Just 4 Today, I’ll drink my fiber twice (done once!), drink 2 liters of water (so far, about 1/2 liter), walk 5 miles (yesterday - 5.72), NOT eat between meals & NOT take seconds.
Looking Back
I’ve been looking through some of my past posts (The Commitment series) and it’s been enlightening to read about my goals and plans from last summer. What I remember is that at sometime near the beginning of summer:
- I got my weight down to some number for about 2 days
- I bought a bunch of clothes, including a pair of slacks that barely fit.
- My weight settled at about 5 pounds more than that lowest point.
- And then I struggled for months to get focus & momentum back while gradually regaining (by April) nearly 20 pounds (Including that initial 5.)
But, true as it is, that memory dulls the importance of my daily struggle. At the time I was frustrated by my inability to stick to my daily pledges. But, as I look back on my record, I’m struck by the fact that I never quit trying. That everyday, I came back here and reaffirmed my commitments and pledges. I never forgot.
I know that in the past I would have stopped thinking about that commitment in August or September and by April I would have totally regained ALL that weight. But, because of this blog and you (my friends here,) I kept going. I kept making my daily affirmations and finding new ways to regain my real commitment. And eventually it clicked — everything slid into focus and (taking things one day at a time) I’ve lost all that extra weight (and a bit more too.)
I learned something powerful from that experience:
A commitment is great when it’s working. But, hanging on and reaffirming it even when it’s NOT working is even more important. A commitment only really fails when it’s forgotten.
What are you going to do today?
Good morning KB.
I think your daily commitment turned into a life style. Just like when I first started visiting here, I had to keep reminding myself to drink that 2 liters of water. Now it’s not really something I think about, but just do. That’s something I wouldn’t have done unless I came here everyday. You’ve done good KB.
J4T I’ll drink 2 liters of water and stay out of this heat. I’m ready for winter!
Everyone have a good day.
Good Morning FamilyMan. I think you got it:
That’s a great slogan for Eat4Today, FamilyMan — Turning a Commitment into a Life Style.
I think it’s funny that we have to work so hard to build a habit of drinking water. Have people always been so dehydrated? Or is that a modern problem?
G’morning katieb and FM … I Iike that too — turning commitment into a lifestyle.
Good Morning, Olivia - I think I’ll have to turn it into a banner.
By the way, Olivia has a great photo over at her place this morning.
Gee I feel so wise today for some reason.
I think the dehydration problem has always been there, but has gotten worse in modern times. You always have water available here, and most people in hot areas have A/C. So once you’re outside in the heat, you don’t think as much about water.
Dehydration “problems” may be partly a matter of perception, and partly a better understanding of body chemistry. In hunter-gatherer societies, people eat when they’re hungry, drink when they’re thirsty, sleep when they’re tired. It’s worked for thousands of years. I could chatter on about this for an entire blog post, I think, so I’ll just leave it at this: many of us are too busy to listen to ourselves. We have to develop habits as a substitute.
Echoing FM, the breakthrough comes when you turn a commitment into a lifestyle. But as you said, KB, that only happens when you commit and re-commit and sweep up the pieces of the scales you just kicked across the floor and re-commit anew (and get a new set of scales). Getting all Klingon for a moment, it’s a matter of honor. You don’t dishonor yourself by trying and failing, you dishonor yourself by giving up.
OK. J4T I’ll drink my water, shoot some photos for work, and start cranking on my problem child document set (which one? there are several now… sheesh).
FamilyMan, I don’t think there’s anything today-ish about your wisdom. It seems pretty constant to me. I know, I’ve come to rely on your opinion and observations,
FARfetched — I’m struck by 2 things you’ve said:
First that “we’ve become too busy to listen to ourselves. We have to develop habits as a substitute.”
I really agree with this. I know that I struggled with stomach & digestive problems for many years. And they have nearly disappeared as I’ve changed my eating (and water-drinking) habits. I’m pretty sure they’ll disappear completely as I identify the things I shouldn’t be eating.
And when I say disappear, I mean that I’ve twice scheduled surgery. But canceled it both times. Because reading about post-surgical recovery I thought I’d try the recommended diet-changes BEFORE surgery just to see if I could stick to it. And the diet changes alone took care of the problems. Which was fine by me.
AND — FARfetched & FamilyMan — we’ve got 2 new slogans in one day:
“Turning a Commitment into a Life Style” and
“You don’t dishonor yourself by trying and failing, you dishonor yourself by giving up”
Now I’ve just got to make some rotating banners to display them.
Thank you both so much . . . (slipping reluctantly off to work)
Agree katieb — FAR’s comment and FM’s comment today are exceptional.
Hi Olivia!! It’s so good to see you, I just HAD to say hi. Don’t we have a great set of wise friends? (humbly including ourselves of course)
I’m REALLY leaving this time. But, I’m leaving the door wide open — please keep the conversation going….
Look how you’ve changed your own and other lives, katiebird. It’s remarkable and wonderful.
I guess I don’t think we can ever dishonor our real self, just our ego self. Our real self is naturally and permanently honorable, I’m guessing, and it’s also loving and also never disappointed in us, because it understands it’s hard to be real in a false society, but that we keep trying.
Maybe we have to think about drinking water because processed foods have so much salt in them?
Add kansas to the wise list!
Wise and funny this morning …
We got a scorcher going here in Los Angeles today, I think. They said we used a record amount of energy yesterday, and it’s supposed to be more today.
Tonight Mr. and I, and friends, are going to the Hollywood Bowl for some jazz. Dinner will be from Pollo Loco– they do a flame grilled chicken– and some light sides, with no cal beverages.
Exercise will be walking up the considerable hill to get to our seats !
Hi all. Kudos to you, KB, for sticking with it through all the difficult times. You provide inspiration to others, including myself. Now I’ve got to try to consistently do the same thing.
Miss Katiebird, I`ve tried it a little differently.
Many years ago, I commited myself to my lifestyle. It may seem bass ackwards, but it works for me. Then again, I`m a knucklehead
KB…
Awesome post… you’ve verbalized how I feel too…
Today I’m at 130 (down from 133 on the way to goal of 125). Although this might seem discouraging, the fact of the matter is that I’ve been maintaining at the LOW end of my healthy weight range for a year and a half…. (I’ve fluctuated between 125 and 135). This is something I’ve never done before in my life! I’ve always fluctuated crazily (or maintained a fat weight!) … but for the past 1.5 years I’ve maintained a thin weight!
Despite the fact that I am not yet at my goal weight, I’ve developed some important skills!
I used to both binge and fast all the time, and now I don’t do that!
I can experience hunger while waiting until the next normal mealtime without having a panic attack!
I can eat about four or five small meals and plan them throughout the day.
I can refrain from eating after dinner and feel comfortable going to bed feeling neither hungry or full… thus causing me to be hungry for breakfast in the morning (whereas in the past I would be unable to go to sleep unless I stuffed myself right before bed).
TY for all the awesome support, KB.
My last and ultimate goal is to be able to maintain my goal weight in a two pound band instead of a ten pound band!
My plan for this is as follows: Once I reach my goal weight, I will eat my BMR in calories every day. I will weigh myself each morning. If I go even one pound above my goal weight (as opposed to 5 lbs above as recommended by the Hacker’s Diet), I will eat 500 calories less than my BMR every day day until my weight returns or goes below my goal…
I don’t see how this plan could not be foolproof….
I doesn’t let me get away with saying… “Oh the regain is just water…” which I did before and then suddenly was a size larger.
I’ll update you all when I return to my goal + I will update about whether my new maintenance plan works.
Speaking of dehydration—- after the jazz concert at the Hollywood Bowl last night (where it was quite warm right up to 11pm) I came home and drank about a liter of water straight down. This is NOT something I normally would do. I don’t know what the humidity was, but it had to have been fairly low. I just felt dried out.
You really have to watch out in this weather, high humidity or low, for negative effects of heat. I couldn’t believe there was a group of young women out running in the park around 6pm yesterday– and it had to be around 90-something at that point. I’ve trained for marathons in years past, but one thing I never did was run in that kind of weather. It’s a recipe for disaster, I don’t care who you are. It scares the hell out of me when I see professional football players, for instance, in some of those stadiums in pre-season play where the temps are 100+ — that’s crazy !
BTW, a neighbor I spoke to this a.m. told me that he had called the cops on that loud party Monday night– and that the same folks had another party a couple of weeks ago while I was out of town and a different neighbor had called the cops on them at that time.
Catdog, I’m 48 and I’ll still get out and be active in the heat. Heck, on Planet Georgia, you pretty much have to either deal with the heat or sit inside for two months (ugh). But I know enough to take water with me – and DRINK it. I’ve downed close to a liter at a gulp in the past… I drink a lot and sweat a lot in hot weather.
It’s skirted 100 here this week… if it gets *any* hotter, I’ll be wetting my shirt and helmet before riding my motorcycle home in the afternoons.
FAR–Since I used to live in Alabama, and Minnesota as well, where summers are like that, I know what you’re talking about. But those of us who are in milder climes sometimes foolishly overextend ourselves when we should know better. For most Angelenos, running in that kind of weather is not a good idea. And I didn’t see a single water bottle among them !
I’m usually pretty good about keeping hydrated, which is why I was surprised at being sooooo thirsty the other night. And even when I’m thirsty, I rarely down that much all at once. Maybe over the course of 15-20 minutes, but not in a gulp !
Keep safe on the bike– I worry about my friends who have motorcycles.