Saturday, July 10, 2010

50 by Fifty: One Step Forward, Two Steps Back

Boy, have I been putting off this post! In case you're new to 50 by Fifty, I gave myself a challenge to lose 50 pounds in a year (average 1 pound per week)...by my 50th birthday to be exact. I started on my 49th birthday in March and got off to a good start. I lost 10.6 pounds in about 10 or 11 weeks. Then May hit. From mid May until now we celebrated (insert 'with food') 5 family birthdays, Mother's Day, Memorial Day, Father's Day, and 4th of July, plus a lot of just life in between. Although I was still careful *in general* about what I ate, I abandoned keeping a journal of my meals and their points values.

I suppose it could have been worse. I only gained back 2.2 pounds (I'm at 8.4 pounds lost overall), but I lost almost 2 months of progress - 1 step forward, 2 steps back. This is the point typically in my past weight loss attempts where I would just give up...especially if I was paying money for a weight loss program. So, unless I want this to end up like SO many other past attempts, I HAVE to keep going. And for me, that means writing down everything I eat and of course making better choices. Exercise is another must, but I could do an entire blog on just exercise excuses!

I am truly not beating myself up over this setback. I have certainly done that in the past. I am recognizing it as a natural part of the process, especially when you have made the determination that this is not a diet, but a lifestyle change. These celebrations will go on...life will get crazy and unpredictable...but if I learn a bit more after each challenge and apply those lessons, then I'll keep making progress. It may be a slow, but that's OK...I didn't get this way overnight...

If you are on a similar journey and have hit a wall or fallen way back, I just want to encourage you (and myself) to not give up. See the setback as a learning tool and launch forward from that point equipped with new insights and renewed determination.

I'll let you know next week how it's going. Thank you for coming back by to check in on me. Knowing you are there cheering me on has been a true blessing! Have a glorious weekend and enjoy these all too fleeting days of Summer!

"So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up."
Galatians 6:9

8 comments:

  1. Anonymous9:58 AM

    As you say, life will forever have its celebrations, and we SHOULD enjoy them! We only pass this way once. A setback doesn't lose the war, Hon! Big hugs of encouragement to you today!

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  2. One thing you might want to try:

    Pray (I learned this from Stormie Omartian) for God to be Lord of your life and ask Him to bless your body and help you to...

    *eat right and be attracted to health-giving food
    *get some form of good exercise several times during the week
    *find peace in simplicity

    There are so many other suggestions for prayer in her book, 10 Minutes to Powerful Prayer. One whole section is on prayer for your body.

    I'm praying that God will change your behavior that harms your progress and make your desires His desires.

    I think you are on the right road, just don't give up. You are almost 9 pounds lighter than when you started! I pray that you would have an encourager to keep you on this challenge. God bless ya!

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  3. I hear you Becky! We have so many family birthdays and parties in May, I have often lost my way by telling myself that I deserve to celebrate with my family! I still haven't found the balance of healthful eating and still celebrating food oriented holidays. it is hard to give up the pleasure of these events and yet our health is important too. I have a family birthday tomorrow and I will try to conciously fill my plate only once and have a very small amount of sweets. The real truth is that it isn't the little clebrations of life that set us back, it's the slippery slope they set us on that keeps us eating long after the party is over! Praying for you, don't give up. I'm struggling just like you are.

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  4. I'm with you Becky! I've set a goal to lose 50 pounds too -- just in time to head out on a cruise and vacation! Not the best time to get started on what I plan to be a lifetime of better choices and healthier living. However, I'm not beating myself up about it -- I'm going to do my best to make good choices while not obsessing over food on this trip. When I get back we'll have to chat about it and maybe we can encourage each other!

    And twinkles -- I'm going to check out Stormie's book. Sounds great!

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  5. Hang in there Becky. Life happens only once...you have to enjoy the celebrations and just get back to journaling now that there is a lull in the action. I admire your honesty and determination. Blessings, Patty

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  6. Becky, for years and years I've told myself that I was going to get to a sensible weight before __ (fill in the blank, the age keeps getting set further ahead). I'm very low on willpower and the amount to lose kept growing. I had lung surgery in February and one of the side effects was no sense of taste. Boy did that help! I've lost about 42 pounds since then, but have slowed way down. Food tastes good again, and since it's summer, we're making homemade ice cream about once a week. I have about 90 pounds to go.

    So, I think you're doing really well! This is do-able and you're doing it.

    And it seems to me that you took 2 steps forward and only 1 back.

    You can do it!

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  7. Don't give up you can do it! That's what I have to tell myself every time I fall off the wagon. I too am at that point in my weight loss battle. It's difficult, and the older you get the more that weight hangs on and says "I ain't going nowhere!"
    Keep going.

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  8. You are doing great! Ups and downs are normal...I lost 50 pounds last year. I've never been good at counting calories, so I just kept eating the exact same things, but I ate half as much. It works, if like me, you have just gotten used to eating portions that are way to big. I also started walking after i lost the first 20. Now I want to lose another 20-30 so maybe I'll join you in your journey!

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