Allison’s Onederland

Wow! I can’t believe it’s been nearly two months since my last post! The good news is that during that time, I’ve had long-overdue visits with family and friends. My weight loss has been slow over the summer, but I am thrilled to have hit the 50 lb. mark today!
Which brings me to the title of this post. When I was in elementary school, one of my nicknames was Allison [i.e. "Alice In"] Wonderland. Clever classmates, weren’t they? That once painfully shy little girl is about to summon all her courage and tell you this: My 50 lb. weight loss [gulp] brings me back under [breathe - gulp - breathe] 200 lbs. for the first time in several years. Back in ONEderland, as I’ve heard it called. Okay, so I’ll let you do the math, faint at the thought of how much I weighed when I began this journey, and go on about your business. I’ve said it. It’s out there. Allison Wonderland finds her life becoming curiouser and curiouser. But at least she’s no longer afraid of the looking glass.

Eating like a….mouse?

My family and I just returned from a week long vacation at Walt Disney World. If you’ve been there, you know that it’s all about sensory overload – the brightest colors, the happiest music, the tastiest food! We were served meal after meal of delicious food. My favorite of which was at the Chefs de France restaurant in Epcot – a blue cheese and walnut salad, poached salmon, ratatouille and a creme brulee that will restore your faith in all things good. All delivered by a French waiter who would have been better suited playing Prince Charming than serving escargot. All of this incredible food could easily have been overwhelming [not to mention an excuse for sheer gluttony] for a former compulsive eater. Remarkably, though, I only ate….and only WANTED to eat….a little more than half of each dish. Combined with the acres and acres of walking through the parks, I was delighted to have lost 3 pounds on vacation! Thanks, Mickey Mouse!!

Shock your body

Last week I lamented to my walking buddy about my slow weight loss [ever notice how the word "lament" starts with "lame"?...but I digress] . For four months now, I’ve followed the same workout routine of walking at least 5 days a week and weight training on 3 days. My buddy, who worked in another life as a personal trainer, said, “Maybe you need to shock your body.” She suggested I mix up my exercise routine a little and, “Hey! Why don’t we try some of the classes the gym offers.” We signed up for a class called 20/20/20 – that’s 20 minutes each of cardio, strength training and toning….or as I prefer to call it, “Death, destruction and annihilation.” Again, I digress. Suffice it to say that my body was sufficiently shocked. Who knew that sixty minutes, one little hour, could be so filled with torture and sweat?
The bigger shock to my body, though? That it is weaker than my will. My determination took over and in less than one week, I’ve attended three 20/20/20 classes. Shocking, ain’t it?

Little triumphs, big rewards

He was trying to be nice. It was my birthday, so my husband did the laundry [among other acts of kindness]. Being unfamiliar with the complex specifications that accompany this task, when the washer stopped he put all the wet clothes in the dryer, on the highest heat setting. Sounds simple enough, right? If you are now or have ever been overweight, you know that there are certain articles of clothing that must never be put in a dryer. Chief of among these items…..jeans. A hot dryer is the nemesis of these shrinkage-prone cotton garments. And every overweight person out there knows that trauma of trying to wriggle into a tight pair of Levi’s. The timer buzzed, the dryer stopped. I thanked hubby for his help and carried my shrunken jeans into the bedroom, ready to do the dance. If you’ve done it, you are familiar with the steps: lay on the bed, suck tummy in, button quickly, stand up, immediately move into deep knee-bend position to stretch out the jeans while they’re still warm. You know what I’m talking about. Much to my dismay and sheer joy, I was able to pull those jeans up and button them easily. No funky dance moves required. Now, keep in mind these jeans were purchased in the plus-size department…so they’re still big jeans. But, hey, they’re getting bigger all the time!! WooHoo!!!

Speaking of my birthday, I only lost one pound this week but I was taken out for a glorious dinner and I ate what I wanted. My son baked devil’s food cupcakes for me. Portion control at its delectable best!!! The next day was Mother’s Day, so another mouthwatering meal followed….as did another cupcake. It was a fabulous weekend – spent with people I love, eating delicious food, feeling like a princess. The one pound weight loss was the icing on the cupcake!

Good friends, good food, good news!

We traveled to my home state of Georgia during Spring Break this year [hence the reason for no weigh-in on April 7 and no recent posts]. The first part of the trip was spent with my lifelong best friend, Susan, and her family. I won’t list all the good things we ate, but I’ll tell you this – my first instinct was to refuse certain items, ration out others, and focus on every morsel that went into my mouth. Isn’t this what we read in every article about weight loss? It would have been the proper thing to do, right? Well, I didn’t do the “proper” thing. I ate a little [and sometimes more than a little] of the things I wanted. Would I be sorry when I got home?
The second part of our trip was spent with my precious son David and his girlfriend. These are two naturally thin people who love to eat! If you’re not a foodie like me, you won’t understand how much more enjoyable a meal can be when you’re with people who love to eat!! Again, initially I was a little apprehensive about what I might eat, but it was a fleeting notion and I let it pass. And again, I ate a little [and sometimes more than a little] of the things I wanted. Anyone from Atlanta will agree with me when I say that eating a salad at the Varsity is nothing short of sacrilege!! If you’re not going to eat a chili dog and onion rings, there’s no reason to go! The same can be said for the heavenly fried green tomatoes at The Bulloch House in Warm Springs [the last stop on our trip].
I can promise you that I literally held my breath when I stepped on the scale once we returned to Virginia. I breathed a huge sigh of relief when I discovered I’d maintained my weight loss AND within 3 days was down another 3 pounds!
The good news for me is this: For the first time in my adult life, I was able to relax and ENJOY food….even so called “bad” food [which, by the way, was delicious....but I definitely wouldn't want to eat it very often]. A couple of months ago I wrote that when I fasted, I began to really understand that God intends food to be enjoyed. The Bible describes feasts for all sorts of occasions….including reunions between loved ones. Now that, my friends, is good news!

A Joyful Noise

Since my last post was about silence, I thought I’d write about noise today! I love peace and quiet as much as the next girl, but there are times when my spirit is lifted by noisiness. At the gym this morning, there were toddlers excitedly learning to play ball, hulkish men grunting as they lifted clanging weights, my own breathing huffed and puffed in my ears. Above all this din, I was having church via the requisite iPod [or fauxPod in my case] with TobyMac and Third Day. All these sounds combined into such a joyful noise, I thought I would burst!

Or maybe I’d just reached my target heart rate.

The sound of silence

Do you hear that?  It’s the maddening sound of silence…..my scale didn’t move this week.   I ate healthy foods in healthy proportions.  I exercised 6 out of 7 days for more than an hour at a time.  But my weight is unchanged this week.  It would be easy to plunge headfirst into a vat of chocolate and drown my frustrations.   I won’t, though.  I’ll continue on the right course knowing that success will come.  While I’m waiting I’ll just turn the music up a little louder, walk a little faster and chase away that silence.

Lead me not…

Two days ago, I spent the afternoon baking 14 dozen chocolate chip cookies.  Funny how you can mix up a few ingredients, pop them into the oven and before you know it…180 sirens of deliciousness are calling your name, luring you into the temptation.   But the treats had a specific destination so I resisted.  These cookies are for our church’s prison ministry – a poignant reminder of home for men whose trangressions have cost them their freedom.  Ironically, I thought about how free I felt when I refused to give in to this temptation.  The feeling of joy was [almost] as sweet as the smell of fresh baked cookies.  I’m praying that with every bite, those men might experience just a taste of God’s love.  Who knows?  A plate of cookies might just lead one of these men down a path toward eternal freedom.    And that is the best reason of all for me to resist. 

But OOOH, did they smell good!!

Are you for real?

I am not a frequent television watcher and especially not a fan of “reality shows”.  Oh, the tv is on every evening, but I am usually reading or otherwise ignoring it.  I admit, however, that I currently have one show programmed into my weekly schedule – NBC’s “The Biggest Loser”.  Of course it’s mainly fluff and theatrics, but I really do find myself both inspired and motivated while watching the contestants’ grueling challenges.  I hold my breath as each player braves the dreaded scale while, I might add, enduring the humiliation of wearing the most unflattering garments in the history of fashion. 

As is typical with most competitive shows, each week someone is voted off the island….er, I mean off the ranch.   Recently the ousted contestant was a man who had lost 100 pounds in 8 weeks.  100 pounds in 8 weeks.   I’d be thrilled to lose that much in 8 months so I simply cannot comprehend such an enormous loss.   When his “where are they now” segment aired, cameras were rolling as he completed a marathon with his wife [by this time he'd lost an additional 40 lbs.].  Controversy soon reared its ugly head when it was revealed that he hadn’t actually run the entire 26 miles.  He ran 23 miles and was given a ride for the last three, allegedly because the producer wanted that finish-line-crossing ”money shot”.   Yes, I know tv is all about the ratings so a producer does what a producer feels he/she must do.  But hello?!?!?!  This man, a man who until very recently weighed over 400 pounds, ran 23 miles in just over 3 hours.  Isn’t that enough reason to celebrate? 

I do have a point here and it isn’t just to shake my head at television shows.  As motivational as ”The Biggest Loser” may be, it is anything but reality.  Most of us must purchase our own food and plan our own meals.  We do not have fiendish workout drillmasters to push us off the couch and into the gym.  We are not competing for a large cash prize and national recognition.  For the rest of us who are  in the process of trying to lose weight, whether it be 10 pounds or 100, let’s celebrate each one lost.  On those weeks when the scale doesn’t budge, celebrate the fact that we haven’t given up, we’ve eaten healthy foods, we’ve kept moving, we’ve run the first few steps [or miles] of a marathon.  Slow and steady wins this race….and that is reality.

Dare You to Move

I love Switchfoot’s song that pushes us to move forward after failure. It’s definitely a favorite on my eclectic workout playlist. As I listened to the lyrics at the gym this morning, I thought about the song’s challenge from a slightly different angle.

In the third chapter of Philippians, Paul reminds us to forget what is behind and press on toward the prize ahead. Notice he doesn’t say forget the sin that is behind, the pain that is behind, the victory that is behind…he just says forget what is behind. In the context of this blog, that could actually even mean forgetting the large derriere behind me…but I digress.

My current exercise routine is to walk 2-4 miles seven days a week combined with strength training [using Nautilus equipment] on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. After exercising, I am silmultaneously exhausted and exhilarated. I feel fabulous!! A curious thing happens the next day, though. My inner couch potato whispers, “You walked 4 miles yesterday! Give yourself a little break. Come on, you know you’d rather watch Matt Lauer.” Regardless of how fantastic she felt after exercising, the subtle changes she’s seen in her body, or the slow-but-steady decrease reflected on the scales…she is content to look back to yesterday’s workout and settle there. Well, I say, “Get thee behind me, lazy girl.  I dare you to move!!”