I have been having issues with feeling defeated a lot this month. I was having issues with my weight being stuck or going up at times on the scale I have been using for my DietBet weekly weigh-ins and other weight checks. However, it kept going down on my other scale, and I was getting very frustrated because I was putting a lot of work into this. I finally got to a point where I realized even if the scale wasn’t going in the right direction; I was doing the right things for my body.
I realized that even if I lost some of my DietBets this round that I would not consider it a waste of money. Nothing has ever pushed me this hard to stay this focused on eating better and getting more exercise and sticking with it no matter what. I have spent money on different videos I may have only used a few times or didn’t use at all. I have been paying about $32 for a gym membership for a few years that I hardly ever use. Even if I didn’t win the money or win the 4% on the scale this round, any % of weight loss is better than none or a weight gain.
I was battling a 2+ week period which I have learned could have been partially caused by losing weight and the hormones being released from the stored body fat I was burning; thanks to one of my DB friends. I learned that even through this hassle, I could still keep going. I kept up eating healthy and getting exercise every day; even if some days were just walking my Fitbit step and distance goal amount. I also resigned myself to believing that maybe it wasn’t going to be possible to lose 4% back to back on the 4% I lost with DietBet in December. I had also lost 2% in November before starting my first DBs at the end of November or beginning of December.
Most importantly, I learned that this is a lifelong process and I finally felt something click in my brain that says this time it will really last for my lifetime. Aside from the period, I have felt better mentally & physically than I have in a long time.
My first Dietbet Weigh-Out for my DietBets that started in January has been running from December 29-30. On the 28th, I was super close to my goal on both scales on which I have been checking my weights. On the 29th, I learned the one I have been using for DietBet pictures needed new batteries and ended up starting drinking my daily water intake before I tried weighing after adding new batteries. After replacing the batteries, it started reading an error message. I then checked on my other scale and was slightly over my goal. I decided to wait again until the 30th to try again. The scale I had been using for DietBet still says ERR, however, my weight on the other scale was under my goal by 0.5 pounds. I submitted the pictures with it and won my first DietBet that ended this month. I am under both of my goals for my weigh-outs that are February 2-3 and my weigh-out that is February 5-6 too. I am only 0.5 pounds over my goal for February 9-10 too, so I know if I keep up my work I will make all of those goals too.
It feels like a huge weight has been lifted off of my shoulders. It feels really great to finally see all of my hard work pay off! I am glad I had an extra scale to check my weights against every time I weighed in, I would weigh on one and then the other. I legitimately lost my 4% for the DB4’s on the other one too, and of course that puts me over my 3% goals for the DB10s too.
I then went to look for help on the community help forum for the other scale, and the ERR message seems to be a scale malfunction, and others who have experienced this message have had to have their scales replaced. I will be calling the support team tomorrow to discuss hopefully getting my Fitbit Aria replaced as well. I now feel like the inconsistencies with this scale I have been having lately were likely due to it malfunctioning and getting ready to stop working. My weight kept going down on the other scale, but was either stuck or going up on the Aria, and it was getting very frustrating. It often didn’t make sense that I would keep losing weight on one and stick or go up on the Aria. This helps lift the weight from my shoulders too. I know people blame their scales all the time when they don’t want to take responsibility, but in this case, the other scale was showing my work and then this one suddenly stopped working at all. I really think it was the scale’s fault this time. What a relief.
Now, I am sorry for being so whiny this month with a lot of my posts. I apologize for being extremely wordy. If you have read this blog to this point, thank you so much for taking the time, but of course my verbose mind has a little more to say. I would like to take some time to focus now on the positive take away experiences I have had here in my second round of using DietBet’s amazing platform.
First off, I have been eating a lot more fresh fruit this round after buying Teresa Marie’s Color Yourself Skinny guide. She has been the host of the two Eat Drink & Be Skinny DietBets. I have participated in her last two and am looking forward to participating in her next one. She is a really great host!!! All of the hosts I have participated with on DietBet so far have been wonderful! I haven't tried any of the recipes yet, or used the planning guide yet, but I have really started trying to get in a good bit of my food from most of the color groups most days. On days I have bloating, I try to think to consciously limit sodium. I have always done pretty well with eating within calories, but I have started thinking about what makes up these calories a lot more with this round and my weight being harder to lose.
I met my step goal for over 30 days (second time) and increased my step goal by another 500 steps this round. I have really become more aware of my water intake and have actually met my water goals based on my Water Your Body App some this month. I don’t meet it every day or even half the month. However, I am more aware of trying to drink more throughout the day most of the time. I will get there eventually. I am not thirsty that often, so it is a chore to keep remembering to drink XX more ounces of water all day/night long. However, I will get there. I don’t really drink much else. Maybe a cup of coffee a week, maybe 2 cups of herbal tea a week. Maybe a cup of V8-VFusion Juice per week and maybe one 8 ounce cup of soda per month. I had my first soda this month after reaching my goal and being verified tonight.
Lastly, and most importantly to me; I have renewed my fascination with Yoga this time around. I now love it and practice 5-6 days a week when I used to practice maybe 3 times a month a couple times and then would not practice again for awhile. I can't believe I ever lived without it at this point. It has really helped me connect even more with my spirituality & faith even though this is already the core of who I am. I love it so much now that I don't think I will ever stop. I am planning to buy a new mat soon to have more cushion and better stability since I have finally outgrown my cheap Danskin 3mm from Walmart. I also think this spring, I will be buying a decent lighter travel mat to take on my family vacations, and so I can visit some state parks and beautiful outdoor places in my area to practice while being more in touch and in tune with nature which is very important to me spiritually.
I really hope everyone else has also found a lot of positive changes in their lives during this round of DietBet! I hope you are ready to continue these positive changes for the rest of your life and are not just looking at this as a 4 week "diet". When we focus on life changes it is much more beneficial to us in the long run.