One Day at a Time

For anyone trying to seriously lose weight without the aid of a weight loss aid (whether it be shakes, supplements or a very strict diet) you know it's a struggle.  It's a constant battle  It's a loss of one pound this day and a gain of .4 pounds two days later.  It's tough.  And I think that's why so many people start around the beginning of the year and fail.  They expect the weight to just fall off with exercise three days a week and making a few healthy choices.  For some it might.  For me?  That isn't the case.  I've been logging food an exercise faithfully for about five weeks now.  I've been logging longer but not faithfully.  I've seen the scale dip down to a total of 3.6 pounds and I've seen it go back up 1.5 in a matter of days.  This isn't saying one bad day makes you gain weight.  Not permanent weight at least.  It's most likely water weight.  Or possibly a little gained muscle.  It's just the natural roller coaster of your body fluctuating.    

You've read my whining about seeing inches lost but not seeing it equate to numbers lost on the scale so I won't go there again.  Just know, if you are struggling with this that it's ok.  Most likely, if you feel your clothes fitting better then you are losing inches and inches are just as good as pounds.  It make not visually make you feel better but it means you are making baby steps.  And those baby steps add up.  So, if you made a New year's Resolution to lose weight don't give.  It's a mind game.  That's what I keep telling people.  If you get upset and frustrated because you gained a few ounces this week despite doing well with your exercise and diet.  You didn't gain the weight in a day.  You won't lose it in a day.

For instance, I've done extremely well with my calorie budget this week on Lose It!  I'm about 1,000 calories over for the week.  I cheat day will do that to you.  So, according this number I won't quite lose a pound this week.  I'm ok with that.  Weight loss is a slow and steady process.  It'll have ups and downs but your overall trend should show a downward slope.  I stepped on the scale just moments ago and I gained .4 ounces from a week ago or so.  Do I wish it was .4 ounces less?  Without a doubt!  But, I also realize that I ate a lot of tortilla chips from mexican food restaurants yesterday, I've also had a cup of coffee this morning and it's about four hours later than I normally weight.  All of these factors could contribute to this minuscule gain.  I'm not going to go all diva on the scale and rage quite.  That'd be the most ridiculous thing I could ever do in this journey.  Because it's exactly that.  A journey.  Not quite in the epic sense of Frodo carrying the One Ring to Mordor but a journey none the less.  Yes.  I did just write one of the nerdiest references this blog has seen to date.  Trust me, it could get much worse and I won't lie and tell you that it won't.  Because it could.  There's a huge possibility.


The point is, don't get discouraged.  I have to remind myself of this every. single. day.  Every day.  No kidding.  And I can't be the only person experiencing this.  I've made changes.  They aren't huge but it's one step.  One day at a time.  Regaining your body is like Elrond reforging the Sword of Elendil before The Fellowship departs from Rivendale.  Ok, I don't know exactly how long that took but forging a sword can't be easy.  I just wanted to make another nerdy reference.  Anyway, it's a painstaking process.  It requires heating steel to the point that it's pliable.  It requires shaping, with a hammer mind you, cooling, assessment, reheating and repeating until it's the perfect shape.  Then it's refined to perfection to give it that shimmering gleam and sharp edge.  It's a methodical process.  It doesn't happen immediately.  It won't happen overnight.

So, all of that being said I will leave you with this.  If you are tired of starting over then stop quitting.