One weight, two perceptions

Avatar for juliedean
iVillage Member
Registered: 04-07-2003
One weight, two perceptions
9
Wed, 04-09-2008 - 7:56am

It's been really hard for me to get motivated to slim down lately ("lately" being the last two years or so). One thing that I find curious is how my attitude to my current weight is so different from what it was several years ago. Back in 2000, I lost 80 pounds, going from 195 to 115. When I was halfway to my goal, I weighted about 155 and felt a giddy sense of accomplishment, and knew I had the momentum to reach my goal. Now I weigh 155 again, and it feels awful. Being a given weight on the way down vs. on the way up produces a wildly different feeling. I'm trying to change my thinking so that instead of obsessing about how much weight I've gained back, I'm remembering how happy I used to be at this exact same weight, since it was so much less than my top weight.

I don't have much of a point other than that...just wondering if anyone else has observed the same thing, or has any suggestions for dragging oneself out of the mental muck after gaining back some hard-lost weight. Now that I have to lose the pounds all over again, it doesn't feel as special anymore...less of an achievement and more like just correcting a mistake I never should have made in the first place, you know? It's harder to get all excited about the latter...

-- juliedean

iVillage Member
Registered: 08-21-2006
Wed, 04-09-2008 - 8:24am

Good morning Juliedean. I know exactly what you mean, and probably most of us here on the Forties and Beyond board have been in the same boat.

I "accidentally" gained fifteen pounds in the last two years, off of my hard earned ideal weight. It just seems so unfair to have to lose it "again" and I was pretty frustrated with my situation too.

Here's what I have done to motivate myself and get a positive attitude: I decided to quadruple the amount of fresh veggies and fruits that my family and I eat (yes, they are expensive, but cheaper than processed, frozen, or take out food). I eat all of that, plus the food I usually eat. For example, last night I made my usual dinner, but I also made a side dish of sliced yellow squash, green pepper, red pepper, asparagus, green onions, fresh ginger and garlic, cooked in a little canola oil. Really, an enormous amount of bright, beautiful glistening veggies! We also had french fries, but I hardly ate any of them.

IVillage is launching a new program, "Small Diet Changes, Big Differences" with a doctor who is basically promoting this same concept.

I am really improving the quality of my family's and my life by preparing and eating better food. I sleep better, digest food better, and feel better. I haven't been "dieting" at all, I've been eating more food than ever. But I have lost four pounds in the past six weeks.

I agree with the doctor at IVillage; it is better to start eating the way you want to eat when you reach your ideal weight, and slowing climb back down there, than to go on an extreme diet that won't help you learn new food values and habits.

I hope this helps. Oh, and also, I am in the middle of a new fitness challenge I set for myself which is definitely also helping: I am training to run a 5K race (which I have never done in my adult life) this Mothers Day!

No, I won't be at my ideal weight by then and no, I won't be running it fast, but I am on track to be at the finish line and I am going to be one happy lady.

Sounds like you need a jolt to stop the trend you describe. I really don't know what made the "lightening strike" to get me to "get going" on this, but maybe my ideas can help you.

This board is very encouraging and also helps me a great deal.

Marianne

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5K.gif image by y_baros

iVillage Member
Registered: 01-03-2001
Wed, 04-09-2008 - 12:02pm

I was at a great weight several years ago and it was very easy to maintain. Then I

Miss P




 

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-24-2008
Wed, 04-09-2008 - 6:23pm

...less of an achievement and more like just correcting a mistake I never should have made in the first place, you know?"

It's okay to jump...you have wings! 

To move forward...you have to stop looking back.

Avatar for eclectic5777
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
Wed, 04-09-2008 - 6:45pm

What good "food for thought" Juliedean!

You Were Born An Original...   Don't Die A Copy

iVillage Member
Registered: 02-27-2001
Wed, 04-09-2008 - 10:05pm

Oh yes, I so agree with you, Julie.

Nancy

"Make Choices that bring you joy"  cl-Patty


 


Avatar for juliedean
iVillage Member
Registered: 04-07-2003
Thu, 04-10-2008 - 7:55am

Thanks very much to everyone who replied. It's always nice to be reminded that we're not alone with our struggle. I spend a lot of time with my husband's side of the family, and they are all naturally thin. Even though nobody has said a word about the weight I've put on lately, knowing I'm the biggest one in the room makes me feel like I'm back on the 4th grade playground being called "fatso." (Wow, those painful childhood memories sure do hang on, don't they? To this day, at 47 years old, I still feel myself tense up a bit when walking past a group of kids at play.)

Anyway, I agree with the member who said that it's not so much the weight itself as the feeling that I have failed myself. If I had a closet full of clothes that fit me nicely, I doubt I'd be as worked up about my current weight gain as I am; as it is, I have almost nothing that fits anymore, and it's a daily reminder of failing to hang on to the body I worked so hard to get. However, I've also been through surgical menopause since reaching my goal weight 8 years ago, and have pretty much resigned myself to the fact that I'm just not going to be a size 6 again -- my body just won't do it. And that's OK. If I can get back to a healthy weight again (especially because I'm already on medication for high blood pressure and cholesterol), that would be fine with me. Perhaps, as someone else mentioned, I need to focus less on the weight and more on adopting healthier habits consistently, after which the weight should take care of itself....

-- juliedean

Avatar for dmm11730
iVillage Member
Registered: 04-06-2003
Thu, 04-10-2008 - 8:02am
I must say this entire thread of questions and responses was great. It is amazing how so many of us face these perceptions and challenges.

Debbie

Debbie

Avatar for bootywhompus
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
Thu, 04-10-2008 - 9:09am

I do know what you mean.

Lori

iVillage Member
Registered: 07-16-2003
Thu, 04-10-2008 - 9:36am

Julie,


I totally understand this and I am in the same situation.

 


Deb/MN