Scales, Blogging and Birthdays

Posted on Sep 22nd 2010 2:00PM by Ashley Wisniewski

Filed Under: Motivation, Tipping the Scales

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Nearly eight pounds. That's what the scale believes is the result of my month of poor choices related to stress, moving and emotional eating. I have always been one of those fortunate people that can look at food the wrong way and automatically put on a couple pounds, so I am not really surprised by my weigh-in.

Because I am a weight loss blogger, I feel it's only fair to be honest with you -- and with myself. Plus, because I believe you can't move forward without knowing where you are, where you want to be and how you plan to get there, it's time for me to start a weekly weigh-in within my blog. Those scary numbers on the scale taunted me with 219.6 Monday morning.

Yes, I know you should never ask a woman her weight. You didn't ask. I freely admitted my scary number to the online world.

Speaking of the online world, may I offer a quick suggestion? If you are trying to lose weight, keep a written log either online or in a notebook. Writing a blog is one of the most helpful factors in my weight loss journey.

Even before becoming a blogger for That's Fit, I kept an online blog detailing my weight loss efforts. There is something so comforting about reflecting on your progress. Because I've always kept my blogs public, there is also an added level of accountability knowing that other people are reading and following your journey.

Over the weekend, my husband and I completed our move into our apartment! I washed all of my dishes, bought a few groceries and am actually starting to feel settled. I also washed all of my clothing. As I was putting it away, I noticed how small many of my clothing appeared. I have one shirt in particular that my husband couldn't believe was mine because it was so tiny. I told him that I would fit into again -- one day. At that point, I realized that I have too many "skinny" clothes: clothes that I either used to fit into or bought because I hope to fit into it someday. Because I refuse to buy new clothes, I am determined to make those clothes fit again in a day that is hopefully not too far in the future.

My aunt and grandmother helped us transport a few large items to the apartment. My grandmother, who turned 71 on Monday, never ceases to amaze me with her strength and determination. She helped carry a couch and a queen-sized bed up three flights of steps barely breaking a sweat! I can only hope that I am as hard-working as her when I am in my seventies.

For me on the other hand, moving and carrying items up three flights of stairs was one heck of a workout. I made more than 20 trips up and down, up and down, and up and down. My biceps hurt, my quads hurt, my butt hurt -- but I liked it! It was so nice to feel the burn of working my muscles again. It was like my body was telling me it was ready to be moving again.

I am continuing to focus on the small things. One choice I made was to schedule an appointment for the free dietitian visit program. I have never met with anyone in regards to my food choices, so I am very excited about my visit. While I sometimes think I know what I am doing, it can be helpful to hear it from an expert.

I also counted, and I have almost 50 days until my birthday (44 to be exact). The best birthday gift I could give myself would be the gift of health. While it is a lofty goal, my birthday wish is to ring in year 26 as a non-obese person. To make my wish happen, 17.6 pounds need to disappear before November 5. Happy birthday to me? Stay tuned!

After decades of dieting only to gain it back, two That's Fit readers have decided to finally rethink their relationship with food and exercise over the next year to move toward a lifetime of fulfilling, healthy living. Come by every week as Ashley and Lee share their successes and challenges as they tip the scale.

Lee also made a positive step towards losing weight by joining his office's Biggest Loser competition.

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Tags: birthday cake, emotional eating, losing weight, tipping-the-scales, weight loss

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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 4)

Dev 9-22-2010 @ 2:28PM

I can completely relate to the whole "gaining weight just looking at food" feeling. It sounds like you've got some good priorities - just don't become so focused on the numbers on the scale. 17.6 pounds in a month is a lot to lose. Will you be just as happy knowing your healthier this year than you were last year? Also - are you measuring?

Michelle 9-26-2010 @ 7:07PM

Er Dev...? Numbers on a scale mean something when the numbers keep going UP. Over 200 for a female (even a very tall one) is a matter of health rather than obsession or fashion-focus. Yes measurements matter, but moving more and eating healthier foods that provide energy rather than suck energy away (sugars, white flour, fried foods, red meat, etc) is key. Move more, eat less junk and she will be fit in no time. 8-10 pounds a month is do-able, but difficult, 4-6 pounds a month is more manageable to people without trainers and delivered food programs.

Sandy 9-22-2010 @ 5:57PM

You will get rid of those 8 pounds and more, because you are determined and are willing to have the right tools to do it!!
Will look forward to hearing about the free dietitian visit.

Beth 9-22-2010 @ 7:38PM

Hey everyone struggles! A lifestyle change is not an easy one, for sure. I still struggle a lot. You can do this! If you need anything, just let me know ok?

cindeelinda 10-04-2010 @ 9:08PM

As I was reading this, I kept wondering if I had somehow started a diet & blog without knowing it! MY B-day is Nov. 5. And, due to all kinds of stress in the last year plus new medications for pain.. I have not only gained some, I have exploded! Going from 120 to 171!!!! I am only 4ft 10 1/2. I keep saying if I knew how bad it hurt to be overweight I would have found someother way to deal with my miserable life besides chocolate. I will definately keep checccking in but for now need to get ready for church.

Marshall 9-26-2010 @ 8:12AM

219 pounds is NOT a scary weight!! I think that
we live in a stressful nation----the USA. There is alot
of ridiculous pressure out there to conform and sell,
sell,sell....If we otherwise smoke too much,drink
too much alcohol, eat more than what is required,then
should review these habits in a positive light.
I never read any of the diet magazines and I never
sign up for trial and error fad diets. By walking,
riding a bike, on bike trails once a week,it could
help us control and burn off alot of stored calories.
Everyone is different!! For me, I am comfortable at
being within the l90 to 2l0 pound range.

colleen 9-26-2010 @ 4:47PM

Why do you get to choose your weight but the author doesn't? That may not be a scary weight for you but it is for the author. We don't all go by what works for you. The author was speaking of herself!

Betty 9-26-2010 @ 8:42AM

Sounds like you have good resolve, but I worry that you have set yourself up for failure. 17.5 pounds in one month is unrealistic, so you may have set yourself up for failure, which will, in the long run, defeat your efforts. Goals need to be attainable, and we all know that this is a long journey (two years - 70 pounds - I know). I have sabatoged myself more than once on my journey. Two pounds a week is the very most you could hope for and anywhere from .4 to 1.5 is the average. Do not set yourself up for failure. Plan to go into your new year a more healthier, focused you. Good Luck!

san 9-27-2010 @ 10:23PM

hi,
finally figured that fifty-five and fat wasn't where it was going to be - instead, found fifty-five and FABULOUSLY FIT! always had dieted, now know that a part of it was from my late beloved mom. she'd gone the diet pill route, and the despondent path. hell - it was clearly that.
had a miraculous encounter with mindfulness and am free of dieting! it didn't cost anything! it doesn't require special foods. i don't have to avoid parties. i don't have to skip pizza, brownies, ice cream or sweeties. i named it (after the dreaded four letter word, "diet", DIET: NMEe. yup, diet enemy. ...and it is! Do It Exclusively Today: Not MORE, Eat enough. think of the philosophy...it's no longer about your birthday, or that reunion, or that party, or WHEN, but it's NOW! - NOT ONLY WHEN! - eat enough, (oh, yeah, an integral part of this for me had to do with drinking...i don't use any mind altering stuff - no alcohol, no drugs, no anything like that - and no diet sugar, no diet soda, no diet desserts, actually, none of the caffeine filled crap, either (that's caffeine, as in major DE-hydrator, not hydrator), none of the NO's. - but i DO DRINK! - lots of water...check out the newspaper today - 9.26.10 - major news release that there isn't enough water being given to us by US! - children are suffering the effects of inadequate hydration - not getting enough water! - so -
first, i just thought that i'd eat mindfully. three months went by and suddenly, my clothing fit me without some of the familiar bulges showing...
i started to feel better. (i don't know how much i weighed when i first ate mindfully, on the tenth or eleventh of june, 2008, but there was a great feeling of freedom - no sense of restriction) three more months passed, and i bumped into someone i'd not seen in a while, and he said, apologetically, that he hoped i wouldn't mind if he said something from a sixties tv series to me - "you look mahvelous!" - i smiled, and said, "mike, i FEEL mahvelous!" - this was kind of cool, i thought - 'cause he is a contemporary, and it wasn't about "hooking up", or getting something, it was just an honest assessment of what he was knowing.
another three months went by, and i went to my gynecologist, whose scale i didn't fear stepping onto - (first time since before i was twelve that that dr.'s scale wasn't a horror show for me to deal with emotionally...) my dr. commented on how terrific i looked, and she's about my age, also raising four kids, also about menopausal...and she's a bit chubbier than i'd been, and i knew that she was appreciative of one of her cohorts being "fit". she suggested i write a book. i said, "wendy, i don't know what i'm doing..." - another couple of months went by, and at a school concert, in the ladies' room, i was brushing my hair. into the bathroom comes a woman with whom i'd a friendship. she was startled to see me standing there, and went right into the first stall. she didn't use it, but came right out after locking the door and unlocking it immediately. she hit me with, "you look fantastic! i hate you! what are you doing? how much weight did you lose?" i caught my breath, and answered. "thank you. i don't know what i'm doing, and i don't know how much weight i've lost. i've just gotten rid of the sh*t in my life." (as our "friendship" had had some rocky times of late, i believe she thought i was alluding to "her", but, i wasn't. i was recognizing that there had been the elimination of some of the problematic pieces, for me.) anyway, this isn't all perfect. i was able to abstain from compulsive overeating (yeah, by this time i'd self-diagnosed as a compulsive overeater...) for seventeen consecutive months. so astounding to wear to a major family function i was hosting, (for about three hundred!), a gown which hadn't any sleeves!, or SHOULDERS!, and i looked great! - size-wise, anyway - my hair and make-up might have been significantly better....
recognizing that there are major issues in my marriage which need addressing made me lose the mindfulness, and while i'm still in "tiny" clothes, the mindfulness i'd enjoyed is a little elusive. i trust that 1) it's none of my business what anyone else thinks of me. 2) it takes time to know it takes time. 3) it's not in my time. 4) "the truth will set you free, but first it will piss you off." 5) there is only truth, and we are it, and it's ok to trust. (there are seven more - just like the vernacular of the 12 step recovery program's steps - which is what the above is...) it's all mindfulness and MAGIC!

anmarie 9-26-2010 @ 11:05AM

I am so tired of hearing and reading about people who are trying to loose weight. Every womans magazine front cover is constantly giving you ideas on "How to Loose ....lbs in .....weeks. What about us that are trying to gain weight because we constantly here how "tiny and skinny we are".What if we said to you how "big and fat you are".
I respect your problem, but there is also the other side out there that nobody takes any notice about.

Regina 9-26-2010 @ 12:05PM

Anmarie, it might help if you avoided reading articles about how to lose weight. Yes, there is a lot of information out there for those of us who need to lose weight ~ that is because there are so many of us. It's unfortunate that you have the opposite problem, but this is certainly not the place where you are going to find any sympathy.

Jenny Pivot 9-26-2010 @ 9:11AM

Good luck to you! I know it can be done, I have done it in the past. Although I have spent the last number of years as obese I have had my skinny/healthy seasons in life and you feel great, but if you are an emotional person and I suffer from bi-polar and ADHD which I only discovered in the last number of years it is easy to have it stolen away. You need a strong support system. And with all those stairs built in you have a work out just going home and leaving. I hope to follow your journey and I will pray for your success

Daria 9-26-2010 @ 9:12AM

I give this lady a high-5 for honesty. At least she knows its unhealthy to be at 215 lbs, no matter how tall you are. However, it amazes me that the "big" women of today (200 lbs+) think its politically correct and just plain OK, to "just be me" and "I like me the way I am" and all sorts of other excuses and lies they tell themselves. I think its more like, you've gained so much weight, that now it will be too much work and effort on your part to lose it! "Big" women need to stop lying to themselves, and get with the program.

Lindsey 9-26-2010 @ 11:01AM

It's not as easy at you think to lose the weight and being "big" and accepting yourself that way is a lot better for the emotional health than beating yourself up all day, everyday. All those big women would probably love to be thin, but until that day happens, liking themselves for who they are is not necessarily a bad thing. I used to weigh 270lbs (at 5'6") and hated everything about myself -- I eventually lost 100lbs by puking every piece of food that entered my mouth. Had I accepted who I was, I probably would have started going to the gym and eating better FIRST instead of becoming bulimic.

Dann 9-26-2010 @ 12:05PM

I dont smoke or drink and exercise daily but I do have a weight issue. I AM happy and have a good life. EVERYONE has things they do that are bad. Daria you are a closed minded biggot. You probably smoke and drink and will die from cancer or liver disease way before anyone with only weight issues. Clean up the skeletons in your closet before you attack others!

Lydia 9-26-2010 @ 9:16AM

@Marshall Of course its not a scary weight to YOU. You're a MAN.

Cassie 9-26-2010 @ 9:26AM

Good luck :) One step at a time. One foot in front of the other. You can do this. Don't set unrealiztic expectations - even if you lost 10 - and not 17 - you'd still be well on your way to where to want to be. If it takes you a month or two longer than you hoped - who cares? It's just a blip of time in your lifetime. You can do this.

Bradford 9-26-2010 @ 9:33AM

@dgarber7 Going "vegan" will not make anyone any healthier. My two great grandmothers and 2 grandmothers, all lived to their 90s. They all cooked and ate homemade country-cookin' food. Pure butter, meats, breads, sweets and plenty of grease and carbs and also imbibed occasionally. The only "exercise" they got was walking short distances from house to car, etc. Also, being a vegan never did poor Linda McCartney any good. Linda was a card-carrying die-hard vegan, and ended up dying of breast cancer in her 40s. Like it or not, the human being is an omnivore. Omnivores needs both animal (meat) and vegetable nutrients for proper bodily function. The only reason you are a "vegan" is simply because you are a human being and humans are the only beings that are capable of making their own choices.

Gina 9-26-2010 @ 9:49AM

I am at a scary weight too. But it is the opposite end of spectrum. Too thin. I truly believe overweight and underweight are just the same. Some people eat when depressed. Some people will not eat.

It hurts when strangers come up to me and ask what my secret is. Well, now I ask them for a quarter. They never ask why. Just give me the quarter. Then I say "If I had a quarter for everytime I am asked why I am skinny; I would be rich." I give the coin back. And walk away from their mortified/embarassed face.

This may sound off topic. But it isn't. Just making a point about food. Are we living to eat or eating to live?

Bird 9-28-2010 @ 8:30AM

I agree with your comment about eating to live versus living to eat. I graduated HS at 95lbs. I'm 5'3". I remained at 105 in my early 20's and then exploded to 140lbs in my late 20's with an undiagnosed underactive thyroid. In one year I gained 35lbs. So I went from people asking me if I was anorexic (usually these were obese females) to being overweight when I got married at 29. Then I heard comments like "you exploded like a tick" etc. Then I was diagnosed and my weight has fluctuated between 112-118 which is ideal for me personally. Last year I had an operation with a bad recovery and went down from 115 to 95lbs in 3 weeks. Then it all began again with the anorexic comments. It took me a year to get back to 115lbs. So no matter what...you can't win with people. At my ideal of 115 I still get comments about being skinny. So for everyone out there, find your ideal healthy weight and lifestyle. Quit looking at everyone else, judging if they are anorexic, drug abusers, food addicts etc. Happiness is an inside job. I agree with your comment about eating to live versus living to eat.

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