Forgive me for going a little Tony Robbins
Weigh-In Wednesday: March 20, 2024
There’s an old saying – attitude is everything. The older I get, the more I realize it’s true. I’ll give you an example.
I’ve hit another plateau. I’m doing all the right things. I expect to see the results on the scale. But I’m losing less than a pound a month this year. Which feels … slow. There are two ways I could think about this.
Way #1
Guys, I’m so frustrated! I’m under 1,500 calories a day. I’m exercising. I eat healthy foods. Yet none of this is reflected on the scale – a scale I bought because I thought the old scale was lying to me! I’m losing a paltry half a pound a month. And I thought I would be done months ago. I hate this. You do all this work and invest all this time and energy and deprive yourself of life’s joys for what? So, I can bum myself out when I look at the scale every morning? Oh, good, a regularly scheduled reminder that I have unconquerable weight issues to start my day! What’s the point?
Way #2
Guys, I’ve made a major breakthrough. My entire life, I have not been able to control my weight. There were years I stopped looking at the scale – too depressing. I bought bigger clothes, and I felt those clothes tightening, so I’d buy even bigger clothes. My waist got up to a 42. My weight was 215. I had plural chins. I felt like a passenger inside my own body, and I didn’t like the ride. But today – today I feel great. I have learned how to control my weight and keep it steady. No more ups and downs that were mostly ups! I can lose weight and keep it off. I’m in the driver’s seat. It feels great.
Attitude is deciding which of those two statements is true.
Drum roll, please...
Starting weight: 187
Last week: 177
This week: 177
Goal: 170
Feeling: Embracing Way #2. Take your wins where you can get them.
Shoutouts:
In response to last week’s piece about listening to your body, John wrote: I am going to use this advice when my body tells me it wants, whiskey and a cigar as my first meal of the day, btw my body mostly speaks this to me on daddy day care Saturdays where I am solo parenting 2 preschoolers.
John – I hereby propose a USDA Food Pyramid for Dads. The bottom of the pyramid is whiskey and cigars. The next level up on the pyramid is fried food from bars. The level up from that is a giant grill with 14 different kinds of meats. The level up from that is anything in the garage fridge. The top of the pyramid is an antioxidant blueberry/banana/peanut butter smoothie … with Captain Morgan’s Private Stock. For balance. I feel like this is a good and realistic diet for dads.
Laura wrote: Congrats! Keep on listening to your body, but the voice that says "be healthy" and not the one that says "eat the cannoli - both of them." I think we all have a little bit of split personality.
Ha. Yes! We really do. My cannoli voice is pretty much retired these days. It had a legendary run. Dominated the inside of my brain for over 40 years. Said things to me like, “If the world doesn’t find you attractive when you’re 50 pounds overweight, it’s because the world is superficial. You? You are perfect. Have another cannoli.” That voice was right about the deliciousness of cannolis but wrong about a lot of other stuff.
'Steady as She Goes'- The Raconteurs.... that is the life track for this post :) and there ain't nothing wrong with that ;)
I can totally relate. I actually made an appointment with my doctor last year because I was convinced there was something wrong. Your thyroid is fine, he said. You're doing all the right things, he said. It just takes time. I wanted to punch him (not really, I've never hit anyone, but it sounded like a plan).
And then something just clicked and little by little I started to lose weight. It has taken a year to lose 20 pounds, which is just slightly more than your half pound a month. I like quick results, but this also taught me that this is how I need to eat for the rest of my life, not just for a diet. Whatever I end up weighing is where I am supposed to be, although I'm still shooting for ten more pounds.
I feel good. I follow WW and stay within my points. I get a good workout three times a week. When it's not raining my husband and I like to hike on weekends. I can live like this the rest of my life and not feel like I am missing out. If there is something that I really want, I take half and feel satisfied. But it has taken me years to get to this point. What I am trying to say is that I agree: attitude is everything.
Keep at it. Find a way of doing this that you can maintain for the rest of your life, and then you will be where you are supposed to be. I don't mean to sound like an expert, but I've dieted my whole life.
I maintained this week....but yesterday I gained a grandson. I consider this a win for the week.