Losing 20 Pounds = Farewell to 17 Pairs of Pants
My first day of the challenge was a success! I filled up on tasty foods:
- Plain yogurt with frozen berries
- Skim milk
- Apples and bananas
- Copious amounts of white tea
- Carrots
- Oatmeal with sugar and cinnamon
- Salmon poached in white wine with scallops, roasted yam fries, and steamed asparagus
In other news, I read an article over at the Winnipeg Free Press the other day about prescription drugs and antidepressants, which offered some food for thought. It seems to me that drugs are being handed out left, right, and center these days, as the solution to all of life’s problems.
I don’t think much of most kinds of drugs and try to avoid them as much as possible; I don’t even like to take aspirin for headaches. I really think that there are some circumstances in which drugs are of immense help (recovering from getting my wisdom teeth out would have been that much more brutal if I didn’t have a bottle of T3s for company!), but I also believe that all too often we reach for the pills when they aren’t necessary. And as our bodies become used to these drugs, they become dependent on them. It weakens the immune system and means that gradually to get the same effect you need to take two pills instead of one, and so on.
The issue with antidepressants is very concerning. How could 30.2 million antidepressant prescriptions be filled within the space of one year?! And the correlation between weight gain and taking antidepressants is staggering. I’m sure it’s resulted in tons of people becoming even more depressed and just winds up a vicious, unhappy, unhealthy cycle. As always, the problem is over-prescribing and overusing these drugs. Moderation, moderation, moderation!
Tweet ThisPlease note that I’m not saying all pharmaceutical drugs are the devil, and I’m not saying it’s necessary to abstain from them altogether. Sometimes, it really might be the only thing that’ll work. But I unfortunately don’t know enough about antidepressants to say whether they’re of much help to most people.
I’ve experienced mild depression several times, but I spent my time focusing on exercising and reading good books to help me get better; that combined with letting time pass was what did it for me (and possibly the approach of warmer weather :)). Taking antidepressants wasn’t even something I considered as an option. It’s just not for me.
Have any of you ever been on antidepressants and did they work? Or were there negative side effects that made it not worth it?
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First, congrats on yesterday and your eating. Was it as hard as you thought it would be?
Congrats too on cleaning out your closet and getting rid of all those pants! I might just take your lead and clean out my closet this week.
I whole heartedly agree with you about anti-depressants. I think society as a whole as learned (through no fault of our own) that pills are the easy fix. I don’t have any experience with them, nor do I know of anyone that does, so this is just my opinion.
It wasn’t difficult at all! And I’ve got to say that I feel fantastic for doing it… I feel very clean and energized. Thanks for your support!
hooray for eating clean!! Great job! and 17 pairs of pants? That’s a whole lotta pants! I’m glad they are too small though.
As for the antidepressants, I agree. The docs push it for everything! They don’t have time to even ask you anything else, they just write a prescription and off you go.
Hi, Sagan:
I’m glad I found your blog. Good for you on cleaning out your closet and for donating those pants to a worthy cause!
During my year with Shape, my life coach encouraged me to get rid of all the clothes that were too big for me. That was hard! Now, I have way fewer outfits, but I also have the responsibility of keeping my body in that new smaller size. Helps keep the bad habits from creeping back into my life.
Congrats again, and keep up the good work!
WOW! HUGE Congratulations on cleaning out!
And on your eating today. Impressive. I totally slipped up, but I think it’s because I didn’t make my plan solid. But that’ll change tonight! I am going to write a post (like you!) to help hold me accountable.
You rock!
serious CONGRATS on all of it,
and some jealousy.
I HEART the salmon.
Im too lazy for the salmon.
please to kick my arse in gear.
M.
Dara- I’ve never subscribed to Shape but I loved reading about your journey when I did get the magazine. And it’s so much easier to maintain a healthy weight when you’ve got clothes that fit you, isn’t it?! Definitely good motivation.
MizFit- I’ll continue posting about salmon until you’re craving it enough to make some if you continue posting videos on your site that’ll keep me wanting to strength train so I can get arms like yours. Deal? 🙂