood pressure as well. Those of us who are already overweight do not need additional triggers for heart disease.

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6. Throwing away fattening food is not a waste. If I go to a restaurant and I happen to have something that is less than ideal, I do not take the leftovers home with me. It goes against everything I know about wasting food, but it's okay. If you can split a portion or order a half portion, great, but if you are left with extra food at the end of an unhealthy meal, toss it! If you have fattening food in the house from entertaining, throw it out after. A better use of unhealthy foods is anything other than consuming them.

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7. Cook healthy always. Just because company is coming or it's a holiday, doesn't mean you need to throw caution to the wind. I have not found a single recipe that I cannot make a delicious version of using less fat and sugar. Substitute the fattening ingredients with less fattening ones. You are doing your guests a favor, and you won't be stuck with fattening leftovers that you need to throw away or be tempted to eat.

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8. Bring out the pepper. I don't use much pepper, so when I'm at a restaurant and I'm tempted to overeat when I know I've already had enough, I pepper my food. This stops me from eating it until the server removes it. If pepper won't work for you, there is usually some other condiment you can use to sabotage your plate with, should you require the drastic measures that I have found I've needed from time to time.

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9. Face the music. Daily weigh ins are a must for me. As I've mentioned before, I wouldn't gain 160 lbs back unless I buried my head deep into the sand. By weighing myself daily, I know I will hold myself accountable, and I won't let my weight get out of hand again.

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10. Track your calories. Whether you're tracking your points for weight watchers or your calories on fitday.com, daily tracking is a must. Just like daily weighing, by facing the music of what you have consumed, you are not likely to repeat it the next day. It is also important to ensure you are getting enough calcium, fiber and other daily requirements when you're eating less food than normal.

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11. Embrace the mirror. I spent years avoiding mirrors. This is another trick we super fatties do to allow ourselves to get as big as we do. The few times I did look in the mirror, I would position my head a certain way (there would be no full length mirrors!), so that I didn't look as fat as I really was. Now, I look in mirrors all the time. I check out my imperfections, see where I'm improving, what I need to improve, etc... I have a very realistic view of what I look like right now, and I didn't before. It's not always fun, but it will keep you honest.

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12. Surround yourself with healthy people. Not all of your friends and family are going to be models of health, but by having plenty of healthy people in your life, you will learn from them, their successes, find people to share your common goals with, and hopefully be an inspiration to them as well. If you surround yourself with unhealthy people, you may become complacent about your own healthy journey. After all, misery loves company. Be with people who are hoping for you to succeed, not the opposite.

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13. Never throw the baby out with the bath water. Do not waste a whole day eating unhealthy foods just because you had one "bad" thing. Do not wait until Monday to start a diet, go to the gym, get back on track, etc... That perpetuates a very dangerous line of thinking that tells you unless you are on some kind of wagon, you have free range to sabotage yourself as much as you want. It breeds yoyo dieting and failure. There is no wagon. Just you and your desire to live a healthy and full life. That means sometimes you will eat things that are less than ideal, but that does not mean you are no longer a person living a healthy and full life. If you eat something bad, work out harder. If you skip a work out, eat less. Find a balance and a rhythm, and PLEASE don't climb onto some imaginary wagon that you're only going to fall off of.

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14. Find accountability. For me, it's my blog. I know that if I gain weight or skip my work out, I'm going to have to tell you about it. My blog helps me stay on track. For others, it may be a daily weigh in or a support group. Whatever it is, accountability is key.

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Progress, not perfection.

A year and a half ago, I probably consumed an average of 5,000 calories per day. I never worked out, and I did not give any thought to healthy eating or living. Now, I'm down a ton of weight, I exercise regularly, track my calorie intake, make responsible choices about food, and have an entirely new outlook on healthy living. I still have a journey ahead of me. Many of my tips above are things I have struggled with along the way, and some things I still struggle with. I know what to do, but I don't always do it. I do it, however, most of the time, and that has gotten me this far.

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I need to continue to learn and grow and make myself a priority. I cannot lose sight of my goals, or my past. In 2009, I want to lose the rest of my weight, and I want to sculpt myself into the best shape I have ever been in. I may need to reduce the amount of indiscretions I've had with unhealthy foods, I will need to work out harder, more often and longer than I have been.

I'm learning as I go, and I hope some of what I've learned can help you too, as so many of you have helped me along the way.

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Thanks for joining me on my journey, and I'm looking forward to a healthy and fruitful 2009!