‘Your Last Diet’: Starting Step 2 Plus Why I Am Overweight

As I continue polishing Step 1 of 'Your Last Diet' by Kathleen DesMaisons, I'm ready to start Step 2.

If you're read my previous posts, Step 1 is to "eat breakfast with protein." This needs to be done within an hour of getting up. Why? So that your body does not feel like it is in starvation mode which would cause it to cling to your fat cells.

Please note: You can read more details about Step 1 by reading any of my four previous posts (see links near the end of this article) or by clicking on one of Kathleen DesMaisons' articles or websites included in the resource section at the end of this article.

Step 2 of 'Your Last Diet'

Step 2 of Kathleen DesMaisons' 'Your Last Diet' is "Journal what you eat and how you feel."

Since I think best by writing my thoughts, this step really capitalizes on one of my strengths.

The author suggests you keep track of every bite of food you put into your mouth. Then you monitor how that food made you feel emotionally and physically. Naturally, you also would list the date and timing of these meals.

For example, I used to eat cookies or a piece of cake or something sweet for breakfast. I would enjoy it very much at the time of eating it. Then I would notice that maybe thirty minutes later, I might be almost falling asleep in my computer chair. I guess I was having a sugar crash or something similar. I am NOT diabetic, by the way.

I've noticed that since I've been striving to polish Step 1 by including a protein and a complex carbohydrate in my breakfast, I remain alert and awake for a really long time.

That shows me that there is a lot of merit in this nutritional food plan.

This morning, I enjoyed eating what I call "Breakfast combo #5: Fruit-flavored low fat Yogurt mixed with Flax Seed & Whey Protein; Almonds; and Gatorade." (See article number 4 for more details).

Due to being only eight days away from my breast reconstruction surgery using my tummy fat, my appetite is really small. I was only able to eat less than half of one serving; however, I still feel awake and alert even so. I've put the rest away to eat tomorrow. Additionally, I've lost an additional 1 ½ pounds since yesterday.

By the way, the surgery I received on January 24, 2012 was called Pedicled TRAM Flap Surgery.

Why have I lost 11 ½ pounds in 8 days?

There are probably three reasons:

(1) I have barely been hungry since getting surgery on 1-24-2012.

(2) I don't have a bunch of bandaging covering my body any longer.

(3) The swelling is going down; plus, I am still draining blood into the two drain bags attached to the incisions on each hip.

My former defeatist attitude

I am so grateful to have discovered Kathleen DesMaisons' food plan at this particular time in my life. I obviously have a lot of food issues to work through since I am still 73 pounds overweight.

Like so many others, I have tried multiple different diets throughout my life with short-lived success or outright failure.

The biggest thing that made me want to give up in the past was that no matter how many pounds I lost and no matter how much I exercised, I was still facing people accusing me of looking pregnant due to the backward curvature of my lower spine and the excessive tummy fat that just would not go away. This particular feature of my body inspired a defeatist attitude. I would think, "I might as well eat whatever I want since nothing I do is going to make that tummy fat go away anyway."

Making lemonade out of lemons

I would never have requested to have breast cancer. I certainly would never have wanted to lose my hair and my breasts. The hair eventually grew back on its own. Not so the breasts. Getting them reconstructed was my only option.

Breast cancer is not a gift you would choose, but it has been a gift in several ways. For example:

* I didn't have to shave my legs for six months.

* My acne cleared up on its own.

* I've learned a lot about strength and courage and the importance of maintaining a positive attitude and a good sense of humor (even if it's only gallows humor).

* I've met the most incredible people: in person and on-line who have been a real support for me through this breast cancer journey.

* My marriage and family ties are even stronger than they were before.

* I've learned so much about the power of prayer.

…

* Now I can add to the list that I have received larger breasts than I had before, and I have finally lost my tummy fat.

What caused me to become overweight in the first place?

I was a 'stick' growing up. In college, I wore a size three blouse and size five pants. My friends jokingly appointed me the head of the 'itty bitty titty committee'. It was not until I was 22 that I finally acquired some curves.

In college, I walked or biked to classes and to visit friends. I hiked, biked long distances, and attended dances. Without even trying, I got plenty of exercise.

My first two years out of college, back when I worked as an elementary school teacher in St. Louis, I got a lot of exercise keeping up with my students. I also would go disco dancing two to four times a week. I would easily dance 90 minutes of fast dances at a stretch and then go home and off to bed.

Once I moved back to Tennessee in 1982, I became a lot more sedentary.

Center Street Restaurant

After being laid off from my teaching job in St. Louis due to school closures, I returned to Tennessee where my parents and younger brother was located. Since I couldn't find a teaching job that first year, I worked as a Hostess and Assistant Manager at the former restaurant called Center Street Restaurant.

I worked the lunch shift. Then I would return for the dinner shift. I was given free meals plus a considerable discount on their mile-high meringue pies for both shifts.

I can remember being absolutely overwhelmed at the quantity of food the cook would give me. I would have to beg to receive smaller portions. Over the course of that year, my capacity to eat larger portions grew. Eating two pieces of pie each day did not help either.

I returned to teaching elementary school the following few years. That helped to keep me in shape to an extent. Nevertheless, my weight and curves slowly began to increase.

A romantic mistake backfired big time

In 1985, I met my first husband. My weight was actually ideal for my height. It is actually the weight I would currently like to return to. On the other hand, my fiancé was rather overweight.

I don't recall the name of the diet. But I figured if I stressed that we both had pounds to lose, he wouldn't get his feelings hurt. It was one of those diets where you are only allowed a limited number of calories per meal. It was so restrictive that I put my body in crisis.

Thus, began that whole yo-yo dieting process where you lose some, go off the diet, gain all the pounds back that you lost, plus receive a bonus prize of several more pounds.

When food became love

We married in 1987 and stayed together for eight years. During that time, I got my masters in Elementary Education with a specialization of storytelling. I began my full-time storytelling career in August of 1989.

He was a very nice man; however, the only thing he and I had in common was going out to eat. I found the marriage to be rather lonely. I went up four pants sizes during that marriage. Food became love for me.

Stress and divorce makes a great diet

We divorced in 1995. I moved to Chattanooga, TN and returned to teaching. Storytelling had to be relegated to part-time.

I taught in an inner city school that was extremely stressful. The divorce was stressful as well. I basically lost my appetite and had to force myself to eat. Without even trying, I ended up losing 40 pounds.

Awkward pregnancy questions

I have never been pregnant; however, I am a very proud aunt. But from the time I was about 35, I have had friends who had not seen me in a while, "When is your baby due?"

I would have to say, "I'm not pregnant. I'm just fat." It was embarrassing for them. It was embarrassing for me.

I stopped wearing my favorite styles of clothes as they would make me look even more pregnant. It was very frustrating and discouraging.

Gaining all that weight back plus more

As the years passed, I gained all those pounds back plus more. By the time I was 51 and first diagnosed with breast cancer, I weighed a little more than twice what I weighed in undergrad college. I had actually gained an entire person.

It is my hope that 'Your Last Diet' by Kathleen DesMaisons will help me lose that 'extra person' who has been inhabiting my body for almost thirty years.

To be continued …

Past Weight loss articles

1. 'Your Last Diet': Working Step 1 : Do you consider yourself to be overweight? Have you tried all kinds of diets only to have them all eventually fail? That is certainly the case with me. Join me as I work step one of 'Your Last Diet' created by Kathleen DesMaisons.
2. 'Your Last Diet': Step 1's Breakfast Adventure Part 1 : In my efforts to work step one of 'Your Last Diet' developed by Kathleen DesMaisons, I began experimenting with several recipes in my effort to create the most ideal sugar-free breakfast cookie filled with protein and carbohydrates. Read what happened.
3. 'Your Last Diet': Step 1's Breakfast Adventure Part 2 : In my efforts to work step one of 'Your Last Diet' developed by Kathleen DesMaisons, so far, I've found 3 nourishing breakfast combos that work for me. Read about liquid protein and steel cut oats.
4. 'Your Last Diet': Step 1 plus Breast Reconstruction Surgery: The timing couldn't be better. Protein is needed for Step 1 and to help my skin heal after Breast Reconstruction surgery using tummy fat. I've lost 10 lbs.
5. 'Your Last Diet': Starting Step 2 plus why I am overweight: As I continue polishing Step 1 of 'Your Last Diet' by Kathleen DesMaisons, I'm ready to start Step 2. Read all about it and why I am overweight. (see above)

Resources:

• Radiant Recovery website by Kathleen DesMaisons
• Amazon link: Potatoes not Prozac by Kathleen DesMaisons, Ph.D., Addictive Nutrition
• Kathleen DesMaisons' Radiant Recovery website: Potatoes not Prozac by Kathleen DesMaisons, Ph.D., Addictive Nutrition
• Amazon link: Your Last Diet by Kathleen DesMaisons, Ph.D.
• Kathleen DesMaisons' Radiant Recovery website: Your Last Diet by Kathleen DesMaisons, Ph.D.