I have been talking to my boyfriend’s daughter about her recent weight loss and new lifestyle plan. Her mother became involved with a program through her workplace and has lost around 30 pounds so far. So obviously, when Blake decided she was ready to embark on her own journey, she jumped on board with her mom. It’s only been about two months and she is down 20 pounds herself! I have been texting her almost daily asking her for tips and tidbits. Everything she is telling me are things I already know, but have failed to put into practice. In fact, the tips and tricks are very much in alignment with a book I listened to on Audiobook over a year ago, called “The Thin Woman’s Brain”. The book explains why we have cravings, why we can lose weight and then gain it right back, and why willpower is bullshit. And it explains step by step how you can re-wire your brain to enable you to eat like a naturally thin person. I plan to re-listen to that book during my daily commutes for some extra reinforcement.

Right now, I am committing to:

1) Documenting everything I eat for the next 7 days.

2) Walking no less than 10,000 steps per day, which I can track on my Fitbit.

3) Eating only when I have physical hunger.

4) Eliminating soda and junk food.

I figure that these will be a good start to get things (such as the scale) moving in the right direction. And I love that I have someone to touch base with, share my frustrations with, and for when I need some back-up or a pep talk!

I remember when my boyfriend, 6’ tall and 200 pounds was losing weight last summer, and I felt so embarrassed when his weight became less than mine. I also felt that I was letting him down as he was doing all the things necessary to improve his life while I was doing nothing to improve my own. That, combined with an upcoming trip to the Bahamas, spurred my super-sized butt into action. In November, I gave up soda and junk food (my biggest weaknesses) and began walking.

In January, I splurged on myself and got myself a Fitbit, which really challenged me to get moving even more. I was able to take off about ten pounds just before the trip in mid-February. I felt much better and was able to completely enjoy the trip without any physical restrictions or feelings of weight-shame. However, I was still not feeling good about the way I looked or felt. After being dressed in little more than a swimsuit for an entire week, I came home with a strong desire to get fit and lose more weight.

I joined Weight Watchers and DietBet, which both helped me to lose about 8 more pounds, fairly easily. I was starting to feel really good, my clothes were getting loose, and my self-confidence seemed to be returning. I was actually looking forward to attending a wedding and getting a new dress that I felt good wearing. Bare arms were shown and selfies were taken.

And then it happened. I have no idea what “it” even was, but it happened. I just stopped doing everything that had been working. I didn’t do it consciously, but every day, I would just let myself skip the walks, or I’d allow just one soda that would easily turn into 2 or 3 more. I was back to eating out all the time. All of the good habits I had been forming over the previous 9 months were surrendered. As a result, here I am, back up those 9 pounds that I had lost. Without reason or explanation of what went wrong.

At this point, I figure I have two choices:
1) Continue on the path I’m on.
2) Pick myself up and move forward.

I choose #2! Now I just have to figure out WHAT it is that I’m going to do and how to make this time different than all those other times. I don’t want to take too long to decide exactly how to go forward, but I do want to take enough time to understand what I have going on emotionally that causes me to continually sabotage my weight loss efforts.

Day 1

Yesterday I posted on my Facebook fan page about detoxing our lives. I spent the day thinking about the different things I could start with, but landed on the one thing that I know will make the biggest impact. Plus, It is something I have been putting off for way too long.

So, starting today, I am giving up sweets. I’m talking about candy, sodas, treats, and desserts. I know there are lots of other foods that either contain or convert to sugar, but I’m starting with these little devils, as they have been my downfall for my entire life. I’ve stopped them before, and have loved how much more energy I had, along with the quick weight loss associated with giving up sugar. But like any other addiction, one little slip up would put me back into the downward spiral of rolling in the sugar again.

Day 2