That's my pitch for a new reality TV series, starring me. Heh.
I watched this week's episode of The Biggest Loser while I worked out on the elliptical yesterday. The advantage of watching the recorded version, of course, is you can skip through the commercials, thus squeezing a two-hour program into about 88 minutes. About an hour into the process, I was ready to sit on my ass to finish the viewing, but my husband chose that moment to pop in to see how I was doing. Could I quit then? No, I could not.
Watching the contestants lose four, seven, 11 and 12 pounds in a week is so discouraging sometimes. Real life isn't like Biggest Loser life at all. Real life doesn't include Jillian cracking her whip. Real life means I'm the cook. No matter how much I want to be thinner, I will never spend four hours a day working out, as Francelina – the most recent contestant to go home – admitted she occasionally does.
The method I choose to lose weight and get healthy must be sustainable. It has to work for me for the long haul. Each and every time I've lost weight in the past I have gained it back, plus more. I've tried everything except the slow-and-steady approach I'm doing now. I've always done some plan that got it off sooner rather than later.
As I've said many times this year, I don't feel deprived or hungry or restricted or limited in any way. Nothing is forbidden. If I want a treat, I work it into the plan. I have consistently been below the calorie allotment. I've skipped a couple days of walking/working out and I really miss it, which shows me that it's doing as much for my mental health as it is for my physical health.
Weight training and yoga were lofty goals and I hope to make them a more regular part of my routine. I don't love them the way I love walking. I wish I did. But I have the rest of the year to work on that.
Christmas was nine weeks ago yesterday. I've lost 8.5 pounds. Would I love to drop 8.5 pounds in one week, as The Biggest Loser cast sometimes does? You betcha. But the slow road seems to be working just fine. If I don't get to my goal this year, I'll get there next year. What I'm not going to do is quit.
