Today I have taken a day off watching absolutely everything. Today I have chilled. Today I woke up and weighed myself and saw that I had gained a pound in weight instead of losing, which is what I thought I had. Today I was disappointed and wanted to give up. So today I chilled.
I tried to remain positive in the light of the revelation from the scales and take solace in the fact that I have lost 9lbs. But then, looking at it, 9lbs in 107 days isn't great. I seem to have stagnated a little and so I took today to look at what I think I am doing wrong. Why am I gaining weight when I am doing things right? The answer to that was obvious...I wasn't doing everything tight.
A typical person trying to lose weight normally loses, on average, between 1 and 3lbs a week. 2lbs is recommended and normally means that you will keep it off and not be yo-yoing for the next however many years. I have lost 3lbs a month. A MONTH! This, for me, is simply not good enough and I think I know the reason why I am not losing, but simply maintaining.
My exercising has been great and I have really enjoyed it, but I think that it has lulled me into a false sense of security. Instead of using that as another way of helping me to lose weight, I have used it as an excuse to eat more. Oh I have done exercise today so I can have that extra packet of crisps, or oh I can have that beer I said I wouldn't have. I think this is the same ploy that lots of us fall into and I am certainly prone to that. Certainly today I have looked at what I have been doing and have recognised this as my main flaw. I haven't been sticking to my plan as much as I should because I was exercising so I didn't need to.
Today's weigh in was a swift kick in the ego and a good reminder that this is something that I have to continuously watch out for and the exercise is an extension of my healthy lifestyle, not simply a reason to eat more or drink more because I had earned a few more calories. So what now?
The 'what now' is really simple. Don't eat more because I have exercised and stick rigidly to my eating journal (something else, having looked at it, that I have been allowing to fall by the wayside). It's amazing how much I have been fooling myself whilst convincing myself about how well I was doing. I am not. I needed a kick and the scales gave me one today. Tomorrow I am going to look at the emotional side of things and trying to figure out the why. Maybe do some research on it too and see if any of it will help. Who knows?
The things I am grateful for today.
Firstly I am grateful for jigsaw puzzles. My wife and I did a 1000 piece one today and it took nearly the whole day and was oddly satisfying. Much more than I thought it would be. Next, I am grateful for kicks up the backside, as this will stop me from becoming complacent and for the honesty to come back into my world. Finally I am grateful for all the people who read my blog, as you help me to keep reflecting and to keep being honest.
So until tomorrow, stay safe and stay strong.
Thanks for reading.
Sean.
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