Tuesday was my final day as a patient at the weight loss clinic.
From the time I started in mid-July until the finish of my third weight-loss module two weeks ago, I lost a total of 54 pounds, and shrunk from a size 14 to a size 2.
I know this for a fact - my new favorite hobby is going into clothing stores, trying on the 2's -- which look impossibly small -- and then marveling that they fit. (That doesn't mean they all look good on me -- just that I can zip them over my hips and zip them up.) Then I put the clothes back on the racks and move on. I have yet to clean out my closet and dresser, and I need to, because the clothes that do fit are about 20 years old and the rest are way too big. Then, maybe I can figure out what I really NEED and actually BUY something.
I'll get around to it in time.
Anyway -- my culmination from weight loss into Maintenance marks the end of the routine I've followed faithfully for the last several months: After dropping Megan at school, I swing over to the clinic for my weigh-in and counseling session, then to the gym for my daily workout (except on those days when I see my trainer, as he doesn't get in until the afternoon... and days like today, when it's convenient to go late afternoon while my daughter is in Hebrew school).
Now, my visits to the clinic are optional. They suggest I come in three times a week to start, eventually tapering off to once a week. I told them I planned to continue coming in daily.
Then I spent my first Maintenance day consuming 100 more calories than I was supposed to, and my bathroom scale this morning reflects it.
The routine I just finished only allowed me a very limited variety of food (adding up to a total of 600-800 calories per day). I kept track of what I ate, but only added up the carbs.
Now, I'm supposed to track EVERYTHING: Calories, carbs, fat grams and protein. I was given a new form to fill out for my food diary, and a new, very comprehensive, pocket sized book
My new maintenance routine allows me a lot more leeway on what I can eat, and a calorie target of 1400. You would think that would be enough after practically starving myself for the last six months.
I know - one hundred calories isn't a lot in the long run, but if I do that every day, it won't take me long to regain everything I've worked so hard to lose. And believe me, those National Enquirer photos of Kirstie Alley have me spooked. I don't want that to happen to me.
Self-sabotage is one of my biggest fears, and I'm not alone. Carmen, who has achieved the incredible feat of losing 80 pounds WITHOUT the assistance of an army of nurses and trainers, also worries - as do the folks who visit her diet site. I understand and share the fear. Anyone who has succeeded in overcoming the weight yo-yo is going to worry that what's gone down will inevitably go back up.
So today is another day. I have a lot of work to get done (which is one of the stresses that might make me go off program), so I decided to skip the counseling session. If I finish the day below my target calories and work out a little harder tonight, I should be able to go for my weigh in tomorrow without much change.
Anyway, that's the plan. For the rest of my life.
Recent Comments