Losing weight in spite of myself.

I began this blog in February 2011 as a way to help me not quit trying to lose weight, and to learn a few things. It's been an interesting and powerful experience. It certainly confirms what I've long suspected--that although I am a genuinely happy cheery person in the main, I am NOT a happy cheery dieter. I DETEST losing weight. I resent being overweight in the first place and I am a virtuoso in the art of self-sabotage. And YET--I'm doing it! I'm fighting and kicking and EATING all the way down, but the weight is finally going down. The plan I was following in February was a half-baked one largely based on wishful thinking. I gained a little weight and decided to get real. I knew I couldn't just join weightwatchers or count calories or do any one plan and expect to be successful. I decided if I was going to bother to make the effort to lose weight I was going to throw everything I could think of at the problem. And so I do. My real "Day One" for this blog is April 1, 2011. I joined weight watchers, I joined caloriecount.com (awesome website), I read the blog losingweighteveryday.blogspot.com religiously, I keep this blog faithfully, I joined the health programs sponsored by my insurance, I use the principles from overeater's anonymous, I use my church's 12 step program as well, I subscribe--and use--Healthy Cooking Magazine.



The result of all this? Painfully slow progress (About 20 lbs in 10 months). But it IS progress and like the little engine that could I keep on trying in my rebellious way. I have no intention of quitting. This is by far the longest sustained weight loss effort I've ever made in my life. Successful I think, because for the first in my life I've done this MY way--which I've discovered, involves a lot of pizza and restaraunt food. I'm convinced this is the only way to lose weight. For me it must be MY way. For you it MUST be YOUR way. Not weight watcher's way, not your doctor's way, but YOUR way. Any plan or idea I use is only a tool.

The latest plan to lose weight my way began on Oct 29, 2013. It really is my own crazy plan. As you'll see if you read that post. I've implemented the best ideas of all sorts of eating plans and thrown out the scale. A couple of months in and I'm definitely healthier. I'm actually enjoying myself. I won't weigh until April 1, 2014, so I'll see then if this works the way I hope it will.

There is no magic weight loss bullet. But there IS a great deal of magic in the discovery of what I can happily live with (very different from what weight watchers tells me I can happily live with) and still have the body and health I want.

Good luck to all of us on this journey. It's quite a trip!







Wednesday, April 6, 2011

9 point chicken

Oooof--this week is a little tough because I made the menu without considering points other than just the generally healthy stuff I usually do.  The chicken dinner was a new recipe--very good, but 1/6 of the pan was 9 points.  Too much.  It wasn't 9 points good, and it wasn't plentiful enough. I won't make that again. Still, I'm doing well resentment wise---although I do have to remind myself that it isn't weight watchers fault that I'm overweight, and they didn't invent the human body.  Oddly, at the moment I'm feeling slightly MORE free than I did even trying the Lean and Free.  The new program strikes me as a lot more realistic--last time I felt like I needed to divide all my extra weekly points to have some everyday just to survive so there was never any left over for special meals or treats.  This time, the normal points (which will only decrease by 1 when I lose weight) are pretty much enough.  I've been going over by just a point or two and I haven't even touched my activity points.  My meals are looking pretty good too---today for example breakfast was oatmeal with crunchy cereal on top, milk, grapefruit and hotchocolate, lunch will be three slices of C's homemade sourdough with fake peanut butter (I like the fake stuff though), a banana and a cabbage salad. Snack of wasa crisps and a laughing cow cheese. Dinner is sloppy joes--1/4 of the pan and oven fries.  I think I'll go three points over and have the reeses peanut butter cup for lunch "dessert".   On Friday, I'm going to a murder mystery dinner at a steak house.  I'll actually have plenty of points to enjoy this!!!  I'll have at least 35 extra---plus the normal 12 or so I'd use for dinner normally--this means I'm free to have steak, a potato with sour cream, salad, dessert and some fun at the appetizer table too.  Looking ahead--the future seems ok.  We usually have pizza on Friday--one slice of Papa Murphy's pepperoni (1/8) is about 10 points.  That's way expensive point-wise, but it's been easy this week to save up a bunch--it looks like I can have pizza and chocolate chip cookies too.  This helps me relax and feel good about my efforts.  One thing I don't like though is that by planning ahead I "use" all my points for the day before the day's even begun.  It's only 11:00 a.m. but I'm already 3 points over my limit! AAAAAAAA!!!!!  Of course I haven't eaten nearly what I've planned, but it feels alarming because I'm hungry now and lunch is an hour away!  What am I going to do???? How will I survive????  Oh right.  I'll be eating quite a lot shortly.  Phew. 

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