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, June 16, 2012

441 Olive Garden

We took Dad out to Olive Garden today. It was the right thing to do even if the Olive Garden wasn't great for choices. Why are the breadsticks so hard to resist there? Really, they arent even that good--not very buttery or garlicy at all. I can think of MUCH better bad bread products---Dominoes parmesan bites leap to mind for carb-heaven heart-attack perfection. Whatever. I had four and some mushroom ravioli with some violently orange colored sauce--quite good. I can sort of justify the Olive Garden--it's harder to justify the bread, cheese and popcorn that I had for dinner. It's done though. I will move on. Tomorrow's Father's Day, which shouldn't actually be too terrible. I'm getting up early and fixing german pancakes, and Dave bought some gigantic steaks. I honestly think I can refrain from gobbling up the steaks. I'm due to make brownies too, but I think I can make those a positive thing this week---I love to have rich desserts and a small brownie-bite size helping through out the week should help me feel satisfied. The trick will be to just have a normal size brownie tomorrow instead of the 1/4 of the pan that I will want to have.

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