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Reflections on Losing Weight

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.

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14 Comments

  1. Michelle

    Thank you so much for sharing your journey! So much of this post resonates with me which is refreshing since it’s not something easily discussed with family and friends. Just wanted you to know since I’m a new subscriber but hadn’t commented yet. I enjoy your blog thanks to your sincerity and transparency and am thankful for your experiences shared!

    1. Lisa Eirene

      Thank you for the comment Michelle!

  2. Vickie

    As the parent of older kids (19,23,27) it is important in today’s processed world to teach kids to moderate carbs.

    Long ago carbs were a lot of work (grind grain to make flour and making noodles, crackers, bread by hand) and therefore sort of self moderated. Now they are just way too easy and plentiful and cheap.

    Fruit was seasonal. And now it is year round.

    Freezers and refrigeration making everything available all the time. So ice cream used to be a very occasional thing that involved a lot of effort. Now it could be every day or several times a day. And that is not beneficial.

    So it is important to think about what kind of carbs. And how often. And balance. For us. For our kids.

    Because it does not happen automatically any more.

    I use waffles because that was your example. What does the label say? Ratio of protein to carbs? Fiber? Additives? Added sugar? (Just because it says ‘”whole wheat” or “whole grain” or “organic” does not mean it is good for him). I used a protein waffle mix that has good numbers and then I add a scoop of protein powder to it, for my kids. Can also add egg whites to things to change the numbers.

    Cannot think “kid food” when feeding kids or teaching kids what foods to eat. You are setting his life long eating habits.

    A taste for green veggies is so important. And I disagree with almost every starting babies on solid food chart that I have ever seen. My opinion is start with green veggies. Go to meats. Do fruit absolutely last. Starting kids out by attaching them to sugar, even though it is natural fruit, is a big mistake, in my opinion.

    It matters.

    Teach him to eat whole foods. Teach him to eat mostly veggies. Teach him to cook, not bake. Teach him to moderate. Teach him to not eat a lot of the stuff that is out there are making the population very obese and diabetic.

    Seven of us kayaked a few weeks ago. 13.5 miles. Ages 8, 19, 22, 23, 27, 57, 57. All afternoon. We took peanuts and water for on the water. Dry roasted. Unsalted and salted mixed to reduce the overall salt. But some salt because it was hot.

    I packed a major cooler because I knew they would be starving as soon as we were done. We left it in the car and picnic at end. Carrots, cauliflower, peapods, green beans, broccoli, turkey, peanuts, cheese sticks, cherries, grapes. Water. (One tree nut allergy kid with us or I would have taken raw nuts).

    I used to feed the kids dinner right after school. Because they were starving and would have filled up on snacks.

    I keep very few traditional carb things in the house because they are just too easy to eat in disproportion. Because they are too readily available. So I think you are right to be questioning. And thinking what you want to do long term for everyone.

    1. Lisa Eirene

      The waffles I gave Logan were whole wheat, flaxseed, something from the organic section of my store. I can’t remember what the ingredients are because I threw the box away. But I agree that starting them young eating healthy foods is really important. But at the same time, I also don’t want Logan to grow up in a house that is very restrictive because I *know* from experience that leads to food issues.

      When I was growing up my parents were part of the sugar-free/fat-free/flavor-free diet food craze. That was all that was in our house and I grew up being restricted in my foods. So when I went to a friend’s house I went NUTS with sugar, junk food, soda, everything I was NOT allowed to eat, I binged on away from parents. I do not believe that lead to a healthy relationship with food! I still have issues because of that.

      So Michael and I are doing something different with Logan. He eats vegetables and fruit, he loves hummus, he eats scrambled eggs for breakfast. I do give him processed foods (like the waffles or crackers) because honestly some mornings it’s easiest when I have 30 minutes to shower, get him ready, eat breakfast, feed him and get him to daycare before I have to get to work. It’s not the norm, but yeah, sometimes convenience wins out! (This morning he had scrambled eggs and my homemade no sugar added applesauce for breakfast.) My point is, I don’t want Logan to grow up like I did, with severe restriction.

      1. Vickie

        I am saying look at the numbers on things like the waffles the same way you would for yourself. If they are all carbs/very low protein, then add protein to balance it.

        It sounds like your parents set you up to feel like you were on opposite sides of the fence from them on the topic of food – ? They were not on your side teaching you – ? When you rebelled you were actually rebelling against them – ?

        I think that is a key point in parenting, stay on the same side of the fence and teach. If everyone is working together so they have the best life possible and prepare for adulthood and taking care of themselves and a family, everything goes a lot better.

        This is a topic that interests me greatly. Looking back at families with adult knowledge. What could families have done differently so there were no over weight issues .

        1. Lisa Eirene

          I think it’s normal to want to try and do things differently when you have your own kids. You look back on your life and the things that made my life harder (like food restrictions leading to binges) make me look at food differently in regards to my son. I don’t want him to have any food issues and I think a big part of that is not making food “bad” but teaching him how to make better choices.

      2. Kalerae

        I would agree with this. We never really had junk food in our house growing up…not on a regular basis. We did have boxed and canned stuff (like spaghetti noodles, soups, etc…). So we certainly weren’t super-healthy, but chips, pop, cookies weren’t in the house very often. So what would happen when they would be? The entire family would sit down in one sitting and inhale it all. Zero moderation. When I would go to birthday parties or friends’ houses who had chips and junk regularly, I would want to eat ALL THINGS. It created a really distorted view with that kind of food. I felt that I had to eat it all because who knew who how long it’d be until I had it again. ANd I still carry that mentality with me…even though I’m 37 years old. I think showing Logan that those foods can be part of your life..even somewhat regularly (like crackers, waffles, a cookie, maybe salty snacks etc…) and they can learn portion control and that just because it’s in the house doesn’t mean it needs to be consumed like it’s your last meal ever. I work on my kids seeing food as a means of nutrition, but also enjoyment. This one life. I don’t want them stressing about carbs, fat, protein. If they grow up having a fairly nutritionally balanced lifestyle and still fit in some of the tasty-junky stuff…hopefully they just see food as food. Not good. Not bad. Not better. Not worse. Just food to be healthy and strong. But not to avoid and over-think about (like I have done my whole life).

        1. Lisa Eirene

          I love everything you wrote! I can’t agree more. It sounds like we had a similar experience growing up and like you, I STILL have those issues when it comes to junk food. I agree that it’s better to just have moderation, and teach kids the difference between sometimes treats and bingeing on junk food.

  3. Lori

    Amen Sister – that last bit of weight. So hard to get off and keep off (and I haven’t had a baby). You have done amazing keeping so much of your weight off. Life is really too short to have to restrict food all.the.time.

    Your best weight is whatever weight you reach while you are living the healthiest life you can actually enjoy. (I’m paraphrasing Yani Freedhoff there)

    1. Lisa Eirene

      Thank you Lori! It’s nice to hear support and understanding from someone who “gets it” and has been there! Now that I think about it, it was this stage where I struggled last time, too. It took for-ever to lose that last 10-15 pounds when I was losing the weight in my 20’s. It was SO slow. But I kept at it. And I just realized that I met Michael when I was at my current weight, 10 years ago. 😉

      I love your second comment. There have been several times where I was way skinnier (143 was the lowest) and I was NOT at my healthiest. That was when I was eating a ton of processed foods, I never lifted weights, all I did was cardio. I would not call that my best self, even though I was size 6 and “skinny.” And in that same vein, when I was going to the Warrior Room all the time, I was about 8 pounds over my goal weight, rarely lost any weight but I was at my strongest and healthiest. I was more toned, I was super strong…It just goes to show how much the number on the scale doesn’t mean everything. And it’s so hard to remember that!

  4. Kathy

    Would you ever consider working with a dietitian? The group at Be Nourished in Portland is amazing and may be a good resource for you.

    1. Lisa Eirene

      I’ve talked to Dietitians several times over the years. Unfortunately it was never helpful. They looked at my food diaries and said I was doing “everything right” and their only suggestion was to add brown rice to my dinners. Very disappointing.

  5. Biz

    You are beautiful by the way! So happy that Logan is healthy and you and your husband are now a family of three. It’s funny, because while your extra time from being single to being married with a child, mine is the complete opposite, I have all the time in the world!

    But I realized I haven’t been utilizing my time to the best of my advantage, and am trying to figure that out. And I am happy to say I haven’t binge eaten in over a month. 😀

    1. Lisa Eirene

      Thank you Biz! <3
      That is great news about binge eating! Good for you!!

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