Hello. My name is April, and I have a history of yo-yo dieting. I’ve gained weight, lost weight, gained it all back and then some, lost more, gained it again, lost it again. Sound familiar?
One of my problems way back when was that when I gained weight, I told myself that I could lose it again at anytime I wanted. And for the most part, that was true. I’d get it into my head that I wanted to lose weight. And lose weight I would, but most of the time, this never lasted.
The reason that this never lasted was because I just wasn’t ready yet. I was still going through the stages of weightloss.
The stages, you ask? Yes. I am a firm believer that we all go through stages of weight loss. Your stages may not be exactly the same as mine, but I’m betting they’re similar. I’ve touched on this before, but I think they are worth mentioning again. Not only to get YOUR minds thinking, but also to remind myself of a few things. You see, things here have been kind of stressful and crazy, and I can feel old habits tugging at my mind, and it would be so easy to let those old habits re-surface, so this is a good reminder to me where I’ve been, where I don’t want to go back to, and how far I’ve come.
So, without further adieu, I give you MY three stages of weightloss:
1. First, we have the Fad Diet Stage. You name it, I’ve probably tried it. Slimfast just left me hungry. I’m sorry, two “shakes” and one sensible meal was not my idea of a good time. And if you know me at all, hungry April = GRUMPY APRIL. Atkins just left me angry. (Sorry, Dad.) I seriously tried to give up carbs, and I failed miserably. I like LOVE carbs. Like a lot. And after two days of giving up carbs, I found myself hating anything and everything around me. Carbless April = ANGRY APRIL. (What I didn’t know at the time that I was eating the wrong type of carbs.) So, I cheated, and then eventually I gained all of my weight back then some. THEN, there was the “magic pill”. What I will give this pill was that it was actually physician recommended, and it worked. So, much so that I was probably at the lightest weight I have ever been. I took my pill, and I was happy. The problem? If I didn’t take the pill, the weight came back. Also, the pill was expensive. *sigh* Fad Diet Stage FAIL.
2. The next stage that I went through was the I Work Out So I Can Eat What I Want Stage. For about two seconds, this stage is great. In the first few weeks, you work your ass off, and you see results. I worked out in they gym every single day for 45 mins a day. Most mornings, I would get up at 4:30 a.m. to get these work outs in. I lost 15-20 lbs and then hit at weightloss wall. (For those interested, this wall is called The Great Wall of You’re Doing It All Wrong.) After hitting this wall, I became frustrated. And I thought, why bother? So, I didn’t. I Work Out So I Can Eat What I Want Stage FAIL.
3. My third and final stage was This Is Now Your Life Stage. One of my favorite quotations nowadays is “A diet isn’t something you go on, your diet is how you eat” or something close to that. I had gotten back into the working out part of things, and one day, something just clicked. I needed to change the way I was eating. I didn’t need to go on a diet, but I needed to have a healthy diet. (See the difference?) So, I cut out all white carbs (but not carbs altogether), started counting calories, and the weight melted off. The changes I made physically lead to a self discovery of who I really am and who I want to be. I’ve learned to love myself, and I now know that I will never go back to the person I was.
Look, we all have different stages or phases that we go through. Not one is the same as the other. We are all on a journey that is unique, and we have to get to that point of self discovery on our own. However, no matter how different our journeys are, we all have the common bond that we’re living that journey. Our journeys would be so very much harder without the support we give each other.
So, what I want to hear from you right now is what are your stages of weight loss? If you are in stage 1, 2, 3 or even 4 or 5, I don’t care…I want to hear it. Give me the good, the bad, the ugly, and the funny. And know that no matter what stage you are in, we are here with you, for you. And together, we will ALL succeed.
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