Weight Loss Journey with Noom

It's no secret that a lot of people have been trying to lose weight since gaining the 'covid 15,' only to give up when it's hard. I was very proud of myself because I actually lost 15 pounds on weight watchers at the start of covid. However, I didn't keep it off for long and actually gained an additional 5 pounds on top of the 15. I hated the way I looked, but with the recent addition of a pain medication to help my fibromyalgia. While the medication has been helpful and I can actually get a decent night's sleep, I feel like the weight gain has increased my pain.  

Alex texted me the other day saying that we should sign up for Noom, a weight loss program based in psychology. I had heard of it before but was still paying for weight watchers each month, thinking if I kept paying for it I would eventually go back to it. I remembered hearing all the ads for Noom on various podcasts I listen to and decided to give it a try. 

Today is day 8 I believe and I am down just about 3 pounds. So far I have learned about scale anxiety (which I definitely suffer from), caloric density and how the same amount of calories in different foods fills you up differently, how to believe in myself, and so much more. I can't believe how much of weight loss is just about believing! Not only is Noom helping me with my weight, it's actually helping me a lot with my anxiety too. So much of my weight gain is tied to how stressed I was, well, am, and learning new ways to help me destress is so helpful. 

There are days I wish I was just healthy and slimmer now, but I know it's about the journey. I know it's all about learning healthy habits. I think that's why I like Noom so much, I feel like it's okay to slip up because you're always learning new things. I think my biggest challenge is my love of carbs and sweets, but I know now that those are learned cravings and what can be learned can be unlearned. I'm starting to eat things that used to give me such pleasure and just finding them not worth the calories. I think I felt like eating was the way I could find instant joy in a sometimes stressful day. When you work with people, there can be a lot of stressful or frustrating days. 

I feel hopeful about losing weight and feeling better about myself for the first time this year. I know it's important to instill healthy habits in myself now while I'm still young, and finding new ways to relieve my stress other than eating. I've taken up reading again which has been such a huge help. Having Alex do this with me makes it easier as well.

~MG

Weight Watchers and Health Update

Hello everyone!

I wanted to give you all an update on how weight watchers is going and some other health news. I am officially down 12 pounds!! It feels so nice to continue seeing the scale go down and just feeling better about myself. While eating better has been hard, especially since I moved to an apartment June 1st and trying to cook while unpacking is so difficult when you are down the street from fast food! There are days, or sometimes a stretch of days, where eating is more of a battle. For example, we had a coffee truck today at my work and I got an iced mocha and it was so good! Also a resident brought in chocolate for us and it's just sitting there behind me... 

Anyways, I have another health update that has been a long time coming. The 2 years I was off at college I gained over 60 pounds. I knew something wasn't right, I just didn't know what. I was so tired I could take a 4 hour nap and sleep all night and still be exhausted. People would tell me I was just sleeping too much so I would stay up late and watch Netflix or try not to nap and be just as exhausted, if not more so. It got to the point where I was falling asleep in classes. I couldn't do any clubs or activities since I was already having a hard enough time just trying to stay up for classes. I constantly slept through meals and had little to no appetite. I struggled with pain on top of this, not extreme pain but enough that it bothered me. Anywhere on my upper body that I pressed on felt like I had a bruise. So much so that I was convinced on my 19th birthday when I pressed on my back that I had another kidney infection I went to urgent care (happy birthday to me). 

Exhaustion ruled my life and I was tired of it. At the end of my first year of college I started being tested for hormone issues. I thought I had cushing's disease, something that made you gain weight from too much cortisone. After months of tests nothing came of it, and the doctor told me to repeat the expensive tests in 6 months if I still had the same symptoms. I came home for the summer feeling defeated. I had tried to get an ESA but Central told me that the dog would not be allowed in classes, where I needed the support. I was lonely, tired, and just plain miserable. I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life or if I would even be able to do anything. Sure I was a good student, but what if that was all I was good at? Studying for tests and writing essays, that was what I knew I was good at. 

Starting my last year of college I continued to gain weight and sleep all day. I ended up dropping out of a class my last quarter because I simply lacked the energy it required to do the leadership class, something I have enjoyed and participated in since elementary school in student government. I thought that since I didn't have a job that was why I was so tired, not having a purpose and just sleeping because it was something to do. However, after graduating and starting my job leasing apartments, my energy has continued to decline. I have continued to get tested for all sorts of things, most recently hemochromatosis (too much iron) and thyroid issues again. As of yesterday, I think I finally have an answer, though it was not the answer I was hoping for. After seeing a naturopath starting a few months ago, a doctor who finally took me seriously, I am starting treatment for fibromyalgia, a chronic pain disorder that causes exhaustion and pain. 

I wanted to share my story because it took years for me to get some sort of diagnosis, lots of anxiety and for a doctor to take me seriously and not just run tests and then give up on me. I have struggled, and will likely continue to struggle with energy and mild pain that has limited my life and am so happy I was persistent and didn't take no for an answer. I am hoping that my energy improves in the next few months and I am able to stay longer at the dog park on Sundays and just enjoy life more. 

~MG

Anxiety Tips

So if you've been following my posts for about the last month you already know I suffer from anxiety disorder with panic attacks. I currently still have many of the side effects such as hot/cold flashes, severe chest pain and nausea (the best one obviously, note my sarcasm). I decided to do some research and I know I am not alone with this problem, though it may feel like it, so I wanted to share my findings and hopefully help someone else even if none of these work for me. Also you don't have to have an anxiety disorder to try these, these are generally good ways to release stress.

1) Yoga
So I am currently in a yoga class in school and love it. For almost 45 minutes a day I get to relax and just breath. While it is relaxing you can also feel good that many of the poses can also get you a workout as well! It's also easy to do at home even if you don't have a yoga mat. There are many youtube videos that will walk you through a series of moves that work well.

2) 4, 7, 8
This is one is really simple and you can do it anywhere, anytime, as many times as you need. I learned this one recently and it helps a lot. All you do is breathe in for 4 seconds, hold it for 7 seconds, and breathe out for 8 seconds. Try it right now and you'll immediately start to feel more relaxed. This is also a good way to relax to go to sleep.

3) Tensing of the muscles
This one I usually do before bed but can be done at any time, generally. You start by tensing your toes, then your calf, and so on including your back, your face and finally all of them at once. Generally I try and hold them for about 5-10 seconds, but normally by the end I'm at 2-4 seconds per muscle.

4) Positive Affirmations
I use this one a lot too. Basically what you do is you talk to yourself, in your head or out loud, with positive expressions. My most frequent one is "This too shall pass". This one is great and can be used anywhere!

5) Mindfulness
This one is a bit hard to explain so I'm just going to link to this article and you can read it for yourself. This one can be hard but it gets easier over time.

6) Laughter
Seriously, just smiling in the mirror or watching a funny YouTube video can change your mood. Here are a few to get you started.

Hope this helps! Hope you all have a wonderful day and remember


~MG