Weight Loss Tips

A bit of background:
I'm the gal in the green shirt. I've always been the size of my tiny friend in the black shirt. That is, until Periodic Paralysis came into my life 10 years ago. As I have said before, I have two different types of paralysis episodes. For one type, I take Potassium Chloride to abort the epsiode. For the other type, I take sugar to abort the episode. I had the "sugar kind" for the first initial years. There's nothing like the process of laying in the floor paralyzed then eating sugar to abort the episode to pack on some pounds. When you repeat that process multiple times per day, every day ... you get dramatic weight gain.

My Periodic Paralysis is managed very well now and I can work on losing weight. (Previously, the moment my body got hungry, it would trigger a paralysis episode. Thus, it was a little difficult to burn the fat.) So, I had to come up with some creative tricks.

1. Eat every 2-2.5 hours.
2. Eat very small portions. I'm talking only what fits in an 8 oz coffee cup size for lunch.
3. Eat a fold-over sandwich instead of the double slice of bread sandwich. You'll cut about 40-80 calories simply by omitting that one slice of bread.
4. When eating a tuna salad sandwich, don't. Just eat your tuna with a few crackers and some grapes. Again, when you can omit the bread, you will save calories.
5. Eat only about 60-80 calories for snacks.
6. Use a saucer or child's plate for your meals. It's amazing how much easier it is to be content when your plate looks full than when you have a small portion on a huge dinner plate.
7. Eat lots of fruit and veggies to fill you up.
8. Trick yourself when your tummy feels empty and you want to snack. Drink tea or coffee or water or something to fill your stomach with less that 20 calories.
9. When eating out, eat the never ending salad beforehand (dressing on the side).
10. When your meal arrives, ask for a "to go" box and box up 2/3 of your meal.Listen to your body to find your satiation spot. For me, I unconsciously sigh when I am satisfied. If I stop at my "sigh" then 10-15 minutes later, my food has settled and I am completely satisfied. If I continue eating after my "sigh", then when my food settles I am full. (And I know my body is going to have to store that extra amount of food that I continued eating.)
11. Have a free day or free meal! Eat your favorite dessert once a week. (Just keep in mind that nothing is free in this world except God's grace. If it goes on your body, it must eventually come off.)
12. Love your body. It's reality. It's the tent you live in on this earth. If you are married, you husband hears how you talk about your body and over time, it can influence him. So, love that bod and teach the young women around you the same. For you are fearfully and wonderfully made!

This is how I look now. I'm not down to my skinny size anymore, but I'm fairly content where I am. I take medication that makes me gain weight and I have a life-altering medical condition. These two things mean I will always be different from my skinny self, but hey. I like the new me. That works for me! (Check out WFMW at Rocks In My Dryer)