Friday, April 10, 2009

** The “Skinny” on Dieting and Exercise

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I am a 43 year old woman who comes from a family of weight gainers. It’s called the “(insert last name here!)-BUTT”! That means we gained it in the rear area first and of course we never looked at our rears so we didn’t see the weight gain until it was too late.

I grew up watching my mother, sisters, aunts and cousins weights go up and down all the time. My mother had a closet full of pants hung in order from size 9 to size 32 and she just breezed through the different sizes, every year, like they were a smorgasbord!

My weight gain came in my late 30’s…luckily I was a “late bloomer” in that aspect. The weight gain was during Christmas one year…I will admit that I had an addition to eggnog and rum (and there are no ‘eggnog support groups’ out there, so I did have to kick this addition on my own…). I mixed and drank that evil drink like a person would drink ice tea with a sweetener during the summer…one after another. To make a long story short…I gained 30 lbs! I also should mention that I never get on a weight scale other than the one trip to the woman doctor every year…I just thought my husband was shrinking my pants in the dryer…denial!

Jumping ahead in time…exercise and diets did not and do NOT work…I don’t care who you are! I had to do something…size 5 to size 12 is not attractive, especially when it all goes to the BUTT area. The only nice thing about gaining weight is that my breast size went from a small A to a beautiful size B!!! But……the larger breasts weren’t worth the risks to my health due to the weight gain.

I have a great friend who is a personal trainer in Arizona who clued me into a way to shed weight fast and safely without a strict “eat this, eat that”. Thankfully, exercise was not a requirement….yippy!

What is this secret? PROTEIN and lots of it!

I start every day with a Whey Protein shake…a minimum of 50 grams of protein (the more, the better!). The whey powder protein is found at any Wal-Mart. Do NOT buy the premixed shakes…they contain too much sugar. Then as the day progresses, anything you eat should contain MORE protein, than sugar content (read the labels folks!). Also, remove as much white sugar and white bread as possible from your meals…throw out the buns at McDonalds and just eat the meat (if you must go there…yuk!). What other foods have good high protein in them you say? Tuna (straight out of the can…don’t add mayo!), oysters, pink salmon, peanut butter, fish, beans, nuts, bacon, eggs, white cheeses are good for you as well. If you crave anything else before dinner time, then drink another protein shake. You should be eating/drinking at least 145 grams of protein per day, always starting in the morning. Add in a multi vitamin, fish oil capsule and vitamin D…at least. Give yourself a week to get use to this high protein diet. You may feel like you are starving the first week, but let your body get use to the change and it will curb your appetite big time!

I STILL drink my skinny white chocolate double shot in the am…I STILL eat a big huge sinful dinner…I STILL drink my red wine etc…but have lost those 30 lbs in just a little over a year. I have now started a few exercise classes at the rec center…why? NOT to lose weight….but to tone up this hot 43 year old body and be ready for bikini season! (and to make people think might be in my 20’s or 30’s…LOVE being carded at the bar!!)

Maybe this is my own personal opinion….but dieting and exercise don’t work to lose weight…they are an emotional rollercoaster ride, that’s all! Change the way you eat NOW and you will enjoy your life the older you get!

HAPPY PROTEIN-ING!!!!

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Wow, I don't even know where to begin. I'm glad you found a weight loss plan that works for you, but please don't assume that what works for you will work for everyone. I know many people that were able to lose weight through exercise and changes to their diet - me included. Flat out denying that it works is only likely to discourage people from trying it, and exercise and diet are among the cheapest and healthiest ways to lose weight.

Anonymous said...

Um, what you are doing IS a diet change.

Anonymous said...

Wow what Anonymous 2 said is exactly what i was going to. You JUST did diet and exercise. I can't do the protein side, but I'm glad it worked for you.
You just needed to get fed up with being overweight long enough to stick with something, which im sure you didnt do before.
Glad you're happy...but protein isnt the way for me.

The Skinny... said...

Just to clear things up...I changed my eating habits for the past few years....lost 30 lbs....and now I'm exercising hard just to build muscle which us women lose in our 40's.

Also, every person that I've encouraged to try this direction has seen "measurable" changes within the first month...so no, maybe his is not for everyone, but the women that have chosen to follow my lead, it has worked for. And since it was recommended by a certified personal trainer...I believe in it!

Anonymous said...

I'd like to know what the other people were doing before you recommended the change. Were they just sitting on the couch eating pringles? Because...ANY change would have resulted in changes.

Many people just assume something is a miracle because it worked. When in actuality they didnt lift a finger to change anything else.

I'd like to know where the trainer is certified, where he/she works, and how many people he/she has told to do this. It's a dangerous line to cross, especially when a person could have diabetes, high blood pressure, or some other invisible medical condition.

I'm VERY glad you believe in this... but honestly, it's a diet. Many diets work. I'm a fan of good ol' exercise and eating right. Who woulda thunk that THAT also works, and is the number one thing overweight people are told to do by their doctors, family members, friends, AND personal trainers?

I should get paid for giving out that oh so secretive advice ;)

Daily Offensive (baha!) said...

Well, we apparently ruffled some feathers with this post. I'd like to try and clarify a few things.

The person that posted this is in great health. She shared what worked best for her to get her to that place. She isnt forcing you to change your diet. If you disagree, dont do it.

I know the personal trainer as well. I dont have the knowledge to tell you if he is certified or not, but I do know that he is a professional athlete, and is surrounded by certified, celebrity, trainers all the time.

Of course diet and exercise is the best route to go to get a healthy lifestyle underway, this is just a tip...and one that is pretty common among athletes.

Agreed, it can be dangerous to change your diet routine without consulting a doctor-but exercising or any kind of diet holds that risk. We should have mentioned that you should check with a doctor before altering your life. But that's a general statement. If protein was dangerous, it wouldnt be readily available, and commonly recommended.

You're also right in saying that any change is going to have results. But if you've tried several different thing without the end result you want, it's nice to hear what else is out there, right?

There wasnt any intention to insult or push this program on anybody, it's just one success story.

Nomz

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