Skinny girl to fat girl and back to skinny girl - for life page 35

[June68]

Thanks so much Jenn.

After a few days of waiting I received their initial offer which isn't what it should be so I'm preparing my counter-offer. Hopefully I'll get a meeting tomorrow and they can take the weekend to come back with a response. It's an interesting dance. I've done my job and sold myself, but now we have to haggle on my price. It's funny, but an understood part of the process and I've been through it before and I'm sure this will work out. Funny to be the horse in the trade.

In the mean time I'm keeping on the Primal path. This morning after my kettlebell workout I put on a pair of smallish size 10 pants that I couldn't get over my hips 6 months ago. They're very close to fitting me. Still too tight, but I can get them on and buttoned and they don't look TOO ridiculous. Maybe another 5-7lbs and they'll fit. I never thought I'd see the day. Amazing.

My hubby ordered the Jaminet's new edition of their book Perfect Health Diet. I'll get around to reading it eventually. So far what I'm doing fits my goals and so I don't see changing anything diet or exercise-wise for a few months yet. Until I get to a weight I'm really happy with or that my body decides is where I should be. The idea of struggling and suffering against a plateau weight I like and settle into naturally isn't an attractive one. If there's an easy tweak or two, sure, I'll consider it, but starving, measuring etc...is not in the cards. I don't think I'm there yet though. I seem to be continuing to shrink.

[jenn26point2]

I've never haggled for a salary... I know it's possible when you work for a company, but working for the government, you either take it or leave it. But quite honestly, the government overpays a bit. I'm an admin assistant and have tried to get jobs in the corporate world, have asked for the same salary and was told I was asking for too much money. *shrug* I'm the lowest paid person here... and still get paid too much for the "real world". I think I'll stay put (in the public sector, anyway - I have no intentions of staying at this job forever... I've got too much education to stay here). Anyhow, good luck with the haggling!

In regard to weight... *sigh* someday I'll get my act together and things will start moving again. You're doing great! Keep it up and you'll be in those 10's sooner than you know it!

[June68]

Seems like the government sector is very different indeed. In my industry it's pretty normal to negotiate your initial package. Since sales people basically never get raises or stay anywhere long, initial salary plus vacation is important to nail down because it never changes.

But all is secure, pending a background check which won't be an issue, I'll start my job on January 2. They were able to meet all the points in my counter offer and so it's a done deal. I'm pretty psyched. It's been a long space in between jobs, but worth it now that I've landed one that won't make me want to jump off a bridge. At least not yet.

[jenn26point2]

Well, congratulations and best of luck to you!

[June68]

Lately I've been spending less and less time on the boards here and I hadn't planned on updating this, but since something rather momentous has occurred I changed my mind. Like a lot of other folks who switch to Primal, I lost patience with it for a while. I wanted quick results even though intellectually I knew it wasn't possible. Emotionally I wanted it. Needed it even. I didn't give up though and I guess that's the point of this post.

Newbies - stick with it. Be strict. Give it time.

Ok...the momentous news.

The red dress fits.
It fits!
My size 10 Eddie Bauer cords fit.
They fit.

A month or two ago, they didn't and I feared I hit a dreaded stall.

Turns out I was wrong. I'm still losing and pants I couldn't even get over my hips 6 months ago fit rather well now. My nemesis that was the red dress that I couldn't even button fits beautifully. I'm amazed and so happy that I decided to do a huge closet purge and I have an equally huge bag of things to go to Goodwill. Shoes and all. Some things I held up to me and my husband was shocked at how big some of them were. Like tents. Evidence of my hiding for sure.

So if you found this post and are thinking of going back to your old way of life - don't. Not until you've been really honest with yourself. Be strictly Primal for at least 6 months and give all the pieces a chance, not just the food. Ignore the tweaks and the hacks until you've really done the program as intended. Don't give in to sugar, wheat, chemicals or other crap you know is just making you fat and sick. Do eat lots of lovely meat...especially the fatty cuts. Do put butter on stuff. Make shakes with fruit, cream and olive oil. Roast some veggies. Enjoy what you can eat. Sleep. Find a hobby. Go on walks. Swing a kettlebell. Do pushups. Read. Have fun. Crank the stereo. Skip a meal now and again. Do it all. Just do it right and be honest with yourself when you're not. Otherwise it's too easy to just give up. And face it, you've already given up on the CW approach, why make yourself into a failure again?

This stuff works. It really does. My red dress is proof!!! My size 10 cords are proof. From size 14/16 to 10 in 6 months. Truly. I NEVER thought that would happen. I practically cried today.

I'm strictly Primal, btw. No hacks, tweaks or changes since I started. I eat more seasonally than before, but I'm still probably 25-50g of carbs per day and I drink alcohol a few times a week. I eat bacon and eggs almost every day. Plenty of protien and good fat. Some dairy and caffeine and probably too many pistachos. Nothing insane. I ate some pie crust on Christmas and I did not die, either of wheat poisoning or mental anguish. I exercise a few times a week (ok, sometimes only twice) by swinging a kettlebell and walking or hiking. On Saturday mornings (and sometimes Sunday) I fast until the afternoon. A full night's sleep still eludes me, but I put in the effort. I stay mentally active, do silly stuff and listen to a lot of heavy metal. It's fun and I love my life.

Next week I'll be traveling and will make a point to get on the scale in the hotel and I'll report my actual weight. Still no scale at home, which frankly, I think saved my sanity on this journey. Obsessively trying on my old clothes was enough to drive me nuts and I don't think I'll ever buy a scale.

So that's my post. Do the program, the whole program. Be strict. Be honest with yourself. Don't give up.

Happy New Year to all!

[Tee]

Wow, nicely done.

[jenn26point2]

Glad to see you're still seeing progress! Congratulations on the red dress. Amazing stuff.

[June68]

thanks Jenn and Tee.

I'm lounging in my size 10 pants and loving the hell out of life. I'm so happy my husband hit 201lbs because that was what put us onto this path. I never thought I'd see size 10 again. Never. Or eat bacon every day. Funny.

Anyway...I am still around, but not sure for how much longer. The new job starts Monday and I think I'll be wicked busy. So much so that I sent my oddly-behaving camera in for service. Yeah, I have a backup body, but I don't know how much serious work I'll be able to do so it seems like a good time.

Lately I've been working a 20kg kettlebell into my swings. I do 15-20 minutes with the 16kg and then another 5 with the bigger one. I feel the difference, but it's not too much and definitely helps with my grip strength. Hopefully it improves my overall strength so I can start doing Turkish Get-ups with the 16kg kettlebell. Right now I don't feel too safe with it so I'm sticking to the 25lb dumbbell. No sense starting off the new year with a crushed skull.

[jenn26point2]

I wish you luck with your new career. How exciting! And congratulations for moving up in weights. That's always exciting. I can't wait til my 12's fit me again! (I gained a little in the last few months by making poor choices). Eventually I'll be back in a 10.

[June68]

I have confidence in you, Jenn. You're determined and so I'm sure you'll get there.

Part of what I think makes this type of weight loss effective is that it does take time and I think that allows for the body to adjust to a new weight set-point. At least so far as I understand what a set-point is and why the body defends what it feels is an advantageous weight. By that I mean that if you're not forcing cellular starvation by eating nutrient-poor foods or constantly spiking insulin and fat-storage mode, sending further starvation messages to the system that regulates metabolism and weight, your body isn't so stressed and will use the food you give it rather than store it. Now that insulin has been reduced, it can. As the weight comes off, the body is still not stressed and doesn't fight the new set-point. It's getting nutrients, energy and isn't getting toxins so I think the underlying sense of health is improved. If that makes any sense. I don't think there's an intelligence or consciousness behind metabolism or the body's functionality, but I think there is an optimal target it looks for (in a sense). That's why Primal works; it optimizes everything as much as possible and so a lower natural set-point is attainable. At least that's how it seems for me and why I think keeping weight off is also attainable. My husband has lost what he needed to and is maintaining by adding sweet potatoes into his diet once a day or every other day. Eventually I hope that's me, too. Maybe by my 1 year mark.