Wow. Let me again express for the hundredth time my undying amazement that Sean of losingweighteveryday.blogspot.com was able to eat 1500 cal a day for more than two years until he reached his ideal weight. Wow. Wow. Wow. Today, I'm aiming for 1600 cal and it feels thin indeed. I'll be able to manage I think, but only because I know that tomorrow I can relax a little--still in control hopefully, but not needing to be hungry. He never once complained of hunger. HOW????
Yesterday, was a flavor point day. But it was also a day where I needed to get a lot done--especially Christmas shopping. I realized that not only did I really not want the flavor point boring dinner, but that I honestly didn't have time to go home and fix it and still get things done. I think I made a pretty good choice instead. I grabbed Dave and we went to Applebees and ordered off the light menu (Strategy here is to not even look at anything other than the light menu). MUCH better feeling dinner--steak, potatoes and a sm. portobello mushroom with artichoke sauce. So the question was--was this a gold star or red star day? (BTW beginning new year--gold is best, SILVER will be second best and red will mean there was some kind of serious problem). Part of me thought Gold--because I thought I did great in making a responsible adjustment that served my life better than being super rigid. Part of me thought Red because at least part of the decision was motivated by simply not wanting the healthy dinner that was planned and I want to practice making healthy promises to myself and then keeping those promises.
In the end, I decided that it really was a golden day--rigidity is doomed to failure and I coped well. However, I gave myself a red star (second best) in the end because by the time I got to Michaels crafts I was exhausted and got myself a giridelli chocolate square. Again--a responsible dessert--and flavor point did have a dessert option that day--but not that one and I'm not sure if the dinner I ate had a lot more calories than the one I was supposed to eat. SO...A+ for effort and B+ for actual execution.
However, yesterday's intake has left me on empty for today and I can't imagine 1600 cal even coming close to filling me up. But, let me take a leaf from Sean's book and express genuine gratitude for the food I DO have today. All of it super yummy, varied and plentiful enough. Breakfast was frosted mini-wheats with milk (foolish choice--I know better than to eat sugary cereals, they only leave me hungry.) yogurt for a snack, tomato soup, a roll and olives for lunch, popcorn for a snack, a pork chop dinner and that still leaves room for a small dessert.
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!
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!
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