Getting Thin In 2010 -- Pushing Through & Not Giving Up!
Let me just go ahead and say it...I failed last week. I have been putting this post off all week, because I didn't want to face my failure in front of all of you. I weighed in on Sunday, and the scale read the exact same number as the previous Sunday.
I was pretty depressed. I've been eating low-calorie, healthy foods. I've been going to Zumba (a really high-energy workout) 4 times a week, and walking on my off-days. I thought for sure I would have dropped weight again last week.
So what did I do? I grabbed a bag of Doritos and (hanging head in shame) stuffed my face. Weight loss confession time -- I'm an emotional eater. I was so upset about not losing weight, and felt like all my hard work was for nothing. I got really down, and basically in my head "gave up." I thought to myself, "What's the point? I might as well just eat what I want tonight. It's obviously not working..." So I ate the bag of Doritos (with a Diet Coke, which makes it oh-so-much-better for you. HA!)
After Sunday, I took on the mentality of "Well, I've already blown it with the Doritos, so I might as well just forget about it." I stopped counting calories for 2 or 3 days. I still worked out every day, but I know I was eating way over the limit I had set for myself.
Yesterday I sort of snapped out of it. All it took was getting on the scale, and barely being able to button my pants for work in the morning. I told myself I was going to get back on track and not give up.
See, here's the thing. Like I told you previously, I've been watching my weight since high school. I could always lose weight so easily. I simply cut back calories, stuck to my Weight Watchers plan, and exercised a little...and the weight dropped off in a heartbeat. After I graduated college, however, my lifestyle completely changed. I went from high-energy, high-stress, constantly in motion, working a job and going to school, walking across campus every day...to sitting all day long at a desk job. Since that point in time, I have had a really hard time getting the weight off.
Over the past 2 years, I have been off and on and off and on with this weight loss thing. The story I told you above, where I get down on myself, stuff my face, give up, and say who cares? That has happened multiple times.
And you know what? It's not going to happen this time! I'm determined, I'm motivated, and I'm going to push through it. Even when the scale isn't reflecting my progress, even when I blow it on my calorie-counting, even when I get lazy and miss a few days of working out, even when I want to give up, even when I'm sick of it all...I am just going to learn how to keep going.
So I messed up last week. Big deal. It's behind me, and now I can start over and keep going. Hey, at least I didn't GAIN weight and maintained what I had already lost!
Progress To My Goal: Still at 3.5 pounds lost, 14% of the 25 pounds I'd like to lose before May.
Let me encourage you to not give up. You can do it! If you mess up one day (or week), put it behind you and get right back on track. It will be worth it in the long run! Just keep your goal in mind, think about what you want to accomplish, and picture yourself so much happier when you reach your goal!
What About You: Those of you who committed to join me in this weight-loss journey...How is your progress? Share below in the comments about your failures, successes, words of encouragement for others, or whatever you feel like saying! Accountability is everything!
Feel free to jump on board with us at any time!
Feel free to jump on board with us at any time!
posted by Meagan at
4:23 PM
7 Comments:
hi there i just wanted to say that you might have lost weight but unless you analyze your body fat you wont be able to tell because the scale only registers your actual weight. If you lost FAT and gained muscle mass your weight might not have changed on the scale but your body composition changed and you would never know it. This is one of the major reason why people who start a workout and dont monitor their body feel as though they've somehow failed and end up giving up.
MY ADVICE: dont give up! find a place or maybe where you take Zumba and have your body composition analyzed its usually free and pretty easy/quick
i know you will be happily surprised :)
hang in there,
sophie
Keep going! I didn't initially respond to your weight loss quest, but I am on the same journey since the beginning of 2010. I am getting married next year, which has given me the motivation I need to get back on the diet train. All I can say is - eyes on the prize. You are doing this for yourself, for your future, for something that you want. So even if there are setbacks, stay focused on your goal. Write down your reasons. And I LOVE that you have posted this on your blog because you are holding yourself accountable to your readers! I have been telling friends and finding friends who are also on a diet to try and hold myself accountable to. Also, acknowledge that you are going to slip from time to time, and eat a whole bag of doritos or a whole pan of brownies (I did that!). A slip doesn't mean your diet is over, it just means you needed a break and an indulgence. Let yourself have it and try not to feel guilty, and then get back on track! I have lost 8 pounds so for and I've got 9 more to go. My goal is by April!
Hang in there Meagan! Like anon up there said, sometimes you don't see the scale move because you're gaining muscle. Keep at it and you'll see results. You can also try measuring yourself. Sometimes, you can see progress there even when the scale doesn't move.
I didn't blow it this week, but I didn't lose anything either. I'm holding on though, not giving up!
Keep up the good work I am. Don't get discouraged when the scale doesn't go down, it might even go up a little due to muscle gain. Mine didn't move at all and I spent 1 1/2 hours 6 days last week at the gym. Good luck.
You can do it. I recognize a lot of myself in your post. I too had that "well, I've already screwed up today, so I might as well . . ." attitude. It was hard to rewire my thinking, but I've managed to do it. I now realize that one small transgression is not a reason to give up for the day or the week. One blog that really inspired me is 344pounds.com. Check it out. It has inspired and motivated me a lot. And I like his no nonsense approach: eat less, exercise more and you'll lose weight. It will happen. Keep up the good work!!!
Hey Meg, I love your blog and just noticed your weight-loss goal! I just recently decided to get FIT, but haven't really considered putting a deadline on it. Some background info: I used to be an athlete in high school and college (softball, swimming, basketball, you name it), but I have slowly gotten out of shape over the last four years. I'm short, my torso is not long, and I am 'medium-boned.' Although I am able to maintain my weight by diet alone, my body composition has dramatically shifted to more-fat-and-less-muscle. My weight actually goes down when I don't work out, but that is effectively when my 'fattiness' goes up. Here are 4 tips off the top of my head, which are truths and that work for me:
TIP #1: For some people, like myself, doing an aerobic exercise (i.e. raising your heart rate above 160 for more than five minutes at a time without an interval) makes you more hungry than a low-intensity workout (i.e. heart rate around 130). I walk on a treadmill on an incline (level 4-7) and do full body resistance, like lifting weights (not heavy enough to make me really push) with all my muscles. Then I go walk on the incline again.
TIP #2: If you cannot sing while doing a workout, you are working your muscles too hard and are not burning fat. It takes a long time to build up the endurance to be able to talk and workout at the same time (just look at instructors, usually the only people in the room who can manage to get a few words out, let alone constant commands; they are instructors for a reason!). If it is fat you want to burn, try doing a fatburning exercise, which means low intensity, for about an hour. Cardio workouts are more for those people who want aerobic exercise (many times a cardio workout will cause your body to eat your body's protein instead of fat... thus we get the very lean body types of runners and cyclists). If you don't keep your muscles in constant reconstruction, there is no way your body will benefit from just cardio workouts. You have to add some weight lifting/resistance and/or "low-intensity cardio" such as stairmaster, walking on an incline, yoga.
Tip #3: If you do your workout on an empty stomach and include some form of caffeine (I drink green tea), this helps (1) raise your initial heart rate and keep it up and (2) burn fat instead of helping to digest what's already in your stomach. Obviously, the easiest way to workout on an empty stomach is to do your exercise first thing in the morning, even before breakfast. This is very hard to acheive if your job already requires you to wake up before a good night's rest.
Tip #4: In order to keep your body from going into starvation mode (i.e. fat storing vs. fat burning) you should raise your daily caloric intake by 15-25% depending on the intensity of the workout. VERY IMPORTANT: Your "after workout meal" (the *compulsory* meal you should eat within 20 minutes of exercise which should contain simple sugars + protein -little or no fat- to help your muscles repair immediately) should not count in the extra calories for the day. Many people miss this an in the end deprive their bodies of calories. Also note, it is healthy to weigh in before and after a workout, but for the purpose of replacing every ounce you lost with liquid, not just to obsess! This keeps you well hydrated and bodily functions lubricated. Staying hydrated also eliminates the common dilemma of our bodies mistaking thirst for hunger.
I have seen results in my body fat after just 4 consecutive days of walking on an incline and doing light weight resistance... and I never go to sleep hungry and my genes are of no advantage!
Phew! Hope that long comment helps!!
Love your blog sooo much! -Jessica
Thank you everybody for the tips and encouragement! =)
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