My First 30 Days - A Rant

Volume 2, Day 30 / 31


Humph! What to say about my first 30 /31 days of 2011. I've begun exercising again. Yay! My eating is about 60 percent at best. Boo! I garnered myself a new job. Double Yay! (I haven't started it yet.) Overall, I'm not pleased with my progress.


People will react to this newsflash in different ways...
There's tough love out there. There's "oh -- it's ok -- you're beautiful the way you are" love out there. There's self loathing. There's self medicating. And, then there's just plain ole got your head stuck in the sand bullshit.


Sunday I said to my husband "I've got to get 10 lbs off. I want to be 10 lbs lighter by Bristol Race Weekend." He said, "Me too. 47 days. That's doable." NOTE: We had this conversation as we split a 10" Mighty Meaty Pizza at the Mellow Mushroom. What the hell is wrong with this picture? Dinner was no improvement. We discussed how if we could only get our food and exercise act together at the same time, we'd be set. It seems that we are always falling short on one aspect or the other.


Seriously, what is it about my relationship with food that keeps me running in the same freakin circles over and over and over again? Don't answer that. The truth is, only I can answer that for myself. Well meaning and sometimes misguided advice just pisses me off.


You know the kind..
"My cousin Earl has lost 35 lbs in a month on the Atkins Diet." Don't even get me started
"My sister Sheila went on the HCG Diet and lost 12 lbs in one week!" Anyone can lose 12 lbs in a week on 500 calories per day.
"Eat Clean and cut out the processed Junk. Try the Eat Clean Diet" Actually, this is good advice
"Stop drinking soda." Also true
"Try the Grapefruit Diet!" Gimmick
"Try Body for Life" - Great Plan that actually works
"Try Sensa" - Really?


I'm just sick of it all. I am tired of my weight (how much I've gained, how much I've lost, what size clothes I wear, how many chins I have) being the center of my life! I pulled the following line from an MSN Article on 150 Years of Diet Fads "We grossly, grossly underestimate" the difficulty of changing behaviors that fuel obesity, says Clemson University sociologist Ellen Granberg, after examining archives at the Library of Congress.


Duh! You think! I know I have GROSSLY underestimated it. I have a plethora of books and magazines all devoted to the science of losing weight. The mere ownership of those books has not helped me shed a single pound. Applying that knowledge has helped me shed several. Not dealing with mental and emotional barriers holding me back has helped me gain those same pounds back over and over again. Possessing the knowledge is not enough. Applying what you know AND harnessing your mind and emotions are the real keys to the kingdom. I have yet to master this. I'm sure that's no big surprise given my aforementioned rant.


One could go with the Fake it til you make it approach. You know... Do the steps until they become natural and then your golden right? Wrong. Been there. Done that. The minute you let those things like Butter and Pringles back into your life all of those other good behaviors go out the window. It just paves the way for other junkified foods to creep back in too. Last year's pantry purge has gone the way of the ellusive DoDo bird in my house.


But, I awoke this morning with a fire in my belly. Thankfully, it wasn't heartburn from all the crap I ate yesterday. I have 46 days to drop 10 lbs. That is my goal.


Cheers!
Margaret