calories fitness food Free Weights limiting calories Losing weight Monthly Weigh-In Motivation Non-Scale Victories weigh in weight gain weight loss Weight Loss Support weight training

Time to Get Real

Lisa Eirene

About Lisa Eirene Lisa lost 110 pounds through calorie counting and exercise. She swims, bikes, runs, hikes and is enjoying life in Portland, Oregon. Her weight loss story has been featured in First Magazine, Yahoo Health, Woman's Day and Glamour.com.

Related Posts

19 Comments

  1. Suzanne @WorkoutNirvana

    I like your self-insight and the awareness you’re going through. So important to just look at the facts and adjust as needed, rather than engage in self-flagellation, which will get you nowhere. Where are you with your strength training?

    1. Lisa Eirene

      Thanks Suzanne. I was in denial most of the summer. Which is fine, because I think I just needed a few months to not be “on it” if you know what I mean. As for the strength training I’m still doing it 2-3 days a week, kind of a mix of your three programs you gave me. I intend on signing up again but I just bought a groupon for the local kettlebell gym. I want to take that class to get my kettlebell form down before signing up with you again. I will let you know asap!

      1. Suzanne @WorkoutNirvana

        Sounds good! I agree that everyone needs to be “off” calorie counting etc every 6-8 weeks. Keep that in mind. Glad you will be learning KB form, that is AWESOME!

        1. Lisa Eirene

          I take occasional breaks from calorie counting–like I’ll take a weekend off here and there but not often. I don’t want to “fall off the wagon” completely and get out of the habit. But it was kind of nice having a break. Back at it now! And glad the scale is reflecting it.

  2. Karen P

    Loved your post today. !! Good example of what long term maintenance requires.
    Glad you’re looking quick action to reverse the trend. Critical actions. Bravo!! I would like to do a positive blog post and link to your story- is that okay? I think that it’s helpful for those just entering into maintence to see this and be in the know. Keep up the good work.

    1. Lisa Eirene

      Thank you Karen! Maintenance is usually pretty easy for me. I think maybe I was just burned out this summer. So much going on and even though I kept the exercise routine the same, I definitely let the food part slip.

      Yes, you can link to the post! Anything for another maintainer. 🙂

  3. Andrea@WellnessNotes

    It’s very easy to get a bit too relaxed about calories and portions. It really doesn’t take much to gain weight… I usually try to be honest with myself when it comes to portions and calories, but there are certainly times when I let go a bit. I just make sure to get back to my usual program pretty soon.

    Great job getting back on track!

    1. Lisa Eirene

      Nope it does not take long to put the pounds on. Catching it quickly is key!

  4. Jess

    I needed to read this. I have put on around 3 lb and I know that all I need to do is get back on track and they will fall off again. Thanks for the motivation!

    1. Lisa Eirene

      Thanks Jess! Glad I could help out. 🙂

  5. Lori

    Yeah – I totally get the need versus want. I have that all the time LOL!

    1. Lisa Eirene

      Want and need are something I need to differentiate in a lot of things!

  6. Irina @ I ❤ 2 Eat

    I totally hear you on this. I am a vacation eater, and I also tend to find all the excuses in the world. Need to get back to reality myself!!

    I haven’t been reading up on blogs on a while and just read about the wedding. Congratulations!!

  7. Ashleigh @ Passion for Life, Love, and Health

    First, let me say I really appreciate your honesty here! While I haven’t hit my goal weight, I’ve totally noticed how being “in the public eye” (if that’s what you want to call having a blog) can be really tough when things aren’t going according to plan.

    Secondly, I feel compelled to answer your question at the end of the post. I’m a calorie-counter, hardcore (not hardcore as in, in a disordered way, but rather hardcore as in it’s what really works for me). And the past…oh holy wow FOUR days I haven’t tracked. Rarely do I let even one day go by. I feel like things might be getting out of control at this point, and I’m not quite sure how to handle it. My usual status quo is to post an honesty post (like this one you posted) and use that to propel me back into making better choices. But something is holding me back, and I really don’t know what it is. I feel kinda lost in my journey. It’s like someone took me blindfolded out into the middle of a field, spun me around a bunch, took off the blindfold and told me to head “west”. Except it’s not exactly like that because I *do* know the steps I need to take…I just feel like I’m unsure *how* to get to those steps. Wow I’m not making any sense at this point…perhaps I should refrain from commenting on blogs after 1am! Anyway, I guess with all this rambling I really just wanted to say thank you for posting this and giving me something to think about. I think an honesty post is due from me soon…hopefully sooner rather than later. I need to rein in the damage before it gets much worse! (Which feels really weird to say, because I’m such an advocate of the idea that at ANY moment you can turn things around by making better choices. I just feel like something is holding me back.) Okay. Seriously. No more comments this late!

    1. Lisa Eirene

      Maybe you just needed a FEW days to relax and let go. Now that you are aware of it, get back at counting! It was actually kind of comforting when I went back to being smart about my calories. Much less stress for sure!

      I think sharing the ups and downs of maintenance is important. I know it wasn’t a lot of weight to gain, but it’s the reality of maintenance. You have to work extra hard to keep the weight off and not get complacent.

  8. Devon

    I’m quite the opposite. I lose weight in summer because I realize how out of shape I am and need to get the beach bod back. Winter I definitely hibernate and put on a ‘winter layer’.

    1. Lisa Eirene

      I understand what you are talking about. Sometimes I can be that way in the summer too because I am SO active–biking 40 miles, hiking on the weekends, etc. But this summer was not as active due to injury.

      Also, winter time is easier for me to be spot-on with food and exercise. I tend to switch to weight lifting in the winter, which really helps keep the weight off.

  9. L

    Love the honesty. Thank you!

Leave a Reply to Suzanne @WorkoutNirvana Cancel