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!







Monday, May 23, 2011

GRADUATION

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Catherine's officially a high-school graduate.  Unbelievable.  I could go on and on about how proud I am of her. At the moment I am almost equally excited for her accomplishments and excited that the round of parties and ceremonies is finally over.  The actual graduation was at noon---and the plan was to go to Outback Steakhouse for a late lunch after.  I wasn't exactly planning to stick to plan, but I at least had a notion of what might be some better choices.  Oooops.  Nobody thought to look to see whether Outback was OPEN in the afternoon.  It wasn't, and we wound up at another great place---Famous Dave's (BBQ).  Oh my.  They DID have a light grill with entrees under 600 cal--they sounded good too, but I just couldn't bring myself to order one of them in the face of ribs.  I had ribs--and cornbread, and fries, and baked beans, and some nachos (the appetizer) and a corn cob and plenty of BBQ sauce.  AND 1/2 of a very large brownie sundae for dessert.   

Other people talk about feeling too full, or guilty, or sluggish or bad after a meal like that.  Not me.  I feel great physically, and content and happy psychologically.  The rationale today of course, is that this is the celebratory dinner for my only child's graduation, so it's fine to celebrate with food.  And it is.  Or it would be, if celebrations like this only came around every year or so.  Even still, I'd probably be ok even though I probably had 3 days worth of points, if it weren't for tomorrows and Wednesday's food extravaganza's.  In theory, I could use some self-control.  In fact--the only likely brake will be my unwillingness to be a total pig in front of my co-workers.  Whatever happens, I'll report faithfully to myself here on the blog.

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