Okay, back to our regularly scheduled programming.I've been thinking of Mary's comment yesterday. She said, "I know I can do absolutely anything I set my mind to – and want bad enough. With the exception of losing weight. So I quit trying."
What I've been thinking is, what would 'not trying' feel like? Seems like I've been trying for-freakin'-ever, and certainly since I was about 11 years old, with relatively short periods of either not caring or not working at losing or maintaining.
Twice in my life I've maintained a 'normal' weight for about three years each time. One was after the birth of my son in 1973. The second was about 10 years ago.
And I guess that's what keeps me on the path of trying: I've done it before. I realize my age, hormonal changes and a slower metabolism all contribute to my current lack of success [success being defined as reaching the weight goal I've set for myself]. So I just tell myself I need to keep at it, work harder, eat less, never, never, never, never give up.
I'll tell you what, though … it's tempting to quit trying and learn to come to some kind of peace with where I am now.
Guess where I was a year ago today? In Las Vegas, getting married! Yes, Mr. Shrinking Knitter and I are celebrating our first year of wedded bliss. I was in a Hallmark store yesterday selecting the perfect card and there was a sweet little old man next to me, muttering that it looked like anniversary cards stopped at 50 years. He was looking for one for his wife, whom he married 60 years ago. He said he was giving her roses, too. [Mr. SK presented me with a beautiful arrangement of red roses on Thursday.]
8 comments:
Congratulations on your anniversary! May you have many happy years together :)
First of all, HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!
When you were at your "normal" weight, how did you keep it off? I mean, that's an important thing to consider. If you were to keep it off with moderate exercise, eating somewhat normally and you weren't starving all of the time -- then you're right that you could keep it off. But if you were exercising five hours day, only eating raw vegetables, or sleeping 15 hours a day -- then perhaps you weren't really able to keep it off then.
And, can you remember what or why you stopped and regained your weight? (I once did OA and never ate sugar for 9 months until I had a car accident. I was fine, car was badly damaged and the next thing I said on waking up, "I want a Curle's Neck Milkshake! NOW!"
I sometimes wonder if I should be satisfied where I'm at but let's be honest, even someone at my height should not weigh 239 pounds. I CAN be lower. How much weight do you think you SHOULD lose to be successful? What is special about that number?
I see you as successful, Debbi. Why? You've overcome a lot of obstacles that are not food related. You have LOST a LOT of weight and kept it off for how long? More than a year easily! You exercise every day and when you couldn't run during your visit, it drove you a little crazy. You ran a marathon.
I honestly think your body is adjusting to this exercise-running system. And you yourself have written that a lot of people do not lose weight when training. How about your clothes sizes? Your measurements? You can see progress in those things.
You are a very healthy, pretty, SMART woman. You have Mr. SK, the kids and the grandkids. That's pretty successful in my book.
Congrats on one year of wedded bliss... that is the golden anniversary, isn't it? (well, it would be if I ever got married!)
I felt bad about saying that the other day. It seemed like a smart ass thing to say. But it is true. I am sick of dieting. I weigh "too much" but doctors don't think it is too much, just weight watchers. What the hell do they know? I wear a size 12 and as long as I keep in a size 12, I will continue to do what I am doing. (I used to weigh a lot more.)
Congratulations on your 1st anniversary.
I'm working on that peace thing. I keep telling myself if I can run faster it doesn't matter what I weigh.
Wow, has it been a year already? Congrats! It's weird to think how long I've been reading the weight-loss blogs. People get married, have babies, have anniversaries. Life just marches on.
Happy Anniversary!
And about the other thing, I got to be where you are standing now with the weightloss thing about six months ago. I work out when I want to and do what I want to when I do. I walk a lot. I quit thinking about calories or points or fat grams and try to focus on eating a range of foods. Nothing is off limits. And because nothing is off limits, there is no "bad" food to be sneaky with. And I tend to now rarely overeat, because I know that if I want some more of whatever that is I'm thinking about giving myself a stomach ache with because it might be the last time I ever let myseylf eat it, I can have some more tomorrow. And the next day. And the day after that. It's not a free for all; it's learning to really listen to your body and what it wants.
There are some good blogs along these lines, if you haven't already found them:
http://ccafeteria.blogspot.com/2007/08/demand-feeding.html
http://kateharding.net/2007/08/03/devouring-the-world/#comments
http://goodwithcheese.wordpress.com/
I'm a day late, but Happy (belated) Anniversary to you and Mr. Shrinking Knitter!!!
If you quit trying you don't stay where you are, you gain back all you lost & more. Staying where you are is what you get as a reward for all that effort.
Congratulations on 1 year. It seems like much less than a year.
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