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!







Thursday, December 19, 2013

Stopped half-way!

I wonder if there's a problem writing a diet blog while I'm munching on shortbread cookies?  Probably.  But today is a deliberate free day. It's an office potluck and my office does potlucks well.  Today's problem is going to be guilt. It's horrible driving outside--Dave wasn't even able to drive me all the way to work--super scary. But we're supposed to be at Dad's for his Christmas party tonight. No matter how awful the roads, I'm going to feel guilty if we don't go down. Naturally, things don't look very bad to Dad who is safe at home (and thank goodness for that!). I hope he is able to realize that I'm not trying to find an excuse, but that it is really dangerous.

Anyway. I was so proud of myself yesterday! "Not counting, but in control".  Dave took some takeout from Costa Vida to Catherine for her birthday dinner (poor kid had to work). And he brought me some too. I only ate HALF of it!!!!  I could easily have eaten it all, but I was full enough and Catherine's friend, Kaitlin sent some tollhouse cookiebars and I knew that once I had one or two of those with some milk, I'd be plenty full. So I stopped!!

I'm also feeling un-justifiably slim, because I foolishly stayed up late watching a show about a poor woman who weighed over 1,000 pounds! I've never seen anything like that. Poor thing! Her body was literally shaped like Jabba the Hut although her face was pretty.  But they got her in the hospital and she's lost 800 pounds.  Really neat to see--she can walk again. Just goes to show you should never never give up.

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