An Answer to My Rant...

I forgot that I had emailed a question about my weight loss/thyroid frustration to my women to women program "coach," but when I checked my email this morning, this is what I found:

Dear Cary,
Thank you for writing in to us. It sounds like the weight issue is
important to you. Our Program is not a weight loss plan like others.
You will lose weight when your body starts to feel balance and
wellness. If you can, shift your focus away from the weight and focus
more on self care. Find balance in your foods and your lifestyle. As
much as we do not want to hear this-this has to come first! Other
weight loss plans focus on causing your body to lose weight and most
of the time it cannot last, because we have not addressed the very
reason the weight is there or why it will not come off. To learn more
about our views on achieving a healthy weight, please follow the link
below:
http://www.womentowomen.com/healthyweight/default.aspx

So when I clicked on the link, this is what it said:

"As much as my patients know they should eat well, the concern that looms largest for many is their weight. Whatever their age and station, most women care deeply about what they look like. As a consequence, they battle with their weight, adopting any number of extreme unhealthy patterns over the course of their lifetimes to keep things “in check.”

"The truth is that when your weight changes dramatically from what’s normal for you, or when it’s continually moving up or down no matter what you do to try to change it, it’s often a signal that something isn’t working right. It can be a red flag telling you you’re under physical or emotional stress of some kind (really?) — stress you might not even recognize! It could be something as simple as having too little time to eat regular meals, or it could be years of small imbalances piling up in your body until some added stress puts you over the top — it’s different for everyone.

"From my point of view, whether a woman is overweight or underweight, the first thing she can do for herself is befriend her body. Women are often too critical of the weight level that their bodies find most comfortable. Whether you look in the mirror and see yourself as “too much” or “too little,” obsessing about the extra curves (or the lack of them) is a major obstacle to finding your healthy weight.

"The next hurdle to overcome is the “calories-in, calories-out” myth. Women who struggle with issues of unexpected weight change (whether it’s gain or loss) may intuitively know that something is out of balance in their bodies, but may not “hear” what her body is telling her over the social messages we get all the time. These messages tell us, If you’re gaining weight, it’s because you’re not trying hard enough to control yourself or If you’re that thin, you must have some kind of eating disorder (even as women who are every bit as thin are celebrated for their beauty on magazine covers).

"For some women, stress and imbalance mean weight gain. Our bodies often hold extra weight when something is wrong — it’s a built-in protection that we evolved to ensure survival. Among our ancient ancestors, long-term stress was often related to scarcity of good food, so the body’s response of storing energy as fat could be life-saving. In the modern world, survival isn’t usually the issue, but our bodies still react as if it is. Ironically, this “life preserver” can, over the long run, threaten our health — we’ve all heard the long litany of diseases related to excess weight...

"...Whether your goal is to lose weight or gain it, a key starting point is to recognize where your life and health are out of balance. Once you find and heal your core imbalance, your body weight will stabilize at the level that is comfortable for your body.

"The happy news for many women is that achieving a natural and healthy weight is not about restricting yourself or testing your willpower. It’s about addressing any imbalances and giving your body what it needs: fresh, whole foods, plenty of restorative exercise and rest, and the foundational support of quality vitamins and minerals. Our patients and Personal Program Members tell us this approach beats any weight loss program or weight loss plan they’ve tried in the past.

"Take a look at the information we have on achieving your healthy weight, naturally. We hope your perspective on “dieting” — and eating in general — changes for the better."

Well, everything seems to be pointing to stress relief as my number one goal. :/ Today I wore a heart moniter to my workout. Yes, my heart rate did exceed the 125-135 range that Mike told me to maintain...I talk to him tomorrow, so we'll see how that goes!

And now, I must go to bed, even though I have an assignment due TONIGHT that I remembered TONIGHT. I am almost finished, but I am tired and not thinking straight. This article says I should sleep, so off to bed I go! :)