February 9, 2011 - WDAM.COM - TV 7 - News, Weather and Sports

February 9, 2011

Updated:
I'm trying to draw inspiration from the before/after comparison photos I posted around my 40th birthday. I'm not where I want to be, but, I'm not where I started either! I'm trying to draw inspiration from the before/after comparison photos I posted around my 40th birthday. I'm not where I want to be, but, I'm not where I started either!
That's not me, but, it's how I feel right now! (© iStockphoto.com/Stockphoto4u) That's not me, but, it's how I feel right now! (© iStockphoto.com/Stockphoto4u)

  • Results Not Typical

  • Lisa met her goal of losing 100 pounds by her 40th birthday, but the struggle continues.  Click through to read about losing the first 100 pounds or click on the links below to read about the new challenges.
    Lisa met her goal of losing 100 pounds by her 40th birthday, but the struggle continues.  Click through to read about losing the first 100 pounds or click on the links below to read about the new challenges.

  • For the upcoming week, my goals are all about 3s.

  • I am stressed out!
    •   

By Lisa Spodak (ResultsNotTypical@worldnow.com)
Provided by WorldNow

I tried writing in this space about a month ago and got three paragraphs into it before I gave up.  I just feel like I'm saying the same things over and over and not making any real changes that stick.  But all I can do is try again and keep trying until I get out of this rut.

I've gained back more weight.  At this point it's too embarrassing to admit how much, but at least it's not all the weight I lost.  And that detail is the one thing that's keeping me from being completely disappointed in myself – every other time I've lost a significant amount of weight, I've quickly gained back all that I lost, plus some!  This time, it's been more than a year and while I'm struggling, at least I haven't given up the fight and just let it go.

I'm finding it very overwhelming to focus on a large, long-term goal like my previous project of losing 100 pounds by my 40th birthday -- which I need to keep reminding myself that I did accomplish and was a great accomplishment!  In trying to find a smaller goal, I'm focusing on a vacation I have planned in April.  I've got exactly two months until I leave for London and Paris and I'd like to lose 15-20 pounds by then.

Here's what I'm committing to right now:

Writing

I will get back to writing here every week, no matter what.  Even if it's just one line saying "I had a rotten week and I'm pissed off!" 

Committing to writing about my weight loss struggles in the first place was a huge step for me when I set out in 2008 to lose 100 pounds. The accountability made a big difference in keeping me focused. 

I also realized that something as simple as thinking of it as a blog rather than a series of articles may keep me from feeling overwhelmed.  More than once I've found myself intimidated by the idea of having to have a real title, theme and "point" to what I'm writing. I think freeing me from that pressure will help.  So now I'm titling my "entries" with just the date. When I've got more to say, I'll write a real article!

Exercising

We have a gym in my new office building and I've committed to doing at least 30 minutes on the treadmill at least three times per week.  In fact, I told a friend at work that every week that I didn't stick to that plan, I'd buy him lunch on Friday!

Weight Watchers

I logged into the Weight Watchers website today for the first time in a month and realized that my username on the site is perfect for my mindset right now – startngnow! I'm not sure yet if Weight Watchers is the best approach for me at this time, but, I'm going to follow the new Points Plus program in earnest for at least a week and see how it goes.

Do you have any tricks for getting started again when you've had a setback?  Email me at resultsnottypical@worldnow.com

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