Thank you to Ubisoft for picking me to be a member of the Just Sweat Dream Team and sponsoring this fitness selected series. Please click here to learn more about Ubisoft or for this sponsorship by the Clever Girls Collective. All opinions are my own.

I know many have noticed I missed my last two week update, but do not fear! I haven't abandoned my weight-loss program and am continuing to lose on the Optifast 70 liquid diet and Just Dance games. I have simply been slammed with work travel which has caused me to miss a couple of my group sessions so I was unable to update. In case you haven’t already been following along, you can catch up on my weight-loss program including full information on my diet and all activities in my announcement blog and the ones following from there.

While I have been slowly eating more food, I have yet to transfer to my maintenance program which usually starts about 10-15 lbs. from the goal weight (which I now fall into at 12 lbs. from goal). I have decided to extend my time and go all the way to my before I do full food transition, which I anticipate will be around my next update or less then a month. While some would be scared at this point I am not one of those people. I am excited and raring to go on maintaining the healthy skills and lifestyle lessons I have learned through this process. The people who have joined or supported my journey have made all the impact in the world, and nothing can stop me now.

The biggest milestone I have had this month is I am now in the normal weight and BMI range. That's right, I am now not considered overweight and that is a huge thing for me. I still feel great, have tons of energy, and continue to have a positive outlook due to my success and the changes my body and mind have gone through over the last three months. While I am starting to get hungry which is has been abnormal on my diet, I am not sure if this is because I am eating more food now or my body is telling me it's time to transition. No matter what the case, the end is right around the corner as this message I got when I plugged in my numbers told me:

 I continue to lose weight at a slower pace with only -8 lbs. down since my last update. This is due to being so close to my goal weight and the fact that I am now eating more food options. I am in no way discouraged as we were prepped that this would happen close to our goal (Thank you Kaiser!). Here is my progress chart for you to review this month so you can see my stats yourself. Please note, I am still traveling and working so I had to take these pics myself in my hotel room so I am sorry that are not in my normal set up:

Ok, brace yourselves as you know I always try to bring a serious side to my blogs. As I missed the last update, I took a lot more time in this one and it will be lengthy, informative, and will take a deeper look at weight and health issues for those that struggle with leading healthy lifestyles. I feel that this is an important discussion to have and I have seen the impact it can have on others in my group during my program at the Positive Choice Wellness center. For the most part this blog will focus on why a complete and robust weight-program is needed while delving into emotional and psychological ties to eating habits and most of the information is taken from my program.

THE IMPORTANCE OF A COMPLETE WELLNESS PROGRAM:
For those that are embarking or participating in a major diet or weight-loss program it is important to understand and address all aspects of a full weight management program including how to LOSE weight and how to MAINTAIN it.

Check out the comprehensive list of what my program offers and see if you are missing anything in your weight-loss plan:

• extensive education on nutrition fitness
• behavior modification
• responsible treatment with medications when warranted • long-term weight maintenance support

If you are missing any of the above elements it is important that you identify how to fulfill it on your own. Extensive education can be done at wellness center classes, online (be sure to utilize only reputable sources/sites), thru dieticians, etc. Behavior Modifications can be researched online, addressed with a counselor or health therapist, etc. Medications may be obtained through discussions with your doctor, and Support can come from a variety of avenues, including family, friends, and online social networks such as MyFitnessPal, etc.

However, for many people, this may not be enough. Long-term weight maintenance really requires that you identify and deal with the ways you may be using food to relieve stress, meet emotional needs, or avoid uncomfortable feelings. In order to be truly successful it is important that you ensure you meet the following needs within your weight-loss program:

Successful weight management requires: • Medical supervision to ensure health and safety • An effective food plan • A supportive environment in which you have the opportunity to solve problems and develop new skills

Long-term weight maintenance requires:

• Understanding the role food and being overweight plays in your life
• A moderate exercise program
• A good nutrition plan and awareness of eating habits
• Group support that allows you to solve the difficulties of weight maintenance

A good weight-management program will focus on helping you explore the reasons why you overeat and the role food plays in your life. In my support group we focus on supportive discussions, creative writing, and visualization to help us connect our life experiences to struggles with weight, explore and practice effective ways of communicating, become comfortable with feeling and expressing emotions, and develop new coping skills.

While these issues don’t affect everyone struggling with health and weight issues, I have seen the power of self-exploration in my group and this is why I have scanned my entire weight-management work book from Positive Choice for those that wish to delve deeper into food/health education, psychological exploration of issues effecting weight control, behavior modifications, etc.

I was concerned when a friend told me that she was doing the same diet plan I did but without the comprehensive program. I want to extend the opportunity to get the benefits I get in MY group to others so that they can learn how to deal with the larger issues beyond simply altering their diet.

A DEEPER LOOK AT EMOTIONAL EATING AND PSYCHOLOGICAL INFLUENCES IN WEIGHT CONTROL

The Positive Choice Wellness center uses extensive past research and studies to identify why people overeat and have emotional ties to food. While I am one of the few in my group that doesn’t consider themselves an emotional eater, I have seen the impact and breakthroughs when people learn that Adverse ChildExperiences (ACE) in their lives may have contributed to them being overweight and leading unhealthy lifestyles for various psychological reasons.

If you have ever experienced any of the below childhood abuses or household dysfunctions and are strugglingwith health issues, addressing the psychological impacts may be necessary in order to understand how you may overcome your health struggles.

It is important to note that the risk factors for weight and health issues increase the more ACE’s you have been exposed to in your lifetime. If you have been exposed to any of the following childhood experiences there may be a deeper, emotional tie to your lifestyle then you realize:

Categories of childhood abuse:

• psychological abuse
• physical abuse
• contact sexual abuse

Categories of exposure to household dysfunction during childhood:

• exposure to substance abuse
• mental illness
• violent treatment of mother or stepmother
• criminal behavior in the household 

 It is imperative that if you have continued health and weight issues that you learn to explore and understand how situations such as these may have impacted your conscious and subconscious health outlook and lifestyle.

For years the doctors at my weight-loss clinic have done extensive research with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention(CDC) to study how ACE’s have impacted the well-being and health of thousands of people. In their studies their findings suggest that “certain experiences are major risk factors for the leading causes of illness and death as well as poor quality of life in the United States. Progress in preventing and recovering from the nation's worst health and social problems is likely to benefit from understanding that many of these problems arise as a consequence of adverse childhood experiences.”- CDC

This collaborative effort by Kaiser Permanente and the CDC found that:

• adverse childhood experiences are surprisingly common although typically concealed and unrecognized
• they can still have a profound effect 50 years later, although they are typically transformed from psychosocial experiences into organic diseases and mental illness over the years
• adverse childhood experiences are the main determinant of the health and social well-being of the nation.

So now hopefully you understand why I am putting so much information about this for you in this blog. This is a chance for those of you that need it to explore your food and lifestyle issues, discover what may be impacting your health choices, and learn to address and cope. While I feel this may give insight to some, I do recommend considering professional help in addressing more serious emotional problems that may arise as you look inside yourself to understand your own patterns.

While I can’t publish the guidebook from my program online due to ownership issues, I do want others to be able to fully address their health issues in everyday possible, so I am offering to be accessible to those that need it. I encourage you to reach out to me if you want to learn more about any of the type of issues I have discussed and I will try to help anyway I can.

FINAL THOUGHTS:

With all that being said, I wish you the best in your own weight-loss journey and hope we can all continue to mutually support each other. I have had an amazing experience so far that has truly changed my life and personal outlook. Remember, it is actually EASY to lose weight when you stick your mind to it but the hard part is the maintenance and understanding why you may have had to struggle with your health in the first place. Explore within yourselves,identify what is holding YOU back, and discover what you can do to overcome hurdles and accomplish your goals! 

For more updates, general gaming fun, or to join me on live stream workouts, follow me on my social networks. And if you want to kick-start your healthy gamer lifestyle, add me as a friend on myfitnesspal so we can encourage each other. Until next time, keep on gaming in a healthy way and see you in two weeks!