#why – Page 2 – Getting to Goal

Weight Loss in the Real World

June 24, 2023 Just Write4 Comments

Someone said the most amazing thing this morning, “I’m eating pizza and beer and I’m still, losing weight.” That is the secret to making a lifelong change. No one should have to stop having fun or doing social things with friends just to lose weight. Issues with food are especially complicated because food is both necessary and social. I’m happy to say, as a member of WW I am really learning how to strike that balance.

When it comes to weight loss it’s easy to be overwhelmed, if you don’t have the right mindset and tools. When making decisions about how to lose weight, be sure to find a program that offers education about nutrition and the benefits of being active. Learning how to: counterbalance eating out, recipes, and meal planning, portion sizes, and understanding what macronutrients are and why they matter.

Not all calories are created equally – what a person eats is used by the body in different ways. A bowl of cereal may be as many calories as a slice of avocado toast, but the avocado toast will be more filling because of the macronutrients.

Celebrations Happen…

Today is a special day for my family. It is my 34th wedding anniversary and the 25th birthday of our twins. There will be eating out, there will be cake and a glass of wine. Looking back I know where I lost my perspective about food, stress and convenience were big factors that lead to weight gain for me. Thinking about the future, I am filled with gratitude for the people who support my weight loss efforts, and I hope these blogs are useful to you in yours.

Let’s Go

June 23, 2023 Just Write2 Comments

Sometimes self-belief is enough to push past a difficult moment. In the moments when, it’s really hard to go work out, or prepare a healthy meal feels like it’s slipping away the more time passes. Maybe the full water bottle that is just sitting there as though it was a stage prop rather than a beverage to drink. In those moments it is possible to rely on self-determination to get it done. I had a moment like this last night…

We went to dinner and show, it was late when we got home and I still had not worked out. The choice was to have a scoop of ice cream and hang out or go work out; otherwise, I would break my 19 week-streak of working out every day. So, I worked out. Now that the choice is in the past, it’s easy to forget how hard it was in the moment. I am finding, when that happens, it’s best just to say, “Enough, let’s go.” and lean into healthy habits.

Try Something New

June 21, 2023 Just WriteLeave a comment

I earned this award on the International Day of Yoga by doing a yoga workout with my #AppleWatch. #CloseYourRings

It’s a Lifestyle

June 17, 2023 Just WriteLeave a comment

Lasting weight loss seems so elusive to so many because weight loss is seen as a temporary measure to deal with an immediate problem. Whereas the root causes of weight gain have long-lasting ties, that run really deep with many of us. The hard work comes when we need to reconcile lifestyle choices with weight loss goals. For me, I want to lose weight and I want to have some fun too.

I am in the midst of a three-day weekend, and I went out to an amazing restaurant for dinner (The Farm Italy) I had a very fun cocktailnand a delicious entree:

I drank the drink and ate the food, and had a lot of fun, and I fully expect to lose weight this week. There has to be room for fun if this is going to work. Life is precious and our time here has a limit. We have to be able to have some fun along the way before we reach our weight loss goals. You are worth every ounce of effort you put into this journey, and I really hope you believe that. We really can have it all (with moderation) if we know how to find the balance.

A Weight Loss Journey

June 15, 2023 Just WriteLeave a comment

Weight loss (or gain) is so complicated. It is a private matter, but everyone else can see it happening. There is no one right way to lose weight, yet everyone (and I mean everyone) has opinions about what is good or bad when it comes to losing weight. It’s not any better if you happen to be in a gaining weight phase. If you are gaining weight, well-meaning family or friends will try to help by calling it out. I know this is an act of love but… it is mortifying. One thing I know for sure is weight loss can only happen when you’re ready to make the change.

Many are desperate to make that change but don’t know how to get started. I speak from experience, this last go around for me felt so overwhelming at first. During one Weight Watcher meeting I said, “But the energy it takes to lose weight is just so much.” Another member, a woman I have come to really care about said, “Yeah, but what choice do you have?” Her question hung in the air as I looked down at my shoes shaking my head. Now, I think maybe her question gave me the push I needed. The choice was to either: develop my healthy habits again or just gain back ALL the weight I lost. Now you know how I answered that question, I put on my big girl pants (hahaha) and did the work to get myself back on the program.

Reading this back to myself makes my decision sound very obvious and easy. It wasn’t. Just as it’s not an easy choice to turn to surgery or medication. I can be a real worrywart when it comes to people I love, and their choices are giving me pause. I am concerned because there are real risks that come with surgery or medications. However, being obese comes with very serious consequences too. Some nagging questions that come to mind are, “Will weight loss as a result of surgery or medication be effective without putting in the time to establish strong habits to maintain the loss? Will they learn how to make healthy food choices that will maintain better health? Will they do the internal work to explore their relationships with food?” Then I think, “OK, turn those questions back on yourself.”

I have lost a lot of weight without surgery or medication, and I did gain back a significant amount since I hit my “goal” in 2018. As I said as I started this post weight loss is complicated. All of this is true, but so is this, I have maintained (at minimum) an impressive 43-pound weight loss since 2018. That isn’t nothing. I also believe in my heart, that if I hadn’t learned about how to keep healthy habits I would have surely gained it all back. The habits, plus having an incredibly supportive community to turn to have made a difference… for me.

Only you can answer the question, “When it comes to weight loss what would work for me?” There is no one right way to shed unwanted pounds, there are no guarantees, and everything comes with some risk. The only thing I can say for sure is when you make up your mind to make a change, change will happen. I believe in you, you can do this.

5 – 6

June 10, 2023 Just Write2 Comments

Everyone reading this right now has one important quality in common; you’re a human. Unless you’re an alien from outer space and if you’re the latter… “Welcome to planet Earth!”

At last week’s Weight Watcher meeting a question came up, “But why does my weight fluctuate so much? Like how much is normal? Here is the good news, weight fluctuation is totally normal for humans!

Daily weight fluctuation is normal. The average adult’s weight fluctuates up to 5 or 6 pounds per day. It all comes down to what and when you eat, drink, exercise, and even sleep.
Healthline.com to read the complete article click here.

Wait, what? Is that true? After doing some “internet research” it seems that 2-4 or 5-6 pounds within a few days span is the average. That is for people who are not actively trying to lose weight. If you’re watching what you eat, your fluctuation is likely to be less. This makes sense to me. My weight can fluctuate anywhere from .5 lbs – 3 lbs. I thought that 3 lbs was so much, but really it’s either average or less than average according to most sources I found.

The bottom line: Weight fluctuation is normal, but if the scale rises 5 or more pounds for longer than a day or two, chances are it’s more than simply water weight.
Shape, Magazine, to read the full article , click here

I’m a big believer in demystification. Demystification means making something easier to understand, or less complex by using plain language that is both clear and simple. So whatever is hanging you up on your weight loss journey, my best advice is to do some reading, and reflecting on your journey.

Hazy Vision

June 7, 2023 Just Write6 Comments

How long have my habits been serving me?

110 days food tracking (everything I eat)
97 consecutive days of closing all my activity rings on my Apple Watch
A Peloton streak of 17 weeks (never missing one day)

Today (for the first time) people asked, “Jenn, have you lost weight?” That’s what it took for others to notice my weight loss. If you are on a weight loss journey in hopes of external praise from others, it may be a long road for you. I think weight loss has to be something you do for yourself.

When Change Comes Knocking…

June 4, 2023 Just WriteLeave a comment

A big part of my weight loss success stems from my belonging to a supportive community. As a #WeightWatchers member, I get to go to weekly meetings where I learn techniques for how to improve my health while losing weight. I have deep feelings of gratitude and respect for these people because they are generous, funny, and frank about how their weight loss journey is going.

Yesterday’s meeting was about the importance of mindset. It gave me the chills because I wrote about this topic in Just Play prior to going to the meeting! While unpacking this concept a member said, “You say ‘have a positive mindset’ and I do, but does it really help? Nothing is changing?” Wow! At that moment, I was a witness to a change in action. Change comes when you are unsatisfied with things as they are, and if you reach out to others for help, well that is a power move.

What if?

If you’re unhappy with how things are going on your weight loss journey, ask a question that begins with, “What if…” because it may help you unlock personal change. Here is what I know for sure if you want something like weight loss (or anything really) you are worth the effort it will take to achieve it.

Just Play

June 3, 2023 Just Write1 Comment

When I reflect on my past, I find that there were times when I felt like an outsider looking in. Everyone was learning or doing a “thing” that I wanted to do too, but I couldn’t get the hang of it. If it didn’t come easy, it obviously wasn’t for me. Now I know that in those cases I had a fixed mindset and that impeded my ability to adapt and learn.

Click here to watch this video of Carol Dweck, to learn more.

In the case of weight loss, I remember feeling so overwhelmed by the process, “I have to eat every day, what food is ok to eat? Right now, I haven’t eaten anything yet I’m perfect, I’m going to mess up.” and then would give up. Then the other extreme, was that I’d be so rigid, “I can only eat these foods. If I eat these foods, I lose weight and if I don’t I’ll gain weight.” that was exhausting and wasn’t sustainable. My problem was that I was only thinking about the food. The food wasn’t the issue, the food wasn’t doing something to me, it was my behaviors that needed to change.

My inability to figure out how to make weight loss work for me would set off a series of negative thoughts. I would think, “How can you let your eating get out of control?” It felt a lot like a character flaw. My weight would go up and down in a mirror image of my personal struggles. If any of this sounds familiar, then you would understand what I was going through. This was painful.

Automaticity Set Me Free

Paul McCartney, the Edge, or Jake Kiszka don’t have to think about how to play the guitar they just play…

the Edge

JakeKiszka

Watching these guitarists makes it plain to see, they are fluid with their motions and aren’t thinking about how to play. It’s not about the guitar. Since they’re not thinking of the mechanics of playing, they can focus on the creativity and joy of playing. Automaticity means getting to a place where you don’t have to use up all your mental energy learning how to do something. They play guitar because they love it. It’s part of who they are. Doing something because you love it is its own reward and consequently intensifies how skilled you become. This is true for weight loss too.

Cultivate the habits that will bring you success
Practice these habits (repetition matters more than time)
Let yourself fall in love with the process and experience joy

At first glance, habits seem overly predictable and even monotonous. Actions define being. What do you want? Who do you want to be? If you want to lose weight and be a person who lives a healthy lifestyle then your habits (not your skill) will be the thing that grants you access to be on the inside. Once that happens weight loss will follow and it will not feel like work, and the number on the scale week to week will not hold all the power. You will be empowered, and you will find joy in the process.