Better Health & Happiness

This will be my daily journal for my journey to Better Health & Happiness. Now I just have to figure out how to put my posts for this onto this page. lol


I forgot to leave my starting stats, so here ya go...in all their ugliness...lol

June 3, 2010
Weight:                          265 lbs
Neck:                            14
Chest (above boobs):     42
Chest (at boobs):            48
Chest (below boobs):     43
Upper arm:                     17/17
Lower arm:                     12/12
Top belly roll:                  50
Waist:                             44
Bottom belly roll (hips):   57
Hips @ 7" below waist:  50
Upper thigh:                   32/32
above Knee:                   25/25
Calf:                               21/21
above ankle:                   11/11


Now a little perspective. In January of 2002 I weighed in at 338 lbs. I don't remember all of the measurements, but I do remember that my bottom belly roll (hips) was 68 inches around. I was wearing a size 32 womens pants and they were snug (for a different perspective, I was wearing a size 4X in men's sweatpants). In the next 7 years I dropped down to 275 lbs and a womens size 20 or mens 42 inch waist jeans. Then in 2007 I was fired from a job I loved, proceeded to have a complete hysterectomy in January 2008 and my depression was extreme to say the least. Food was my constant source of "self medicating." There are a ton of studies that can explain how carbs and brain activity work, I won't get into that here :-)


I graduated from Warner Pacific College with my Bachelors of Science in Human Development in December 2009 and convinced the district manager (at that time) that I was not over qualified to take on a paper route at the end of December. I was once again weighing in at 325 lbs and wearing a mens 50 inch waist jeans and a womens size 26/28 pants. Since January I have lost on my own through the "stress diet" and thanks to walking up to 4 hours every night (depending on the sub routes available) I have since lost 55-60 lbs (depending on the amount of water weight lol) and can fit (barely) into a size 20 womens pants (mens 42 inch waist jeans). 


What I am hoping for in the next 5 weeks is not just weight loss. I want to retrain my body to eat at regular intervals, appropriate portions of food, and the right kinds of food. I want to rewire my brain from 'needing' the large amounts of carbs to accepting healthy amounts of carbs. For many people like myself food is a true addiction, with all the brain chemical imbalances and everything. Not exactly like, but similar to "pot heads" or people who are hooked on heroine, nicotine, caffeine, etc. The body comes to recognize that "drug" and regulates so that if that drug is taken away it will go through withdrawals, which depending on the drug can be life threatening. The most difficult part of having a food addiction is that a person literally CANNOT live without food. Food is a requirement for sustaining life on this insanely beautiful planet. So there becomes a fine balance of the right amounts of the right kinds of food that a person must ingest to become and remain healthy. For a food addict their body "craves" carbs and processed sugars which triggers such brain chemicals as dopamine which can cause a euphoric state, or have an anti-depressant effect on the emotions. Needless to say I have quite a mental AND physical battle on my hands. 


Thankfully, I have the strength of Christ, the support of family and friends, and a wonderful Health Coach to keep me going. That's not to say that I won't have moments when I cheat or backslide. As with any addiction that is to be realistically expected. It is whether or not I get back on track that counts. This is my journey to Better Health & Happiness. Please join me, you will see me as I really am, don't put me on a pedestal because I WILL take a nose dive just to prove I am not perfect. Please don't have expectations of me being politically correct or socially acceptable; this journal/blog will not be either. It will be me. It will be the truth. It will be MY reality. I look forward to your comments regardless of how they may seem (negative, positive, condemning, supportive), I know that each one will in some way motivate me to continue on this journey. So I thank each and every one of you for your input, support, prayers, and love. Lets walk this together and may we together find Better Health & Happiness in our own way and in our own time.


Hugs,
me