If you are 10-20 pounds away from your goal weight-the Refuse to Regain book - by Barbara Berkeley is REQUIRED READING. Really.
Read that book, adopt, try, experiment, adapt, test, reprogram, journal, blog, tweet about it. Then re-read that book at 6 months and 12 months of weight maintenance. Take what you need from it to be successful in the first year. Not your priority like weight loss was? Make it a priority. Weight maintenance is more than eating the right foods. Food has a lot to do with it, but for some, it requires more.
I blogged about how I realized that being wheat free was something I discovered that would change my weight and health forever.
This book was the second step to what I believe to be permanent weight control. I don't fit 100% into the Paleo/Primal world. I don't fit 100% into the Weight Watchers World. I do not fit into the largest groups of weight maintainers. I do fit 98% into my best health with a structured plan I set up during transition time.Still working on the 2%!
Being wheat/grain and now dairy free probably saved my life. Or avoided a string of chronic health problems. More than just weight maintenance- my overall health is much better.
Here's what worked:
1. I could read each rule, apply it to me and take what I needed.
2. It lead me to read more about Paleo/Primal eating
3. It lead me to believe in daily weighing and quick adjustments
4. It lead me to LIVE the be tough not moderate (clean eating 24/7, with an allowable food daily)
5. It lead me to plan allowable foods- basically an off Paleo food, that does not trigger me to overeat.
6. It lead me to weight maintainers blogs, for support.
7. It lead me to talk about weight maintenance to people in real life, for support.
8. It lead me to the idea of wheat and sugar being inflammatory and to realize the barrier to good health.
9. It lead me to foods that keep me well.
What did not work in the past
1. Not having a good structure and plans in weight maintenance.
2. Not optimizing my diet with foods that help me feel great.
3. Not hopping on the scale or avoiding the scale if I knew I gained. Not weighing did not solve this!
4. Eating moderately because it was within my points, I deserved it, or it was home made.
5. Eating known trigger foods. Hello? What was I thinking? What a relief not to eat that crappy food.
6. Not reading and asking questions of the maintainers who maintain like I do.
7. Not talking to people about what worked for me. Gotta share what works.
8. Continuing to eat inflammatory, obesigenic, diabetes inducing habits.
9. I went back to the foods that made me sick.
Up soon- more photos, blood work graphs- showing before weight loss, during weight loss, and on my maintenance diet. It's become about total health as much as weight maintenance.
When you uncover your own answers, the right thing really pops out. Grab it, use it. I think grain free, processed sugar free and trigger foods free is so underused. Both in weight loss and maintenance and health priorities.
I really appreciate the point you make about taking what information you need, and (implied) leaving the rest. I have always felt like a misfit on the inside, but part of me ALSO always want to hew to the party line and do things just like I am told to. It's always so tempting to throw the baby out with the bath water and say that just because a plan isn't right for me on a few counts, it isn't right at all. Very black or white thinking; hasn't helped me a whole lot in my life!
ReplyDeleteHils- I so wanted that, too. Just package up a plan and I'll do it. WW, Medifast, Counting calories, counting points, counting carbs. I'm a structure/plan sort of person- but maintenance required me to make my own plan- really custom make it. In a way- great- because I can fine tune it. In another way, really tough- I don't have that structure built and I'm somewhere in-between everybody and every thing. Good luck! :)
DeleteIf there were some sort of algorithm with a ton of details, I would feel better about it all... :)
What's that in the photo??? Alien flower!!!
ReplyDeleteNorma, this is a protea ( cousin to artichoke). I spied it with my photo taking eyes while driving along a street near the beach and pulled off, parked, and walked back to photo graph it. Stunning. Love the cool botanic finds in a place that almost never snows. Florists use these in fancy arrangements in hotels on the west coast.
DeleteI'll definitely look for this book; primal has been a god's send for me! Thx!
ReplyDeleteGwen, glad you are checking out Refuse to Regain. Primal/Paleo/Clean eating is way underused- IMO. :)
DeleteI've heard a lot about this book. I will definitely give it a look. Once I get off the last 10 pounds or so, I think I am going to go Paleo. It's very similar to what I do now. Thanks for your always very informative posts Karen:)
ReplyDeleteLeigh, glad you are getting this book. Since Paleo/Primal is a template - you may be most of the way there. Even though I don't do dairy anymore (sob!- okay, I'm over it) I still consider myself primal- since I live the play in nature, lift heavy things, get good sleep mind set.
DeleteHello Karen,
ReplyDeleteI have enjoyed reading your comments on other blogs and FINALLY popped around to say hello :) I've enjoyed reading about your weight maintenance and how eliminating wheat helped in that process. I'm nowhere near maintenance but I will keep your resources in mind.
I'm your usual loser and regainer. I lost 80 pounds five years ago and gained back 70. I did it the usual way too--by eating crap but in smaller portions. This time, I'm staying away from processed food and enjoying whole foods (less grain to boot). The weight is slowly dropping, my pants are rapidly falling. I feel fantastic.
Thank you for your blog. I have it bookmarked.
Cheers,
Vanessa
I have this on my Kindle and am reading it now. Studying, as you say, for maintenance.
ReplyDeleteI, too, have recently discovered the new world of paleo/primal. I've even read a lot about low carb/high fat and am intrigued. I feel like it gives me more control over my circumstances, and is just another weight loss tool I can use to fight the battle. For so long, I tried and tried and felt helpless, because nothing worked for me. When I finally started experimenting with other things that might work (instead of sticking to things that 'should' work) I started having success. Thanks for your blog. Love it!
ReplyDeleteI can very proudly say I am a P.O.W!! (Previously Over Weight) Thank you so much for telling me about this book, Karen. In the middle of reading it now!
ReplyDeleteI just bought that book for my siser, who lost over 60 pounds last year and has gained 10 back this year.
ReplyDeleteKaren
ReplyDeleteas usual you are correct---I haven't read the book yet, it's in the cue but I have been following Barbara's blog since the beginning (or close to it)...her blog saved me and made me even more determined in 2008.