Skin and Our Girls

I'm frequently asked about skin . . . loose skin . . . permanently loose and sagging skin.
Yep, I have it on  my arms, thighs, neck, abdomen and back.  

I also have a daughter and I work with young women in church.  

I'm a candidate for skin removal surgery, tummy tuck and body lift.
I've contemplated surgery until I realized I would only be trading one kind of "scar" for another.  

How do I explain to my daughter and these young girls why it's okay to get my breasts lifted and filled?
 How do I show them it's okay to cut our bodies if we don't like them?  

I want my daughter and your daughters to LOVE their bodies as they are,
to love their reflection, their jiggly thighs and yes their imperfect features.  

When my daughter sees me she doesn't see my loose skin.
I don't want to teach her loose skin and jiggly thighs are something to be ashamed of.
When she's old enough to have those herself I don't want her plagued with body loathing.  

I firmly believe a girl who loves her body will make that body a healthy one.  

Loves!

Teresa

2nd Anniversary!

Two years and 145 lbs later . . . 

November 7th is as sacred as my wedding anniversary.  I made a promise to myself to find a way to be happy and healthy.  I knew the journey would be long and it was daunting . . .

but here I am!

What's the same?

I still REALLY like crap food.  Salty, processed, sugar (fake or real) and fattening.

Whoppers, doughnuts, fries, macaroni and cheese, pizza, ect.  I still eat them (GASP!)  but in serious moderation.  That word "moderation" actually fits in the "what's different" section below.

Still not a big fan of fruits and veggies . . . but I eat them anyway ;)

Still watch a lot of TV but I do it while on the elliptical or to reward myself after a workout.

I still think I'm huge.  Body issues, I know.  But there it is.

Still can't do a pull-up or a proper military style push-up.  STILL!

Me in my SUPER tight size 10's.
Wearing them because I CAN!

What's different?

Me in size 28 jeans once again!

I'm 145 lbs smaller, from a size 28 to a tight 10.

My feet went from a size 10 to 8.5 (biggest shocker EVER)

My breasts decided to leave me, not sure if they're ever coming back.

I can walk into any store and shop off any rack!

Race junkie = nerdy car

You will often hear me say "sorry I can't, I have to workout"

(except I'm not really sorry, it just seams the polite thing to say)

I get REALLY excited by new music on my MP3 player.

Guaranteed to make for a good run.

Padded bras are my friends and underwire is a must!

I set my work schedule around race dates.

Never given, always earned.

Costumes.  I can finally fit into any costume I want for the first time since I was a child.  Now I wear something to almost every race.  I know I look like an idiot but I'm having the time of my life.

I can outrun my kids.  In the the beginning walking up my basement stairs would leave me gasping for air.  Now my 10 year old asks me to WAIT!

I have loose skin.  My rolls of fat deflated into loose bits.

I have wrinkles now.  Crows feet and smile lines have appeared.

I think I look much older because of said skin issues but I'm told I look much younger.

(Back to the body issues)

I wear through shoes as fast as my growing children.  My old "tennis shoes" used to last years, now I'm lucky if I can get them past 3 months.  Also, proper running shoes are expensive, leaving less money for fabulous heels.  Just sayin'

I rarely wear makeup anymore.  Not because I don't want to, but because I workout, then chase children, then workout WHILE chasing children, then collapse into bed.  What's the point?!

Most important change:  I've found something inside of me that yearns to live, breathe, fight, feel, and discover.  It doesn't care what you think or say, because it wants what it wants.

This girl is on FIRE!

That song "Girl on Fire" is about me.  

Loves to all my losers!

Teresa

This Moment

Let me just say life has NOT been awesome lately.   I'm tired of the daily fight and struggles with my own personal demons, health issues, homeowner trials and financial woes.  Add to all of that the burden of trying to lose 190 lbs and it all seems unbearable at times.  

I've trained hard for a Triathlon that I had to pull out of for health reasons, my weight loss has stalled, and I'm training for a 1/2 Marathon and can't seem to get past that mile mark.  

So.  Tired.  Of.  Fighting.

I asked myself:  What's the point?  I didn't ask for this special bag burdens and trials.  Can't I just lay them down and walk away?  Check out of this crazy race?

I know in my gut I can't.  Sure, I could walk away and quit fighting.  I could lay this bag of burdens down on the side of the road and walk away but here's why I won't:

This moment:

 

       

Because of my babies and this man:

"Here's the thing, you try and you fail.  You try and you fail.  But you get up everyday and you try again for THIS moment.  This moment right here.  This is what you fight for.  And it doesn't happen often but when it does happen, it's magic!  

And it's worth it!"  Jillian Michaels

Stand up and keep going! I may be moving slowly and crying the whole way but I'll be right behind you ;)

Teresa

"10 Things you need to know about weight loss"

I love science!

I know the whole "counting calories and exercising" thing is boring

but science backs it up and it works!

This Documentary aired on BBC and takes a simple approach to understanding weight loss.

"10 Things You Need to Know About Weight Loss"

Bottom line: if you eat more than your body needs you will gain weight.

If you eat less than your body needs you will lose weight.

The end.

You may have a lot of excuses, I've heard them all and used them all.

At some point you have to decide how badly you want this and how dedicated you will be.

You CAN do this.

Here's the basic 10 things from the documentary but I STRONGLY encourage you

to watch it for yourself, it's only an hour long.

 1. Don’t skip meals If you skip meals, your brain craves higher-calorie foods. CT scans show when you are hungry there is more activity in your brain when you were shown images of high calorie and fattening foods vs low calorie/healthy food. 

2. Use smaller plates You’ll put less food on your plate, and in turn eat less food.  If you fill up a large plate you are more likely to finish it even if you weren't hungry enough.  This has been proven several times by scientists.

3. Count your calories People typically under report by 50%. People forget to count sncks, "grazing" or drinks, they also guess portion sizes.  Record every single bite and get out the measuring cups and measure EVERYTHING until you get it right.

4. Don’t blame your metabolism While it is a possiblity, it's highly unlikely even in the largest people who have "tried everything."  You are more likely to be underestimating what you eat and how much you do.

5. Protein staves off hunger pains Protein releases more of the "I'm full" hormone than other types of food. This hormone suppresses hunger longer than if you had ingested low protein foods.

6. Soup keeps you feeling fuller for longer The same foods on a plate with water in a glass vs blended with the water and turned into a soup showed remarkable digestion differences.  Ultrasounds of people who had the "souped" meal showed the soup stayed in the stomach longer and took longer to digest.  The theory is the water blended into the meal added volume and thus took longer to digest. 

7. The more choices you have, the more you eat Variety makes you more likely to want to try everything. It is instinct. It is proven you will likely eat 30% more food with a large variety.  More reason to cook less, HA!

8. Low fat dairy helps you excrete more fat Calcium binds to fat in the small intestine making them insoluble and pass through your body and out the other end!  Keep the dairy low fat but keep it in your food plan and don't forget to measure it ALL out.

9. Exercise goes on burning fat, even while you sleep You burn more fat after moderate exercise, than while exercising. Your body keeps burning it for up to 22 hours later. If you work out during the day you will still be burning fat in your sleep. Go get that heart rate up and then take a guilt free nap ;)

10. Keep moving and lose weight Keep yourself active but don’t eat more because you’re doing more exercise!  Talk on the phone standing, walk while visiting intead of sitting.  Just keep moving! 

Teresa's FINAL SUMMATION:  MOVE MORE, EAT LESS!!!!!!!!!

Part of Summary taken from MyFitnessPal.com

Scales, Whooshes and Plateaus!

I don't lose weight in a nice linear way but with lots of plateaus and whooshes.

I often drive myself crazy with frequent weighing and agonizing 

over the day to day water fluctuations.

I retain water when I eat out,

 too much sugar or sodium, 

TOTM, 

heavy weight lifting, 

or heat.

Therefore, I retain water A LOT!

Here's some amazing articles I've found upon my searching 

and they've helped me understand the process and find a 

bit of peace along with that knowledge.  

How do I bounce back from a Binge/Naughty weekend?

A Quick note about Water Balance

Of Whooshes and Squishy Fat

(What happens on the cellular level)

I just wanted to pass this along and say the whole point of these links is to:

Adventures in Onederland!

I've entered ONDERLAND!!!!!!!

I realize for most people being below 200 lbs is normal,

 but remember I started at well over 300 lbs.  

Onderland was truly a mysterious place I had only heard of, dreamt of,
and fantasized about.

Much like the wonderful land of OZ

In my entire adult life I've been here once, my Senior year of High School.

Trying so hard to fit in and get thin I started taking diet pills (ephedra)
and doing a TON of cardio at the gym while restricting my
calories insanely low.

I looked thin, but my heart raced, I was either hyper or exhausted and
hated the gym.

I am proud to say this time in ONEDERLAND
I am fit, strong, balanced and healthy!

I arrived the slow/sure way and will just keep going down the

"yellow brick road" all the way to the Emerald City!

Here's to the last 48 lbs!

Teresa