Friday, July 24, 2015

Your Body Isn't Going to Make Sense #WW #DoItAnyway


The longer I do Weight Watchers the more I notice when people say depressing and wrong and damaging things about their bodies. Why do we punish ourselves like that?

Recently someone said to me that they like to do Weight Watchers also but they like to go hungry (meaning maybe only use their daily points and nothing extra) so they lose the weight fast and get out. I personally have tried that and it's not sustainable. It doesn't build good habits for a lifetime. What's your rush? To look good in a dress for a wedding for one night? To look good in a swimsuit for one summer? Then after the event or when fall hits you go back to your regular eating habits.

Nope, I'm in this for the long haul. I'm not going to lie to you. Sometimes it sucks. Sometimes I want to give up like I always have. Sometimes I don't want to go for a walk outside in July. Sometimes I want to eat an entire cake and don't really want a salad. Instead, I keep on making better choices and they are becoming ingrained in my brain and lifestyle.

Sometimes when I go to weigh in (weekly) I have worked hard all week and the scale shows a 2-pound gain.

Yes, I get a little depressed. It doesn't make sense. Am I gaining muscle even though I'm in my 40s and that's hard to do? Or is it that when you work out a lot your muscle holds water (as a WW leader told me once when I was working out and kept gaining even though I stuck with my points)? Who knows?

It doesn't matter. They are numbers on a scale and as long as they slowly decrease I know my back won't hurt and my knees can take me further on a walk and in my life. I know when I eat well I am a nicer person to be around and by focusing on my health I focus a little bit less on the drama of other people around me.

Sometimes I weigh in after having a peanut M&M binge of 16 points at a movie and a drive-in binge of Twizzlers (1 point each) and too much food that tasted good. And I lose weight. It doesn't make sense.

I used to look and feel bloated after eating poorly or before my period and it would prompt me to give up on any healthy eating or exercise I had been doing. What was the point?

The point is that you do it anyway. The bloat won't last. The period won't last. Your body might be holding onto whatever it's holding onto for whatever reason and it's not your job to guess at that. It's your job to be consistent, which is harder for some of us than for others!!!!

Your body won't always make sense but you have to keep going anyway. Keep at it. You are worth it.

On a personal note, here's my walking story for National Walking Day a couple of years ago with an update.