My anthropology class is wonderful. I really think every person in the world should take it. The whole class just underscores the fact that you simply can NOT help anybody unless you understand that person or society. I would just love to lecture to the world's dieticians/weight loss "experts." I think they know about 5% of the problem. It's a crucial 5%, but it's still just 5%. For example. Exercise is beneficial. Great. Wonderful. And maybe they have great ideas about what exercises will be best. Again, great. But all the knowledge in the world doesn't mean a thing if they can't get the person to DO the exercise.
That's where knowledge of the patient comes in. They simply don't know why the patient is unmotivated to exercise. Maybe the patient herself doesn't know why she's unmotivated, but THAT's what the specialist needs to concentrate on. They can throw out an idea like, "find a friend to exercise with." But unless they've taken the time to listen to the patient, it's like they're throwing random darts in the dark.
Why this bothers me so much is that I've wrestled with this problem all my life, and it's taken far too many years for me to realize that the "experts" don't know much. It's a difficult thing to realize. After all, they are thin, and I am fat so obviously they know what to do to be thin and I should listen.
Sort of. They know what THEY need to do to be thin. They have NO IDEA what I need to do to be thin. What obsticles do I need to overcome to be able to live a life similar to theirs? The infuriating thing is that they seem to have NO notion that they are lacking the most important information of all!!!
Ok, just needed to get that off my chest apparently. Today, I feel slim, my pants are fitting better and I feel encouraged. I also feel sick. I'm finally coming down with the cold that flattened Dave a couple of weeks ago. If it kills my appetite, that would be great. Today is 1500 cal. Those extra 200-300 cal on other days sure do make the world of difference. My good intentions were to ensure that I had snacks today, but I good derailed by the siren song of a reeses egg. I threw in some carrots for a snack and am calling it good enough. Actually, my whole lunch is snacky. Oh well. It's what I want, and I'm telling myself that I wouldn't want it if my body didn't need it. That's interesting that I can sincerely believe this despite a lifetime of evidence to the contrary. The food is healthy--just not too plentiful.
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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