Eating to Live, Take Two

Okay, so the first try didn’t go so well. I completed the detox and actually lost eight pounds. But I fell apart after about the third week of the diet. I found it too restrictive. There were too many foods that were off limits. So for quite a while after that I gave up and I ended up gaining back the eight pounds and then some.

I realize this is somewhat depressing, but don’t worry! I’m back in the saddle. Only this time I’m doing Weight Watchers and I’m not making any bold promises like I did before. I’m just going to go it one day at a time, accepting my mistakes and getting back on target as quickly as I can. The good news is every day’s a new day. The good news is I can eat whatever I want as long as I portion it out. The good news is I still have one pair of jeans that fit okay.

Maybe I’ll succeed this time, maybe I won’t. But I’m going to keep trying, and give myself a little grace when I mess up–not if, when I mess up. Losing weight is hard. Mistakes happen. Motivation wanes. The trick, as far as I can tell, is to ride out those motivation dips without doing too much damage.

In case you’re wondering, I have lost weight before. I went from 215 pounds while I was pregnant with my daughter to 129 pounds. Unfortunately, over a period of about three and a half years, I’ve gained most of the weight back, 60 of it since COVID left me unemployed.

Maintaining can be even harder than losing, especially if you’re not very active. And unfortunately, old habits die hard. Pig out tonight and start fresh tomorrow became my daily routine again. And not only is such a routine counterproductive, it’s self-destructive and dangerous.

When I track what I eat, I lose weight successfully. The key is to keep tracking, even when I don’t feel like it. Let’s face it, writing down everything you put in your mouth can feel like a drag, especially when the rest of your family or friends aren’t doing it. But there are all kinds of apps now that make logging your foods easy, and many of them are free. I guess it’s a small price to pay for a killer bod.

Anyway, that’s my plan. Thanks for reading.