Confessions of an Overweight Weight Watcher

www.healthdigeZt.com

I confess I am over my Weight Watcher goal weight. That’s not good because I am a Lifetime member, which means I need to be within 2 pounds of my goal weight at all times. If I’m not, then I have to pay to belong until my weight gets back within the target range.  Let me just say this right now: IT IS EASIER TO LOSE WEIGHT THAN TO MAINTAIN YOUR WEIGHT LOSS. 

I lost almost 50 pounds about five years ago, and have had a few ups and downs, but this is the first time in those five years where I’m not so comfortable with the “up.” I was at my doctor’s last week for the annual checkup, and we had a little talk about it. My doctor considers me an “A” student as far as health care and maintenance is concerned. He said he wishes he had more patients like me. When we had the little weight talk, he sort of shrugged it off. “Don’t worry about it. You’re doing everything right.” 

Sure, that’s easy for him to say. I’m not doing something right or I wouldn’t be over my goal weight. Let’s take a moment here while I flog myself. To make me feel better, he gave me the proverbial “note from the doctor” to take to my Weight Watcher leader to adjust my goal weight upward. Whew! I thought I was going to have to pay this month.

Here’s the thing: We all know what we need to do, but why don’t we? I ask myself this question all the time. Apparently I’m not alone. Information gathered in the Boomer Babes survey indicates only 24% of respondents were in the standardized BMI range for their height. Forty-one percent would fall into the overweight BMI category, with 29% percent landing in the obese category. Less than 1% of survey participants were underweight, and 5% left the answer blank or put in some humorous comment like “too much” instead of a number. 

We all have reasons (or should I say excuses?). For many of us, we spend so much time taking care of others; we neglect to take care of ourselves. For others, it’s medical issues. Thyroid disease can create havoc with our weight loss efforts. Medications can cause weight increase as well. Over the years, as more prescriptions are written for anti-depressants, I see the effect of that on the weight of people who use them. Some of us resign ourselves to simply saying, “I can’t do it.” Others keep trying, often one step forward, and one step back. Whatever the reason, we all have the best of intentions. 

I loved the Boomer Babes interview I did with a woman I’ll call Vera. She’s lived a very interesting life. She is married and they have raised five kids, three birth children, and two adopted. In the meantime, she was going to school, kept her household going, completed a Masters in Economics, built a career, and is now contemplating going on for her Ph.D. When things started to slow down in her life, she realized how much she neglected her own self and well-being and took some action. She began to work out and do strength training and ultimately lost 35 pounds. I think it’s safe to say her self-esteem went way up as her body re-shaped into her new self. Good for her. If only we were all so motivated!

I saw this post on Facebook last week titled 15 Reasons You Can’t Lose Weight from a group called www.healthdigeZt.com. I thought I might find a clue as to why I can’t even lose these five pounds. Here are my thoughts on the 15 Reasons:

1. You over eat healthy food: I like to think that most of the food I eat is healthy, so if I overeat, it probably is overeating on healthy food. 
2. Skipping breakfast: Are you kidding? I would never skip breakfast! I want to start eating as soon as I open my eyes. My breakfast is usually is a cinnamon twist with my buddies at the local coffee shop. Maybe that’s wrong, but it’s a lifestyle choice. 
3.  Don’t practice portion control: Yes, I do. I have all the Weight Watcher tools and gizmos to measure portion. If I didn’t practice portion control, I would need to lose 50 pounds, not 5. 
4. Eat while standing up. Well, sometimes I do. I also read standing up, and sometimes watch TV standing up. To me, that means I’m being more active because I’m not sitting. 
5. Skimp on sleep. Oh, please, give me a break! I’m a menopausal woman who keeps the bedroom temperature down around 60 degrees with the ceiling fan on. I’m not skimping on sleep; I’m just having continuously interrupted sleep from hot flashes. My doctor has taken my sleep “crack”, Ambien, away from me. Did you know that when you turn 65, you are no longer allowed to take Ambien. It’s an insurance thing. They think we’re so unstable we might fall down if we take it.
6. Overindulge on diet foods. I remember when Snack Well cookies first came out. My daughter called me up and said, “Great news, Mom! They just came out with a fat free cookie. We can eat all we want.” So we did. I know better now. In fact, I now know there are so many additives that make diet foods “diet,” that I think we should all just eat real food and less of it.
7.  Forget to eat your veggies. Not me! I love my veggies.
8. You only do cardio. Well, yes, that may be true. However when I get to Planet Fitness the hum of the treadmill lures me straight to it. I put on my music and start running, and I’m in my own little world. I try to do strength training, but have two ruptured biceps and no upper body strength. It’s embarrassing to not be able to do more than a few reps on a strength machine.
9. Exercise on an empty stomach. I do try to eat something (usually the aforementioned cinnamon twist) before I run on aforementioned treadmill. I once ran a 5K race after eating a steak, and it wasn’t pretty. It just proves that carbs should be eaten before a work out, proteins after.
10. You leave out entire food groups. I don’t. It is my opinion that any diet that excludes any food group is not providing balanced nutrition.
11. You don’t sleep enough. Reference #5. I am a menopausal woman.
12. Always dine out. Yes, I do. Eating out is a hobby for my husband and me. You can still make smart choices at restaurants. Just watch portions and steer clear of the bread and alcohol.
13. Wear clothes that are too big. I remember how I felt as my weight was going up, and the first time I had to move from the petites section to the women’s section and large became extra-large. I also remember as my weight was coming down, and the first time I got back into a pair of pants that had a zipper and waist band vs elastic. Wearing good fitting clothes helps keep me on track. If the waistband feels tight, I know I need to be careful.
14. You’re addicted to condiments and toppings. Really? Do you know anyone that became obese by eating too many condiments? However, I really must restrain myself from the toppings table at Simply Yogurt. I can see how that could get you into trouble.
15. You eat without thinking. No, I don’t. I’m always thinking about food. From first thing in the morning until last thing at night. If I am eating, if I am not eating, I’m still thinking about food. I am highly conscious of food at all times.

So, I feel like according to these 15 reasons, I should be svelte, but I’m not.  I know I will never again be the 100 pound bride my husband married. So just like everyone else, I keep trying. One step back, maybe next week another step forward. Giving up is quitting, and I never want it said I was a quitter.

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 Through compassion, you will find that all human beings are just like you. - Dalai Lama