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, November 13, 2013

Low carb Day

Ugh!  HOW do people live a low carb life??? I ate quite a bit yesterday but was never full or satisfied.  I don't have all that many days in the envelope thank goodness, but I'm not going to weed them out. It's good to wean myself away at least a little from "must have" foods.  It helps to put food in its proper place--I love all things bread, but I can still be happy without them (at least for a day).  That's an important concept---I can be happy without all the food that I think I want, just as I can be happy without all the stuff I want at the mall. Also, is it my imagination or are my pants a little looser?

Today is pure quack diet--I don't have many of those in my envelope either, but there are a few, because quack diets are so amazingly seductive! (Plus, it's such a relief to not have to live them forever!).  Funny how the mind is.  There is a blog I follow--very sweet sounding lady who is also trying to lose weight. She's on my facebook feed and I really wish her the best. She's just starting again to try to lose weight and she's doing it with the help of some miracle substance.  Like all these "miracles" it's supposed to be safe and stimulant free and has a gazillion testimonials. Happily, she's also working on incorporating other healthy behaviors. I admit to being tempted by these things--an easy fix to a life long problem--sounds fantastic!! But, so far I've avoided them reasoning that if they were really that great, my doctor would be the first to recommend them. However, that doesn't mean I'm not going to happily embrace other solidly stupid ideas.

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