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!







Tuesday, January 23, 2018

One solution...

Today was going to present two problems--an office pizza party and the possibility of taking Dad out to dinner--probably Chinese.  I made myself a big salad to help cope with the pizza and was going to look up calories for the Chinese. But poor Catherine has been sick for a long time (six years now) with a mysterious gastric issue. Being gluten-free helps but doesn't cure. She's decided to go the round of doctors again. They're prescribing all kinds of stuff to clear out her system, but it isn't helping. I suggested that Dave might give her a blessing on Saturday when we're in SLC. She did call, and asked if he could come down today? I am delighted that she asked!!! It occurred to me very belatedly as I was going to bed last night that I could help by fasting for her. Fasting is hard for me at any time, but especially once I've got my food planned out. On the other hand, given that it's Catherine and the magnitude of the problem, it's a trivial enough sacrifice.

Helpful, too is that I've got an appointment and a class to teach during the duration of the pizza party, so it will be easier to skip.

More importantly, fasting and prayer moves mountains. It's moved my family (literally) which was much more difficult than any physical mountain. For God to cure Catherine should be easy.

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