More on Weight Loss Experience

Just in case anybody's wondering how things are going with my little weight-loss adventure, here's an update.

I've been stuck at the same weight for about a month now. It's been somewhat discouraging, but I feel a bit better about it after visiting the doctor for a checkup. He not only raved about how much weight I've been able to lose since starting this little project (25 lbs since my last visit, between 35-40 total), but told me it's quite common to hit plateaus along the way.

If I keep watching the calories and exercising, the weight will continue to come off. Unfortunately, it's not likely to come off as fast as it did initially. I can't count on losing 10 or 15 pounds per month, but should reset my expectations to maybe dropping about 5 per month.

That's kind of hard to accept, but if I continue to keep the attitude that this isn't a short-term "diet", but a permanent lifestyle change, the weight will come off eventually. Patience is key.

The sugar cravings are much less intense. I still think about my favorite treat (ice cream) from time to time, but have been able to steer clear so far.

I still struggle somewhat with another favorite, pizza. It's hard to avoid completely, and I have stumbled on a couple of occasions where pizza was served in social situations. I had to have one. And I wasn't sorry.

So the biggest enemies to keeping on track these days are down to these:

1. Hunger. When I get hungry, watch out! It's often unavoidable, but it's far more difficult to stop myself from eating stuff I shouldn't or stuffing myself if I'm ravenous. Such times really test my will.
2. Boredom. It's tough on weekends when I'm home all day with nothing in particular to do. It takes real focus to stop from walking into the kitchen in search of something on which to graze. Cheese & crackers are a particular problem there.
3. Social situations. I have to be careful in social settings, especially where pizza is being served. However, this category is less dangerous to me than the first two.

So my original hope of reaching my ideal weight in a year looks like it may not be possible. But as long as I keep moving in the right direction, I think I can stay patient.

We shall see how the next 3 months go. I plan to stay "on the wagon".

What I've Learned About :Weight Loss

I've been working on the weight loss thing going on 3 months now, and have learned a few basic facts. It occurred to me to just post them, just in case anybody else might benefit from them.

1. The first month is critical. Weight loss is about changing habits. I heard once that it takes about 30 days to establish new habits; that's proven very true. After about a month I settled into a routine, my cravings for sweets became less urgent, and my stomach capacity shrank. It becomes easier to diet after about 30 days.
2. Patience isn't just a virtue - it's absolutely required. You'll get stuck. Even thought you're doing everything right in terms of diet and exercise, the weight will plateau on a number. I'm currently starting my third week at the exact same number. I might be able to break the logjam if I ramp up the frequency and intensity of my exercise, but have to realize this isn't a short-term process.
3. The #1 enemy for a dieter is hunger. When I get hungry, I become ready to chow down on whatever is available. So far I've been able to avoid going nuts and totally blowing it, but I have given into temptation and downed some stuff I shouldn't have because of times I was very hungry and the fattening stuff happened to be available.
4. You have to learn how to deal with social eating situations. People will offer you food you shouldn't eat. You'll feel obligated to take the food rather than disappoint your host(ess). I don't have a great answer to this one, but personally try to go ahead and accept what's offered, but only eat a little and quietly dispose of the rest. Takes a great deal of self-control if the offered delicacy tastes fantastic.
5. You can never think of your goal weight as the end of the process. You have to think of the process as a life-long commitment. For me, I'm working to train my brain to look upon this whole thing as a permanent lifestyle change. Achieving my goal weight will certainly be cause for celebration, but it cannot be a license to revert back to old habits.
6. Do not deny yourself your favorite foods indefinitely. As a follow-on to #5 above, you should never get it in your head that you absolutely can't have certain foods you've loved all your life. You're merely cutting back on those favorites that keep you from getting to the weight and fitness level you need. You can have them, but only in small quantities.
7. Don't make the process about looking like some athlete or model. Shallow focus on your looks misses the point. I'm making this process about things like having more energy to be more successful in business, being around to play with grandchildren someday, getting back to doing the active things I love to do (like basketball, golf, bicycling, swimming, amusement parks, etc.) If someday I actually look good as a result of the process, it's only a fringe benefit - not the ultimate goal.
8. Keep it to yourself. Despite the fact I'm writing this post, I don't talk about it. Nobody wants to know about my diet or exercise or how much I've lost or anything else about this process. It is my own personal quest, and I'm bored and irritated by people who obsess about their own diet programs in my presence. When people begin to notice and comment on the weight loss, I prefer to thank them for noticing, then change the subject.
9. Motivation must be internal. Lots of people talk about the need for "support" from others when they're in such a program. Maybe that helps, but I'm not one of those people. The last thing I want to do is sit around with a "counselor" or "support group" talking about my emotional state or personal reasons for being overweight. Most of that is psychological BS. I need to lose weight because I ate too much and didn't exercise enough. Period. Nobody needs to be burdened with my "problems", and I'm afraid I'm not all that interested in being burdened with theirs. So my motivation comes from within. I'm doing this for myself, not to please anyone or get attention from anyone or any other external reason.
10. Set goals and track progress. One of the most powerful things that keeps me going is the setting of short and long term goals and tracking progress against those goals. I have goals for weight, blood sugar, blood pressure, and fitness and am tracking progress against each of those goals. That helps me stay on track as much as any other single motivating factor.

There's always the risk of failure. Most overweight people fail in their weight-loss programs, either by quitting the program at some point or by gaining it all back after reaching their goal weight and considering themselves "done". I might fail, as I have in all of my previous weight loss initiatives. Every time I've done this in the past, I've eventually rebelled and returned to the old bad habits with a vengeance.

Is this time different? The most honest answer to that question is, "I don't know, but I'm giving it my best shot."