Maintenance

Good Morning – I believe that Spring has finally arrived.

I haven’t talked about my weight loss journey since I got that magical piece of paper from the doctor and gave it to my favorite Weight Watcher leaders.  It is always a work in progress but I have to admit “maintenance” might be harder than the weight loss journey.

By definition, maintenance is “the process of maintaining or preserving someone or something, or the state of being maintained“.  So, at Weight Watchers the six weeks of maintenance AFTER you reach your goal weight is about protecting the weight that you have lost.  Oh, did I mention that they want you to ADD points to your weekly amount that help you do that.  WHAT???  I know over the last 6 years of this journey, the weight loss plan has changed and I have continued to loose or have maintained my current weight but really ADD points.  To me, that was almost like saying “you can stop tracking” or “eat until you are full”.  UGH!  The scale has been a roller coaster since hitting that magical number.

First, I was under which was fine by me.  I was on a high thinking that I might actually reach the Weight Watcher goal weight or would have to get a new script from the doctor.  Then came some stress, crazy busy weeks and the scale has started to creep up.  I missed last week’s weigh in because of an event so that was almost like a free pass.  This past week has been filled with busy hours and not tracking.  The result, I am sure when I get on the scale this AM at Weight Watchers is that I will be UP.  Still within that 2 pound range of goal but up.  Back to tracking and on a mission to find some healthy foods on the nights that I work at WaWa.  Yes, they have salads.  Yes, there are better choices but it seems like I don’t make them.  It is almost like my brain says – you are earning activity points so it doesn’t matter. WOW!  Is that so untrue!!! It definitely does not give me permission to eat a donut at 11pm when I get off work.  YES, they are fresh and taste yummy but they are definitely NOT worth the extra pounds that they could come as a result of continuing to eat them.

I am noticing that I am saying “BUT” a lot in this post.  I remember reading some place that “anything you say after the word “but” is a lie” or is BS.  Excuses, that is what they are; just another excuse to do what I want, when I want.  The truth is, I am not ready to give up everything that I worked for along this 108 pound weight loss journey.  So, maintenance is TOUGH and I believe it is even tougher the original journey.

Today, I will suck it up.  Get back to tracking.  Attend a meeting and weigh in facing all of the ugliness that the scale has to offer me.  Reaching goal weight is AWESOME – maintaining is not as easy as it sounds.

Have a ThirtyOne-derful day!