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 1, 2013

Happy 2013!

January 1st! Have I exercised like mad? Have I recommitted to weight watchers? Have I decided to get rid of this problem once and for all? I have NOT. Not that I don't want the weight problem to be behind me. I do, but never, never, never will I formally diet again. What I AM going to do though is a six week eat to live challenge that hopefully will help me jolt out of my auto-intake mode. It's sponsored by my friend's sister who is a dietician and a big intuitive eating person. It sounds just right. Catherine's coming home too, and I think she wants to lose a little Disney weight too. We can cheer each other on. Exercise is the current challenge because it's been SO cold! In the 20's and less. Much too cold for even walking, let alone running. A couple of general thoughts. If I have any healthy resolution this year, it is this---I want to exercise as much as I can and eat to nourish my body as best I can. The second thought comes from the scriptures and is simply to "Not run faster than I have strength". I'm taking that literally in running and also in changing my food habits. The bad habits are powerful and true change only comes through patience and persistence. Change won by patience and persistence is permanent--change that comes by going faster than I'm really prepared to go--ie: 29 points on WW, comes right back on, because I was never changed in my heart.
Posted by at

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)