So it's here – that time of year where I fight my negative mentality and evil hidden jealousy at everyone quickly shedding unwanted pounds whilst I struggle along at a snails pace. Everyone I know seems to be on a diet and losing 10 bloody pounds a week while I have managed to weigh in at about the same weight for the last bloody month. Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr. Can you say frustration??? I suppose I should proud of myself that in my changed life I blog instead of reaching for the nearest bagel or bag of chocolates. Pat on back for that…. However, what is up with this jealousy and envy??? I'm working my dang butt off; you'd think that would be enough to make me happy! I've changed what I eat, I work out like a fiend and more than that, I love working out! But still, I'm not seeing results on the scale. How did I get here? I am not a jealous person by nature. I'm not a person who feels they have to be like everyone else. But dang if I don't want the scale to be moving faster! How do you get past this feeling of envy? I mean really – this is a personal journey after all. How do you stop feeling like a failure every time someone mentions their loss for the week? Anybody else feel that way? Or am I the only one sinking into my very own pit of self pity and despair? And why exactly is jealousy the green-eyed monster? I like to think mine has more purply eyes….
Yes, yes, yes – I know I've posted about this before. So I'll shut my gob and get over it. The scale is not the end all be all. Period. I need to learn to be proud of myself for all that I've accomplished even if it hasn't translated into scale victories. End of story.
I've been reading a lot of blog posts lately with all the despair that the holiday season brought. A season of joy and happiness seems to have melted into shock and awe and horror that the human body can so quickly convert pecan pie to poundage. It's tough times out there I tell you, tough times. I'm just glad that roomy has decided to become the points goddess again and has seriously overhauled our kitchen and begun cooking up a storm. We've had fancy 0-point soup, eggplant parm, stuffed peppers and lots of other goodness. Yeah for roommates on points kicks! We are also having a friendly little competition to lose 25 pounds before spring break. That should be enough to keep me motivated!
In other FGS news, I officially made it on the cross country trek to and from New York for Christmas vacation. My butt is still numb, and I have now given up any delusion I might have had that I will ever work out when I am on vacation. It just doesn't happen peeps. So I hauled those weights and yoga mat 3200 miles for absolutely no reason. But hey, at least I brought them! And I hope I don't have to sit on my ass for that long for a very, very long time!
Last thoughts – willpower.
I was watching a show about dieting and health – I think it was on Dr. Phil but really I don't remember since all I did last week was watch home improvement and dieting/health shows and they've all blended into one massive program on improvement. Any way, they were talking about willpower and how dieting is not about willpower. At first I was like ha – whatever, dieting is all about willpower. But then I started to think about it. It isn't and shouldn't be about willpower. I know, I know! What am I saying???? I'm saying this – willpower dwindles, fades, disappears. You can't bank on willpower. But you can bank on healthy habits, changed lifestyles and setting yourself up to make good choices. Saying that you are going to never eat cake or chocolate or potato chips again is just silly and unrealistic. You are going to eat these things despite every vow and resolution not to – okay maybe not these specific things but we all have our Achilles' heel. We hang our hats on willpower – and then when it runs out, submit ourselves to failure and frustration. It has to be more than just willpower. There has to be some substance behind it, some scaffolding to fall back on – healthy habits, healthy choices, healthy mindsets. These will outlast even the best and strongest motivation. So as we all claim crazy amounts of willpower and push ourselves into the post-holiday diet mode, I think we should all take a minute to think about what is going to happen when that willpower goes away……..
Not that I'm a Dr. Phil fan but…..
"Don't rely on willpower -- it simply doesn't work. Willpower is driven by emotions, which can be fickle. Emotions landed you into a weight problem, but they won't get you out of it. Instead, program yourself for success and stick to the program." Dr. Phil
Cheers,
FGS
4 comments:
I think a lot of what sparks that jealousy is that we see our friends or whoever dropping their weight.. BUT here is the big kicker.. chances are they will gain it back... in order to be successful in maintaining a healthy weight loss one must do it via a program and via healthy means.. losing weight quickly in most cases will end up in the regaining of pounds and then some. I also find that those folks who lose fast like that get burnt out quicker.. again another quick road to failure . So still in my mind.. slow and steady wins the race.. the race of a lifetime.
Like you, I'm doing the weight loss thing. I've been doing WW for over a year. I have 37lbs gone to show for it and I have only missed two meetings in that time due to illness or vacay. People are losing weight in double the number I am. That is NOT THE POINT. You have to focus on you. You came in to this world alone and you'll leave alone. You're going to lose the weight alone. Hang in there. Use those 'people' as inspiration instead of exasperation. Love the blog by the way:)
I know it's difficult to see people dropping weight really quickly, I've been up and down the same 10lbs for the last six months so I can sympathise. Having roomie on plan should help you out though. Maybe shake up your routine a bit to force your body to react.
Your comment on my blog had me looking over my shoulder for a hidden camera, how did you know we didn't go the beach?
Plateaus really do happen. You have probably hit a stubborn one. Just hang in there. Even thought we are all sick of hearing it, even losing one pound a week, over the long haul, will make for long-term weight loss results. Hang in there!
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