plus 50, how I done it

Not long ago my step-sister blogged about how she went from a size 12 to size 2. Yes, she is amazing! She had posted some really great, completely do-able suggestions that I am looking at incorporating into my life. I really enjoyed that post. But that got me thinking...

I have gone in the other direction with my weight goals. Well, I've gained myself 50 pounds in the last 12 months. Am I proud of this...NO {actually HELL NO!}, but it is my reality. So I thought I would give some *what NOT to do* suggestions, so you don't follow in my {larger and larger} footsteps.

Don't: {this is in no particular order}

1) Completely stop exercising.

1 year ago I was going to the gym and shaking my boot-ay 6 days a week for at least 1 hour. I'm serious, and that's how I was able to stay sane while being alone with 2 kids since my husband had already moved to Washington. Now, I will tell you that I didn't quit all at once. But when I did move to Washington {in March 2010}, I didn't have a gym membership, so my boot-ay shaking seriously diminished, slowly to nothing by the end of the summer.

2) Have MAJOR life altering stress bombard you almost constantly for that year.

Apparently I'm going to give snip-bits of what I've gone through, but not the Whole story.

Sorry if that bugs.

Too bad.

3) Be an undiscriminating emotional eater.

I can't say I didn't try to control my emotional eating, but that can be quite difficult! Especially in the very emotional moment.

Drug of choice: anything sweet.

Preferably m&m's, ice cream, candy, cookies {I just LOVE my g-ma Noble's famous chocolate chip cookies}, or anything left in the house.

4) Be a single mom.

nuf said.

It sucks!

5) Find yourself in a depression

so that emotional eating is compounded by just not caring if I'm 450 pounds and can't physically get myself out of bed... because I don't want to get out of bed anyway.

Yeah, that sucks too.

6) Have a thyroid disease.

OK, so this one is funky and I'll tell you why. I actually have an overactive thyroid {also called graves disease or hyperthyroidism}, which usually means that person is really skinny. BUT my doc re-assured me that gaining weight is also quite normal (even as much as those with an underactive gland)... so there!

Now to add insult to injury, the medication I am taking for my thyroid disease can make me gain weight because it's now slowing down my thyroid... Seriously, can I ever win?

So these are just a few suggestions. If you can avoid any or all of these, you will probably be in good shape {or better then I am}.

Lucky for me, I have Melanie's suggestions to follow, friends to walk and shake my boot-ay with, and a desire to change. I wish I could lose it faster than I gained it, but I'm pretty sure it's going to take me longer.

Such is life.