Monday, July 2, 2012

Nobody Said It'd Be Easy


I love those weeks where I’ve lost a couple more pounds, tried a new recipe that is just to die for in a completely healthy-okay-to-eat kind of way, or had some really cool new gadget or insight that helps propel me into the next week of my weight loss journey.

This last week was not one of those weeks.

Last week, hands down, has been one of the toughest weeks for me so far.  I have a sweet tooth craving that cannot be satisfied, jars of peanut butter that audibly call to me at odd hours in the day, and the munchies almost around the clock.  Not just today, which I could probably handle, but the entire last week.  While to some degree I’ve succumbed to these temptations, for the most part, I’ve just suffered through it.  But the longer it lasts, the weaker I get.  And the weaker I get, the crankier I get.  And the crankier I get, the more I think about peanut butter.

This next paragraph is supposed to contain the epiphany that saves the day.  It’s supposed to be the nugget that you walk away with that encourages and inspires you to stay the course, or start the course, or get back on the course.   But today, I sort of hate the course, and have nothing short of this to say:  this is hard.

Losing weight is never easy.  And losing a lot of weight throws the element of a lot of time into the mix, making it not only not easy, but seemingly unending.   It’s at this point that we separate the people who are committed to losing weight from the people who merely want to lose weight.  It’s that commitment that compels me to not give in, to not take a step backwards in my journey, only to have to make up for it next week.  Not because I’m obsessed.  Not because losing weight has become an idol in my life.  But because I have a goal to be in the “healthy weight” category.   I have a goal to be healthy and keep up with my nine kids and grandkids.  I can’t meet that goal by giving in whenever it gets hard. Yet I can already hear the voices of some well-meaning friends who would say to do just that.  “Take a couple days off”. “Life is short, eat dessert first” kind of advice.  When I get to maintenance, there will be times I do just that.  But for another 32 pounds, I’m still on a journey.  And I can’t get to where I’m going if I start walking backwards.  Please don’t tell me to just go for it and get back on track next week.  What I need is….

I can’t even finish that thought because I don’t even know what I need.  Sometimes things are just hard and you have to pick yourself up and just keep going.  I suppose if you’re really looking for it, you could find a life analogy in there somewhere, though if you find one, it would be completely unintentional.  This is just me, struggling to stay on track with the goals before me.  Even when it’s hard, even when I don’t want to, even when others would tell me to take a break.

Not the most encouraging post, I know.  I’d apologize, but it’s real.  If you think losing weight will be easy, you might as well know the truth.  It’s not.  Sometimes it’s just really hard and not a lot of fun.  But the more you distance yourself from your ultimate goal by giving in or taking breaks, the longer it will take to get to your destination.

 Just. Keep. Going.

6 comments:

  1. I agree. The "just go ahead and eat it" is not helpful! I'm sorry this week has been so tough. I have the worst sweet tooth that pops up every couple weeks it seems! I think when you give in, it kinda resets your body, in a bad way, to start craving it again...and crave it more. Some people *ahem, Rachel* have amazing willpower to just say no, but I know that I am so not like that. I have a few ideas you could try. Really you just gotta be off sugar (and everyone is different for how long) for a couple days or weeks and then your body won't crave it so bad.

    First off, stop looking on Pintrest. ;) But it's true, there are so many studies out there that looking at desserts will make you crave sweets even more. And it works! Before I got pregnant and over the holidays when people were posting soooo many desserts, I took a couple weeks off from Pintrest, and the cravings definitely toned down. (just one example: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120119101713.htm)
    Does gum or a mouthwash spray like Scope help?
    Not sure if this is your type of drink or not, but it's been helping me from giving in to my cravings recently. I dilute it with a ton of water to make a half gallon drink so it takes me forever to drink it. http://ourhealthysimplelife.blogspot.com/2011/09/detox-drink.html
    A caffeine free iced tea is another good remedy for the munchies. You know that Passion Iced tea you can get at Starbucks? (Usually mixed with sugary lemonade). But the tea is really good and you can buy it just at Vons.
    And finally, you could always turn to fruit! I know it's high in sugars and isn't recommended for weight loss, but at least it's natural and if you stick to the fruits lower on the GI scale (http://www.livestrong.com/article/278384-the-glycemic-index-for-fruits/), it won't affect your weight loss as much.
    Hope something helps!!

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  2. I have to agree with Rebecca. Once you eat just a few sweets your body wants more and more. Ice cream with chocolate syrup is my big down fall. I think I could live on it. I went 5 weeks without it, then had one bowl,and have had a small bowl every day since them. Naturally, the weight loss has stopped. But, I WILL get back on track as I have 15 more lbs to go.
    Vicki, your story is an encouragement. I needed to hear that there will be hard, really hard days as well as easy days to stay on track.

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  3. Wow, Rebecca! Great ideas! And I totally know what you mean about Pinterest. Okay, done with that for awhile! Gum does help. I just need to keep stocked up. I've been scared of fruit, because of the carbs, but it does help with the sweet tooth. We went to the Farmer's Market Saturday and all the summer fruit is coming out. I guess, comparatively speaking, it's a better "cheat" than desserts, but downing all three baskets of strawberries in one day is probably not going to help me lose any weight! =O Thanks so much for your ideas. I'll look up all the links tomorrow. LOVE YOU!

    15 pounds....Mom, that's so doable. And once you are there you can periodically splurge on ice cream! Stay the course!

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  4. I love that you are so real. And it is true...wish there were wonderful answers! It is awesome that you have great support! Keep on keeping on! I am gonna look up Rebecca's ideas too! =)

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  5. This IS encouraging, because those of us who have found the weight loss road difficult can easily assume that those blogging about their positive experiences never struggle themselves! Thanks for the encouragement to stay the course, no matter what.

    -from a friend who has not stayed it well recently...

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