Is It Worth It?

If you've been following this you're probably thinking, "Wow, this is a lot of work!"  One of the reasons I chose to go with a diet plan when I lost a large amount of weight over doing it myself was I needed the motivational kick of spending money to do what I already knew how to do myself.  Every time I was tempted to backslide I'd remind myself that I had paid for my plan and I had better be successful or it was like standing over my trash can and dropping in fistfuls of money. 

The side benefit was that it was startlingly easy.  I didn't have to stand at the meat counter and try to figure out what I needed to buy or what I was going to make that evening to "fit" my plan.  I also want to state that I'm not recommending any specific plan or product though I've mentioned several in this blog.  I'm telling you about things that worked for me and the general principles of basic weight loss 101.  Going back to the beginning, "No one can help you do what you don't want to really do for yourself". Simply put, when you decide to lose weight and commit yourself to that you will. If you don't make the commitment or quit at 10 or 20 lbs. in and resume your old habits you'll regain everything you've lost and probably more.  It's a lifestyle change, not a diet and the reason you have to change your lifestyle is because you wouldn't be in the shape you are if your lifestyle was helping you to be healthy.

How many years have you been fighting with yourself over this?  For me it was on and off again for most of my adult life.  Yet after less than a full year of doing something about it almost every day, of re-committing myself to the big goal every week, I was DONE! 


I don't have to diet anymore.  It doesn't mean I eat everything I want... I did that before I got here with a horrible result.  It does mean the choices I make about what I want are very different and then when that special occasion comes or it's Friday night and I want to go out for dinner I can and I won't feel bad on Saturday.  I can't think of the years I wasted being miserable...some examples...does any of this sound familiar? not being able to go on rides with my kids because I was too large, not being able to run with the kids around a park because I had no energy and my knees hurt, not going LOTS of places I wanted to go because I was thoroughly embarrassed about how I looked, wearing clothes I loathed because they were the only ones that fit!!!  I am telling you it's not worth it and now that I'm all the way down I would have to lose control for a really long time to get all the way back up.  I am here to tell you it is so totally worth it.  I only wish I had done it years ago when my kids were little.  It would've benefited us all.

Years ago my gynecologist who was a great human being and really like a friend knew I struggled with my weight and told me his strategy for staying trim and fit.  He encouraged me to eat what I enjoyed, within reason, on the weekends and then keep it light during the week.  Well, I always knew he was a smart man because that's what I do now and it works.  Having lost the weight I don't have to diet but during the week I tend to eat protein bars and salads/soups for lunch and I eat Lean Cuisine's for dinner sometimes because I love the ease of making them and the portion control.  It depends on what I'm making for my spouse but with all of the kids gone we've got it to the point where it works for us.  Then on the weekend if we want to go split a pizza, salad and some beers, it's no problem.

Then there are the really fun times.  At Christmas time for about 2 weeks, I eat whatever I want and lots of it.  I gain weight - typically at least 10 lbs.  I enjoy myself and then come January I knock it all the way off; off the alcohol, off the cookies and great party food, off the full course heavy meals.  I go back on plan.  Because I've been overeating typically the first 5 lbs. drops right off because I'm not doing anything to maintain that increased calorie load. It takes about a week and a half.  Then the rest takes a couple or three weeks.  There's usually a plateau in there somewhere which is just part of the deal.  I'll talk about that soon.  The point is by Valentine's Day I'll be fine and if my spouse gives me a box of candy I can eat it, assuming it's not 5 lbs! I'm not suggesting you all do this, I'm just telling you that you can and I do.  The rest of your life doesn't have to be about self denial.

Vacation time is kind of similar though not usually as fattening because I'm typically more active on vacation than when I'm at home and working. I also usually try to have some really nice clothes with me that I don't want to be uncomfortable in so I probably behave a little more.  Still I have a good time and then when I get back home and unpack that suitcase, it's back on plan until I'm where I'm supposed to be.  This has worked for me for the past six and a half years and I still wear the same size clothing I did when I finished my weight loss.  I'm happy with my BMI which is in the middle of the normal range and I plan on keeping it there.

I hope that you can help yourself to health too and that some of the ideas in this blog can help you get there.  The key is to make the journey your own and try to find the things that work for you based on the principles of adjusting your eating habits towards health.  Don't forget to drink your water and move every day.  How's that stretching going???

Come on, you're worth it!!
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