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, November 12, 2013

Detour at Zupas

Oh boy,

Yesterday was a hungry day. Odd--last time I did flavor point I was surprised at how little real hunger I felt. But the thing that really got me yesterday was exhaustion. I walked home from work as usual, planning to make the official flavor point dinner, but when I got home Dave was on the couch and I sat down next to him and that was it. I could have slept the night through. I needed to run an errand, which was the last thing on earth I wanted to do, Catherine was at work, so when Dave tempted me with dinner at Zuppas just the two of us before going to the store I said yes. I'm not feeling too guilty about this. I was starved and exhausted and my body definitely needed as well as wanted food.

So, I've given myself a silver star for the day and moved on. (Gold stars are perfect, red for really good effort, silver for made an effort but had a major failure at some point in the day).  Today is low-carb.  I have some better information this time---I got the "low carbs for dummies" sheet off the web and am going with that. It's actually quite liberal. It seems to me to mostly just being avoiding breads and sweets and things. Okay. Amazing how difficult that is. For breakfast I had bacon, eggs and milk (1%). I've been snacking all morning on nuts, grapes and cheese and I am MORE than ready for my lunch. Good lunch--buffalo chicken on a bed of spinach and tomato with blue cheese and even two wasa crackers (the only bread-like substance for the day). I won't starve, but I suspect I'll be very ready for dinner.

No comments:

Post a Comment