Nifty # 50

We've all heard that, right? The problem is acting upon it. A year ago, this wouldn't have meant much to me. I knew those words were true, but I wasn't ready. What made two more weeks different? An incident. A thought process. A photo. I suppose it is similar for everyone but the exact reason why you decide to commit to losing weight will be your personal story.

A year sounds like such a long time when you are looking ahead, but haven't we all looked back and wondered where the last 12 months, 5 years or decade has gone? If you have a lot of weight that you'd like to lose, have you set yourself up for disappointment with unrealistic goals? Did you plan, or worse, expect to lose two pounds or more per week? Sure, it can happen, but it probably won't go that way each week. We're human. We're going to have good weeks and some that aren't so good. Sometimes the scale number doesn't reflect our efforts at all, be it from sodium, prescription medication or a gremlin sitting on your shoulder when you step on the scale.

This time around, I didn't set a timeline goal of a certain number of pounds by a certain date. I just knew I had to get started and keep going. My goal is still a variable. I think I know what the number is but I won't know for sure until I get there, or close to it.  In 50 weigh-ins after rejoining Weight Watchers, I've had one gain and stayed the same once. That in itself is quite an accomplishment. Did I lose two pounds every week? Heck no! But that is ok. Some weeks I lost one point something and many weeks, especially in the past few months,  it has been point-something of a pound. They all add up and that is what matters. After 50 weeks I am down 67.3 pounds!

One year ago I wasn't even ready to start. 50 weeks ago I wouldn't have dared to hope to be down this much. The previous time I began WW (and that would be the last previous time, I've done this multiple times) I wouldn't have been happy with the rate of loss. I'm ready to lose NOW damn it! Weight be gone! < Sigh >  If it only worked that easily....

If you are feeling discouraged, don't compare yourself to someone else. Most people with weight issues know people who never seem to gain or lose an ounce no matter what they eat and drink. Perhaps they have a gifted metabolism but we each have gifts that another person might envy. I'm not encouraging envy, but dropping weight from the discussion, what woman hasn't admired someone else's hair or strong nails? Some of that is what we're born with, some of that is a result of how hard we work at it.

My husband golfs. I do a lot of crafts. My husband didn't golf as well as he does now on that first year he played. His expertise developed over the years. Same with my knitting, painting and other crafts. We all seem to understand that practice improves our skills, yet we often envy someone who has what we want without putting forth the effort ourselves, or expecting our early attempts to be on par with someone who has honed their craft.

How does this relate to weight loss? Losing and maintaining your weight isn't a one time thing. It is an everyday thing for those of us who fight this battle. I've lost a lot of weight twice before but didn't stick to maintaining it. Do you know a musician who doesn't practice? A runner who doesn't run between races? Of course not. They work on their skills. If I want to continue to look and feel better, I have to work on this. Repeatedly. Improving a skill set isn't a chore, it is something we desire. Why do we put a negative spin on weight loss?  Change your mind and you can change your life.

Onward and downward!