How I Lost 125 Lbs.- Part 7: Doing The Hard

Like so many of us, many of my friends are making resolutions that involve dieting or weight loss.  I too find myself, after a moment of weakness spiraled into a week of bad eating, resolving to get my 'food' house in order once again.

I recently stepped on the scale after the holidays and was horrified by how quickly the numbers had risen! What, what. what???? F....f...F...FOURTEEN POUNDS???? I looked at my slightly rounder reflection in the mirror... How could YOU let this happen??? I glared at myself. You are supposed to know better!!  You have lost 125 lbs. after all... You are supposed to know how to do this!

I stood there disgusted with myself for a few moments. And then realized something:

“Nothing tastes as good as feeling good about myself feels.”

I had forgotten the minute that tempting food was in front of my face. I let myself go... too far... too long.  That’s the problem with a little taste sometimes... it can lead us into a downward spiral if the timing is right. And mine was.

It all began when my husband, knowing my affinity for the local donut shop’s bear-claw, wanted to surprise me with a treat.  He had taken our girls for donuts one Saturday morning as he has been known to do. Usually they go while I am still sleeping and get back before I wake. All I see are empty remnants of a fun, sugar-fueled morning with Daddy when Mommy wakes from her sleep in day. But this morning there was bag that was still full. I peeked inside. My first mistake.

To put it in a small dough-filled nutshell, one bear claw led to a slice of apple pie which I had gotten to celebrate my husband’s birthday that week. That led to another (oh, it was SO good!) with dairy-free vanilla ice cream the next night, which rolled into another piece of pie ala-mode the next night. Don’t look at me like that...  There was some left! I couldn’t let it go to waste! 

Every night that week, I stood at the pantry looking... for... something... sweet.  Or salty. Salty would do too. Sweet and salty would be divine!  I got in the habit of eating at night again and the day after Christmas, I stepped on the scale. FOURTEEN pounds? WHAT? I was stunned temporarily. I gained 14 pounds?? In 12 days?? How is that even possible???

These questions ran through my mind as I kept stepping on and off the scale hoping there was some kind of mistake. A malfunction perhaps.  But no.  As I looked at myself, I could easily see it.  I fooled myself into thinking I could let myself go as long as I did.

I believe with all my heart that as Maya Angelou says, “When you know better, you do better.”  We all want to do better. What I have learned is that I must go through a sort of detox when it comes to salt and sugar. I have to eliminate it from my body for a time or it seems almost impossible for me to resist it and I could end up back where I started in a short time. We’ve seen this happen time and time again. People lose weight only to gain it all back, plus more! Heck, I’ve done that my whole life. Till now, because I know better.

We must realize that although the spiritual component to weight loss is huge and crucial to our success, we can not over look the physiological effects of salt and sugar on our bodies and the cravings they encourage. Most processed food is being stuffed with sugar and salt to keep us stuck in the cycle of eating till we bust. How many times have you said to yourself as you reach for the bag of chips again, “How on Earth can I still be hungry??”  Or looked back on a nights eating and wondered how the hell you ate what you did? I know... Me too. 

So, as I get myself back on track, I’d like to help you not waste time ‘dieting.’ Until you make up your mind that you are ready to make a life style change and not just go on a diet, you might as well not bother.  It might be harsh to hear, but really... we have an industry that has made BILLIONS of dollars on people believing there is an easy way to lose weight.  Buy this... eat that... add this... cut out that... have this surgery... eat only this food... go on this program. They pray on our feelings of wanting to be better now... of thinking we can do it without too much work. 

And oh, how they lie. It reminds me of that line from the Princess Bride when Westley, as The Dread Pirate Roberts, tells Buttercup, “Life is pain, Highness! Anyone who says otherwise is selling something.”

Anyone who tells you losing weight is easy isn’t being honest. Well, wait. It IS easy. Calories in have to be less than calories out. That’s pretty easy. But, to have an eating plan that allows you to keep calories to a minimum but still get the maximum of nutrition, is that hard part. And you will never do that if you are wasting your calories on sugar and salt. And not only that, but once you allow a little to creep in, the cravings begin and you are fighting  a losing battle.

Plus, the salt makes you hold onto a least a few pounds of excess water which is hard on your body for various reasons. I feel excess water in my knees right away. One of the best benefits for me in changing my eating was less knee pain! I can even sit here and type cross legged. No way I could have done that two years ago.

Ridding my body of salt and sugar was key for me. It wasn’t easy. But, it allowed me to gain control. It was only then that I was able to move forward in my weight loss journey. I had to go through the valley to get to the mountain. Some valleys can seem awfully deep.

I call it “Doing the Hard.”  Going through that uncomfortable period where the cravings are making you nuts. Having an action plan to handle them, but most of all realizing the temporary nature of it all. That this too shall pass and when it does- you are golden and it will be so much easier to say no. You can make use of the suffering you feel by letting it help you understand the control food can have for some of us. You’ll see it for what it is and the spell can be broken.

Of course, love yourself through it all. We need to give ourselves time to adjust. Give our taste buds time to change. Give our brains time to get the messages: Good food is good! Fruit is sweet! I can eat to live, not live to eat!  But when you try to eat an apple after you’ve had a candy bar earlier, you aren’t going to think the apple is sweet at all. It’s gonna be hard to enjoy the apple because the taste of the salt and sugar is fresh in your mind. People try to do this and wonder why the fruit doesn’t taste as sweet. So, they reach for the candy bar time and time again. This is text book self sabotage.

In my opinion, it is key to go for an extended period of time without salt and sugar to detox. In The Rice Diet Solution, they have a phase one that is very strict and no sugar or salt is allowed. No, you don’t just eat rice. I actually didn’t eat any rice at all, but learned healthy habits through calorie restriction.  It was hard. It was miserable at times. It made me cranky. It made my head hurt. I was hungry all the time at first. But, after years of dieting it was just what I needed. And it was life changing for me.

You may not be up for such restrictions. I can understand that. Not everyone is. But, if weight loss or fitness is your goal,  don’t be afraid to Do The Hard! Give yourself a fair chance at success by eliminating processed foods, salt and sugar for a while. You’ll be glad you did and your body will thank you.  

And again truly, NOTHING tastes as good as feeling good about yourself feels.

Are you willing to do the hard and find that out? I’d love to hear from you.