February 27: Lighten Up, as in Relax!

Yesterday while reading article after article about how to break through a weight loss plateau, I found some common themes.  Among them: exercise tactics to prevent your body from getting used to routine; keeping an accurate food diary; being patient (I can already hear my dear Friend chortling at the idea of me being patient with a task).

There was nothing new there: I track my food religiously and follow good health guidelines.  I exercise six days most weeks and do a different type of exercise each day.  I've been within a pound of the 50-pound marker for three weeks now; I'm not long on patience.

And then I came across an idea that caught my attention.  It started with an article about mixing up the amount of calories that you consume, so your body doesn't get too comfy with routine or go into a sort of protection mode from too few calories.  For the longest time, I haven't cut myself any slack.  I've stuck to my minimum points allowance and not allowed myself to use any of the activity points I've earned or the weekly points allowance to which I'm entitled. 

I decided to start Month 2 of Lighten Up with a new mindset: I'm easing up on myself.  I'm still going to exercise hard because I love it, and I'm still going to eat healthy foods and track 'em.  The change will be in loosening up the reins a little.  I had a long string of losses at WW when I planned to have a small food treat each day and when I took time for things which make me calm & happy. 

To kick-off Month 2, I decided (a.) to plan two desserts for my family this week; (b.) to have a lunch at McDonald's; (c.) to swear off our household scale; and (d.) to not obsess about the contest & contestants.  When I did my weekly meal planning, I found two desserts from a diabetic cookbook; I tracked my burger and shake, then ate well for the rest of the day.  As for (c.) and (d.), I've gone 24 hours without stepping on the scale; and this morning I was happy for the success of the other Lighten Up-pers, but had to fight the sick feeling in my stomach when I instantly saw how poorly my weight loss compares with theirs. 

So there we are.  It's the start of a new month and I've got a new plan in place, along with a handful of accomplishments; I've also got a few familiar demons to fight.  We'll see.

 

~Karin