Tuesday morning, I weighed in with an 18 pound gain. Wednesday morning, I lost 1 pound. Thurday morning, I lost 9 pounds. Hopefully by next Wednesday, I’ll have all 18 pounds gone. Sodium makes my body retain fluid, and the most efferctive way to get rid of the excess fluid is to drink a lot of water. That was the difference between Wednesday and Thursday’s weigh in. Tuesday I didn’t drink a lot of water throughout the day, but Wednesday, I drank a ton of water.
Counseling Yesterday
I love my counselor. We’ve only had 3 sessions and she is being so helpful. Yesterday, I was cheerful but under stress about money and the gain from Monday. I’ve allowed tasks to pile up, and I’ve got so much that needs to be done that I was overwhelmed. She helped me to realize that it’s my nature to procrastinate. It’s something that I’ve always done. I was the person in school that always waited until the last minute to write papers and do homework. What’s funny is that I’ve always tried to fix it, but there’s no way to “fix it.” I’m in a constant cycle of putting things off and then feeling guilty and stressed about that behavior. So my homework is to list out everything that needs to be done, and some of this stuff is going to take a while to do, like pay off some debts, and she’s going to help me get organized and break the big stuff down into manageable pieces. We’re going to take the easiest things first, and knock them out of the way because accomplishments feel good and helps us gain momentum towards achieving our long term goals.
The biggest relief comes when she says that I’m doing fine. I understand that I have problems like the weight, debt, and procrastination, but I want to do something to fix my problems. She said that I’m a troubleshooter. (I agree, I’ve always been a troubleshooter. I like to fix problems.)
I told her about getting sick with tonsillitis, my Aunt passing away, and my 18 pound gain. She agreed that antibiotics are notorious for increasing appetite and that my Aunt passing is stressful on me and others in my family. I also told her about all of the steps that I am taking to fix this weight gain situation, so she wasn’t overly concerned about my gain. She said it was understandable. The main thing is that I’m back on track.
I believe that setbacks and gains are part of the weight loss process. Monitoring is crucial to our weight loss success because monitoring makes us aware of where we are. If we don’t monitor, we’re not aware, and then it’s easy to allow things to spiral out of control.
{ 9 comments… read them below or add one }
I completely agree that setbacks and gains are just part of the process. The important part is that you learn from each experience and get back on track. You're doing a great job, so don't let it get you down! *hugs*
Not sure this will work but I'm trying again. Have posted a few times but don't see my posts.
I'm a procrastinator too, truthfully I think a lot of people are and I think it's normal. I'm so happy to hear you're in therapy. I know for me it was one of the things that helped me reach my goals. Some of it was sorting through childhood stuff I had never dealt with before but it was also just having someone to talk about about the day to day stuff. What I think helped most was that he always made me feel pretty darn normal and I think for me I just wanted to feel like everyone else. Anyway, I'm happy you're planning and doing and back on track because really that is what is important. The past is the past. Here's to a productive week for both of us.
First of all, I'm really glad that you weighed in when you did. Can you imagine if you put off weighing in for…2 months? 3 months? All because you “knew that you gained weight and didn't want to face the reality of the scale.” Yes you gained 18 pounds, but you're already making strides to losing that again. And, more importantly, you stopped the weight gain in its tracks. You stood up and faced the harsh reality of the scale. You said, “I may not like the results, but I need to figure out where I am at.” You did it, and that takes real courage. A lot of people get into that procrastination and holding pattern that you describe, and then mingle that with some fear, and what you get in a trainwreck 3 months down the road.
I *LIVE* by making lists. I carry sticky notes around with me. I email myself to-do lists all day long. I make lists in my sleep. If I don't write it down, I forget. More importantly, it helps me to prioritize what needs to be done. For instance, I have 10 items on my to-do list, but I've got approximately 30 minutes of “free time” today. That means that I need to pick ONE item on my to-do list that can fit into that time slot. Having it all written out helps me make priority lists. I hope that your list-making will help curb your procrastination, too. And like I said above, I'm proud of you for not putting off your weigh-in any longer, either.
yayyyy for judy
i am glad you are liking her- i truly loved her. she probably doesn't even remember me from 11 yrs ago, but my husband and i still say, “what would judy say?” LOL!
I think it is totally awesome that you're already losing weight and forging ahead with other plans again. People procrastinate for different reasons. I read a book (and then I bought it because it was so good) called “The Procrastinator's Handbook”. I realized, that MY reason for procrastinating, was that some things seemed like they would take so long that I didn't know where to start, so I started setting aside an hour a day to work on things I was avoiding and then I realized that (a) they didn't take that long and (b) I was making progress! Unfortunately getting rid of debt isn't as easy, but that is something I'm working on too, with a plan and a 'debt elimination calendar'. It helps me to track my progress and having the plan helps me see when there will be more light at the end of the tunnel. http://www.providentliving.org/pfw/multimedia/f…
Unfortunately my weight elimination calendar didn't work out as well as this one did
One setback does not eliminate all the milestones you have already reached, including all the people you have inspired along the way!
I agree with you about setbacks. It's all part of the process and monitoring is CRUICIAL to our success! That's why I was so upset when you skipped your weigh-in. I'm glad you got back on the scale soon after and are on the right track again. Your counselor sounds wonderful. I need to get over my fear of psychology and get a counselor for myself. Too scary.
9 lbs in one day is FANTASTIC! How bout that! Those 18 lbs are going to be gone before you know it – then the next 18 and the next and so on . . . Keep smiling!
*HUG!*
Ok, you TOTALLY know that I know where you are coming from. I've been stressed too and the scale is up over here. ;/
I am so happy that your counselor is supportive and encouraging because that's what you (we) need.
You know what to do, time to hunker down, get organized and take care of business.
I know you can do anything you put your heart and mind into.
You're doing awesome! I know I had an 8lb gain this week and I was really trying not to come down on myself too hard. It was tough, but you're post helped lift my spirits and reminded me that it's just one number on one day. Next week will be better as long as I choose to make it that way. Thanks for the boost and keep up the great work!
Glad the therapy helps.
- Lisa
http://inweighovermyhead.blogspot.com/