Holy Freak-Out-Oly!
Another day for reality to smack me in the face! Ok, so here's what happened. I posted a question to Nutrition Support asking them about pregnancy and transition. No, I'm not pregnant, but hubby and I would like to begin trying again very soon (I'm 37 ya 'know!) and although I already knew that MF is not recommended whilst pregnant, I wondered if that was just the weight reduction phase, or did it also include transition? Because ain't no way in this lifetime am I going to throw my weight loss away because I did not transition correctly. I want to set myself up the best way possible for a healthy pregnancy, with a healthy normal weight gain, and not some astronomical figure that I'll have to fight my way back from later.
OK. So NS, bless their well-intentioned and very helpful souls (I am NOT being sarcastic here. I love NS and I think they are one of the most valuable resources on this site!) She came back and told me that since I'm *only* 16 lbs from goal I may want to begin transition now. Since she said I will probably continue to lose 1-2 lbs per week on transition, I should actually still hit my goal in the 4 months of transition.
GULP!!! GULP GULP GULP and DOUBLE GULP!!! What? No no no no no, you can't mean transition NOW? NOW???????? Uh....
And so I thought about it. I thought good long and hard about it, for, like, 2 seconds....and decided that hubby and I can wait another month or two. I'm gettin' to my goal on the reducing, and then I'm transitioning, because that is what I set out to do. And I am not one to change my course mid-stream, or I lose my motivation (some of it, anyway!)
But it WAS interesting, even entertaining the thought that transition is actually an option for me right now, so says NS! It made me feel great, but also made me feel like "wait a minute, you must have the wrong girl...I'm SO far from being done losing weight...aren't I?" The answer to that is no. I am NOT so far from being done losing weight. I AM almost to my goal. Part of me is giddy, part of me is freaking freaked out about that.
I was taking my hot steamy afternoon bath this afternoon, contemplating things, contemplating how my life will change on transition and maintenance, and the realization came to me that transition and maintenance are actually going to require more thoughtfulness, and more self-discipline and determination than the reducing phase of MF did.
What? MORE? Sheesh, didn't it take every ounce of self-discipline and determination to get me here? Do I have any left? The answer to that depends on your outlook.
If you believe that self-discipline and determination are ours in limited quantities, for limited times, and we can "run out" or "get tired" or "get bored" or have "had enough", well then, my friend, I hate to break it to you, but you may want to consider not losing any more weight because you will gain it back plus some. But if you are beginning to reach deep within yourselves, and beginning to understand the self-discipline is a muscle, and although it may have atrophied a bit over the years, or may be a little rusty from non-use, then you can begin to exercise it. And it will get stronger. And, just like any muscle, it does not just disappear overnight. It continues to grow with use, and it is able to support more and more weight, ie more and more temptation, stress, business, whatever life throws at you.
By the end of your weight-loss portion of Medifast, if you reach your goal, you will have exercised this muscle called self-discipline long enough and hard enough that it will be able to support your transition and maintenance lifestyle. But that is only if you've worked it.
If you've not, if you've given in to every temptation, if you've lost weight by default, but not really learned anything or done the "head work" necessary, you will not maintain. I speak of "you" in a very generic term. Please know I am not isolating anyone or speaking from anyone's postings in the least. I've been around here long enough to know we ALL struggle. But this blog is to give HOPE, not despair.
So. Have you been off program this week? Have I been off program this week? What are we doing to exercise our muscle of self-discipline? What are we doing to be intentional about our head-work, in order to prepare ourselves to keep the weight off in the long term? Because I'll tell you, the stats are against us. The deck is stacked for our failure. It really is...if you look at the statistics for weight loss and re-gain. They are ominous. *Results Not Typical, you know the little disclaimer thingy. It strikes fear into all of our hearts. But the good news is that WE are in control of whether we will be typical or not typical.
I choose not typical. How 'bout you?
OK. So NS, bless their well-intentioned and very helpful souls (I am NOT being sarcastic here. I love NS and I think they are one of the most valuable resources on this site!) She came back and told me that since I'm *only* 16 lbs from goal I may want to begin transition now. Since she said I will probably continue to lose 1-2 lbs per week on transition, I should actually still hit my goal in the 4 months of transition.
GULP!!! GULP GULP GULP and DOUBLE GULP!!! What? No no no no no, you can't mean transition NOW? NOW???????? Uh....
And so I thought about it. I thought good long and hard about it, for, like, 2 seconds....and decided that hubby and I can wait another month or two. I'm gettin' to my goal on the reducing, and then I'm transitioning, because that is what I set out to do. And I am not one to change my course mid-stream, or I lose my motivation (some of it, anyway!)
But it WAS interesting, even entertaining the thought that transition is actually an option for me right now, so says NS! It made me feel great, but also made me feel like "wait a minute, you must have the wrong girl...I'm SO far from being done losing weight...aren't I?" The answer to that is no. I am NOT so far from being done losing weight. I AM almost to my goal. Part of me is giddy, part of me is freaking freaked out about that.
I was taking my hot steamy afternoon bath this afternoon, contemplating things, contemplating how my life will change on transition and maintenance, and the realization came to me that transition and maintenance are actually going to require more thoughtfulness, and more self-discipline and determination than the reducing phase of MF did.
What? MORE? Sheesh, didn't it take every ounce of self-discipline and determination to get me here? Do I have any left? The answer to that depends on your outlook.
If you believe that self-discipline and determination are ours in limited quantities, for limited times, and we can "run out" or "get tired" or "get bored" or have "had enough", well then, my friend, I hate to break it to you, but you may want to consider not losing any more weight because you will gain it back plus some. But if you are beginning to reach deep within yourselves, and beginning to understand the self-discipline is a muscle, and although it may have atrophied a bit over the years, or may be a little rusty from non-use, then you can begin to exercise it. And it will get stronger. And, just like any muscle, it does not just disappear overnight. It continues to grow with use, and it is able to support more and more weight, ie more and more temptation, stress, business, whatever life throws at you.
By the end of your weight-loss portion of Medifast, if you reach your goal, you will have exercised this muscle called self-discipline long enough and hard enough that it will be able to support your transition and maintenance lifestyle. But that is only if you've worked it.
If you've not, if you've given in to every temptation, if you've lost weight by default, but not really learned anything or done the "head work" necessary, you will not maintain. I speak of "you" in a very generic term. Please know I am not isolating anyone or speaking from anyone's postings in the least. I've been around here long enough to know we ALL struggle. But this blog is to give HOPE, not despair.
So. Have you been off program this week? Have I been off program this week? What are we doing to exercise our muscle of self-discipline? What are we doing to be intentional about our head-work, in order to prepare ourselves to keep the weight off in the long term? Because I'll tell you, the stats are against us. The deck is stacked for our failure. It really is...if you look at the statistics for weight loss and re-gain. They are ominous. *Results Not Typical, you know the little disclaimer thingy. It strikes fear into all of our hearts. But the good news is that WE are in control of whether we will be typical or not typical.
I choose not typical. How 'bout you?
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