totahsam

It’s Too Hard to Lose Weight

by Linda Spangle, RN, MA

Do you have times when losing weight seems so hard that you want to give up and quit? Most people struggle with this thought, sometimes on a daily basis. So how do you keep going when you think you can’t take it? And how do you stay on your diet when it feels way too hard?

This may be a time to change your self-talk. Henry Ford once said, “If you think you can or you think you can’t, you’re right!”

Whether you’re writing a book or following a diet and exercise plan, your thoughts play a big part in your ability to be successful. So when you decide it’s “too hard” to accomplish the goal, you may actually prove that you’re right by letting up on your efforts.

During times when you start thinking it’s “too hard” to lose weight, recall some of challenges you’ve faced in the past. If you’re like most people, you’ve done a lot of hard things in your life. Giving birth, working at a job, moving to a new city—all of these fit the description.

In reality, you CAN do hard things. So instead of blaming this for your diet failures, remind yourself, “Of course it’s hard. But I’ve done a lot of difficult or challenging things in my life, and this isn’t any different. I can do hard things!”

I’m not suggesting that it’s easy to lose or maintain your weight. But easy is not the goal. What’s important is making progress and achieving outcomes.

One of my favorite authors, Natalie Goldberg, once said “If writing was easy, everyone would do it.” Weight loss works the same way. If it was easy, there wouldn’t be so many overweight people in the world. And the people who are successful with losing weight accomplish the goal in spite of the fact that it’s hard.

Strengthen your belief that you “can” stay on your weight-loss plan, then affirm that thought on a daily basis and make it come true!

For more details on staying on a diet when it feels too hard, see Day 71 in the book 100 Days of Weight Loss.

Well, the Lord works in mysterious ways and not always in my favor.  Yet.  It was to my benefit.  In a twisted kind of way.

This morning started out like any other morning.  I got ready for work.  Checked on mom.  Walked out the door and….  where are my keys? 

Keys.  Where. are. the. keys?

On my desk.  In my room.

I’m locked out.  Everyone is asleep.  I have an 8am meeting this morning.

“Ahhhh shi… Oh, hi neighbor!”

There is only one way for me to get back in the house.  My bedroom window.  It’s over 5 feet off the ground. 

Have you ever seen a 393 lb. man trying to climb in a window?

It’s not pretty.

I grabbed a lawn chair and positioned it strategically under the window.  Strategically as in over a nice soft bed of pine needles in case I take a header. 

So I climb on the chair and the dog decides to join me. 

That dog almost died.

Finally after convincing the dog to vacate the chair I hiked my leg up over the window sill.  I was doing the splits, kinda, sorta…  Finally after much scootching and sliding (and splinters) I straddled the window.

I was stuck.

I started rocking back and forth.  I wasn’t budging.

Is this the immovable object meeting the irresistable force? 

I’m starting to panic.  I have five minutes before I’m officially late for work. 

I chose an act of desperation.   My bed is directly under the window.   If I just lean over and…..

 ::CRASH::

 I need a new bed. 

But I got the keys and my exercise in for the day.  That was some hard work folks.

I have a little spare time at the moment and I wanted to share with you my wish list.   This is the list of things I want to do once the weight is off.   Things I can’t do now because of obesity.

1. Swim!  I used to love swimming.  I learned how to swim in the San Juan river.  I was a river otter in my youth 
2. Hiking.  That was my passion.  I used to spend long hours walking the banks of the San Juan looking for Anasazi pottery.   We found an entire Pueblo close to the river when I was around 11 or 12  
3. Buying clothes off the rack.  In a real store.  With real salespeople
4. Go out in public without feeing self-conscious or embarrassed
5. Run.  It’s been so long since I’ve actually ran.   Rapid waddling does not constitute running 
6. get rid of this damn illness once and for all
7. Travel.  Travel.  Travel.  I want to go to Seattle and Vancouver
8. Compete in at least one triathlon.

That’s my list so far.  

What about the rest of ya’ll?   Come on ‘fess up! 

Dealing with a bit of sadness today.   I’m fighting the urge to binge so ya’ll pray for me. 

It’s been really hectic with the job and home and personal stuff.  I just want to bury my head under the blankets and stay there until the clouds lift.  Not very practical and I’m a practical sort of person so here I am, at work.   Dealing. 

We’re doing quality assurance today so I’m under the microscope.   I won’t be here much today. 

Thanks for all the support everyone.  I really do appreciate it.

Or big sister in my case.  

 More later.

 I’m feeling a little light in the loafers today.  har har. 

I love it when a plan comes together. 

 I’m picking up lunch for everyone today.

 Guess what I’m picking up?

5 salads from Dairy Queen.  

muahahahah!!!!!

I’m at 393 lbs. down from 396 lbs..  

Yay!!!!

Still really busy.  Will write more later.  ::whew:: 

O.k. the system is down so I have a few minutes of typing time. 

Saturday I had a funeral in Gallup so that took up most of my morning.  The afternoon was all about getting a fridge in the front door that was actually wider than the front door.  Yeah.  We’re a bunch of Einsteins.  So, after taking the door off (frame and all) we got the darn thing in the house.  Getting the old one out was just as problematic.   Never remodel a house around a double door fridge.

Sunday was church day so I spent my time umm… well… churching… and napping.  The napping part is very important for a Sunday afternoon.  Then mom’s blood sugar went up to 500.  We had a very long night.   Then she dropped down to 60 this morning and we had a low blood sugar incident.   Life is never boring when you’re raising two parents.

Meanwhile I’m hallucinating from lack of sleep.  I’m sooooo tired.   :(

But, I lost three more pounds.  Yay!!!!!

What’s that you ask?

 That’s me being a busy bee, silly.

Will write more later.  Just got back from Gallup.

Hey Baby.. What’s your sign?

My diabolical plan is working!  muahahahahah!!! 

I went to Dairy Queen for lunch and picked up a salad.

My co-worker’s lunch was an hour after mine and she came back with a… 

Salad from Dairy Queen

 She said that mine looked so good she just had to try one.

I love it when a plan comes together.

The first thing I decided when I started my weight loss program was to avoid the word diet.   That word has so many negative connotations.  I’m calling it a lifestyle change.

This isn’t  temporary fix.  It’s a complete overhaul of my thought processes towards food, movement,  exercising,  emotions, stress, and even resting.    I have to change everything for this to be a success.   It took a certain lifestyle that got me into this mess and it’s going to take a new lifestyle to get me out.

Food: I’m changing my outlook from living to eat into eating to live.  It is fuel for my body not my best friend.  (this is the hard one)

Movement:  I’ve noticed that I always take the shortcut.  No matter what I’m doing I choose the path of least exertion.   I have been watching a lot of skinny people lately and how they move.   I conserve a lot of energy.  But not in a good way.   How have I been combatting this?  I park farther away from buildings now.  I get up and walk around at every break instead of vegging in one spot for 15 minutes.  I get up and walk around during my lunch as well.  Everything I do now I make sure I do it without economizing motion or exertion.   I’m  a moving machine now. 

 Exercising:  I’m actually doing some. 

 Emotions:  I’m expressing myself more instead of bottling it up and using food to put out the fire.   I no longer see food as a sedative or a way of self-medicating.  Alcohol works so much better for that! (totally kidding) :P  

Stress:  Same thing as emotions.  I no longer use food to ease stress.  Exercise, I’m finding, is a great way to relieve stress.  I could be a jangle of stressed out nerves when I start exercising but by the time I get into a routine the stress has dissipated.

Resting:  I do waaaay too much of that.  Well, I have to with my legs.  I have to keep them elevated for several hours after I get home.   I have to lie prone with my legs propped up higher than my head.  This is to prevent a flare-up of my illness and cellulitis.   I don’t have a choice.  I have to do this every day.  So.. hand weights.  I use hand weights while I’m lying down to keep my metabolism elevated and to increase muscle mass which in turn burns more calories. 

As you can tell, I’ve been thinking about this quite a bit.   I’m going to make this work.  I will be a success.  I will have my own subway commercial if it kills me!!