Haha. Two days ago I wrote my 9th blog post from my "high horse" about all those folks who said they didn't think DietBet worked, and how reading that broke my heart. I actually got quite a few comments back asking me to clarify what I meant and challenging my thinking. So I thought about it...
But never once did I think I might "be" one of those women! No, no -- I was confident that I was sliding into base with a home-run. Haha. HA!
Then I woke up yesterday and I felt bloated and constipated and weird. It was weigh-day, so I decided to "get it over with" early. I put on my weigh-in outfit, emptied my bladder, wrote out my special word and stepped gingerly upon the scale: I was two pounds above my goal.
DEVASTATING!!
My last blog-post tooting the blessings of "The DietBet concept" and high-lighting the poor ladies who used it as an excuse for why their dieting efforts didn't work, and all the comments that challenged me to clarify and elaborate upon this discussion, came flooding into my mind. "It DOESN'T work!" I thought, irritated. "It really IS just a big farce based on the luck of the scale within a 48 hour period... I feel cheated. This sucks!"
I then proceeded to let my feelings suck some of the joy out of the first half of my day. We could almost say that "it wasn't worth it." I snapped at my husband about the laundry and where the tea went. I skimped on my workout. Finally, I took a nap and started my day over. I did something spiritual for myself. I remembered my prayer that God make me "of maxiumum service to others..." I could see the irony of this prayer, now, from the "loser's bench." I spent the night with a girlfriend, and my scale, and we laughed about the whole deal.
Then in the morning, 24 hours later, but still within my 48 hour window, I weighed again in her bathroom. My weight was EXACTLY the same as it was the day before. This time, I almost laughed, but I was in a hurry to get out the door to meditation. It was snowing. A lot. The ice all over my windshield was thick. I couldn't find my scraper. I tried using my crutches, then my credit card, to get the ice and snow off. I was not amused. Then I was late. Everyone was late. I was not alone in my strife. I meditated with the group before meeting my friend for breakfast across the street. We "felt the feelings" together.
After breakfast, I went to the rec center and swam ten laps on my own, then I went to my Italian tutoring lesson at the library, with my scale in my bag. When it was over, i pulled it out and weighed-in again: I was at the right weight!! I COULD WIN!! I was so excited, I found a friend checking out books to take my picture, because I hadn't done it with my "secret word," and I hadn't done it with the full body shot. Then my phone died. I didn't have my charger.
OH, the IRONY! I wrote the DietBet support team and explained all of this about the picture without the secret word, and so on. They verified that the shot MUST be taken with the secret word. When i got home, I tried again... and again... and again, but I was still a pound over... and I could not seem to "let it go."
So what happened? Is DietBet a "total hoax" because of weight fluctuations throughout the day? Does it make everyone freak out like this?
If I'm honest with myself, I know I "cheated" quite a bit in those last ten days, knowing I was 0.1 pounds away from my goal. I ended up eating out or eating leftovers (from eating out), at least once every day, and it was that time of the month, so I allotted for "portion controlled" chocolate every day... but who wants to "portion control chocolate?!" My portions had, er, flickers of control and pure indulgence. Moreover, no matter how clean a choice you make at a restaurant, you have no idea what kinds of "dirty" secrets are involved in the chef's final product, especially over a series of days. So there it is: no surprise I packed it on!
DietBet is not a "hoax," though weight fluctuations do change throughout the day. If I weighed-in a winner and was asked to weigh-in again 10 hours later and was then told I lost because my weight had increased (naturally) throughout the day, I would be pretty upset! Then again, if you really want to win, you probably need to aim for at least few pounds beyond your winning number to alot for this... and doing so could win you A LOT!! (Or so I'm led to believe - wink, wink;)
As my cousin said, I'm dying to know what the Blogilates winners will win in the end -- and what they had to do to get there! I didn't see this, but she said that EVERYONE was freaking out on the Blogilates comment page - debating whether to drink water or fast, etc. to make weight. So, again, I'm not alone, and IT IS WHAT IT IS. Congratulations to the winners!! Please share the love with us for how it goes!!
Of course we are all freaking out: "there is a lot on the line!" Then again, all I lost was 5 pounds in a month and $30!! LET ME WRITE THAT AGAIN:
For $30, I was motivated to LOSE 5#s, that is about 3% of my body weight.
THAT's GREAT!!!!! Moreover, I learned an important lesson about diligence in that last week and, especially, in those final days. It ain't over til it's over. The beauty of DietBet is that it is a tool that let's you learn these lessons and try, try again, if you like. Heck -- there's a bet starting every other day, it seems!
In my case, it really is about a better diet next time -- "to infinity and beyond!" No wonder I've seen so much weight creep on over the last few years with all this eating out. My first DietBet gave me the opportunity to get real and do a better job dancing my part when the bet is "leading" me! I'm looking forward to the introduction of the "Maintenance Bets" down the line... Meanwhile, I'll see you guys in the TRANSFORMER for some more of this FUN:)
Better Luck, Next Time, Mi Amigas!