try, try again....

I am going to try again, harder this time. Not tomorrow, right now...today. It didn't take me long to realize what the consequences of not getting it right are. I am going to chalk up the last 6 months as a training period. I know, I know...I have had a lot of training.

So, one more time into the breach. If serious, positive progress is not made over the next three months, I will be forced to go down a different path. This is not a new beginning. I am not re-calculating or re-engineering the plan, it is a good and reasonable one. I think I came pretty close last time, I just need to focus and get more serious about it. Given my last doctor visit I do need to consider a few other things though. I also need to make a change or two to some problem areas that came up during the last try.

Things that worked....

• Cutting my calories by just 20%, and eating more frequent meals through out the day, was not that hard to do. I was rarely hungry.

• Using SuperFoods as a guide for what to eat made me feel great, and filled me up too.

• Exercising daily made me feel good about myself, going to the gym did also.
  

Things that failed...

• I gave up too easily on the food and activity journal. Daily accounting is a good thing, and it can help me to keep track of my sodium levels. Use FitDay, every day.

• My “day off” turned to three, four, a week or more. It made it too hard to get back on track and then the whole “tomorrow” thing kicked in. Change this to one meal off a week, as suggested in the ABS Diet?  If I still have trouble getting back on track, then I have no choice, no meals off for the remainder of the three months.
  

• I did not use rewards and incentives for staying on track. It is important. I can even use the “one meal” above as a reward for a good week of work. I will think of some others too.

Things to consider...

• The Doc said to use the DASH diet as a guide, look into this.

• Watch sodium levels, try to keep it at 1500 or below as suggested for my BP.

• Keep the book “Changing for Good” nearby. Commitment, relapse, planning, its all in there, read it again. Read it often.

So, that’s it then.  You have taken these attempts with me as well, let me know if I am forgetting something. Do you think I am full of crap again? Do you think I can get it right this time? I am open to suggestions, criticisms, support, ideas, examples, company...whatever it takes. 

Comments

[Kathy J]

I think that maybe it's best to start out "One day at a time." Like the AA way of thinking—just for today I will not overeat. Just for today, I will exercise. And allow the habit to build, rather than thinking it's all or nothing. That's what I'm trying to do.

[Margaret]

One day at a time is good--and I think this time, the stakes are higher. Will that make it worse or better?

[Karine]

I absolutely believe you can do this. The truth is that it is one of the hardest endeavours so give yourself a break for struggling with it. We all did. I still think my breakthrough was a miracle because it was such a long time coming. But you know what, once you get it, and I mean mentally, you just get it and are able to get the job done once and for all. Keep doing the inner work, that's what did it for me. One year later I've lost 80 lbs, working on the last 35. Best wishes

[FB]

Wow Karine, 80 pounds in a year! How did you do it?

Kathy, Margaret, I like the idea of one day at a time, but the reverse of that is what gets me in trouble, one day isn't going to matter!

[Denise]

I, too, like the "one day, one meal at a time" philosophy and might even adopt it for myself.

[Michelle]

I could have written the part about what worked and what didn't myself. Been there. It is so damn frustrating.

[The Therapist]

I am right there with you. I had been doing the "day off" for one meal a week. Now it has migrated to 6 days a week. Here's to us - getting back on track and committed to take it one day at a time.

[Mich]

Of course you can do it. Didn't "Changing for Good" mention something to the effect that every failure increases our chances for success the next time around?

I'm going to take a slightly different tack - one meal at a time doesn't work for me as it gets me bogged down in the details. Strangely enough, one set at a time works for me in the gym... I also find that for me, the exercise drives everything. So if I work hard in the gym, I am less inclined to eat anything but quality food. I look at food from the perspective of "is this quality fuel? will this help me lift the amounts of weight I want to lift?"

[Jenera]

I can't even tell you how many times I've 'restarted' my weight loss journey/struggle. I get too caught up in the details and stress out way too much. It doesn't help that I have 100+ pounds to lose and because I'm doing it the 'healthy' way it seems to take forever and I see people around me and on TV dropping pounds like crazy. Each time I've started over though I've had more success than the previous time. Keep with it!

Jenera

[Kathy J]

Hey Fat Blogger. We miss you. And we care.

[FB]

Thanks Kathy! I'm still around and doing good, just been busy, hopefully will get a post out by Monday!

[Mary]

I just started reading your blog but definitely think you can do it!