I shared in a blog post and a few times on Instagram that I’ve been working on my health and fitness behind the scenes. A bunch of people have asked if I would share what changes I’ve made, so here are the details…
If you’ve followed my blog for a few years, you know I’ve shared things I’ve done along the way to lose weight and get/stay in shape. I’ve done P90x, Insanity, Whole30, and WW to name a few. I’ve been a yo-yo dieter since I was 15 years old and it’s done some damage to my self-esteem and how I view myself. I dieted when I didn’t need to diet, saw myself as fat when I wasn’t fat, deprived myself of food, and abused myself with exercise.
I was at a pretty balanced and healthy place at the end of 2019 and then my eating and exercise went off the rails with the pandemic and various health issues like major shoulder & bicep surgery and a broken foot that took almost a year to fully heal. It wasn’t one big thing, but a lot of little things that led to five pounds here and five pounds there.
At the beginning of this year, I was the heaviest I had ever been and I was uncomfortable and out of shape, but being skinny wasn’t enough of a motivation to start exercising and change my eating. I had played that game for too many decades and I knew I never felt skinny enough. I was resigned. In February, though, I had my yearly checkup and my blood pressure was high as well as my cholesterol. Those have always been normal my whole life and I had taken it for granted. It was the motivation I needed, though. It wasn’t about being skinny but about being healthy. And not just healthy in an abstract sense, but I had hard numbers I needed to turn around and a deadline before my doctor would put me on medication.
I made the decision to make this a personal project and not share it on social media as I have in the past. I didn’t want that added pressure and, honestly, I didn’t even know what I would’ve said about it if I wrote a post in March. I just needed to do it for me.
So, here is what I’ve been doing. It’s the boring, slow kind of weight loss. It’s just watching what I eat and moving more, but it’s been effective, balanced, sustainable, and kind to my body. I’m not trying to reach a specific goal weight or clothing size. I just want to feel good, be in shape, and get better results on my bloodwork.
Hoka shoes | leggings (watch for sales) | UPF moisture-wicking tunic
walking
I know from history that I can really get carried away with exercise. It can easily slide into self-abuse. There was a time when I would go to the gym for four hours to do two fitness classes, an hour on the treadmill, and an hour of weights. Some days I played tennis on top of that. It was pretty insane for someone who wasn’t training for anything. In addition to being the heaviest I’d ever been earlier this year, I had also never been so out of shape. Walking a mile was a challenge. Walking up a gentle hill was hard. It was discouraging and embarrassing and I didn’t even know how I’d be able to go to Europe again (there is always a lot of walking involved in those trips!)
But, I started where I could. I started by walking a mile, which was hard, and trying to move around enough to get 10,000 steps daily.
I kept adding more roads, loops and laps through the neighborhood until I was walking two miles and then three. I walk three miles most days because I can do it in a little less than an hour and it’s a solid workout but not excessive. If the weather is really delightful or I’m listening to something I’m enjoying then I might walk 3.5 – 4.5 miles. If Jeff walks in the evening, I’ve been walking with him to add on another mile or two.
When my foot was broken and then very slow to heal, I got in the habit of asking Jeff and the boys to carry things for me and save me trips up and down steps, but I don’t do that anymore. My foot is fully healed and my balance is back, so I need to take every chance to add in exercise throughout the day. I view gardening and work around the house as a two-fer. I get things done and I’m getting steps. I’m now averaging almost 14,000 steps each day and have gotten over 21,000 steps many days.
In addition to losing weight and being able to physically do more, I’ve lowered my resting heart rate from over 80 beats a minute to 68. This has been a huge victory because I often felt like my heart was racing when I was just sitting around. It was concerning and didn’t feel good. My blood pressure is also back in a normal range.
whole foods
Getting control of my diet was the biggest change I could make to lower my cholesterol. I had fallen into the habit of eating whatever I wanted when I wanted, and how much I wanted. We ate out a lot during our move and when we first moved into our new house and I didn’t even make an effort to order things that were healthy. I indulged way too often and rarely checked myself. The most disappointing thing for me was that I knew better.
I needed an overhaul. After years of counting calories, I was pretty resistant to tracking everything I put in my mouth again, so I started simply by eating real, whole foods. I’ll share some of my favorite simple whole-food meals in a separate post, but I keep it basic and I repeat the things I like best. I do that no matter how I eat, so once I find my go-to meals, it becomes much easier to keep up the habit.
I eat food that is as whole and natural as possible. That’s a lot of vegetables, fruit, nuts & seeds, whole grains, whole dairy, and lean meats. I also only drink water. I told you, it’s all pretty boring. I’m not perfect, though. My regular non-whole-food treats are Cheez-Its and 72% dark chocolate.
I follow a few of my own “food rules”, too.
I have to eat vegetables with every meal, even breakfast. This has helped me so much with feeling full and satisfied. And, I really love vegetables so there really are no excuses.
I try to eat between 10:30/11 am – 7 pm. This isn’t hard and fast, but it helps me to have an eating start time and a cut-off time most days and it gives my body 15-16 hours of fasting. Most of all, it prevents me from mindless snacking.
Limit wheat to once a day. My favorite foods are bread and pasta and they are my downfall. I would eat them all day if I could but I know I do better when I limit them to once a day. I still get to enjoy the foods I love while staying balanced. As with other things, this is true most days, not every day.
Only eat a treat when it’s worth it. When there is something I’m really craving or excited about, then I’ll eat it. If I feel neutral about it, I’ll decline.
tracking
I resisted tracking my food, exercise, and weight for a while, but I knew it was important so I started tracking when I felt ready. I had already lost about seven or eight pounds when I started entering my meals, tracking my weight, and logging my exercise daily. I have been using the Noom app and, when I initially signed up, it was free through my health insurance plan. I have to pay for it now, but I have continued to use it because I’m used to it, I have custom meals and recipes created (which makes logging quick), and I like their “coin system.” I also like that they keep adding new tools and features and will offer as much or as little community, support, and one-on-one coaching as I want.
A few other things that have helped me…
I’m okay with it being slow. I’m trying to look at where I’ll be in a year, not next week. I’ve lost an average of a pound a week and that adds up!
I’m committed to the process and the results will be whatever they are. I honestly can’t control how much weight I lose, when I plateau for a couple of weeks, when my body will stop losing weight, or whether my efforts will lower my cholesterol. I can control walking each day, eating whole foods, and tracking my food. My body will do what it does. I don’t have a goal weight. I have a goal lifestyle.
I focus on what I do most days, not every day. I don’t have to be perfect. I eat out or have a treat when it’s worth it, but I don’t go overboard and binge eat on “treat days.” I’ve lost steadily with this mindset and it’s been very balanced. I even lost weight on trips by keeping my activity up and making good food choices.
I still have more weight I’d like to lose, so I’ll keep focusing on making those good choices each day. I’ll get my cholesterol checked again in a couple of months so we’ll see how that’s coming along…
Let me know if you have any other questions or if you’d like to share your own experience. I know I’m not alone.
33 Responses
Marian, what an inspiration! Getting healthy this year has been a focus for me, as well, and this post has sparked some motivation I needed to stay the course. Thank you!!
I so can relate. With my diagnosis of RA and the many issues of inflammatory disease and meds, this is a struggle. I gave up wheat long ago as it is a food that raises my histamines and inflammation. That said, I was still struggling to lose. I tried Noom and it did make me more conscious. I didn’t keep up though. Now I’ve started WW as I wanted to concentrate on whole foods too. It definitely makes you aware of high fat, high sugar and highly processed foods. Good luck on your journey. Movement helps so much and right now I am struggling with that due to joint pain. I am deep into hand therapy(as an artist you can understand how limitations of my hands is alarming) and PT for my knees. Oh how I’d love to just walk and not think about the RA. Enjoy it!
Molly –
I was diagnosed with RA over 20 years ago (I’m now in my mid-60’s). I’ve learned a few tricks. Rest when you need to rest. Ask for help. Review all your medicines annually with your general practioner and your rheumatologist. And most importantly, learn to say no without feeling guilty.
And one more thing, keep up with dental and eye exams. People with RA often have serious problems with dry eyes and mouth.
Best wishes with your health.
After 1 year of walking almost every day between 3 and 6 miles, and tracking what I ate in “My Fitness Pal” (another free app that is great!), I have lost 50+ pounds. It’s the smart way to lose…change your lifestyle and still enjoy the good life!! Good luck
You are losing weight and taking care of yourself the right way. I also had high cholesterol and eating a breakfast or snack of oatmeal ( whole oats) will bring your cholesterol down. I add some fresh fruit, a drizzle of honey and sometimes a dollop of natural peanut butter.
You are definitely doing it right this time! I, too, am the heaviest I’ve ever been, and while not obese by any means, the pandemic and more sedentary lifestyle, partnered with my love of cooking, takes its toll! I have now decided, like you, that healthy is where it’s at and the rest will follow. Good luck in your continued journey! I have been a longtime follower and fan.
I have been on a very similar journey and have lost nearly 30 pounds as well. I stick to a basic routine of waking an hour a day and am focused on incorporating as many whole foods as possible with the Mediterranean diet as my framework. By eliminating refined sugar, processed foods and unhealthy ingredients, like seed oils, I dropped 8 pounds in less than 2 weeks. From there I have also maintained a steady weight loss of one pound per week. I remain as disciplined as possible but do enjoy life when dining out and vacationing. My goal is a lifestyle change, no at diet so that my new habits are sustainable. I would highly recommend Dr Mary Claire Haver’s online class as it really helps to explain how negatively the foods which are bad for us impact our health. That was enough to motivate me!
Thank you. I broke my foot a couple of months ago, some mix ups with my dr. had a derecho and a hurricane, no power for 6 days … all withing six weeks. but ..I finally know what it is. I am not restricted,, just a medical shoe, but the emotional part has me down, thank you for your words and inspiration.
Starting again today. I appreciate your timing always.
Marion, Thank you so much for sharing about your eating healthy, exercising & taking care of your body! I feel so grateful for your generosity of spirit. I have struggled with weight my whole life. I am an emotional binge eater. You have inspired me to begin eating whole foods. smaller portions & exercising. I look forward to your recipes. Thank you!
Thank you for sharing this, Marian. It is inspirational and helpful. My elder daughter has lost a ton with the Noom app. Maybe it’s time I look into getting it as well.
please be careful with Noom! it has some disturbing info in it’s teaching and a dear (elderly) friend of ours nearly died from depression while trying to follow it long-term! do some research on it before deciding if it’s right for you, Michelle.
Yeah, I take it all with a grain of salt. I did their “lessons” for several months but now I just use it to enter my food, track my weight, and log exercise. I do look at macros, but I don’t make that my number one focus. I think you have to approach any program as a tool, not an end-all-be-all.
Who cares if it’s boring if it’s working and you’re sticking with it; well done! I’ve started rebounding but with baby bounces. My feet don’t leave the mat at the same time and I have a safety bar I hang onto like salvation. I’m your Grandmother’s age, in the last year plus have had terrible health problems I’m still fighting but…baby steps.
You have inspired me. I need to get healthier and walking has always been relaxing for me but I’ve gotten out of the habit (too hot). But I’m going to try to start either earlier or later in the day. Thank you/
I’ve got the exercise component in place but restricting my food choices is a little harder. I’ll lean into whole foods. I do substitute raw spinach for pasta, so that’s a start.
I can do this. It’s just harder as I get older.
Thanks for the tips and inspiration.
Good for you for regular exercise. Don’t think of it as restricting foods, instead think of all the new things you can add to what you eat. So many beautiful fruits, vegetables, loads of different varieties of whole grains and beans/legumes, seeds, nuts (in moderation), mushrooms, etc. There was a world of options in the grocery stores that I never even experienced or ate regularly before I went whole food, plant based and minimized the highly processed foods. I made major lifestyle changes three years ago at 57 and I am in better health and shape and maintaining a good weight that I never could manage when I was eating the standard American diet. subbing spinach for pasta is a great idea! It is never too late!
Marian, first of all, Congratulations! That’s a lot of weight to lose! And you’re so not alone. I met with a weight loss clinic just today for help with a plan to help me lose. I have upcoming bunion surgery which will have me laid up from normal activity for some time. I’m already feeling like you described you felt at the first of this year- now the foot surgery. Ugh. The doctor I met with suggested weight training even if it’s just upper body and meeting with a dietician. I’m also going to back to WW because I like the app for tracking. I’ve battled my weight long enough that weight loss medication isn’t off the table, either. I want to age healthy, too.
I’ve been doing the therapy pool to get my heart rate up while not irritating the bone on bone in my big toe. If you have access to a pool there are many great ways to exercise in it that take the physical load off of body parts that can’t handle it, while still getting in resistance training and elevated heart rate
I may look into a local pool after healing. Great idea. Thank you!
I have medically diagnosed eating disorders in my past, And for a long time I thought “fat but fit” was the only way to go. That worked well until it didn’t; when my metabolic numbers went south and then I was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes in January 2017 I knew things had to change. I worked with a dietitian until the pandemic, lost a lot of weight by trying to keep my carbs under 175, and got my a1c down, and have kept it below 6.5, often below 6.2. without medication. It’s just become second nature now. I choose to get almost all my carbs from bread, because I love it, and am fortunate to have a BFF who’s an artisanal baker.
As my dietitian said, eat the carbs you really, really want. Another excellent piece of advice was to buy things that come in ones. One croissant from my friend, not a bag of Oreos. One ice-cream cone (one dip), not half a gallon for the freezer.
Moving enough has been more difficult since I retired, since I’ve had to have a hip replacement in2021, and a knee last year, but I started birding again, and am out in the woods with my dog and my binoculars most days. It’s not cardio, but it’s not sedentary, either. And with my new joints I can run again, so I’m back to doing Agility with my dog, which I had given up in 2011.
All the best to you. Focusing on the numbers was a great help to me, and, I hope, to you.
I was 1 of your followers that asked for details thank you so much. I am going to implement the tips you have shared with us. Again thank you so-so so-so much
I would so appreciate any recipe help you can post. I’ve come to the conclusion that eating out is my calorie trigger. I try to be mindful of my choices but when I see something on the menu that sounds delish I lose by focus. As long as I keep to basic foods, protein, vegetables and a simple salad I’m good. I so would like to get off medication.
Thank you for this encouragement! I just joined WW in June (app only now) and I was feeling a little discouraged in how slow it was going because I had successfully and quickly and “painlessly” lost about 20 lbs in approximately 6 months following an alternate day intermittent fasting plan. (In 2020, just as pandemic hit, totally by coincidence!) I’ve put some of that lost weight back on and trying to go back to the same plan was not working this time for some reason. Finally joined WW as I had seen how successful some friends were. It’s finally slowly coming off now after 6 weeks, but on Sunday we leave for a 2 month road trip across Canada! I’m very nervous about that!! I do plan to do as much activity/walking as I can when we stop and also be mindful of what I eat, but it’s still a little anxiety producing! I needed to hear someone else’s story, though, and I thank you!
Good for you! Something to think about. If you losw a pound a week in a year you would lose 52 pounds!
Congratulations on your healthy lifestyle change. I have been doing the same thing since January. I have lost 40 pounds so far (20 to go) until my goal. I have also been getting in my steps each day. I am doing WW and tracking my food. I was also at the highest weight I have ever been and said enough is enough. It was different this time though. I have done Weight Watchers many times and always lost weight but then I would “go off” plan and gain my weight back plus. This time I realize this is the way I have to eat the rest of my life. I turned 63 in June and I do not want to be immobile or have to take medications. I also look at it as a lifestyle change to get and stay healthy. It really has not been that hard. Good luck to you to keep motivated.
Everything you are doing sounds great. I would also recommend getting a copy of The Pegan Diet by Dr Mark Hyman. It’s more a life-style diet than just a diet and really easy to follow. And he is so positive. I’ve always eaten healthy food, just too much, and when I retired, I ballooned up. Due to heart issues (A-fib), I can’t do much in the way of exercise so six months ago I started cutting back on what I eat and I’ve lost at least a pound a week and I’m just starting Xi Gong for the movement benefits. The biggest thing is eliminating wheat and added sugar, for healthy and weight reasons.
Keep on. You’re doing great.
Good for you girl! Your story is my story and now that I’m older it is even harder to lose weight! I definitely need to track what I eat and walk even more than I already do. Thanks for the motivation and congrats on all your hard work!
Congratulations! I am sure how you feel is more than enough reward. You have done this in the most sensible way possible. I haven’t been walking this whole summer, and despite doing heavy yard work multiple times per week, I have still managed to gain several pounds! I’ll take this as a reminder that I need to get those walks back into my schedule. When it comes to food, my motto is always this: “Eat everything in as close to its original growing form as possible, the way God made it.” Foods that have ONE ingredient, themselves. YOU should be the processor (chop, blend, cook, etc.). Eat as many vibrant colors as possible. And I love how you have just focused on the steady, gradual improvement over time. This is the best way to change your health for the better. I would bet that a lot of your previously “diagnosed problems” will go away on their own!
This is great info. Thank you so much for sharing. I have always enjoyed your recipes, so this will help me focus on healthy (healthier) eating. I will be watching for follow up posts! I had to chuckle when you mentioned the Cheez-Its: I laugh at myself when I have a binge, and refer to Cheez-Its as “maybe my favorite food group”!
In more ways than one: what an inspiration you are to us all. Many thanks!
I know I don’t get enough veggies in my diet. Can you give some details on how you incorporate them into breakfast?
It is refreshing to read your blog. Struggles are real, and we all have them. I enjoy reading about your talents, but more importantly you don’t sugar coat your not so perfect life, this is something we all can relate. Thank you!
This sounds so much like my story. After breaking both hips within a year and during the pandemic, I fell into the mode of not doing anything. In January I just thought I am tired of feeling like this and have been doing exactly what you described. I’ve lost 42lbs and have bèen able to pretty much stay within a 5 pound range of that by just being careful. Good luck on your journey. It might be boring but it works!!!
Marian,
I read this post with interest as I am attempting to ‘get ahold’ on my weight and health. I used Optivia for a couple of years now, and while I lost about 50lbs, I always as an excuse to NOT transition to learning how to eat normally without the fuelings…..AND along with my trepidation I began to get really tired of the food and restrictions that came with it. So I began ‘taking a break’ on the weekends and I went wild! Now I find myself 20 heavier than I was, and my bloodwork came back that I was on the verge of having to take B12 injections, plus my A1C was up by several points. That brings me to now and reading your post. I have in the past eaten the way you are, and ‘moving’ more and more regularly and had success, albeit more slowly, but certainly progress and mirrored ‘real life’. So, I’ve said all of that to say, you’ve inspired me to try again, but in a way that works well for me, not some ‘plan’. Thank you for that! I look forward to your recipes!