I have been going through the better part of every diet that I have been on doing what you did. Mine was delivery pizza and homemade fudge. I did a review and the longest that I could stay "perfect" on a diet was 6 weeks then I would hit my first plateau, begin missing former favorite foods and voila, I came undone! It is also very demoralizing when these moments happen.
Since following my latest food plan (not a diet, just a healthy way of eating) I have allowed myself food off plan because I felt like I had eaten so healthy that 1) my body could tolerate 2) and after all I had been eating so healthy, right?
Well, my body didn't tolerate it so well. Foods that I used to eat with little or no trouble now cause me a lot of GI trouble. Maybe, short term eating off plan is okay but it was derailing my weight lose efforts.
I had an a-ha moment when I asked my DH how much he really wanted the homemade fudge that I have made. He said not that much. I said if you could put a percentage on it how much would you say that I wanted it vs you? He said 65% for me and 35% for him. And, here I had myself believing that I was doing something loving for
him? How blind could I be?
So, I decided to really take a weekend off where I ate whatever I wanted but really thought about what I was trying to accomplish here. Had I lost my original incentive? Yes, I had. I was able to get into some summer clothes that I feared that I wouldn't last winter. Now what? My face doesn't look like I swallowed a bucket of acorns so I was satisfied with that. However, I was really having a hard time coming up with something that would re-motivate me---cause me to be "on fire" again. I really was stumped.
Well, I haven't been 135 in almost four decades. I don't even remember what it was like to be a "normal" weight. So, using that an incentive is almost useless at this point. So, I have to come up with something else that will keep me going.
So, after having my
deep thinking period I returned with a couple of ideas. Part of this is owing up to who I am and part of it is common sense:
1) I have decided that I would "allow" myself one "off plan" meal per month moving forward. That gives an "out" but not so much so that I really ruin all of my weight lose efforts so far. If it works and I have no major setbacks then I will continue to do that.
2) Keep in mind that one of the best, and most sober, reasons for me to continue to lose weight is that my health today and tomorrow is at stake. I am still considered severely obese by medical standards. I am facing yet another birthday very overweight and I can tell you that whether we like to admit it (I don't) we are at higher risk for certain diseases. Add that to yet another birthday and I will admit that I am fearful of what my life will be if I
don't lose this weight. So, my secondary motivation is that I am doing this to reap health benefits.
My next goal is to reach 199 lbs. because, well, that is below 200 and it would get me out of the obese BMI.
So, pass the stars around, sister, I am going for the gold!
No,you are not the only one .....
