Friday, February 16, 2007

Friday Quote Day

I usually find a quote during the week that I think will work for Friday Quote Day. I've never ended up on Friday morning scrambling around for something more appropriate. Here's what I thought would work for today:
In preparing for battle I have always found that plans are useless, but planning is indispensable.
~ Dwight D. Eisenhower
But it just doesn't feel true after what I've been reading.

The good doctors Roizen and Oz are telling me I don't have to fight the good fight. They're suggesting a more elegant solution, a way to work with my body instead of against it.

Jonathan wisely reminded me yesterday to beware of those "never" statements I quoted from the book's introduction. And you know, Jonathan, I thought about that all afternoon and evening.

[Jonathan also wrote this brilliant statement in this post:
“… if I’m getting out of life the things I really want, I’m less likely to be stuffing myself with food as a means of compensation for repressed anger, guilt, frustration, etc.”
~ Jack Sprat
Which is pretty much what the book is telling me, as well.

I guess I'm tired of the fight and desperate for an answer, and what these doctors are telling me, in their cutesy, simile-laden way [I'm starting to edit the similes out as I'm reading, that's how tiresome they are!] is that I can lay my weapons down.

And that's very appealing.

To make the Eisenhower quote meaningful for today, planning still
is essential on the YOAD program. You can't have a soup-and-salad lunch when the crisper is empty. A daily 30-minute walk [as you all know, I'm doing way more than that, but that's the minimum YOAD recommendation] has to be worked into the schedule, somehow.

We plan for the other parts of our lives: work, children, school, pets, spouses, friends, meetings – all our activities and relationships are important and vital, and we make appointments – plans – for the events that make life meaningful.

My life would be even more meaningful if I didn't constantly have the weight of my weight hanging over me.

So I'm still working this all out. Are they good marketing men, getting me to believe that I don't have to fight with myself any longer? I used to work in advertising; I'd like to believe I'm not that gullible.

It's hard to argue with success. As they suggest, I've been taking a waist measurement every day since I started following the plan. [And I will reiterate – I am loosely following the plan. I still don't have all the recommended foods, and I still love wheat saltines far, far too much.] Three days – an inch and a half smaller. Pretty incredible.

Seventy-one days until race day.

1 comment:

Jack Sprat said...

Debbi:

I don't know about you, but I plan on brushing my teeth, showering, doing laundry, getting dressed, combing my hair and brewing coffee (among other things) for the rest of my life. So journalling my food isn't like some weird bizarre ritual that I need to find extra time for.

(Okay, I should be flossing.)

But you get my point -- some things we'll always have to plan for.

-J