It seems like it’s been forever that I’ve been telling myself I wanted to lose ten pounds. More recently and after my divorce, it turned into twenty pounds. That was over two years ago. As a practicing nutritionist specializing in weight loss, carrying extra weight felt all the more difficult for me.

At the beginning of this year, I stumbled upon some old journals and diaries of mine and started to thumb through them. I found several recurring patterns; it was obvious that my weight fluctuated around unfulfilling relationships and addictive patterns. I vowed to myself that this year would be different and that it was finally time to break free from this spiral.

Here’s what I did this year so far:

• I carved out “me” time. I’m starting to get a little better at this. Literally in the beginning, it was hard to spend a night alone without my partner. Now I enjoy my own space and reflection time. It makes the time I share with others even more special. 

• I started jogging. My current boyfriend is an avid runner and I’d watch amazed as he would run for 10 miles at a time, his shirt totally soaked with sweat. I started out by going to the track and just running halfway around and then walking the other half. I gradually worked my way up and now I can run for three miles without stopping. It’s incredible to me. I used to smoke cigarettes. 

• I started circuit training. I go and get a full body workout in 30 minutes at the Fit-Lite circuit. I go three times a week no matter what. I shocked myself because I saw muscles in my arms the other day that I had never seen before. Rad. 

• I started saying “no” more often. I realized that in my efforts to please others, I often wasn’t honoring myself. I believe that people are inherently good and the bottom line is that everyone really wants what’s best for each other. I wouldn’t want to make someone else do something they didn’t really want to do! So I can say “no” when someone offers me food that I don’t want. And I can decline social invitations. Because I’m honoring myself, I don’t end up “rewarding” myself or “escaping” with food as often as I used to.

Two months ago, I got stuck with my weight loss effort. My goal was to get between 130 and 135 lbs and be at around 25% body fat by my birthday. I couldn’t seem to get below 29% and the scale was stuck at 145. To lose those last ten pounds, I had to make some more changes. Here’s what I did:

• I stopped drinking alcohol for almost a month. I was fooling myself thinking that white wine had fewer calories and that vodka soda had fewer carbs. Whatever! For me, the alcohol was totally stopping further weight loss. Since then, I limit drinking to Friday and Saturday night with no more than one drink per night. 

• I started supplementing with Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA), Evening Primrose Oil (GLA), and Coconut oil. All of these are fats that actually help your body to burn fat. I took 6000 mg of CLA for two weeks and then dropped to 3000 mg. I’m still taking 3000 mg of GLA daily and 2 tsp of coconut oil daily. The GLA has the added benefit of making periods a lot easier and my pre-menstrual breast tenderness that I used to experience is 90% better. Coconut oil is also an immune booster and I haven’t gotten ill, despite several people around me coming down with the flu.

• I got off of gluten. Even though all of the tests I’ve ever taken show that I’m not sensitive to gluten, it’s obvious to me that I’m totally addicted to bread. Once I start with the bread, cookies, and pastries, it’s really, really hard for me to stop. I literally start to obsess over when I can have more and I’ve actually “snuck” eaten extra bread, embarrassed to eat that much of it in front of friends and family. Woah! There…I said it! Oh my goodness! 

• I started taking yoga class and stretching a little every day. I really believe that this is what I needed to reduce stress levels. Remember that high cortisol (from stress) will lead to weight gain around the middle!

So October 2nd is my birthday and I’m turning 33!! I just got back from a run at Tilden Park and got on the scale: 133.8 lbs. and 25.2% body fat! Happy Birthday to me!! Finally made my goal.

As a Libra, I’m happy to say that I really feel balanced today. I have been on a wild swinging pendulum ride but I know that this is part of my growth and that hanging out in the extremes has given me a broader perspective. My challenge now is to maintain the balance throughout this year, one moment at a time. I feel grounded and strong and I hope to sustain this nurturing energy and to bring it into my practice as I work with my clients to help them reach their own health goals. 

Yours in Health,

Sylvie Nalezny, MA, CNE