This year, I advised her to not tell anyone when she lost a few pounds. It nearly killed her to not post it on FB, but she didn't. We decided when she reached the 10# mark, she could brag a little. She has reached that goal and is determined to keep going.
So what is different this year? I believe there are several factors:
1) she is exercising
2) she has the motivation of wanting to fit into the khaki pants she has to wear to work at Parkview Field in a few months
3) in the food area, we have tried to R-E-A-L-L-Y concentrate on 'portion control' rather than all the things we can't eat (I am saying 'we' because I am doing this, also, only I can't say I exercise)
I want to tell you a Subway story that I found nearly unbelievable. Kalisha had received a Subway gift card and although Subway has healthy options, Kalisha always orders the meatball sub smothered in mozzarella cheese, a bag of chips and a soda.
Her Friday cooking group took a day off from cooking and went to Subway for lunch. This is her story when she came home.
Kalisha: "I asked the guy behind the counter if a meatball sub was good for someone trying to lose weight. He said 'no.' So I ordered the turkey sandwich with no mayo and I didn't get a bag of chips and no soda."
Me: "Wow. Kalisha, I am so proud of you. That took a lot of will power."
Kalisha: "Yes, it did. Oh, yeah, I did get 2 cookies, one for you and one for me."
My theory is you can't conquer all the giants at one time. I was amazed at her choice of sandwich and that she could actually force herself to do it.
Another football-watching day, she wanted to use her coupon for a Papa John's Pizza. I said it would be very tempting to have that in the house. She told me she would only eat one piece and have a salad with it. That is exactly what she did. She froze the other 7 pieces, so she can have one every time she gets hungry for pizza.
It was a good thing she set a good example for me; otherwise I would have had 2 pieces. :)
For a week, she was losing a pound or a half pound a day. Then for a few days, she stayed the same. Then lost a bit again, and then one morning, she gained a pound back. I coached her through the disappointment and said that always happens to everybody and encouraged her to just keep going. She has and when she got to the 10# again, she put it on FB (this morning) She is blessed with many friends who commented and encouraged her.
I also know the experts say you should not weigh every day, but she wants to, so it is ok with me. That is another motivator.
There are so many reasons (besides khaki pants) for her to lose weight.
She has gone out with friends several times and done fairly well with her ordering but if she orders something like the mint swirl shake at Arby's, it isn't the end of the world. I don't want this journey to be self-defeating.
Right now, she is feeling pretty good about it and we will continue working on our goals, but it definitely isn't the only topic of conversation at our house.
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