I learned a long time ago that I'm pretty easily discouraged where weight management is concerned. I try not to weigh myself too often, because one "bad" weigh-in -- even a minor gain -- can send me into a defeatist spiral of self-talk that can resort in a junk food bender. I am capable of very positive self-talk in almost every other situation, but I can resort to some horrible (and completely unreasonable) condemnations when I gain weight.
Last weekend I had one of those crazy weight gains -- so crazy that I kept checking and rechecking my weight throughout the evening. My original reaction was "Surely this is wrong! I can't possibly have gained this much!" -- but that quickly devolved into "Face it! You're fat, and you're always going to be fat!"
Fortunately, I talked through my irrational reaction with my husband. I told him all the things I knew were true intellectually: there's no way I could have gained that much fat in a single day (so it was most likely water weight); quick weight gains are frequently also quickly lost if I monitor my eating a little more closely, drink plenty of water, and avoid salty foods (prepared foods and soups, typically loaded with sodium); and, most importantly, that one bad weigh-in is no reason to throw in the towel. Period.
We have an allegory that we use to illustrate that last important truth -- one my husband created especially for me several years ago. First a bit of background: I am a lover of Disney races, and have finished lots of marathons, half marathons, and other races there over the last 15+ years. That means I frequently make the long drive from our home in North Carolina to Orlando (and back again). That's pretty remarkable considering I completely lack any sense of direction -- and must constantly monitor my navigation system (even though the path to Disney World basically involves heading south and making two turns).
Now to the allegory... After one of my "I might as well give up! This is never going to work!" weight-gain tirades, he turned to me and asked, "Dear, if you took the wrong on-ramp in Jacksonville FL on your way to Disney World and realized you were headed in the wrong direction, would you say, 'Just forget it! I'll never make it to Disney! I'm going home!'?"
He's a smart guy, because I have indeed taken the wrong on-ramp, heading north -- after a gas stop near Savannah -- realized almost immediately what I'd done, then taken the next exit and turned toward Disney again. Nope, I didn't enjoy my little detour and the time I'd wasted, or the miles I needed to travel AGAIN, but it never -- NEVER -- occurred to me to go back home. It's a substantial drive to Savannah from my house. I've invested HOURS of drive time. Jacksonville is even farther -- heck, I'm practically there by then -- would I give one moment's thought to abandoning my goal and heading home? Oh, HECK no!
After a pause, I laughed and answered, "Nope." And that's what I try to remember when I have one of those get-outta-here weigh-in experiences on my scales. I've invested a lot of energy and time in this new lifestyle -- a lifestyle that results in lower weight, lower blood sugar, and (frankly) a lot cuter wardrobe. Throwing all that effort away because of one pound -- or 6 pounds! -- gained is... well, stupid. And I'm not stupid.
So this week I've practiced all my healthiest habits and, as predicted, those mysteriously gained pounds have almost completely evaporated. I'm heading in the right direction again -- and I intend to keep on truckin'.
Hope you do too!