Low-carb weight loss for fab & fit mom Barbara
November 07 2007
Barbara Ling -City & country: New Jersey, USA A low-carb diet, exercise and the "I can DO this!" attitude are going a long way towards Barbara's achievement of her weight loss goal. She tells us about her dietary and physical fitness regimens, and advises people not to look for diets per se. It's better to go instead for a lifestyle change that can be followed wholeheartedly and successfully for life.
-What finally made you decide to start with a weight loss program? Actually, that was what really “turned the key” in my mind. At that point, I was well over 170 pounds on a 5’3.5” frame, and I resembled an overweight eggplant on a bad harvest day. Double-chins were immovable fashion accessories for me, and their presence made me determined never ever to look into a mirror again (I literally could not stand the “feel” of them flapping up and down). One day, I spied a candy necklace from my kids’ stash, and devoured it down. Alas (or actually to my benefit), I saw myself in the mirror by mistake, and was utterly horrified at the Monster Eggplant From Heck that I had become. That afternoon, I started my exercise program and weight loss program and haven’t looked back since. -What type of weight loss program did you follow? I also made certain to research all of the weight loss resources online, and became a community member of several super sites. These helped me continue my studies of what would work best for me. -Why did you choose this weight loss method/program? -How long were you on your weight loss method/program? -What kinds of physical activities do you like doing to maintain your weight and to stay fit? Monday: Lift weights In addition, I try to walk or jog 2.4 miles every day; it’s my daily ritual of getting in *some* exercise. I’ve been able to incorporate karate moves into my walk as well, so I’ve built up some skill in that area. Speaking of which! I have to sing the heavens and extol the virtues of martial arts for everyone (and not only those folks who want to lose weight). It helps build self-confidence, control, and is one heck of a lot of fun to boot! I’m the oldest participant in many of the classes there, and really push myself to excel. Instead of being a mommy who sits in the lobby waiting for my children to finish, I’m right there by their side, taking on all the challenges together. It’s a wonderful family activity. -What were the most difficult obstacles you had to overcome or are still overcoming? Little voices are in your surface consciousness. When you’ve internalized that there is no such things as allowing yourself to fail, it becomes much easier to silence them. -How did you keep yourself motivated? I also bought the ultimate of sexy wear – a sleeveless camouflage karate gi! My weight lifting and strength training has produced rather respectable biceps and deltoids in my arms, and I adore showing them off. They’re my one vanity. But even more important, the first time I spied myself in the karate class mirror, I realized…omigosh, I’m hot! I have a waist! And and and…it’s smaller than my rear! And my top! And the overweight eggplant has been lost to history! Can it be, can it be…I actually look like a sexy, samurai mom! Wheeeeee! -Do you have any weight loss tips for our readers? Instead, commit to a lifestyle change. Look for something that you can happily do for the rest of your life! Internalize the fact that your success is within your control…but you have to give yourself permission to take the first step and make a change. So many people decry, every diet I’ve tried has failed! The diet hasn’t failed. Instead, you have chosen that your current lifestyle is more important than losing the weight and getting healthy. That’s not a value judgment…it’s simply the facts of life. You have to take ownership of what’s truly critical to you…and then make it so. -Do you think it will be easy to fall back into your old lifestyle pattern? How do you prevent this from happening? In addition, I’ve created several posters that I’ve put on the front door where I can see them. One of them is a collage I designed from “Fiddler on the Roof” that reads, Witness The Magic… I strongly believe that as adults, many of us refuse to allow magic (the magic of wonder, the magic of weight loss, the magic of success) into our lives. And another one is a picture of a Kendo practitioner (Japanese swords) that reads, Courage Consists of Hanging One…One Minute Longer. You can interpret that as a testimony to the importance of willpower (I use it to remind myself that even if you’re petrified out of your mind, you can choose to fight through your fear. I practice Kendo myself and my first real sparring match utterly toasted my rear, allowing a huge rush of fear to suffuse my very being. But the next moment, I silently yelled to myself, I can DO this! and successfully fought through it. I’ll never forget that lesson).
-Do you have a favorite Web site or blog that helped or inspired you to lose weight? http://weight-loss.fitness.com In addition, I have to recommend Richard Simmons for those folks who are really overweight and really need support – his workout videos incorporate huge dancers (300+ pounds) and leave you thinking, heck, if they can do it, so can I! I can’t say enough good things about his support. |
