A Look Back At 2007: Going Low-Fat

Last New Year's Eve I was sick. The toe surgery I had the previous month had taken my immune system down for the count and I got sick three times over the next few months. At least each one was less severe than the previous.

One of my New Year's resolutions was to get to 140 and if you go by official weigh-ins then I made it. I was 139.6 on my last official weigh-in of the year on December 30. My official ending weight for last year taken on December 29 was 144.2.

Nevertheless, I started the year by continuing to gain - all the way up to 152. At 152 I decided to start NutriSystem, binged, weighed in at 154, and started the diet. I quickly got down to the low-140s and stalled out. My body likes to be there, but I want to be in the mid-130s. I signed up February 26. My food came March 2 and I started the diet March 4.

Since I just needed to learn portion and calorie control, I tried to choose lower carb foods, sub vegetables for fruits, and add extra protein. I still practice this to this day. Going low-fat does not mean going high-carb. I prefer a high-protein diet with about 1 gram of protein for every pound I weigh.

I used Bill Me Later (online credit) so I could pay off what I owed over time.

My sister announced in the early part of the year that she was pregnant, but didn't allow me to announce it until she was three months along. The baby, Marina Celina, was born September 10, making me an aunt for the first time.

I ended my counseling sessions in March. They were not helping me at all and were only taking up my time and costing money.

In April I signed up for a personal training special at my gym. They were just half hour sessions which I think I preferred to the hour long sessions I had when I first started at 24 Hour Fitness. Jason was a great trainer and I felt I learned a lot from our sessions. I had to borrow the $99 cost from Mom, but it was worth it. I also asked a lot of questions and got a direction for my weight training. In September I asked him about how to build muscle and he told me how to do "pyramids," which I have been doing since.

May 20 was the Bay To Breakers race. I didn't think I would do as well because I spent this year more focused on weight training and less on cardio. However, the weekly walks Brad and I have done helped more than I knew. I shaved about 5 minutes off last year's time and came in at 1:24:30! I ran the entire race except for the one major hill - about 7 miles of nonstop running! Go me!

I got two of my photos on Flickr into the Schmap Guides, one for Seattle's Spirit of Washington Dinner Train (the photos are on the right, with one credited to me, Victoria Shephard), and the other for Berkeley's Garibaldi's restaurant, where Brad and Lisa and I went out for drinks once (there is just one photo there - mine).

I cancelled NutriSystem in July but continued to get various "Maintenance" orders of just breakfast or dinner or snacks. I officially hit my goal weight in July, but wasn't able to hold it. I would hit it for a week or three and then bounce up, and so on. Very depressing, but at least I did see new lows on the scale this year due to what I learned on NutriSystem. Plus I was able to get the weight I gained while still on Atkins; I was simply eating too much.

I am continuing to eat low-fat (about 30-35g a day), moderate-carb (under 120 net grams a day), and high-protein (about 140g a day). It is a lifestyle change, though I would love to get the carbs down a bit and the fat up just a little. Perhaps if I ever reach goal and stay there...

Conference was early this year so I left the end of July and came back in early August. It was a much needed distraction from normal life. I came home to find both my computer and Direct TV broken. It was God getting my attention and it worked. It took about three days to get my Direct TV back (with a new receiver), and about a week to get my computer back. I began saving for a new computer my having my employer take $35 out of every paycheck and set it aside for me.

I started taking Alli in October to help me lose weight (Web site). It keeps your body from absorbing all the fat in food you eat. I don't know if it's helping with the weight loss, but it does seem to absorb a modicum of fat.

In November I started Project 365 - it's where you take one picture a day for a year and post them to the Project 365 group.

In December my Dad gave me some Christmas money so I was able to buy a new digital camera - a FujiFilm FinePix S700. I love the new camera! It does so much more than my old one!

At the end of December my computer died again. I promised after the incident in August that the next time it died would be the last and I would buy a new one. I gathered up all the money I could, cashing in all but 40 hours of vacation, what little comp time I had, and the money from the $35 a month my employer has been setting aside for me. I managed to collect quite a bit of money. I put the computer on Bill Me Later and paid upfront for what Bill Me Later refused to cover. When the new balance gets posted to that account I will pay off what I can in one lump sum, then pay off the rest over time. I am getting the cheapest MacBook Pro - pretty much what Brad bought earlier this year. It's a laptop and it does everything. :)

Thankfully I got NutriSystem paid off just a few weeks before this, so my balance with them was zero when I put the computer on it. The new computer should arrive in early January. Then I have to get the modem and everything set up the way I want and get the hard drive migrated from the old computer to the new.

I've been on Celexa three years now and it's still working pretty well on my depression. This is definitely the best medication I have been on so far. :)

I'm not making resolutions for 2008 nor evaluating how I did in 2007. I think I can lose weight and get fit without them.

Technorati tagged: atkins, diet, New Year's, low carb, weight loss, low fat, NutriSystem, 2007