How I lost 75 pounds - Part 4: How I MAINTAIN my healthy lifestyle

On my journey to changing my lifestyle and creating a healthy life, I learned quite a few things.  It was only after making the vow to Get FINE in 2009 that I decided to get my MIND healthy and my BODY healthy too.  I knew three things going into this:

 1)    I wanted to get healthy

      2)    I wanted to lose weight
      3)    I wanted to stop the life-long yo-yo weight cycle that I had fallen into.

I got my mind healthy by reading everything I could get my hands on that had to do with fruits, vegetables, protein, grains, calories, portion control, fiber intake, vitamins, water, healthy recipes, running and weight training.  I got my body healthy by getting active; I started taking step aerobics, weight training, spinning classes, Zumba, Pilates, and I even became a runner.

It’s tough work to bust your butt and lose weight…but it’s just as hard to not gain it back!  I think all of that crazy-fast-weight-loss stuff doesn’t work in the long run because it doesn’t really fix the problem, which usually has to do with a lack of knowledge, motivation, commitment and follow-through.  The truth is, anyone can lose weight but it takes a completely committed person to keep it off.    

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I made up my mind and committed to getting healthy and all of the hard work paid off. It certainly wasn’t easy – and it didn’t happen fast either! The steps below explain how I did – and continue to do – it without giving up and reverting to bad habits.

How I maintain my health

I am conscious of everything that goes in my mouth.  The problem – actually, I don’t see it as a problem – and never did – which is what led to the real problem – is that I love to eat!  I am a foodie at heart and have never been good at denying myself and have been guilty of over-indulging a time or two (or two hundred).     Source    To be completely honest, it bugs me when people I’m around (usually women) go on and on and on about “being so bad” or “oh, I shouldn’t eat this!” or “I’m going to have to workout extra hard at the gym tomorrow to work this off!”  Talk about ANNOYING!!!  To avoid this, I try to stick to the 80%/20% rule.  I try to eat right most of the time so that I can eat the desserts and treats that I want (when I want them) and not feel guilty or bad about it.  I still love food but make smarter choices because at the end of the day I want to remain healthy more than I want that second slice of chocolate cake!  It’s worked pretty well so far. J

I continue to workout. I go to the gym five, sometimes six times a week and take a variety of classes like step aerobics, weight training, spin, Zumba, and Pilates.  I also designed my own weight program, which I change up about every five to six weeks and make sure to cover all the major muscle groups and vary the weight, which includes alternating between “light weight/high rep” and “heavier weight/lower rep” weeks. Source After all, there is nothing wrong with girls having a few muscles, right?!?!

I surround myself with positive, supportive people. 1. My family (husband, daughter, mother) is my biggest supporter!!  My husband, who still says he never saw me as overweight (love really makes us blind, doesn’t it?), was my biggest cheerleader!  Not only did he verbally cheer me in, he supported me 100% in other ways too.  He became a gym rat with me, never complained when I completely revamped our pantry, fridge, freezer, and daily meals, and is there to photograph my races, even the early morning ones!  Our daughter is my second best cheerleader; although she’s only eight, she constantly tells me I’m the best cook in the world and that I should have a healthy cooking show on the Food Network!  2. Girlfriends (like this girl, these girls, and these girls) and co-workers who were witness to the progress.  They motivated me through every step of my weight loss journey, whether it be by coming to work out with me or by simply noticing when I started shedding the pounds and the praise and compliments they showered on me.  I am blessed to have this support system! 3. Gym-Rat friends that I see every evening at the gym.  We hold each other accountable and have fun while working out, thus we’ve actually ended up going from just “gym” friends to real-life friends too! J 4. Online community, like the healthy living blogging circle.  I have been reading healthy living/healthy eating/running blogs for about two years.  It feels good to surround myself with like minded people; other people who are just as obsessed concerned with eating healthy, working out, and running!

I feed my mind the right things. 1. church – a weekly does of Pastor Joel always does the trick! 2. informational texts about health and wellness (I’m always brushing up on my favorite topic!) 3. reading healthy living blogs like Hungry Runner Girl, One Fit Foodie, Blonde Ponytail, Peanut Butter Fingers, and Bess Be Fit to name just a few of my favorites 4. collecting motivational quotes (especially fitness motivation) – along with collecting quotes in the binder I started in sixth grade, I also pin cool stuff on my “Inspire Me” and “Getting’ My Sweat On” Pinterest boards to look at when I need some “getup-and-go”.

I constantly try new things… …so that I never get bored!! 1. When I hit my first plateau, I hit the gym hard everyday twice-a-day for a month. 2. When I hit my next plateau, I started running, a habit that I continue to enjoy to this day!  ...and set new goals!! 3. During this past fall and winter, I felt like I had lost that lovin’ feeling for running.  Such a shame, too, because I love to run in the cold!  I rekindled the romance by starting a RUNstreak.  This year for Lent, instead of cutting something out, I made a promise to run at least 2 miles a day.  I ran 46 days straight without missing a single day, which was exactly what I needed to jump-start my passion for running again!  This summer I decided to do the same thing and I’m calling it “Leti’s Summer RUNstreak.”  If I manage to make it though the whole summer (June, July and August) without missing a day of running I am going to reward my self with some new running shoes, a few new workout clothes, and *fingers crossed* a new Garmin.  RUNstreak: as of tonight, 58 days and counting… 4. Now that I feel it’s time to kick it up another notch, I am itching to try CrossFit and WILL try my first session this week using this girl’s awesome workout plans!

  

For anyone out there reading this that is on a journey of their own, one thing is for sure, and PLEASE remember this:

THERE WILL BE TOUGH TIMES!!

Go ahead and mentally prepare for that.  Be ready and have a game plan for what you are going to do when that happens.  In these tough times you just have to remember that yes, eating healthy, working out, and staying motivated can be hard, but there are other things that are just as hard, like being unhappy in your own skin.

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What did I do to continue through the tough times?  Honestly speaking, probably the biggest thing that inspired me to continue was my stubbornness. J I am the kind of person that has to finish what they start and will do whatever it takes to make it happen!  Aside from that, though, I would have to say that the support from family and friends were my biggest motivators when times got tough.  Find what works best for you and motivates you…and HANG IN THERE!!  You will succeed!!

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And now for the grand finale…and the real reason you should hang in there?!?!  You should hang in there because you will feel such a true sense of accomplishment at knowing that you set a challenging goal, committed to doing whatever it took to reach it, stayed motivated and persevered through the tough times, and, above all, followed-through.  It’s the BEST feeling in the world!! 

What is the BEST PART about being in shape for me now? EVERYTHING!! 

·        I love the way I can run three miles without even really breathing hard. 

·        I love that I can lift weights at the gym with all the big boys and they leave me alone because they can tell I know what I’m doing. 

·        I love the way my arms look in sleeveless shirts and the way my legs look in a dress. 

·        I love that I can walk into a store, see something I like and try it on, and that it actually fits the way it’s supposed to. 

·        I love knowing that I finally have my mojo back!  I had really lost her there for a while!

·        I love the way my husband can wrap his arms all the way around me now when he hugs me. 

·        I love that I see my former students at the store and they are shocked and they compliment me tell me that I look younger than I did when I taught them years ago. 

·        I love that I can still eat what I want – in moderation, of course – and not feel guilty because I know that I will work it off anyway.

·        And above all else, I love that I am setting the example for my daughter of what healthy living looks like!

HERE IS WHAT I LOOK LIKE NOW:   

**DISCLAIMER: please keep in mind that my hubby’s an artist/photographer and always has me posing!!**

Hubby and I at the 2011 Blue Bell Fun Run.

4th of July celebration with our friends!

Me in San Antonio on the River Walk.

The bambina and I on the Galveston Ferry.

  

Our friend (a theater professor, can you tell?) and I striking a very dramatic pose!

  

My little one and I at the Astros Race for the Pennant last year.

Not too shabby, if I do say so myself! J

So where am I now?

Get FINE in 2009  Action Plan
Step 1	admitting I had a problem that I wanted to fix. –  CHECK
Step 2	form an action plan to carry out that plan – CHECK
Step 3	get informed and acquire the knowledge that I would need to best tackle my problem – CHECK
Step 4	follow-through and WORKING MY BUTT OFF, no pun intended! – CHECK
Step 5	Continue to eat well and stay active to maintain the weight loss and live healthy from now on. – LIFE-LONG CONSTANT WORK IN PROGRESS…

Just in case you missed something:

PART ONE – to read about my Action Plan and see BEFORE pics, click here.

PART TWO – to read what I learned about getting healthy, click here.

PART THREE – to read about what I actually did to get healthy and drop the weight, click here.

How I lost 75 pounds - PART 2: What I learned

On my journey to losing 75 pounds, I learned quite a few things.  It was only after making the vow to "Get FINE in 2009" that I started to research and learn all about exactly what it was going to take to lose the weight.  And boy, did I learn a lot! 

Anyone that knows me, knows that anytime I get into something, I really GET INTO IT!  And by “really get into it” I mean all-out, gung-ho, eat-sleep-breathe it, almost obsessive with it.    I have always been like that; it’s just part of my personality! J  My “research” consisted of this: I started reading all about healthy eating, exercise, and strength training in the form of books, and newspaper/magazine/online articles.  Nevertheless, out of everything that I read, there was some information that was more relevant, pertinent, and beneficial than others.

After all this time, I think I can finally say this.  The single most important thing that I have learned from all of this is:

Losing weight is all in the details.  It’s the little things you do that make the biggest difference.

I know, I know, you probably expected something more than just that, right?  You expected some enlightening epiphany, a ground-shattering mantra that would make it all click and finally help you “get it” after all of these years.  I apologize if I disappointed you.  But that’s just the thing; it’s all pretty simple when you get down to it.  It’s certainly a heck of a lot more simple than I expected it to be.  Getting healthy is not rocket science…and it’s about doing the things that we have all heard before, over and over and over again!

We heard it from Bob Greene and Oprah when she got all skinny on us, we heard it from Jillian, Bob, and Devin Alexander who helped Biggest Loser contestants drop hundreds of pounds, and we continue to hear it from people like Dr. Oz, Chris Powell (Extreme Makeover: Weight Loss Edition), Lisa Lillien (Hungry Girl) and Dave Zinczenko (editor of Men’s Health Magazine and co-author of the Eat This Not That series of books).  Here are the resources that I found helped me the most:

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My Most helpful resources
Books	Eat This, Not That: Supermarket Survival Guide by: David Zinczenko and Matt Goulding This was THE most helpful resource and I recommend this book to friends all the time!!  Let me tell you why:   1) It’s divided into chapters according to food group (breads, frozen foods, etc); I tabbed each chapter to make it easy to locate what I was looking for and flip to it without a hitch…and I literally used to take this book with me to the grocery store!! 2) It includes full-color photos of food products, and distinctly divides them into two categories: the “Eat This” foods that are safe to eat on one side and the “Not That” foods you should avoid on the other. 3) This, together with the nutrition info provided for each item that explain fat, calories, sugar, fiber, etc help you understand why it’s eatable or avoidable and really helps you get the big picture about the how to make the healthiest choices!!  4) The informative chapters sprinkled throughout the book are useful and informative…as well as explaining “insiders-only” knowledge about things that the food industry doesn’t want us to know about. Other helpful books:
Magazines all of these magazines have helpful websites with tons of resouces	Women’s Health Magazine Men’s Health Magazine Runner’s World Health Magazine Prevention Magazine Self Magazine Shape Magazine Fitness Magazine
Web sites	Hungry Girl  – love her yearly shopping list and daily emails for tons of great info about food swaps/substitutions and snack ideas Dr. Oz - because of his medical background he’s got all of the knowledge…and his personality and sense of humor allow him to deliver that information, in laymen-terms, perfectly.

Honestly speaking, with real experts like these folks, how in the world could I think that you would listen to, take advice from, or believe anything I have to say?

Because I’ve been there.  That’s why.  I’m a real person who lives in the “real” world just like you.  I don’t have millions of dollars in the bank (heck I’m a teacher; thousands of dollars sounds good to me), and I didn’t graduate with a medical or even Nutrition Science degree.  I can’t afford a live-in chef, am too cheap to get a personal trainer, and am definitely a “I’d-rather-just-do-it-myself” kind of person. 

I’ve been skinny, chunky, skinny, fat, back to skinny, and back to fat.  And, according to the trainer that did my initial weigh-in/BMI/pitch to sell you training sessions when I joined the gym, I was considered “obese” because my BMI ratio was way over 30%.  Now, finally, I’m healthy.  It was a loooooong road getting here, though, I’m not going to lie to you!  And it didn’t happen quickly; there are no easy quick-fix solutions!  It took me a long time to gain all that weight and I knew it was going to take a long while to lose it. 

Nevertheless, I’ve learned a few things along the way.  And if there is one thing I want now more than ever, it’s to help someone else who may just be starting their journey.  Someone who is facing that mountain and is finding it impossible to climb!  I remember feeling that, and so to you I say this: YOU CAN DO IT!  Little by little.  And the journey starts with just one step.

I hope that maybe reading this post today can be that one step.

Here are some things that I hope might help.  After careful consideration, I’ve compiled a list of the most beneficial things that I learned:

 

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The MOST IMPORTANT things that I learned:

-         to count calories, although I’ve never been crazy, over the top with it; it’s more of an awareness of the approximate calories that I am ingesting -         to be conscientious about what I was putting in my mouth -         the true understanding that “My body is a temple, not a trash can!” -         getting enough fiber is crucial -         eating more protein helps build strong muscles and so I started drinking protein shakes -         that I had to replace white breads, pastas, and rice with brown, whole-grain versions -         all about proper supplementation (vitamins, etc.) -         the health benefits of drinking green tea -         to replace white, refined sugar with natural sugar substitutes -         that you HAVE to drink plenty of water.  I sometimes drink it with fresh lime or lemon juice because I read somewhere that this was a natural fat burner, and usually drink it on ice, because I also read that your body burns a few extra calories simply by heating the water up to proper body temperature.

Throughout the past three years I’ve learned that it is basically about changing your behaviors! To get healthy, and actually see results, you have to change the things that you are doing/thinking/feeling.  Try starting with these small changes and remember:

-         it’s all about your attitude.  I knew that I would have to maintain a positive attitude if all of this was going to work.  It’s like the saying goes, ‘Attitude is a little thing that makes a BIG difference.’

-         You have to get active!  Making the gym a daily, or at the very least 5 to 6 times weekly, priority is a must!

-         Get your cook-on!!  It’s vitally important to cook and eat at home to control the quality of the ingredients that go into your food.  I great ideas from sites like Pinterest, Skinny Mom, and Skinny Taste.

-         Be mindful of quantity!!  I had to be mindful of the amount of food I was eating, and make sure I was eating the appropriate portions.  This was especially hard for me!  More than anything, this was my #1 problem area.  My problem was never that I ate too many sweets or fast food or junk food…my problem was that I ate too much food.  I have always been the kind of person that would take another plate of food over dessert any day.

-         Brown-bag it!!  The necessity of packing and taking my lunch to work everyday, including my snacks.  I always joke that my lunch box is the size of a small suitcase!  I simply cannot let myself get hungry!  Not only because I get a headache and get grumpy, but also because I am also in danger of eating everything in sight once I do get food.  Now I am always prepared by taking snacks and water with me no matter where I go! 

So where am I now?

Get FINE in 2009  Action Plan
Step 1	admitting I had a problem that I wanted to fix. –  CHECK
Step 2	form an action plan to carry out that plan – CHECK
Step 3	get informed and acquire the knowledge that I would need to best tackle my problem – CHECK
Step 4	follow-through and WORKING MY BUTT OFF, no pun intended! …still to come
Step 5	maintain the weight loss so that I stay healthy from now on. …still to come

In case you missed it yesterday, you can find PART ONE (with lots of before pictures) here.  And please stay tuned for PART 3 tomorrow, where I share how I implemented what I learned, what I did to start getting active, and when I actually started to feel the difference and started shedding some pounds.