Tuesday, April 3, 2012

A bloggy recommendation for those starting this weight loss journey with a lot to lose or change..A pre-final update try-on of the E2E dress...and some thoughts/advice on weight-loss blogging...

I've been thinking a lot about how my two year blog "get to goal" deadline is closing in. Only FIVE months away. Boy, does tempis fugit. It doesn't seem like more than a year and a half already since I began this blog for greater accountability, focus, and motivation.

My previous blog is one I think of as my "setting the stage" or "prepping the field". Three years of working on issues, trying assorted diets (including raw vegan), and figuring out why the hell I binge and why I could not seem to heal my eating issues. I was on a quest to know ME and heal MYSELF.

This blog was created when I finally found my stride and wanted to be visible, hence the pics,  accountable, hence the weekly weigh-ins on the sidebar,  and goal-oriented, hence the timeline and caloric limits and and exercise goals.

I want to tell you that if you have a LOT of weight to lose, be prepared to give it time

But be prepared for that time to whizz by. WHIZZ!

Two years sounded like a lot in 2010. Not so much now.

A year. Two years. Three years...this will seem ridiculously far away to you if you are early in your journey--or just about to start. YOu want it FAST AND FASTER.

Well, you know, 100 pounds, 200 pounds, 300 pounds. That's a lot to lose. Crash diets suck. Sorry, but they do. I've seen major crash and burns with folks who think the shortcut is the best path.

Give yourself time to lose and focus on goals, daily and weekly, monthly, annually. Make it as consistent as you can so you build habits. Learn a new way to eat and move that doesn't take you BACK to where you began.

Give it time.

And if you are going to blog about your journey (and I think it's a great motivating tool if you use it properly, for learning and accountability), be consistent with that, too. Sporadic blogging. Dishonest blogging. Skipping weigh-ins. Going blank for weeks. That's all a sign of being OUT of control and NOT willing to be accountable even to yourself. 

Using a public forum for motivation ONLY works if you commit to BEING public with the goals/results. You will feel shame if you did poorly, and that is part of it. You will feel joy when you succeed, and that's great. People will commisserate. People will celebrate. People will offer advice. Soemtimes, people are cruel and nasty. But most of the time, people are supportive and kind and friendly.

Don't blog for weight loss if you're gonna lie and fudge. It really defeats the whole purpose of being public. You want to be as public with the lows and with the highs. The fails and the wins. That's the only way this forum keeps you on track. If you commit to it.

And I recommend one more thing: Do future blogs that will pop up to ask you questions. I saw another blogger do this, and I think it's a great idea.

If you set a year as your timeline, create a blog post that will post AUTOMATICALLY in a year's time. Date it a year from today. Create the post that asks you to answer questions about how you've come, if you've met goals, what you learned, where you are, and to set NEW goals for the coming year.

You can do this in any time frame you like, but it's another bloggy tool that can help. What will you ask of that future YOU? What do you want that future you to be doing, thinkng, weighing? Make the future post..today.

Cause time really does fly. Don't let one other year pass without getting even a bit closer to your goals. (Though a lot closer is always nicer, right?)

Now, the Dress:

I woke up, put on a bra (no panties or shapewear to help out, hah), clipped up my messy hair, and tried on the E2E dress (a size 14 regular --not W or plus-Nine West fitted sheath). Just to see if now that  most of my regain is gone, where the zipper stands.

First, how it looked at the start of the challenge:



The zipper/back view today:


Front and side views today:



I noticed it was even less snug in the waist and hip area (more give, which is noticeable in the front view in the waist).

I'm glad to be making progress on losing the regain (I had gotten to 184 again briefly). Today, 178.8.

I wonder if that would have been better without the lunch of salty shredded beef Cuban style and the miso soup I made for supper. Lots of sodium yesterday, cause I didn't want meat or to cook much, so I just did take-out lunch and a quickie miso supper (paste in hot water, add mushrooms and scallions and seaweed). Plus a pear and some cashews. Miso is VERY VERY salty. Like 900 grams per tablespoon. I did have a glass of coconut water to balance the miso-sodium with some potassium. I think that helped. :D

So, take your pics. Start your blog. Be faithful with accountability. Chart your progress in numbers and pictures.

Some days, and some weeks--when it's hard and harder and hardest--knowing you have to check in and fess up to the world can keep you from going all nuts when temptation hits. It really can. I know it's done it for me many times on this journey. Knowing you'd SEE what I did or did not do made me think twice about skipping a workout or eating that extra helping.

When things are humming, you don't need this. But it doesn't always hum.

If you plan to blog to lose....and if you find it helpful at all...use the tool well. Everyone knows if you misuse a tool,  it's not gonna get the job done.This isn't about being perfect. It's about being true.

Don't dawdle with it, fiddle with it, lie on it. Use the tool until you get to goal. Or for as long as it's useful. Not everyone thrives on this medium. If it's good for you, use it right. Use it consistently and with integrity...and it will yield results. I believe that. :)

Be well...

9 comments:

Mrs. O said...

>>Sporadic blogging. Dishonest blogging. Skipping weigh-ins. Going blank for weeks. That's all a sign of being OUT of control and NOT willing to be accountable even to yourself.

So very true what you've said here. This is an awesome post! I've seen many a blogger leave for weeks, even months, because they can't even admit to themselves where they've lost control. It's been the one thing that I've tried not to do. I may miss a few days but I will backtrack on my blog and show what I've been up to. I do that not because of my readers but for myself because I've found it helps me to go back a week, a month or even a year and see where I was, what I was doing, what worked and what didn't. If I lie on the posts, then it's not helping me at all and that's the reason I blog. To help ME.

Mina said...

This post was SO on point. I'm only a couple of months in, but I totally agree. This weekend, I had two slices of pizza that I didn't account for. The guilt I felt was TERRIBLE. But I knew I had to fess about it on my blog, because it wouldn't be honest to leave it out. Plus, it gave me more motivation to do even better this week.

Bluezy said...

I really cherish the fact that there are so many of us out there blogging. I really lost it from the time I moved from Idaho on to now. All the changes and ups and downs just whacked me all off. I am so fortunate that it did not just put me back to the beginning. But actually, it did. I am so tired of letting my environment and emotion drive me. I need to buddy up with my computer and My Fitness Pal again. I had plans and they are still plans not to be forgotten.

I have not been reading my blog roll as faithfully as I used to. It is so important to be a part of this faithfully for me to have any success.

Unknown said...

Wow!!! This really hit home with me!! Thanks!!!

Karen Butler Ogle said...

Great post, Princess. I'm still struggling but with people like you around for support and encouragement and good advice, I know I will be able to pull it back together no matter how long it takes. You made great progress on this challenge even though there were a few hitches along the way. As long as we keep trying, we have the potential of succeeding.

Julie said...

You are so right Mir.
Teaching, sharing, learning and more. That's what it's all about.
Take care and have a blessed week.
Also WOW Mir, that dress with look awesome on you. You have come so far.

Chinagirl said...

Can I email you? I have some questions about starting my own challenge. How did you create the linky, where we had to put our blog name in and so on?

Beth said...

Yep, it's true that not showing up on my blog, sporadic posting, etc means that I am out of control. I have nothing much to say when I'm bingeing.

I am only taking it one chunk at a time, hoping that by committing just a few days at a time I can use the tool of blogging a bit more successfully. Really I do want blogging to help me to lose weight, I just need to stick with it, even just writing 3 posts has been helpful, thinking about what I'm eating and chatting about it.

I think I may go peruse your old blog, I've never had a look at it before. I think I am currently in the phase of your first blog, trying to get on my feet and get in the right state of mind.

Well done on the dress. You look fab.

That's an interesting idea about pre-writing a post. May have a think about that.

Have a happy day.

Oh, and I too like to have all my fruit and veg out on the counter. I have my protein powders out, my protein bars and most of my fruit. I wish I could keep the greens out on the counter as they are so gorgeous. I think the black kavalo nero that I just bought is lovely. I would put it in a flower vase, lol. Nothing like a visual reminder of an abundance of healthy foods to warm the soul and mind.

lv2 said...

Very true Mir.....good reminder to post the gains as well as the losses...You are making progress on the dress....it's looking good from the front.