I think the main thing I wanted to get across was that my journey has been long and tough but I stuck with it. I've been thinking about that a lot lately and I really didn't give myself another option.
I'm not usually that determined. I mean, I look at Tara Costa (who didn't win the Biggest Loser this past season, but really should have) and see how determined she was through the entire competition. She was completely committed. She was fearless. She was steady. She was a machine. It makes you wonder how she could ever gain all that weight then not have the determination on her own to lose it. Why did it take the pressure of the public competition before she could do it? I think it's the same reason I seemed to flourish in my determination after I so publicly failed at losing.
When I first started losing weight, I didn't want to tell anyone. I didn't want them to know I was trying to lose weight because if they knew and I failed, I'd be a public failure. It took me a while to tell that first person. And when I did, I told it to them in confidence.
I was so afraid I'd fall off the wagon and be back to my old eating habits, like I'd ALWAYS done before every other time I started losing.
But then the pounds started coming off. I'd probably lost 20 or 30 pounds before I could tell more people. And it wasn't until maybe 50 pounds before I could tell everyone and anyone who would listen. I had to feel a bit of success before I'd shout it from the mountain tops, you know?
If I could give anyone adivce who's just starting out on their weight loss journey, it's to tell as many people as possible. You know what it did for me? Well, at first, it gave me more accountability. The more people who knew, the more people I'd dissappoint if I stopped losing, or worse, started gaining again.
So at first, I was losing for them. And, I know, that was wrong. It wasn't until several months into my weight loss that I started doing it for myself. That's when things changed. But that's also when things got tough. I had to admit to myself that I was worth losing weight for. That was a tough one. It still is sometimes.
I'll talk more about that later. For now, let me ask you. When you first started losing, did you tell anyone? Did you tell everyone? Did you tell no one? How did it help or hinder your start?
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On a slightly different note, I found a very yummy snack I wanted to share with you guys. These remind me of a crunchy, chocolate peanut butter, ice cream sandwiches. I got the recipe off of Opgrah's website. She was reprinting it from the Biggest Loser Family Cookbook.
The best part is they're ONE POINT each!
They're called "Chocolate–Peanut Butter Grahamwiches". And they're real easy to make:
Break each graham cracker in half (so each half is 1 square). Spread 1 teaspoon of peanut butter evenly over the inside of each of 4 halves. Spread 2 tablespoons whipped topping each evenly among the insides of the 4 remaining halves. Sandwich the crackers together to form 4 sandwiches, each with a layer of peanut butter and a layer of whipped topping. Transfer to an airtight plastic container and place in freezer. Freeze for about 2 hours or up to 1 month. Serve frozen.
- 4 whole chocolate graham cracker sheets
- 4 tsp. reduced-fat peanut butter
- 1/2 cup frozen fat-free whipped topping , thawed
Break each graham cracker in half (so each half is 1 square). Spread 1 teaspoon of peanut butter evenly over the inside of each of 4 halves. Spread 2 tablespoons whipped topping each evenly among the insides of the 4 remaining halves. Sandwich the crackers together to form 4 sandwiches, each with a layer of peanut butter and a layer of whipped topping. Transfer to an airtight plastic container and place in freezer. Freeze for about 2 hours or up to 1 month. Serve frozen.
9 comments:
Recently I have been struggling. Thanks for the post. Its motivational for me. Your right you just have to stick with it.
Cara i told EVERYONE who would give me two min of their time.And i was suprised at how many supportive people i found. Not a day went by someone didn't ask me how i was doing or encouraged me. It was like i had my own pep squad! That was probably the biggest difference with this journey and all the previous ones. Before i kept my weightloss attempts a secret in case of failure. This time in my mind failure was not an option. Jinx!
I told everybody, but that is because I am a blubber mouth, and well, my diet was so different then the way "normal" people eat, it had to be said. It sometimes hindered me I guess because I wouldn't lose any for the week and then feel "guilty" almost. Silly I know, but that is how it worked. Now I am fighting to still lose when everyone around me says "You don't need to" knowing I am less then 20 pounds away from my goal. It is frustrating sometimes when you involve "others" into your new way of life, especially when misery loves company.
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You have done so good! I can't wait to lose my 100 pounds and join you in the loser's circle. LOL
I first started trying to lose weight last summer. I was pretty open about it. Then I fell off the wagon for a few months and gained quite a bit back.
When I joined WW I didn't tell anyone except my mom and hubby. And then I started a blog. but then found out that some family I didn't tell about WW was reading my blog! How did they find it?!
Now I'm public about it and it's just fine. Putting myself out there makes me so afraid of failing that I work hard.
YUMMMM I must try this recipe. I can do this one. When I first started I told no one because I had tried so many times before. Losing 50 lbs just to gain it and more back. After people starting noticing, I told them I was doing Weight Watchers. Now at 95 lbs gone, some of them have started to WW. It has taken me over two years to to get where I am and I still have a long way to go but I'm good with my progress. Life happens and everything doesn't go as planned but I don't look at weight loss this time as an event that will end one day. My thinking about food has changed.
In the past, when I would make attempts, I always felt it was a personal private thing and I didn't want to do anything that would involve anyone I already knew. This time was very different. I heard of a local fitness center having a "biggest loser" contest and I tried to get as many people as I knew to join up with me. Ended up with 8 others joining with me. The support this created was amazing! We encouraged each other to be at our weekly weigh-in/workout, we started hiking together on the weekends, and started accounting for other activities during the week for exercise. Not everyone stayed with it through the end of the session, but those of us that did had made great progress. As it turns out, I ended up winning the competition with 12% body loss. Only a handful of us signed up for the next session, but now the pressure was on for me to not gain back what I had lost. The AZ heat has brought an end to our hikes for now, and there are only two more weigh-ins in this session. Not sure what will happen after that, but yes, it has made a huge difference having others involved in the process. And I do have to give credit to my fiance for supporting me in the process in ways I was never supported in the past.....a HUGE factor towards the success I have had so far.
Congratulations!!! As a fellow over 100 pound loser (150 pounds maintained for 12 years) I just wanted to tell you that I've read a lot of your blog and you are to be commended. 100 pounds is a great accomplishment. When I lost all my weight it was the best thing I ever did for me and for my family. Keep up the good work!! Diane
Congratulations on your 100 pounds. I know what an incredible achievement that is and how hard you worked to get there!
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