Did I do it right? (this is long)

[skatie0569]

Hi all,
I was hoping someone could offer me an opinion on this.
About 5 years ago I embarked on a total change of life, I quit eating fatty foods and lots of sweets.. cut my fat intake down to about 20g a day from what was probably 6-8 times that previously
(I really had a self indulent lifestyle!) and I began walking every day.
With the low fat foods came all the fruit and veggies that then dominated my diet and my eating was quite clean.
I ate according to need as opposed to what time it was although I always quit eating at 7.30pm religiously. I never cheated.
After a time the weight fell off (I was 255lb after having 4 kids and living as I was)and after 7 months I had lost 95lb weighing in 160lb.
Now, in order to lose this much weight I had to exercise quite a lot which wasn't a problem as I loved it.
I walked a lot. At first I walked for 45 mins but these walks sometimes lasted up to 2 or three hours if I went somewhere for a day (I don't drive so I walked everywhere I wanted to go) I likened this to what I could expect being a marathon walker.
I also speed skated up to 2 times a week and this was very physically demading.
After all the work I put in I lost my period for a time.(it came back after I eased up a little)
In short.. I ate when I was hungry (putting away a huge bowl of soup and toast after a walk for example.. I am a big eater) and I continued to be very careful with fat. (I now know more about my Omega's and such though.)
Now I am a very big girl (my hands are huge) all my family are big boned in the truest sense.. my mother had large muscles in her arms and I take after her as do others in my clan.
I have never actually tried to build muscle before so this will be quite new to me.
What I am concerned about after such a long winded entry (sorry!)is that I want to continue walking like I did before as well as doing Cathes workouts and I think the way I ate before is quite favourable to my metabolism because I did drop the weight fast.
I have just finished a 2 year stint of nursing my young child through brain cancer and am back in the worse shape of my life.
It is time to do something for me and my instincts tell me to do what I did before.
Do you think that I lost the weight the right way before?
I know it was quite fast but surely your body WILL react that way when you suddenly remove all the cakes and sweets and greasy foods you were previously consuming and then push it physically.
I am aware of the possibility of muscle wasteing and the like.. maybe my muscles were more akin to endurance.
Oh well, I'd love to know someones perspective.
I got a lot of critisism from people who thought I starved my self (no way!) or did it wrong.
I have to start this soon as I am very unhappy about my current state. Having my little girl April in great shape certainly makes it all worthwhile though!
Thanks all.. again.. sorry if it was too long.
Kelly

 

[lorihart]

Hi Kelly,
Its nice to hear from you.Sorry to hear about your daugther..but so happy that she is recovering.Its bad enough when things like that happen to grownups but children are so helpless.
Anywho......
With that said,I think starting off again is a great idea.If I went through emotional and pysically what you just went through,I don't think I would be in the best shape of my life either.There are priorites.
The way you dieted was the way I dieted in the past.I thought the less amount of fat the better.And I lost weight,not fast but over time.I think the way you dieted was fine.Just make sure that you are actually eating enough calories,you probably weren't b/c you opted for veggies and fruit most of the time.When I ate low-fat,I wouldn't eat a egg to save my life but now I do.I just have a couple of egg whites in there with it.Make sure you gt enough high fiber carbs and lean meat as well.It also helps to eat every 3 hours.
Moderation to anything is the key.If you eat healthy and exercie you will see results.A good program for you to check out would be fitday.com.You can type in your activites and food for that day and you can see how many calories you have eaten.I am not sure if it tells you how many calories you need though.
Did you do any weight training before?If not,mix that up a little to.Weight lifting is great for women.
Hope I helped a little.I am sure you will get more advice then this to.
Lori

 

[gogigi]

Kelly,
I will let others who have a lot more knowledge comment on the diet and exercise, but I want to wish you the best. You did it before and you will do it again. Also, I pray that your child continues to have good health. I'm so thankful and happy for you and yours that you have made it through this difficult time. Keep us posted on your progress and good luck!
Angela:7

 

[hippahips]

Hi Kelly, first of all let me just say how awed I am by your story, especially with your nursing your daughter through brain cancer. I wish both of you the best, healthwise.

You did lose weight fast. If you follow the guidelines of not losing more than 2 lbs. per week, you "should've" lost only a maximum of 56 lbs. in 7 months. But looking at your exercise routine, I think you did very well, walking and speed skating. Since you walked everywhere, and walking is a great fat burner (plus you drastically cut down your fat intake), you probably burned a lot more than you bargained for. I'm not a medical professional and can only tell you what I think based on my experiences and those of people I know. Walking and running are incredibly wonderful workouts. Cheap and easy. My husband, who started running six weeks ago, immediately lowered his cholesterol and got it back to normal. Immediately. That was how fast his body responded to running. What kills me is how his obliques are now starting to show. He DOESN'T DO any ab work. Having said that, I think that your body may have responded in a similar manner to all your walking and speed skating.

Did you feel good about how you lost weight before? Could you say that your energy levels, concentration and feeling of wellbeing improved a lot? Was it something that you could conveniently insert into your daily life and keep on doing for years and years? If so, then stick to what works. I can only add two things: consider doing some weight training and try eating more lean protein. Weight training helps you build muscle. The more muscle you have, the more fuel you burn even when you're resting. Lean protein helps you rebuild the muscle you break down when you exercise. It (together with good fat) also slows down the release of insulin in your body.

Good luck to you and your daughter.

Pinky

 

[clareMc]

Kelly:

Pimky's response is perfect.

You are such a devoted mother. I am im awe. More power to you. Now, it is time to concentrate on yourself. Trust your instincts for what works for you a,d only ever ask yourself the question Pinky posed: am I healthy and have lots of energy on this particular regimen?


If the answer is yes, you are doing just fine. Adjust the fitness and diet program over time as required. And please come back in a few month's time and let us know how you are doing.

Good luck,

CLare

 

[skatie0569]

Hello again,
Thank you for your replies.. you have made my heart so warm reading them.
I have been waiting for the best time to start doing something for myself because I was feeling that I was doing everyone a disservice if I stayed heavy and got sick.
I am a single parent to 4 daughters and of course, there's April who's 10 now and doing fine.
Her scans and check ups are now every 12 weeks, her hair is growing back (although she'll have permanent baldness in parts) and she's finally putting on a little weight.

I thank you for the sage advice regarding how to judge if what I am doing is best for me. When I lost the weight it came off effortlessly. The only pain I felt was saying NO to the garbage food.
I kind of felt that I needed more protein this time around as after I lost the weight my hair was lifeless where it had always been my best feature.
Because my girl will need regular monitering of her hormones and personal growth after such heavy chemotherapy I think I will have to learn more about how your diet and nutrition affects these things in the long term.

I've had PH and PUL on my shelf just waiting to be used but didn't have the energy or resolve to do it. But I'm feeling better now.
I shall definitely keep you posted as to how I am doing.
Thank you all for your encouragement and kind words..
I appreciate it so much.
Kelly

 

[icklemoley]

Your story made me cry. You have so much stregth and courage, i don't even know you yet i feel proud of you. I really hope health and happiness follow your daughter. I really, really do.

I think you probably lost the weight in a good way, though 20g of fat is very low, but everyone is different. For me i need to eat food that i love, that includes sweets, etc...but i always eat the good stuff too. I have no doubt that you will get back on track, get your body back in the shape it was and live a healthy happy life with your beautiful daughter x

Wishing you so much

Wayne.
x