I mentioned last time I wrote that although we outwardly appear to have lost our last weight loss battle (losing over 40 pounds each and then gaining it all back), we gained some valuable intel. So what did we gain (in addition to all our fat back)? Here are a few examples:
1. Confidence. Although the loss was not permanent, we now have more confidence than ever before in our ability to lose large amounts of fat. In May 2003, we had hope and desire to lose a lot of fat, but inwardly there was doubt. This time, there is none. We both know beyond doubt that before this coming summer is over we can be down to where we were two years ago. That confidence really becomes important on days (or weeks) when the scale does not seem to cooperate. When that happens, we don't get as discouraged as we did before because we know from fairly recent experience that a significant drop will follow a seemingly unbreakable plateau.
2. Knowledge re: what needs to be done. Although we had lost weight at other times in the past, we had never really engaged in a sustained, coordinated effort. However, on this last adventure we learned how healthy eating and regular exercise are both crucial to success. We learned what types of food to eat and how much. In other words, we don't have to look for a "diet" plan because we already know what works. Diets don't work. We simply ate healthier and exercised more. Although we thought we could continue on that path forever, we gradually got out of those healthy habits and went back to our unhealthy ones (for reasons I will explore further in future posts). Nevertheless, we know what lifestyle changes we need to make -- and so far, making them this time has not been nearly as hard as it was before.
3. Knowledge re: how to get and stay motivated. This is one I wish to discuss in some detail because, the truth is, this is where we failed last time. So I will do it in a separate post. Therein, I will discuss where we went wrong in this area, and what we will be doing differently this time around.
2 comments:
CJ,
At 18 weighed 98#s, by the time I was 22-23 I weighed 165#. It was an unhappy time for me, and being young and very naive about cooking and good nutrition, I found my solace in food. After I divorced my first husband, I very quickly lost 30#s and was able to maintain it for about a year. Then it inched up again to 150. After I got married to my current husband, he asked me to stop smoking. I tried and failed many, many times, mostly due to a highly stressful family factor (not my husband but another.) I had finally reduced the amount I did smoke to a "occasional" or"social" addiction. After my mother moved in with us almost two years ago, my "occasional" or "social" smoking became a full blown everyday thing, as she is a smoker and it was easy to "bum one" or "go have a smoke" whenever she went outside to have one. I finally kicked the habit last July. I think this is some of why I now have such a weight problem. Plus I had two babies, and wasn't always cautious of what I was consuming. (Usually quantities not necessarily junk foods.) I know that at one point of my life I was able to drop 30#s really easy...but now I have to drop a significant amount more, and I'm not twenty-something...lol. Keep up the good work! I know I am trying to.
Kudos on kicking the smoking habit! If there's anything more difficult than losing fat, it's gotta be that.
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