Posts

Showing posts with the label I Have a Goal

Let’s Talk Diet and Perseverance: Today is my Weight Watchers’ One-Year Anniversary

Image
Jennifer, a Shadow Selfie Hilton Head, South Carolina, April 2017 __________________________________ Perseverance is not a long race; it is many short races one after the other. – Walter Elliot ______________________ If 5 May 2016 was the day I decided to lose weight, then May 11 of the same year was the day I acted by going back to Weight Watchers and committing to losing 66 pounds. I have been known to make promises to myself and then not do the difficult work of following through, but this time I did. Today, I celebrate my one-year of perseverance, and, so far, a 62-pound weight loss. I have attended 52 meetings in a row, some of them away from home. I didn’t always feel like going, especially when I had a less than stellar week and/or was on vacation, but I have come to realize that the lousy weeks were precisely the times I really needed those meetings. In my 5 May 2017 post , I outlined some of the strategies I used to help me through my weight-loss journ

Let’s Talk Diet: Celebrating An Important Anniversary, a “Rejourney,” I’m at Goal, AND I’m Close to Goal (???)

Image
Jennifer (Before, 2010) and Jennifer (After, 2017) But it's not just about "looks" -- That's just superficial stuff. It's also about  physical and psychological health. ___________________ I don’t focus on what I’m up against. I focus on my goals and I try to ignore the rest. – Venus Williams __________________________ Back in 2011, I started this site as a diet and exercise space, but then I gained my weight back (and then some). It was as if my arrogance, self-importance, and faux expertise brought me down a few notches, so I decided to broaden the site focus; I began writing about other topics of personal importance. So, for the most part, I have backed off on diet topics. But now I return to the topic of Diet Talk for a good reason: today, May 5, 2017, is the first anniversary of my decision to attempt, once again, losing weight and, most importantly, keeping it off. I remember that day well: as I was being fitted for a CPAP mask, I made

Close to Goal

Image
Close to Goal ______________ Do not be in a hurry to succeed. What would you have to live for afterwards? Better make the horizon your goal; it will always be ahead of you. – William Makepeace Thackeray _________________ I am always close to goal because I have set small achievable goals that can be reached quickly. I may have a large goal in mind, but if, on a day-to-day basis, I concentrate on the small goal, the big goal will eventually be achievable. When it comes to weight loss, setting a large goal is a fool’s mission. For example, saying, “I’m going to lose 100 pounds in six months” is unrealistic, and sets one up for failure. Even setting small weight loss goals can be frustrating, given the day-to-day scale variables. But saying, “For one week, I will eat in such a way as to facilitate good health and sensible weight loss. I  can  control what I feed my body, but I  won’t  worry about the number on the scale. If I eat well and use fewer calories than

I Set a Goal, One Goal at a Time

Image
I Set a Goal _____________ It is not death that a man should fear, but he should fear never beginning to live . – Marcus Aurelius What keeps me going is goals. – Muhammad Ali _____________________ Let’s set one thing straight: I may be “old,” but I’m not yet ready for “God’s Waiting Room.” This wasn’t true two months ago. I felt like crap, my weight was up, and I was tired all the time. But, now, with the CPAP therapy, much improved diet, less weight on my frame, and light exercise, I feel great and much younger than my real age. In fact, I don’t remember feeling this vibrant since the early 1990’s. On June 20, 2016, I wrote about Leptin Resistance and how sleep deprivation can contribute to obesity (although this potential causal effect is still scientifically inconclusive). Having to go on CPAP therapy (also explained in the Leptin Resistance post) was more than a wake-up call. In fact, the very idea of it was almost insulting: “How dare my body

I Have a Goal: CPAP Therapy + Diet + Exercise = Appetite Control – Say What?

Image
How Leptin and Insulin Signal Satiety  Source for Graphic: Wiki.Brown.edu ____________________ I have been stamping my feet and complaining for the last six weeks because of having to wear a CPAP mask ( Continuous Positive Airway Pressure , a therapy designed for people who stop breathing during sleep, and, therefore, wake up several times during the night. Sleep-deprived people can experience serious medical problems, such as heart disease, high blood pressure, and obesity, among other ailments). I grumble every single night. My better half must be sick of my constant kvetching... But for the first time since I can remember, I’m getting good sleep and waking up energetic and exercising regularly. About four weeks into the CPAP therapy, I also noticed something else: my appetite has started to regulate itself, which has been a total surprise to me because I have always had an out-sized appetite. I never really knew the difference between hunger and satiety – I would go fr

Memoir Madness: Driven to Involuntary Commitment