Sandy M.
Practicing What They Preach
Jan 23, 2014
So I knew that the winter months have historically gotten to me. The food, starting around Halloween all through New Years, the lack of sunlight, missing my family - they all contribute to my general feeling of malaise, sluggishness, and feelings of doom. This year I was more prepared than others, with a light box, Vitamin D, and enrolling at the Y for exercise. My favorite exercise is walking outside in beautiful surroundings. If I want to do that where I live now I have to drive 20 minutes first, and knowing myself the way I do, I just wouldn't do that. I did try walking on the streets a couple of days, and got so discouraged by the garbage everywhere that I gave that up.
The Y? Haven't been since my orientation visit in October. In hindsight, it wasn't such a good idea - they don't have a walking track, their pool is closed for the winter, and their exercise class schedule times cater to the stay-at-home Moms and elderly folks. Plus, I've been lazy. I have a treadmill in my house for Pete's sake!
I basically entered maintenance since October - I would gain a couple of pounds, lose those pounds, gain a couple more, and so on. Every month or so I'd see 154.6 on the scale, which was my lowest ever weight, but then it would bounce up to 156 the next day. Those "once a week" peanut butter cups became and every day treat, I was eating bread (what a novel thing to do - couldn't tolerate it with the lap band), and well, eating like most people around me except in smaller portions.
A frequent reader of the OH boards, I knew what to do, and I chose not to do it. I chose not to practice what the good folks on OH preach.
And then one day I ran out of peanut butter cups and decided not to buy anymore. And the bread was gone too. I got back on the treadmill for 20 minutes. Then the next day 35 minutes, then 45 minutes. I have a 5K tomorrow, which I'm nowhere near ready for, but at least I'm back in the saddle again.
And lo and behold the miracle of miracles. The scale inched down to 154.4, then 154.0. And I woke up this morning to 153.0! Eight more pounds before I'm in a normal range, 13 pounds to my goal. I have a very long history of sabotaging myself, but I'd like to enter maintenance next time at 140 pounds.
