Sunday, May 1, 2011

(Not much of an) Update

Writing: I spent last week doing fill-in scenes on Hope and research for Honor; not much word count but I was working. I have a chapter in Hope to fix (the one gutted by the fur trapper expert) and then I can move to the editing phase.

Clutter: Virtually no change from last week, although I did get quite a bit of cleaning done in preparation for family coming for graduation (in less than 2 weeks). I have a detailed list in Things. This week I'll be working to knock out as much as I can in advance because I'm on call for Federal jury duty this month, and I don't report this week, but next week I might have to. If I still have a full list next week, I'll have to for sure!

Health: Pleh. I knew I blew my points while I was out of town. I didn't even try to resist dessert with lunch yesterday and I'm glad I didn't. I gained a pound. I'm doing my best not to be discouraged. The reason I started WW when I did was because I knew if I got to the point where the doctor was telling me to lose 100 lbs or my health would fail, I'd freeze up and not be able to do it. I figured 20 lbs (30 tops) was a lot easier to lose than 100. Now I'm not so sure. I am catching the clue that I need to ramp up my exercise some. I'm also wondering if I need to take a closer look at the kinds of foods I'm eating without getting so hung up on point value. For example, am I undermining myself by eating vegey burgers instead of lean beef? I was raised a carnivore, so maybe shifting to more vegetarian is throwing my metabolism for a loop. Maybe it's just adjusting slowly. I don't know. All I know for sure is I have 10 more pounds to go and I'm ready to see some actual progress.

Misc: Not much else productive; just gritching about stuff I have no control over, which really doesn't need to be vented on the internet. I'm getting better about saying something calmly and then shutting up rather than waiting to get to the boiling point and going on a big rant. I'm also getting better about not being passive aggressive.

4 comments:

Jean said...

I had a long comment and Blogger ATE it. Grrrr. I'll try again later.

Jean said...

Trying again. I'll try to be more succinct.

Make sure you're not shortchanging yourself on something you really want. On the other hand, I think the last ten pounds might be the hardest to lose. Consider accepting yourself as you are for at least a little while and relax about the process. Focus on maintaining for a few weeks and stick with the plan (using those extra points you earn from exercise or the weekly points to cover that dessert you decide is worth having -- because it is, and you do not need to regret it).

Play with combinations to find that balance between satisfaction, points, and comfort.

Cool on achieving progress with your two misc. items. They are (I think) really tough to do.

You were wise to jump on the weight issue before it got to 100+ to lose (or, in my case 130). I'd lost hope for being able to lose it and was just trying to maintain, and I was starting to lose that battle. I did NOT want to have to deal with 200 to lose. Your announcement of your decision motivated me to do something for myself, and I thank you.

I still have 105 to go, but I feel confident I can do it -- or come pretty darned close. With my original goal, I'd only have 85 to go, but I analyzed when I felt best about myself and decided to shoot for that number. I anticipate at some point, I'm going to feel as you're feeling this week. When I get there, I hope you'll be able to pass along what you've found helpful.

Regarding the Things list, if you still have that list next week, you can bank on being called to jury duty. If you get most of the list knocked out, you won't hear a peep from them.

Wendy said...

I have been hesitant to talk about the real *why* regarding weight watchers, not just here but in life in general. It's not so much that I care what other people think (the whole fat vs. scrawny thing); I'm trying to be sensitive to other peoples' feelings. However, I know me, and it's easier for me to deal with issues before they become too big. Plus, I figured if I could kick coffee after 20+ years, weight loss would be manageable, too.

That's a good thought on maintaining where I am and chilling about it. I do use activity points, and I think I used 2 bonus points last week, but I really try not to use those. It might just be the last 10 pound thing. Honestly, I don't mind the way I look right now. I just want the extra buffer! But maybe it doesn't make sense to have the 10 lb buffer if I maintain where I am permanently. I'm still within the healthy range, although I'd like to be closer to the bottom end than I am.

Thanks for the input. You all are a blessing to me.

Jean said...

From the way you put it, you wanted to take charge of your health before it got out of hand. I admire that -- not only that you wanted to but that you acted to do something about it.

I haven't looked into the maintenance area of the site yet, but I believe you can go on maintenance, which I believe would give you targeted messages about maintaining. Then, at some point in the future if you decide you really want the 10 lbs gone, you could rework it.

I believe the body takes time to adjust (set point was the term they used several years ago, and there are aspects of that theory that make sense to me) as weight is lost (probably as it's gained, too). I believe the closer you get to the weight that's right for you, the slower your body will be to react to efforts to reduce. Kind of a starvation response, where the body goes out of its way to keep from losing weight when it's deprived of food.

Thinking in those terms, maybe regular grazing on free foods throughout the day would convince your body you're not going to starve it, and it might be more willing to release some weight. But I think it will do so very slowly. My thought process for suggesting maintaining is it will keep you in a better mental state about the whole process and prevent becoming discouraged about something you don't need to be discouraged about.

You've done great. Don't deny yourself the good feelings for your success.

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