I am fed up with being “over weight” … “fat” … “large” … whatever you call it. I miss being a size 8/10 (the results of my first weight loss through Weight Watchers)!
Not only is my being fat unattractive to me (and it doesn’t help me love myself more) but it’s incredibly UNHEALTHY. For many years, I’ve been on a long journey of getting healthy – with some set backs along the way – but overall, I’ve been moving forward. For the last 3 years, I’ve been steadily gaining weight through a variety of factors: anti-depressant pills, fatigue, underactive thyroid, over 40, hormones, bad sleep habits, etc.
Last March, when I began my naturopathic journey to wellness, I was anxious for the weight to drop off as fast as it packed on because I thought that it was due to the medicines I was taking. After I began getting my energy back, I even started exercising again and rebuilding my strength. Unfortunately, I had the expectation that at least 5-10 lbs would just melt away for all my exercising efforts. After months of walking and Curves workouts, I lost a measly 3 lbs and about an inch of fat – HA! Then, to discourage me even more, I was becoming educated on hypothyroidism and how much effort it takes to lose weight thru exercise. One report indicated that it would take twice as much exercising to lose the same amount of weight as someone who doesn’t have a thyroid condition – UGH!
Even though I felt I was eating decently, I intuitively knew that my weight problem had more to do with food combinations or food intolerances than the amount of exercise I was engaging in. While Sandee has been battling her own issues with weight and was in search of a diet plan, she discovered a weight management program that is managed by the Center for Wellness Medicine in Annapolis, MD. The program is called Ultra Lite – The Professional Weight and Health Management Program and it was developed by a Naturopath in Australia. This is what the website states, “The Ultra Lite program will assist you to make the transition from the modern high refined carbohydrate diet to the healthier way of eating that our ancestor’s experienced 150 years ago. Instead of living on refined carbohydrates and sugars, their diet consisted of 60% complex carbohydrates and 40% quality proteins. The Ultra Lite program will assist your body to burn unwanted body fat, it will not just dehydrate you or consume important lean muscle mass.”
Sandee and I started our diets a couple of weeks ago. The weight loss has been encouraging (between 6-7 lbs for each of us!). I have to tell you that the strict food guidelines have not been difficult to live with and the in-between meal shakes have kept me from feeling too terribly hungry. Because Sandee and I both have thyroid conditions, this program seemed like the best fit for us because it is managed and administered by a medical doctor and a registered nurse with nutritional education.
You might think we’re crazy for starting a diet before the holidays but, in my case, I’m not crazy – just fed up with my “large, fat, overweight” self! One thing I can tell you is that because I was sooooo ready for this diet to begin, I do believe that being mentally prepared for a diet is half the battle of the success. It takes commitment. If you are considering a diet plan or have started one already, please comment and share with us how your journey to wellness is going for you. I’ll be sure to keep you posted on our progress.
Enjoy the holidays, eat smart and live life well!
(To comment on this entry, please click on the “Comments” link below.)
Thanks for the honest assessment, Karen. I can always count on you for that. Well done! The site is very well done… good luck, girl.