A lifestyle change for Alyice means not only losing weight, but doing it in a healthy way

September 24 2006  

Alyice Edrich

Country: Beresford, SD, USA
Age: 38
Weight before diet: 180 lbs.
Weight now: 170 lbs.
Target weight: 135 lbs.

There are several influencing factors in Alyice's ongoing weight loss journey, which is part of her lifestyle change. She uses online and offline resources to guide her eating habits and to become more physically active. For Alyice, losing weight isn't a matter of vanity; it's about wanting to be healthy and to be there for the people she loves.
 
-What finally made you decide to start with a weight loss program?
I’ve wanted to lose weight for some time, but the honest truth is that I was too lazy to fit exercising into my lifestyle. I’m a very busy woman—freelance writer, editor, mother, wife, and publisher. While I was pretty good about watching my food intake and what types of food I put into my mouth, sitting at the computer for eight to twelve hours per day was beginning to show up in more ways than one: weight gain, heavy breathing over normal things, tiring easy on a one-mile walk, and of course health issues such as high bad cholesterol, low good cholesterol, and inability to fall asleep at night.

 
Then one day, on a routine doctor’s visit, my doctor told me that he was scared for my life. He was practically in tears as he said, "I want you to be here for your children. I don’t want them growing up without a mother." I freaked. I wasn’t that overweight. I was 5 feet, 5 inches at 180 pounds. Heck, I was wearing a size 16 and most people couldn’t even tell.
 
But sadly, I did nothing about it. Then we moved to South Dakota and a new doctor gave me the same spill. She was not happy with my test results and put me on 10 mg of Crestor, 1000 mg of Enteric Coded Fish Oil, and 500 mg of Flush-free Niacin. In a couple of weeks my bad cholesterol had dropped, but my good cholesterol refused to rise.
 
She asked if I was exercising. Not being a liar, I told her, "Nope. No time."
 
Her reply…"Make the time! Your good cholesterol is far too low and the only way to raise it is through exercise."
 
About that time, a friend of mine decided to get serious with exercise. She hired a personal trainer, and shared the tips she learned along the way. Listening to her excitement motivated me. As soon as she hit the 46 pound weight loss mark I knew it was time that I got serious.
 
-What type of weight loss program are you following?
I don’t belong to a specific weight loss program. I’m a free spirit who gets easily discouraged if I have to stick to the same boring thing day in and day out. So I use a combination of things to keep me motivated and moving at a slow, but steady pace.
 
-Why did you choose this weight loss method?
I signed up with SparkPeople.com and read their articles for personal motivation and because the articles are extremely educational.
 
I read the South Beach Diet book to help me choose healthier foods when dining out and eating at home. At first, I followed the plan rigorously and lost ten pounds in three weeks, but when I got off the plan, the weight came back because I no longer watched what I ate. Now I keep the book on my bookshelf and refer back to it whenever I need reminding of what’s a good food choice.
 
I purchased ten different exercise videos which I use on a rotating basis, depending on the mood I’m in. I’ve learned that tricking myself into completing an exercise program in ten or fifteen minutes helps me feel as though I’ve accomplished something. Then adding another segment helps me feel as though I’ve "gone above and beyond" the call of duty.
 
Just last night, I did the 15 minute Easy Walk with Dennis Austin followed by her 15 minute Power Walk which includes weight training, and then 15 minutes of abdominal exercises with Tony Little.
 
The other day, I did 15 minutes of Quick Fix: Total Cardio Kick followed by 24 minutes of Leslie Sansone’s Walk Strong video, then stretching with AM/PM For Health.
 
-How long have you been on your weight loss program?
I wouldn’t call it a weight loss program. I’d call it a change in lifestyle and I’ve been actively doing it for a couple of months.
 
I’m choosing to get more physical and choosing healthier eating habits: cutting down on fried foods to a couple of times a month, eating more fruits and vegetables and less red meat, drinking more water and juice and less ice tea (I don’t drink sodas), etc.
 
-What kinds of physical activities do you like doing to help you lose weight and stay fit?
I love to bike ride. I enjoy hiking whenever we’re near mountains—like when we lived in Tennessee.
 
-What were the most difficult obstacles you had to overcome or are still overcoming?
Making myself understand that while I felt great about who I was as a person and didn’t mind the weight gain; I needed to get physically fit so that I could enjoy my children and watch their children (when they marry and have kids) grow up into healthy adults.
 
You see most people want to lose weight because they don’t like the way they look. While it’s true that I wasn’t too keen on seeing that big stomach in family pictures, or the chubby upper arms, how I looked didn’t stop me from enjoying life so I had no motivation to lose the weight.
 
I hiked, I rode bikes, I got on amusement park rides, I went for walks around town with the kids, and I basically enjoyed a normal, everyday life. I knew that who I was as a person was not determined by what I weighed.
 
I must also say that I am blessed with terrific kids and a husband who never once saw the extra weight as a hindrance in our relationships, same with my friends. They never saw the weight, which made it easier for me not to see it, too.
 
-How do you keep yourself motivated?
I allow myself to be flexible. While I do have a set time I’d prefer to exercise, my personality is such that I really do a lot of things by how I feel emotionally. If I set my schedule to exercise at 1 p.m., but find I am on a role with a writing assignment, I don’t stop writing to exercise. Instead, I move my exercise time back to a time when I can exercise without deadlines or distractions.
 
To be honest, I used to consider this a fault. When I didn’t meet my scheduled appointment to exercise, I felt like a failure. And since I don’t like failing at things, I’d simply decide exercising wasn’t for me. I just didn’t have time for it so why bother. Today, however, I realize that was a ridiculous way to make yet another excuse to not get physically fit. So now I allow myself flexibility to work around things. As long as I get a little exercise in every single day, then I am doing great!
 
-Do you have any weight loss tips for our readers?
Be true to yourself. If you don’t like who you are on the inside, it won’t matter what you look like on the outside. If you feel something is missing in your life, take the time to discover what’s missing and work on those issues before you add weight loss to the agenda.
 
Be flexible. Exercising and dieting isn’t something you must set in stone.
If you can’t meet an obligation one day, don’t let it destroy you. It’s okay to make mistakes, it’s okay to fall of the wagon, it’s okay to be different than those around you. Do what works for you and your family.
 
Weight loss is more than dieting and exercising, it’s a way of life.
In the past, I’d exercise until I lost the weight. I went from a size 14 to a size 10 — which was my weight loss goal a few years ago by simply exercising for two hours every single day. I exercised with a friend which also made this my social outing. Once I lost the weight, I stopped exercising. My eating habits remained the same, but other than the occasional family walk or bike rides, exercise was null and void. Needless to say I gained all the weight back within 7 years.

 
-Do you think it will be easy to fall back into your old lifestyle pattern? How do you prevent this from happening?
Definitely! Every spare minute has to have a purpose and if that purpose means concentrating on something for me versus my kids, hubby, or clients, then I tend to put it off.
 
I’ve learned however, that making time for me actually makes me a happier person who can accomplish so much more in life. And I love feeling healthy. I love having more energy and that truly does come from exercising. So when I get to the point where I don’t want to exercise, I talk myself into it. Sometimes that means it takes three or five hours before I actually exercise, but at least I exercise.
 
-Do you have a favorite Web site or blog that helps or inspires you to lose weight?
Of course there’s my online journal, The Dabbling Mum Writes, where I journal about my health and fitness struggles and share information I’ve learned along the way. I enjoy the feedback from readers as it’s truly inspiring and keeps me motivated.
 
I also enjoy visiting the following websites:
SparkPeople

The Amazing Shrinking Mom
The Weigh We Were