Thursday, September 15, 2011

Struggling...

In the interest of being honest, which is what this blog is all about, I need to confess something to you guys:

I am struggling.


I am back on Weight Watchers, but I'm not focused.  I've been letting life get in the way of my weight loss and fitness goals. 

I'm using excuses, such as "School is more important!" and "My neck hurts!" and "Maybe I should just not worry about this stuff anymore and just gain a little weight and let my body decide a new happy weight for me."

Since these are my top three excuses lately, let's examine all of them one by one and debunk my myths.

#1 Why-it's-okay-to-gain-some-weight Myth: 
School is More Important!!!



Umm...  I went to school in January, too.  And it was important then, too.  And somehow, I was waking up early every day to make sure that I got my exercise in, was making and packing healthy snacks for class, and even took 20 minute pilates breaks during my study sessions. 

What's different about this semester?  Besides new classes, nothing.  I have the exact same schedule as last semester.  Work 8-5 Monday through Friday, School 5:30-8:30 Monday through Thursday.  That is exactly the same.  Am I super busy?  Yep.  Does that mean that I cannot eat healthy and exercise?  Nope.

Myth: de-bunked.

#2 Why-it's-okay-to-gain-some-weight Myth:
My Neck Hurts!!!



My car was rear-ended last Wednesday, and I have pretty bad whiplash as a result.  My neck hurts most of the time, and I'm still waiting for a little workman's comp insurance issue before I get to go to an orthopedic doctor to see what the next step should be.  I have lots of pain killers/muscle relaxers/anti-inflammatories, but cannot take them through the work/school day because they make me loopy, so I'm relying on Advil to get me through which only helps a little.

Anyway... Is this a valid excuse to not follow Weight Watchers?  No way.  Is it a valid excuse to go easy on exercise?  Yes, of course it is.  (However, I have been back to stationary biking the last couple of nights, and my neck doesn't get bothered with it, so yay!). 

There is really no reason that neck pain should equal poor food choices.  This is a classic case of "woe is me" eating, or comfort eating.  Enough!! 

Myth: debunked.

#3 Why-it's-okay-to-gain-some-weight Myth:
 Maybe I should just not worry about this stuff anymore and just gain a little weight and let my body decide a new happy weight for me...?

Just typing this one out was sad for me.  Why am I giving myself this excuse, even for just a second?  

First of all:  It's not true.  I would not be happy with my body at a higher weight.  Sure, looking back at my NYC trip from last October, I notice that I didn't really look bad at 168, but I was still 14 pounds overweight and wasn't satisfied with my body at that size. 



me last October (168 lb)
I don't want to go backwards with my weight.  I want to re-lose whatever I've gained with my recent careless eating, and continue until I get down to about 140 pounds, and then start to really focus on toning up and caring less about the number on the scale so long as my clothes fit the same. 

Gaining any of this weight back is just not an option for me!  I've come too far, and learned too much, to ever go back. 

Myth: de-bunked!

Now that I've successfully de-bunked my top three myths, it's time for me to get serious about my weight loss journey again.  Weight Watchers works, and even when followed 100% correctly is not torture.  It's a simple eating plan that allows for everything in moderation, but focuses on eating mostly whole and healthy foods.  That's exactly how I want to eat forever, so why am I making this hard for myself?  Urg.

Today is day 3 OP, and I'm feeling pretty positive about it.  I just thought that I'd remind you all that I'm human (like you needed reminding of that, I'm pretty sure that I don't even kind of come across as perfect) and that I struggle with my dieting/exercising just like everyone else.  I just need to get back in the groove, and it will all be good again.

8 comments:

Unknown said...

Way to debunk your own myths!! There are ebbs and flows to everything in our lives, that's part of the natural rhythm. Great job with the reasonable self-pep talk!

Katy said...

Leah-I have been struggling too! Moving to Asheville has mostly been a great thing but I have found way too many reasons to celebrate and indulge with food. I am trying to make the effort to get back on track right along with you!

Jennifer said...

Leah,

Thanks for being transparent! But also wow! Major kudos to you for debunking your myths! I fall into the last one a lot. And you're so right! Weight Watchers is how I want to guide my eating/activity habits, so why am I putting up such a struggle?!

Good luck as you get back OP!

Unknown said...

this is absolute genius -- debunking your own theories! LOVEEEEEEEEEE! i cannot tell you how many times i have told myself the same types of things to validate not doing what i know i need to and what i know works. yay for you and owning it!

Megan said...

I'm feeling really similar! I'm sick of this taking so long! I have no excuses and just need to get back on track! We can do it Leah!

Thin Lizzy said...

this is a great post, leah. i've decided to join weight watchers tonight after i get home from work. i need something simple to follow to get me to my happy weight.

Katie said...

Awesome post - I make excuses for myself all of the time and just in the past month or so, have I stopped allowing these things to get in the way. I have a full time job and am a part time student as well, and life does get busy but it shouldn't be an excuse! If we are living a full life, life should be busy!

Good luck with the continuation of your journey and I look forward to reading more from you!

Rachael said...

Been there many times with the weight loss journey. We can all do this and I know how crazy it can be balancing life sometimes.

I also do school (currently taking 8 credits), working full time, and also involved in a few activities outside of work in addition to keeping on with eating healthy and exercising. If you need to talk to anyone, I would be happy to be there for you and listen.