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, January 17, 2018

Suuuuuuugaaaaaaarrrrrrr

Still going strong. Still stupidly stepping on the scale. The rationale is that I want the earliest notification possible that I met my next goal. But to do that--I have to see all the days---many more than I think their should be, where the scale is stuck at a higher number. It's dumb. I know perfectly well that scales DO NOT reflect recent actions. Whatever.

Yesterday I hit a bit of a sugar wall. No physical reaction, but a solid addictive one. I wanted a giant brownie. Or maybe a huge piece of cheesecake. It helps that I'm planning to have the brownie on Sunday. It also helps to realize that my mind and body are separate. Just because my body wants it, does not mean that I need to have it. It can be tricky, because often if my body wants something healthy, that IS an indication that I need that food. But sugar? No. I'm not going sugar free, and there is still plenty of sugar in my diet. Nobody needs a big plateful of cookies or brownies. But boy, do I want them.

I've started re-reading my favorite blog losingweighteveryday.blogspot.com.  I'm reading from the beginning when Shaun weighed 500 pounds. The most helpful thing about it for me is that it helps with resentment against men and the supposed easier time they have with things, especially weight loss. Shaun actually lost 300 pounds by sticking to a 1500 calorie plan. PHEW!! Too little for me. AND he didn't do cheat meals either. He briefly gained back about 160 pounds, but has lost it again and is now a much healthier eater than I could ever imagine being. No sugar for Shaun, and he still tracks what he eats. He's amazing. And I love being able to see a male who has to work harder than I do. This probably isn't the inspiration he hoped to give to anyone, but it helps. It helps. 

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