Floating down the river

I realized yesterday that I was taking a pleasure cruise down the river.  That river called "denial".  Have any of you been there?  It seems so wonderful on the surface, until you realize that there's toxic waste being dumped in just upstream of where you are, and that the fish don't look like fish anymore, more like monsters.  However, on the surface, it looks pristine, and perfect, and fine.

Not a river, but pretty

On Tuesday, one of my co-workers revealed that she had decided to enroll in Weight Watchers online for 3 months.  She was really excited to get to be on a diet plan that emphasizes budgeting, portion control, and making choices.  I agreed with her that Weight Watchers does all of these things, and that they reward you for making the good choices, like allowing you to eat nearly unlimited vegetables.  I'm really proud of her for making this choice, and for signing up for a 3 month membership.  I know that in those 3 months, she can make some big changes in her life.

As we were looking at what options and tools Weight Watchers offers, I was really intrigued.  I am familiar with their system, but had never tried their tools before.  They seemed very easy to use, very streamlined.  Gone are the days of trying to calculate points using formulas, or having to carry books and reference charts around.  Now, it's all online, and super-simple.  Since I like to use tracking tools, I decided that I would be supportive and sign up for Weight Watchers with her.  After all, everyone does better when they have a friend!

Now here's where we get to denial...

WW tells me that I am allowed 27 points per day, in addition to 49 discretionary points.  They also recommended that I "burn" 31 points through physical activity each day.  At first, I thought this would be a breeze.  Ammon and I eat mostly home-made, minimally processed foods.  I focus on buying and sourcing high-quality foods that have optimum nutritional content.  However, In the past few years, I have gotten less strict with portion sizing and control.  It was fine when I was on my feet constantly, and I could handle that kind of intake.  Yesterday, when I entered my breakfast and lunch into the online tracker, I found that I had already exceeded my daily points allowance!  What the...?  How is that possible?

The answer is coffee creamer, but that's neither here nor there.  What is important, is that I realized that I needed to WAKE UP, and stop making excuses about why the weight isn't budging with eating minimally processed food and moderate exercise.  I harp to people all the time about how diet accounts for 80% of your total weight loss success.  I know this to be true.  But I live in excuse land.  I've been that girl who goes too far with diets.  I've been the girl whose entire life is consumed by the need to eat perfectly, lose weight, not exceed my limits for the day under any circumstances, or at least kill myself balancing it out with vigorous exercise.  It isn't a position I care for.  Neither is being at the heaviest I have been in 5 years, which is where I am right now.

5 years ago

And now

I simply long to find middle ground, a place of sensibility.  I have a lot of short term and long term goals that I would like to see accomplished, and the only way to meet those goals is to chip away at them, one piece at a time.  Tracking my intake and output has always been helpful to me, and I'm hoping it will continue to prove such.  Please note, I am not being paid to endorse Weight Watchers, nor am I 100% on board with everything that they advocate.  However, I think that it's a sensible plan, and if you're an organized type-A like me, they give you an easy forum to manage your daily food and activity choices.

I'm committed to giving this a fair shake.  I'm eagerly anticipating telling you all that I'm seeing results, and that things are changing for the better.  I'm glad I'm starting this prior to half-marathon training, so that I' only getting dialed in on one thing at a time.  Baby steps, right?

So, tell me:  What choices have you made for your personal health lately?  Have you been in denial about your health and wellness?