Sara L.
It's On. . .
Jan 07, 2013
It's that time of year again. . . the time when we all look at our calendars, look in the mirror and swear that this year will be different. "This year," we say, "I'll make the changes and make them stick."
How do I know, you ask? Well, because it's my annual ritual too. The last two years (2011 and 2012) have been great, from a health perspective. Since my RNY roughly two years ago (May 25, 2010), I lost 135 pounds with only the effort required to mind my protein, avoid foods that trigger dumping, and exercise. Since the weight came off, I felt so good that exercising was fun -- my family and I were doing taekwondo and brazilian jiu jitsu at least four nights per week. I hadn't been this healthy since my varsity softball days in high school!
Kicking off 2013, though, is a little different. Between the holidays, work, social commitments. . . Our TKD school closed, and instead of being in BJJ twice every week, I've been lucky to get there once every two weeks. Work has been very busy, with some overtime and some very stressful periods that left me mentally zapped; those were the days I just wanted to go home and chill with my family until bedtime. With social commitments right and left, we've been eating out a LOT. The primary consideration behind what we've eaten for the last two or three months has been convenience. . . which has led us to lots of bad choices.
The end result is that I'm starting 2013 with 13 pounds regained. Compared to the 135 I lost overall, it's not a big deal, right? It's definitely a wakeup call, though. It's a reminder of the cold, hard truth: weight loss is not a destination. It's a continuing journey. A healthy life requires continuous maintenance -- vigilance, persistence, tweaking and fine-tuning. I'll never be "done". I will always be monitoring, measuring, assessing and adjusting.
I could be upset about this. I could be angry with myself, depressed about backsliding. But what useful purpose would that serve? I mean, really. . . Just as every fat person KNOWS they are fat, I know that I've screwed up lately. I know that I need to set a new course and make changes while I can still say my weight gain is "not a big deal". Being angry with myself doesn't help that, and neither does allowing myself to be depressed. Rather, I will devote the energy that I might have wasted being negative before (when I was trapped in a body I hated and didn't see any way out) to making the changes I know I need to make.
Thanks to my weight loss support team, I have the tools that I need. I mean, my surgery hasn't been reversed. My dietician has told me what I need to eat and where my focus needs to be. My body tells me that I need to resume regular exercise. So now I need to get on the ball and do it. Now is as good a time as any, so here I go. Workout gear assembled, account updated on MyFitnessPal.com, pantry cleaned out and groceries purchased. I can't turn back the clock, but I can make the most of my future.
In short: it's on!
