Wednesday, August 14, 2013

a slow decline, but a decline nonetheless


I started Weight Watchers again on June 26, with the goal of losing 8.4 pounds by October 27.  I have not been particularly committed.

I took off from tracking while I was on the Cape in July.  I did the same this past week.  While I’m tracking, I skip eating those things I cannot translate into points.  But who wants to do that at a nice event?  Or an evening out?  I’d rather just skip the tracking.  Not the right attitude, I know.

So today at Weight Watchers I was surprised I was actually down .4 pounds from last week. In total, since June 26, I have lost three pounds.  That’s three pounds in seven weeks.  Not very much.  But enough for me to notice.

To lose weight, you have to be both motivated and committed.  It’s hard.  In some ways, I think losing five pounds is more difficult than losing thirty.  Losing a lot of weight means new clothes in smaller sizes.  Friends and family notice.  Even strangers comment.  Two years ago I lost over thirty pounds. I remember how good it felt when the manager of my local D’Agostino’s (a man I’d never spoken to before), shyly approached me one day and said, “Do you mind if I ask you a question?  Have you lost a lot of weight?”  No one is going to say, “Hey, you look about three pounds thinner.  How’d you do it?”

Of course we lose weight for ourselves and not others.  But a few pounds are less motivating than many pounds.  Although surprisingly, I actually do feel better being three pounds lighter.  And five more will feel even better.

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