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!







Saturday, January 28, 2012

296 cold air and blueberries

Learned something this morning!  Today's run was only to be 5 minutes long. I was thinking that since the time is shorter, I would try to pick up the pace a bit. I forgot to reckon with the weather--it's in the 30's--a nice winter day, but I scorched my lungs the first minute and then the next 4 minutes were not very much fun.  Sill, I finished and that's what counts. Better still, I broke down yesterday and actually printed off some stretches.  I did them too.  I don't know why, but I just can't stand finding the time to stretch. I guess I just want to exercise and get it over, and not prolong things.  But with arthritis in both knees and pushing 50 years old, I'd better stretch--I've been feeling super stiff and tight all week, and yesterday when I jogged 10 min I felt as though I was flirting with injury. 

I did a good thing yesterday after work.  I stopped at Smith's to get some things for dinner and I had in mind to maybe buy some "no pudge" brownie mix (good stuff!). Instead I saw a big container of blueberries for $4. In my mind $4 for blueberries is prohibitively expensive.  $4 for cheese, or brownie mix is fine--but blueberries? Realizing that I was being completely irrational about the money I decided to splurge for once and got the blueberries. For dessert last night we had big bowls of blueberries with milk and splenda and a couple very little snickerdoodle cookies.

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