Saturday, August 4, 2012

EPIPHANY


It happened—a weight loss epiphany!




The answer to a lifetime of struggling with weight-loss came to me today.  It has nothing to do with dieting—the real answer is learning not to gain weight. Not gaining weight is more important than losing it.
            This is a difficult concept to wrap your arms around. It conflicts with all the popular reasons for wanting to lose weight: class reunions, weddings, seeking relationships, New Year’s resolutions. The emphasis is always on FAST. Do it NOW! Lose 10 pounds in 4 days! Every pitch focuses on time. I fall for it, try it, lose some weight, and when life goes back to pre-diet normal, the weight creeps back on. Sometimes just as quickly as it came off. It’s no wonder taking off weight seems like an impossible dream!
            I have two occupations keeping me busy, my arbitration work and my writing. Both are done sitting on my derriere. My favorite hobbies, reading and playing bridge—same position. My lifestyle is not conducive to being lean.  I’ve learned I can make time work for me, use it to move toward a healthy weight. This is a Big Picture method, not a kitschy, lose fifteen pounds in a week, fad diet. It requires long-term life style changes. Done slowly, using my head, it will be relatively painless.
            I’ve merged my epiphany into ten, manageable points.
  1.  It’s OKAY to maintain my current weight! The important part of this acceptance, whether it’s for a week or a year is this: I will NOT gain.
  2. I will still eat my favorite foods, but not quite as often or in as large quantities as I might like.
  3. If I have a day or an occasion of overindulgence, I’ll follow it with a few sensible days.
  4. During the holiday season, which for me starts with Halloween and ends with the Superbowl game, I won’t gain weight. I accept that in order to enjoy holiday eating, I will eat lean on non-occasion days.
  5. I intend to lose weight SLOWLY. I’m a calorie counter, I know how much I have to cut to lose. My goal is to lose 1 – 2 pounds a month, or even a few a year, until I reach a healthy weight for ME.
  6. I’m going to eat when I’m physically hungry, pay more attention to when my body has had enough.
  7. I no longer eat at my computer.
  8. I’ll keep wearing my pedometer, doing 10k steps a day.
  9. I’ll continue to use a notebook to keep track of the calories I take in every day, recalculating my intake when necessary.
  10. I’ll keep reminding myself it is the SMALL changes that matter!

   Dear readers,

If you’ve been reading this blog for a while, you know I have been practicing much of this for some time now. What’s new is the acceptance that it is okay if I lose weight slowly. For me, staying the same is an effort in itself. The realization that achieving a goal doesn’t HAVE to have a date connected to it, came as a big relief.
I hope this will benefit some others who’ve lived by the scale for all too long!
Marla

11 comments:

  1. This is eye opening and inspirational. Thank you for sharing.

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    1. Thanks for visiting! Glad it was helpful. Now, to practice what I preach! Why is it so hard?
      Wish I had that answer!
      Marla

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  2. Nice post. Very sensible. Love #10 - small changes matter. Thank you. (In case you'r wondering, I found you on Twitter.)

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    1. Thanks for visiting, Sandy! Glad you enjoyed my insights. Kind of takes the pressure off.
      Send me a tweet sometime, I always do RTs for my Twitter friends. Had a bad food day today,
      so need to regroup and have a few "lean" days. It's always the starting that's hard!
      Take care,
      Marla

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  3. Great blog post! I was just saying something about this to my hubby tonight. I have lost 30 lbs but need to get back on track...that's this week!

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    1. HI Writer Girl!
      Love and cherish that new body! Treat it with kindness and healthy food, but don't forget to work in your favorite foods. Take time out to exercise, it'll help your writing. I like to plot out my scenes while I walk.
      I have the advantage of having a dog, who stares at me until I get all my steps in! And lucky to live in an area that is beautiful for walking.
      Keeping the pounds off is just as hard as the weight loss itself, and not as "sexy" as there is no longer the ongoing drama of clothes getting looser.
      Buy some new ones and toss the old!
      Great to hear from you,
      Marla

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  4. Wonderful post. When I stopped thinking about (obsessing about) weight, it came off on what felt like its own. Out with the fad diets and in with sensibility. I can turn a sandwich into an event by enjoying the effort that went into creating something nutritious that looks like it came off the food network channel. (Although sometimes a burger and fries would be just as appealing. LOL!)

    Great job on finding what will work for you. It's not easy, but it's definitely worth it.

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    1. Yes, it's all about what works for YOU! Glad you found your food niche. Hard to get to that place where it all comes together, isn't it?
      Thanks for visiting, Jacklyn,
      Marla

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  5. Very insightful. And honest. And annoying. Practical advice can be annoying. But, I thank you so very much for writing it down. You've made me stop and think, something I rarely do with three little kids, a husband, and a writing career ambling down the runway. I enjoy your tweets, I'm sure your posts (and coffee) will make the day a little brighter. Good wishes.

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    1. I know how you feel. Weight loss advice can be annoying. This concept came as a big relief to me, as I've struggled up and down the scale for my entire life. And I've been around for quite some time! I have a dear friend with the same problem who doesn't like to talk about it at all. It can be very personal. I'd hoped my insight might be a help to others.
      Kudos to your for managing to write amid all your other responsibilities. I've read somewhere lately that is IS possible to write despite distractions. I'm still learning!
      Take care,
      Marla

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