The Weight Watcher Newbie Holiday Trilogy: Part II
Eleven weeks ago I joined what used to be known as Weight Watchers but is now known simply as "WW." I can only guess that shedding those twelve burdensome letters has left WW feeling all svelte and sexy, unable to pass a mirror without slyly checking itself out from the corner of its eye.
Since signing on I've lost almost 25 pounds. Not only am I looking and feeling better than I have in years I can also FINALLY fit into the clothes on the left side of my closet, the ones from Tommy Hilfiger's red-hot Eventually I'll Fit Into These Again line.
Shortly before Thanksgiving--when I was at my lowest weight since joining--I made a deal with myself: While I wouldn't go out of my way to eat poorly, I would enjoy all that the holidays had to offer --including food-- and not stress out over it.
After all, I reminded myself, the road to good health and less weight is like the stock market: trending over time in the desired direction but in between full of peaks and valleys that in the short term might cause panic, insomnia and intermittent bed wetting but when viewed long term are pretty much meaningless.
But like most deals this one too had fine print. In return for Oprah's forgiveness of my holiday sins I placed my right hand on my jar of PB Powder and swore to 1) track every damned thing that went into my mouth and 2) attend every weekly meeting and not skip weighing in.
I'd enjoy myself yet remain accountable, forced to watch my available points dwindle into the negative and my weight journey northward. That blood on the scale was my own and I was going to own it, no excuses!
So enjoy the holidays I did and by my January 2nd weigh-in there was 10.2 pounds more of me than there'd been Thanksgiving morning. Was I happy about it? Hell no! But I didn't lose my shit, either.
Despite those well-earned 10.2 pounds, I'm still down almost 15 pounds since joining WW back in September. My holiday hiatus did nothing to change the fact that I still look and feel light years better than I did just eleven weeks ago. Sure, my pants are a bit tighter as I sit here typing this but it wasn't too long ago that I couldn't even get into them.
Since I've already been successful at losing those pounds before I know I can lose 'em again--and then some--as I plod along toward my goal. As long as I'm honest with myself and remain accountable I'll get there, of that I have zero doubt. No "forgetting" to track, no missing meetings and no skipping weigh-in. If I'm gonna stray then I'm gonna pay.
So to those of you who have had some degree of success but now find yourself with a little extra fruitcake around the old mid-section don't fixate on the gain, focus on how far you've come, on what you did to get there, on why you decided to join WW in the first place and on how good it feels to feel good. Do that and you're already half way there.
Success in almost every endeavor is more about accountability and perseverance than willpower. We're human beings and as such our willpower is guaranteed to fail from time to time. Willpower is tidal; it comes and it goes. The key isn't stopping the tide, it's being prepared for it, accepting it and having a plan to deal with it. Unrealistic expectations have scuttled far more weight loss efforts than insufficient willpower.
Don't avoid the setbacks, embrace them because let me tell ya', my friend, they're coming your way and there's not a damned thing you or anyone else can do to stop them. Accept them with a good-natured shrug of resignation, allow them to motivate you and those around you. Share them openly at your meetings and comfort yourself and others with the knowledge that we're all in this together, that none of us are alone or need be perfect, that we HAVE this.
Accountability and perseverance are what help us avoid turning speed-bumps into detours. They're what will help me reach my goal, they're what will help you reach yours.
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