So the failed juice fast was 9 months ago. What have I learned since then? Well I am not cut out for extremes like juice fasts. Did I lose weight on it? Not really. Did I gain lots of weight after? Absolutely. I gained about 12 pounds AFTER the juice fast in fact.
So what have I done since?
I got smart. I started seeing a Diet Coach. I started seeing a nutritionist. I started seeing a therapist. I started reading a book that helps with cognitive therapy. What have each of these professionals done for me? In a word: a lot. (ok two words)
The nutritionist was probably the least helpful. She got a rough estimate of what I eat daily, told me to eat no more than 1200 calories a day and said I wouldn't need to see her again.
To be clear. I was 220 pounds. I was doing a pretty strenuous workout routine and she wanted me to eat 1200 calories a day...ok...
The Therapist is ongoing help. I see her once a week. She has helped me realize that just because I was told that can't do things, that because I was told I'm lazy, that because I was told I was fat (all at a young age) that I don't have to be those things. She helped me mentally prepare and stick to the Couch to 5k program. She helped me realize that I have control over my own eating and my own life. That my husband is a grown ass man. If he doesn't like baked chicken breast, fresh veggies and brown rice for dinner, he can drive his ass to Carl's down the street and get himself something else. Not that I treat my husband like that...but she helped me realize that I can only be in control of myself and it's important that I take care of myself.
The Diet Coach is the most amazing professional help I've ever received. She cares. She listens. She gives honest feedback. She looked at my FitBit Dashboard and analyzed my output vs. input and explained that 1200 calories a day while running 3 miles a day is NOT healthy. In fact my weight went up a little when I stuck to the 1200. She actually cared about me. That's the most important factor. I felt like someone wanted me to succeed.
And finally the book. I am not associated with this book. I am not gaining anything from recommending this book. I simply read it, loved it, applied it and have seen results. I also showed it to the therapist who was impressed. The book is The Beck Diet Solution: Train Your Brain to Think Like a Thin Person. It is not a quick fix. It is not some amazing miracle that anyone can do in their sleep. It is a lifetime of working at changing your behavior. It is set up as a daily read that spans over 6 weeks. One of the steps is giving yourself credit. Sounds easy right? But when is the last time you gave yourself credit? Tonight I ate Domino's Pizza. I had 3 slices instead of the two I had planned. But instead of beating myself up about it, I calculated the calories, put them into my FitBit log and gave myself credit for not snacking all day. (The good news is, with my activity level I actually have calories to spare for the day) Another step is to focus on 5 pounds at a time only. This book has helped me tremendously. I have re-read certain chapters (especially Hunger, Cravings or Desire) over and over. It's a process. A lifelong process.
What else have I been doing? A completed a 5k. When I started the program I was worried about 1 1/2 minutes of running. Now, I'm running up to 4 miles at a time. My goal is a "Couch to Crazy" program. A 5k, 10k and 1/2 marathon in a single year.
So where is my weight now you ask? 200 pounds. Yes, this is only 10 pounds less than April. But you know what? It's 20 pounds less than May! And 40 pounds less than 2 years ago! I'll take it.
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