Sunday, February 21, 2010

Lean On Me


Hello Friends, I find myself increasingly grateful for the feedback and support from all of you. It means so much to know that there are people out there who really understand. I can share things that I would be too embarrassed to say to most ‘civilians’, and more importantly, know that in response you will not only truly empathize, because you’ve ‘been there, done that’, but also know that you can at least imagine why I would feel the way I do. That takes the burden of feeling alone, off my shoulders.
My week has been going great. I have taken to WW and the points system like duck to water. It’s a great fit for me because I have more than a touch of OCD, so all the tracking and adding up numbers keeps that part of my personality quite satisfied. As I said in my last post, I think part of my success is that I am trying lots of new recipes and really enjoying trying new foods. I find myself getting excited about what’s on the menu, looking forward to the meal with enthusiasm and curiosity: how will this new recipe taste?
The reason this is true is that it prevents me from getting bored and therefore feeling deprived; and that helps me continue to feel satisfied and well taken care of. Today my husband stopped and picked up a coffee and a bakery cookie, but I had brought along a bottle of water and an apple, and I felt completely satisfied with my snack; his didn’t tempt me at all. That’s pretty amazing!
When I eat all of the food that I am allotted for the day, I feel satisfied, even more than satisfied. I’ve consistently gone over my points by one or two every day, but because there’s a system built in that lets me apply those extra points to a weekly allotment, it’s not a problem.
Now, because I am only weighing in once a week, I am not sure how all this work will translate into lost pounds; my clothes are fitting slightly more loosely, but I won’t know for sure until Thursday. But I really hope that I don’t ruin all these great feelings by making it all about the pounds. It’s not about the pounds. It’s about how I feel. Six weeks free of compulsive eating, six weeks free of sugar, and my life has been completely turned around; I am no longer given to depression or mood swings, and to my amazement, I realized today that it’s been weeks since I stood staring in the refrigerator or pantry to find something to eat when I wasn’t hungry.
So thank you, my friends, you are my safety net, I can look to all of you for your collective wisdom, count on you to move me to tears, to laughter, and to inspiration, and to know that I’m not in this alone!

4 comments:

  1. I find getting excited about my meals important, too. I experiment a lot. Keeps things fresh and makes it fun, even if the recipe doesn't turn out. I found that a key ingredient in losing and then sticking. We must be alike that way. :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Absolutely! I find boredom with my food is a real danger sign for "Binge Ahead!"And so often when I've been on certain diets I got very frustrated because I got sick of eating the same thing over and over. That was probably a simple case of lack of imagination on my part, but I'm grateful I've made this change!

    ReplyDelete
  3. oh jackie, that is so awesome! so happy to hear of your finding your place with WW and that you have been doing and feeling so well!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Glad to hear you like weight watchers!!

    I agree about keeping meals fresh & fun! Sometimes when I'm in a rut, I look through my cookbooks and find new recipes & make a meal plan. When I look forward to my healthy food, things are so much easier!

    ReplyDelete