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, February 19, 2014

Fancy Sandwich

Last night's sandwiches were a hit.  Thanks to the bake and serve--rolls is the wrong word---bread, for once the reality looked just like the picture.  It was a good dinner---sandwich, grapes, fritos, dip, with a little chocolate tollhouse bar for dessert.  1900 calories is doable. Usually, anyway.  It's just so easy to eat more than that.

Can't say I've had a breakthrough yet, but perhaps a little weakening of poor thinking. Hungry Girl posted today about how to survive a trip to a Mexican restaraunt. Nothing special this time--only the irritating advice to skip the chips and salsa, and avoid anything smothered with cheese or any of the --ada's or anga's--like enchiladas, or chimichangas. Salads are ok, if you don't have them in the deep fried bowl.  Ummmm...why bother going to a Mexican restaurant?  BUT this time those thoughts seem just a small shade more realistic than they usually do. The idea of making a point of eating healthy no matter where you are is a very small seed--that hasn't taken root yet, but perhaps a tiny spoonful of dirt has been moved to let the seed in.

Maybe someday the situation will become irrelevant to my eating choices. Or at least mostly irrelevant. To me, it's a mind blowing world view---a fundamental shift. But plenty of my co-workers seem to live their whole lives this way. Sure, it's potluck day, but they only eat a little of this or that because that's just what they do. I can barely even imagine that.  And yet, I behave that way all the time socially---I would never blurt out all the unkind thoughts that cross my mind. I just wouldn't. Someday maybe I won't eat all the unkind food.

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