So reading Drywall's post the other day about Paleo essentially being a fad got me to thinking about my past and the crazy things I have done in the name of getting healthy (or let's just be real...getting skinny. lol). As I thought about the things I have tried, I came to the realization that I was concerned about my body image even during my young tenderoni years when I was skinny as all hell.
Back then I was a little estupido and knew nothing really about nutrition and how different food effect your body. Case in point, in 6th grade I decided that I needed to drop a couple of pounds to look good in my cheer leading uniform, so I decided to go vegetarian because clearly meat was the enemy. So for a month I ate nothing but Ramen noodles, Lucky Charms, and salad smothered in ranch dressing. Needless to say, I put on a couple of extra pounds and did not last long on that 'diet' lol.
After that I didn't worry about my weight until after I stopped playing sports in high school. I was pretty lean during the years that I was active, but as soon as I hit college I gained the freshmen FORTY...not even joking. I came home for Xmas break and mommy was horrified at my double chin. I was pushing 200lbs:( I knew something drastic had to happen, so I became active and gave up my addiction to orange soda. When I say addiction I am not even joking....I would dream about me pouring a two liter of orange soda all over my body and me rolling around in it. It had to go! Once I kicked it and got active I dropped almost 30 lbs quick.
Fast forward to lawschool...I get super skinny because of the stress of the first year and scare the hell out of everyone with my large head and skinny body. lol. I LOVED IT! But somehow those pounds started creeping back on. I was not having that mess again so I literally started fasting....or maybe starving myself. I would disguise it by saying I was doing a "Daniel's Fast"...yeah yeah...religion didn't have anything to do with it. You can guess that this did not work because I would just eat a pizza once the fast was over.
I am ashamed to admit what finally got me under control in law school...I seriously have never told anyone this....not friends or family, but drum roll pleaaassseeee.....Weightwatchers. lol. Yes, I attended the chubby chick meetings where I got gold stars and claps for every pound that I dropped:) And guess what...that shit worked! I got to my goal weight and promptly stopped going. Bogus I know. However, I learned a lot about nutrition and exercise and how they impact your body. Weightwatchers is simple and focuses around what Drywall wrote the other day...calories. Weightwatchers basically uses a Point System to monitor your caloric intake and physical activity. You eat lower calorie foods with high fiber so that you stay full for longer periods of time. You can eat more if you earn more points through physical activity. It is really very common sense and I refused to continue to pay $40/mo for common sense principles. The only thing that I couldn't get without WW was the motivation of the weekly weigh-in and the moral support. I still cancelled though...cheapness won out.
Since that point in my life my weight has been pretty stable. No more fad diets for me...just sensible eating and exercise. Through Crossfit I have made many friends who are also health conscious and motivate me when they do not even realize it. You guys have become my WW support group. lol. I am motivated by you guys to stay active and eat better. I incorporate WW principles and Paleo principles into my eating, and while I may not be perfect with it, I know I am much better than I was back during the Freshmen Forty period of my life:)
Am I the only one that has been on a health/weight roller coaster for some portion of my life? What crazy things have you tried in the past that you now know were ridiculous? Has anyone tried the 'raw diet' or Beyonce cayenne lemonade diet?
Yatta - You crack me up! You have such a great sense of humor and I adore you for incorporating that humor into telling your story.
ReplyDeleteI have never actually been on a 'diet'. I grew up in a household where dinner consisted of a protein, starch, veggies and fruit (followed by a trip to Dairy Dream - JohnA, u know this place?!). My Mom also tells me that throughout my life, for whatever reason, I always chose the healthier options.
Today, I have several factors that contribute to my interest, obsession and curiosity of eating healthy, and like Yatta I am THANKFUL to have a group of knowledgeable and supportive friends to turn to.
I will admit that I enjoy and take pride in the fact that my goals have shifted/are shifting from just being skinny --> to being strong, healthy and happy.
And WORLD PEACE!!
ReplyDelete(I just realized my post sounds very pageant-y)
Hmm. Sorry. I can't relate.
ReplyDeleteThanks Rae! Glad to make you laugh:) Unfortunately I grew up in a household where they make everything fat...even healthy veggies by adding some type of disgusting fat meat to it. lol. I have no idea what 'fat back' is, but my fam puts it in most veggie dishes:( The ironic thing is that their ass is skinny. Mom's literally like a size 5. lol.
ReplyDelete@Kels....thanks love:) I look back and I am proud of the progress I have made. There were worst pics, but I could not handle posting those for the world to see. lol. You too have come a very long way. I saw some old pictures of you and you look like a different person. Keep up the awesome work! You inspire me. It is good to see that someone else tried WW, I was soooo ashamed. Now I don't get why I was so secretive about it. They taught me a lot. Like you I hover around the same weight. I am happy here, but I would be ecstatic if I could drop about 8lbs:) WE CAN DO IT!!!
@Drywall...you are so lucky. Women have all of these body issues. I don't know when they come into our lives, but they are definitely there.
yatta...i dont know why this came to mind, but as the drum roll preceeded the ellipsis, "crack" automatically came to mind...hahaha. shit, was i pleasantly surprised when i read WW.
ReplyDeleteha. it is just that kind of day. my mind is all over the joint...(no drug pun intended)
LMFAO@Thom!!!!! Hahahaha! I had you worried for a sec there huh? I have heard that crack can get you right as well. I would definitley lose those last few pounds and then some:) Thanks for the laugh!
ReplyDeleteHope you guys don't mind me posting on your site but Yatta I loved your post! I think we all have been there at some point in our lives. In high school I thought that it was healthy to be under 120lbs @ 5'7"....healthy I was not, but hey I was SKINNY!! Then after high school I let that go out the window and gained weight so I decided in order to lose weight and maintain it I should work out 7 days a weeks which once again was unhealthy, but hey I was losing weight! Looking back its obvious that I had know idea what being healthy meant and its taken a long time to find a balance with diet and exercise. Like all of you, its no longer about being skinny it’s about being healthy and fit!!
ReplyDelete@Kelsey...you look great and should be very proud of what you have already accomplished!
@Jennifer...you are always welcome here:) I am glad you liked the post. I was a little worried that I said a too much, but it makes me happy that there are people out there who can relate. I am 5'7 and I cannot imagine being under 120lbs, but there was a point in my past where I would have done anything to get there too. It just shows how little we knew back then about a healthy weight for our height. I also did the binge exercising thing, but like you said it is super un-healthy and impossible to sustain. I am glad that you and I both now realize that it is not about being skinny, but about being healthy and strong:) Keep up the great work!!! :0)
ReplyDeleteGreat stuff here guys, please send the monthly $40 checks to me. Email me for my address. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteYatta! Thanks for sharing your story. I love your honesty and humor. I have been through something similar. I will have to tell you the next time I see you about one of the extremes I took when I realized I was fat at one point.
ReplyDeleteJennifer, thanks for sharing too! I think it helps to know other people have struggled too w/ weight and fitness and have found a balance through CF and healthy a healthy diet.