Mixing up the Thanksgiving Stuffing-*not* something helpful for me to eat!

Lately this is something which I have been contemplating a lot, as back in November and early December I very rapidly gained ten pounds-Ugh! As I squeezed into what had just a few weeks prior been an appealing dress, it occurred to me that I had better step back and take a look at what I was doing to cause this dramatic-and scary!-set back. Why, oh why, is it so easy to gain weight, but so hard to lose or keep it off?! There are several things which I identified as problems and needed to change.

First, way back in August I had a mishap which made it impossible to follow my preferred methods of exercise. In fact, for quite some time it was very difficult to perform any significant type of physical exertion, as it was simply far too painful and detrimental to healing! Because of the level of physical activity prior to this, my body had reset to a fairly high metabolism which I was able to sustain for a period of time. But after awhile everything slowed down again. By mid November nearly 3 months had passed, I was still having a great deal of trouble with my shoulder, and returning to running and dancing was still out of the question as the bouncing and jolting was simply too much. But I still needed to do something, as gaining more weight was not an option!

Another thing that had changed was my eating habits, to some extent anyway. I no longer strictly quit eating in the afternoon, but would often have a meal in the early evening. Experience had taught me that this was never a good thing!

Bread making was going on full blast about the middle of November as I prepared for the Weston A Price conference, for which I was providing sourdough bread cubes for stuffing. While I did not eat much bread, I did eat more than I had become accustomed to, which certainly upped my carbohydrate intake. The body loves to store those carbs as fat, and that seems to be just what happened-especially with the lack of good, physical exertion! I believe gluten is also a factor in my hypothyroidism, and so this was likely another contributing factor.

In addition to these things, I had often been enjoying a glass of wine or ale in the evening. While I never over-indulge and am against drunkenness-period!, I do not believe that enjoying a glass with dinner or at home while relaxing is wrong; it can even be good for you. But due to the high carb content of these beverages they are not our friend when we have a weight problem and as such need to be  limited.

One other “little” thing: I was drinking coffee fairly often again, something I had given up quite some time ago. My preference is for strong, dark coffee with heavy cream and Sucanat. The sugar certainly gave me a carb-start to the day, and the caffein is hard on the adrenal glands, suppressing the thyroid (along with the gluten in that bread), and here we go again…

The dark chocolate truffles which my children were making as gifts didn’t always make it into the gift boxes either

So here I am now, early January, 4 1/2 months after my little accident and still with a very painful shoulder, but determined to turn things back around. And I am! Recently I was able to start exercising again, albeit carefully. I can again run and perform my dancercize routine, and have added some abdominal and gluteous maximus exercises. Tea, much lower in caffein and acid, is again my beverage of choice and coffee is relegated to the occasional treat (with xylitol instead of Sucanat). I am not having the wine or ale (it can wait for a “treat”, once in awhile). While bread making is something I find very enjoyable, I feel no need to eat it. Coconut oil is again added daily as a supplement. And late night eating? A thing of the past!

And so the new year begins, and a “new” me! The pounds are not coming off as quickly as I would like, but they are coming off again! By this time next month I expect to be to a new low and even nearer to my goal.

Having problems losing the weight you need to lose? Perhaps you can benefit from my experience and join me in this most beneficial of endeavors: to arrive at the weight that is best for you and in the process look good, feel great, and have fun in the process!