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!







Sunday, July 10, 2011

100 days

100


100 days and 14 pounds lighter.  The self-defeating part of me is shreiking--that's not very much! The ww site says my weekly average is .4 pounds a week.  Which doesn't make sense--100 days is 14.2 weeks so that's almost a pound a week.  Just goes to show you can't trust impersonal websites, besides ww didn't go to Aruba with me.  Happily, most of me has a better attitude. Who says 14 pounds is not enough? The heartless insurance company is happy enough with that loss to pay for the ww program.  The reality TV show I watched once had some bride on a makeover plan and she lost 13 pounds in SIX months (and still had a ways to go) and everyone was raving about her success. 

What can help me to feel joyful about my success?  I feel better, my clothes fit better, and I've LOST weight while eating wonderful things and even going on vacation.  What if I repeat this 14 pound feat over the next 100 days??  THAT's exciting!!!!  It would put me at 180.  WOW WOW WOW WOW!!!  I haven't weighed that little since college when I was on the diet center (shudder) program.  It's only society that makes me impatient with the slow route.  I need to remember that I LIKE the slow route---I get to eat cheesecake and popcorn on the slow route.  If I want to go more quickly I can.  I did contact my friend about weight lifting and hopefully soon will be lifting weights twice a week.   Most importantly, I have been making a sincere effort for 100 DAYS--and I'm nowhere near quitting.  I'm going to celebrate!!!  I've come a long way both psychologically and physically and I'm going to go ahead and be proud.

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