I never can tell what’s finally going to push me into another concerted weight loss effort, hoping it’s the last one.
All of the “little” practical wins are still there, waiting for me. It’s imperative that I drop a jeans size in the next couple of months. I have six or seven pairs in the next size down to fall into, and I’m down to three pairs that I can wear now (condition B- to C). I’ve also accumulated a couple hundred bucks’ worth of new shirts and sweaters that are too small, but not so small I returned them. If I’d just get sustainedly serious, I’d have a marvelous wardrobe infusion for “free.”
Living longer and better, of course. Blah blah blah. But none of that was the impetus this time. Know what was?
Lea and I sat with some folks who are somewhere between longtime acquaintances and friends at a football game several weeks ago. They’re our age, but considerably more attractive, partially because they’ve taken care of themselves and never gotten overweight. (He’s a better-looking guy than I am anyway, but…you know.) I had a Diet Coke, but he had a Coke. (See, you can eat or drink whatever you want with no ill consequences, so long as you do the right thing most of the time.) And it’s been some time since I’ve done the right thing most of the time dietetically.
I started thinking “gee, we’re going to see them for several more years. I might like to sit next to them at a football game one day and not feel fat.” That was the trigger.
My reasons are deeper than that, of course, but it’s a nice visual encapsulation to which I can easily return.
You might also like:
- The last last first weight loss post
Blogging about it has generally been the kiss of death for my weight loss effort—have a look at the … - Saints fan rips football away from Bengals fan as it was tossed to her
So I was watching the Saints game yesterday when Jermaine Gresham caught a pass for a Bengals TD. Ci… - Despite contrary whispers, Alabama still needs that second Ole Miss loss
As soon as Alabama dropped the Ole Miss game, and assuming Alabama righted the ship, Alabama needed … - Please don’t give unsolicited weight loss advice
My weight loss journey is going very well. At 276.5 pounds, I am down 33.5 pounds from my all-time h… - LSU at Alabama, Saturday, 4 CDT
LSU fan: “Saban? He’s an asshole.” Alabama fan: “Yeah, but he’s our asshole.” Well, it’s Saban Bowl …
You can totally do this. Do a little research on diet vs regular Coke. There is some research out there that says that aspartame actually screws with your brain/body in such a way that it may actually add weight rather than help you keep it off/lose it.
Julie, thanks for your encouragement. I’ve read that too. Right now my main drink is Publix diet tonic water, believe it or not. I’ve pretty much quit drinking at home, so that gives me a satisfying little bite on my tongue. It’s sweetened with Ace-K and sucralose.
I need to start carrying unsweetened tea to work. That’s when it’s toughest to avoid aspartame–in the morning when I want caffeine but not coffee.
I eliminated artificial sweeteners of all types from my diet at the beginning of the summer. You know how I have a reaction to the flavor of raw cilantro in my food – immediate revulsion? I’m starting to have that same sort of thing when I accidentally ingest something with splenda or aspartame in it.
Sucralose all by itself does it too? Interesting. Any personal data on Ace-K or stevia?
Stevia just tastes weird to me, not revolting!
Eat right consistently and exercise. It really is that simple. People want to make it harder but it’s not. The hard part is making those choices consistently. And diet Coke is crap for you too by the way. It is a lifestyle change, NOT a diet.
Most people nowadays want that fast and easy way of getting fit, healthy, losing weight, whatever. It takes work and time, and change.
And here’s something else, it doesn’t have to be a huge upheaval of change. It can be gradual if you need it to be. Mine was a gradual awakening and change. God, if I had planned any of this, I would have failed. I know, I used to plan it all the time and the result was always failure. This go around I did no planning, I just showed up to do the work and everything else happened.
I appreciate all of your advice, Carol, and I have definitely found this to be the case. Add (activity) or subtract (food) something that produces results. When its stops working well, add/subtract again. Lather, rinse, repeat. 🙂