Well, superfluous or not, “diet” seems synonymous with “new year” does it not? Alas, I’m at it again. My resolve is a little more focused this time around. No, I don’t wait until January 1 to begin a diet. I may change something here, tweak something there…I may fast a day or more….I may think about what I’m eating and be more intentional. However, for now, I must admit that doing a prescribed diet is what I’m working on. With a partner. Just for 30 days of January.
Who begins a diet on January 1? There is still New Year’s goodies sitting out, or leftover fatness from Christmas. I decided, along with my partner, that waiting that one day would give us just 30 days. Then, if we so chose, we could be off the next month, just 28 days, then back on for March-31 days there, so either migrate it to be an extra February day or bite the bullet and do a full 31 days :).
Dieting is usually partnered with exercise. For me, and me only, dieting is, by itself, the means by which I can lose weight. If you spend any amount of time researching, looking for anecdotes or science, you might discover that people who have particular conditions (or perhaps not), may end up in a cycle that’s super depressing. Working overtime planning meals and watching macros, then adding in hours of intense exercise a week, only to see a lackluster or abysmal loss across months.
Don’t get me wrong, exercise in itself is a wonderful addition to a healthy “lifestyle.” In fact, I sort of enjoy it as a stand alone; but, adding in that it could be a means to an end, and suddenly I’m not as interested in the effort. So, because of my interaction with a virus, I had to wait quite a while last year to feel well enough to exercise. I took the scenic route. Although I recall having a great time jogging or running, tracking my miles, and being completing impressed with my own efforts, I also knew that it was out of the question to go so intense. Instead, I found a walking partner-not the same partner I’m working with now-and we met just a few times a week to walk. As a result, I was able to improve my efforts across the last three months of the year. I felt accomplished.
Now we are facing the daunting task of weight loss. My partner is male, and he seems able to drop excess weight at a steady clip with effort-even mediocre effort. However, he introduced me to this diet, so when he commits, he’s in! I, on the other hand, have something called PCOS, and that does mean I have internal hinderances. Even though I’m nearing a monumental birth year, I still have not figured out how to balance macros to maintain a more slender physique. It’s fine, it’s fine……
We began this last Sunday, and it’s now Thursday. The weight is coming off already. I keep telling myself that I can do this for 30 days. Yes, it’s a mental exercise, but one I must endure. I know my body will appreciate less girth to manage. I also know that should I not lose as I’d like, I must be appreciative of my own efforts. Truly, give yourself credit for effort when it’s warranted. If you TRY something and it doesn’t work out as planned, is it wasted effort? I mean, I guess it could be. On the other hand, if my goal was 10 lbs this month and I lost a solid 7.5, is that bad? Well, of course not! The measuring stick might be the problem :).
I am weighing daily; it’s the cardinal sin of weight loss. I also took measurements and to be honest, those were what woke me up. I do wish I could workout hard and intense like one of those weight loss shows, hours upon hours of teasing, restricted diets causing diet delirium, and hard-as-nails exercise for 8 hours a day. Perhaps that would make my body submit. At the end of this month, the collateral impact should be a few inches and some pounds. That will definitely mark success!