I am about to put it all out there…because accountability. I started January 1st, 2016 weighing in at 179 lbs. However, with some small changes this past week, I have dropped 10 lbs and am working my way back into my comfort zone.
179 lbs. That is nearly the amount I weighed the day my last baby was born. Now I realize that for many 179 lbs could be their goal weight and that is great. I know that a size 12 is the average woman’s size and that I do look just fine. My husband and family still love me and that is all that should matter. Unless you are diabetic and then gaining 30 lbs in a short time frame is dangerous.
The day my daughter was born 180lbs
To say that I am embarrassed and saddened by that number on the scale is an understatement. My normal weight should be between 145-150. I weighed that 6 weeks after having my last child. I should have kept that weight off, I should have controlled my sugar and complex carb intake, I should have done better for the longevity of my life. I didn’t. Instead I piled on 30 lbs in about a year and a half and put my life at risk.
6 weeks postpartum. (Oh Hey iPhone 4…picture quality is crap)
A little backstory here. Not only am I a type 2 diabetic, but during labor with my oldest, I went into full renal failure with a high chance of my kidneys shutting down in the future and having to be put on dialysis. It wasn’t pretty. So obviously, the logical thing to do would be to indulge in all the foods that could increase my risk of kidney failure again. Having a master’s degree (almost) in science and biology should have taught me better.
This is me in July at about 170 lbs
I knew at the beginning of last year that I needed to make some changes and so I did. I started eating smaller meals and trying to snack healthy, except, Snickers, Reese’s, Ice Cream and freaking Potatoes…all the potatoes. Fried, mashed, twice baked; potatoes are life. I was better about snacking and I did so mostly in moderation. Except I would binge. Finals weeks, I binged. Long week with the kids, I binged. Argument with the hubby, I binged. Basically if stress happened I was binging and no one was going to stop me.
I did gain a bit more self control and tried valiantly for about 3 weeks to drop weight. I was working out, eating only healthy foods (however, that definition would changed this year), sleeping better and just focusing on trying to drop those lbs that I had been piling on. By the end of the 3 weeks not only had I not lost a lb, but I had also gained inches. I was beyond upset and began the long emails and arguments and chats with my doctors. I kept telling them I felt like crap, that I could not lose any weight no matter what I tried and that they were missing something.
They settled on low vitamin D and although my A1C numbers were increasing at a steady rate, we were not yet to the point of medication. By December my vitamin D levels were good and my A1C was even higher. Essentially, this was bad, very bad. I started diabetic medication the same day my A1C numbers came in and began researching diets for diabetics.
I found a group online that focuses on low carb, high (good) fat diets and spoke with my nutritionist about this. The goal of this diet is to eat about 5% carbohydrates, 20% protein and 75% fats each day. This should trick your body into burning fat for energy and wanting that as a food source rather than all the process crappy carbohydrates that really are not super great for you.
I am not as strict as the percentages above, but I am doing a 20% carb, 20% protein, 60% fat breakdown and plan to slowly reduce my carbs and increase my fats in the coming weeks. I stepped on the scale today and was down 10 lbs…169! Between the medication and the diet, something is happening. In addition I am adding in more purposeful exercise. I have been doing Yoga following a YouTubers 30 day challenge and have also decided to add in some Skating time and swimming time with my kids along with purposeful walks around my classroom and building to get more steps in.
I am not going to lie, seeing the numbers on the scale decrease daily has been a huge motivator. I think honestly the biggest thing was the medication for me. I need my body to recognize my insulin and to use it correctly. 10 lbs in a week is a lot and I know that sounds like a scary number to people to lose so quickly. Please know that because my kidneys do not function correctly, that I hold onto water weight like no ones business and that easily 5-6 lbs of that was water. I think I spent days in the bathroom peeing this week.
Thank you for keeping me accountable. Hope your week is well folks and if you want more information about the diet changes please let me know and I will start posting recipes.
