Summertime, and the Livin' AIN'T Easy!
Ahhh, finally! The hot, sunny weather is really here. Have you been waiting for this all year long? I know I have been dreaming about it, knowing that the summer sun will warm my frozen bones and melt away my troubles. Well, melt away almost all of my troubles. I tend to feel happier during these months: the kind of happiness that reminds me of the long summer days of my childhood. Once again, everything feels like it's moving in slow motion, and the world seems like a kinder and friendlier place. And then comes one of those mornings when I wake up and think, "Oh boy! I forgot about the dog days!" Yes, those interminable days, weeks even, breathing air thick and sticky with humidity, feeling my body swell and seeing numbers on my scale that I haven't seen all year! Last night it took 20 minutes of pulling and twisting and finally resorting to the Windex trick to free my fingers from my rings. I thought I was going to have to go to the emergency room to get them cut off! This morning there was no relief. I awoke groggily, slowly opening my eyes as if waking from a coma. As my feet hit the floor, I was shocked into consciousness by the sight of the big fat sausages that wore the cute little sandals just eight hours ago.
Yep, I had forgotten that with the summer comes the oh-so-uncomfortable heat, humidity and water retention. Ugh, it's inevitable, I suppose, as I shuffle my way to the bathroom where I catch a quick glimpse of myself in the bathroom mirror. "Lordy," I moan aloud. The face staring back at me bears a remarkable resemblance to a Cabbage Patch doll. Swollen and oddly circular, the overall look flat and puffy, the face of a menopausal woman in her late forties, newly awake after a hot summer night. Ugh! Then I realize that even though I just woke up, I don't have to pee! What's up with that?
Clearly, I had forgotten another joy of summer: water retention, or The Big Bad Bloat (TBBB)! We all complain about it, but to tell you the truth, it is a natural function of the body that exists to ensure our survival. Everyone, regardless of weight experiences it. TBBB is so universal that even the skinny you-know-whats feel heavy and taut. This, most definitely, is not the aspect of summer we were dreaming about last January!
Making everything just that much more special, now's the time to pull out those hot little shorts and revealing tank tops, not to mention the bathing suit you haven't thought about in months. "Yikes," you think, "Was it really this small when I put it away last year?" How unfair is life anyway? And, to boot, we just passed through the best time of the year to lose weight! Just let it pass us by, without even a "how do you do?" And now, here we are starting the hardest time of the year to lose weight! I know that for most of you this news comes as a surprise, but I have only to glance back down at my sausage feet to know it's true. The one thing we can do is get a plan together so we aren't doomed to a summer of bloating and ballooning. Just try to understand that it is inevitable: you will be retaining like you haven't retained in a year if you don't do something about it.
A hidden problem of TBBB is that many of you will begin having some very dangerous thoughts. "I was good all week and I'm up!! Why bother? And anyway, it's summer," you might rationalize. "Everyone else is having fun, so why shouldn't I? I deserve it too, don't I?"
Well, yes. You deserve all the fun you can find, as long as your definition of fun doesn't include changing your eating plan! You truly deserve the fun of not throwing away all the work you have put in so far. You deserve the fun of honoring yourself and not deciding it would be a good idea just to maintain for the summer because you can easily get back on track in September. Ladies, please! These are ridiculous ideas! Think about it: you barely have it together-some of you might just be starting-and already you are considering compromising your commitment! I'm sorry to be the bearer of bad tidings, but you don't know how to maintain yet! Try doing it in conjunction with this lovely humidity, and you will find that scale going up like the thermometer in July. Then, let's add some recreational activity to the mix: maybe a weekly barbeque-you know, some chips, a nice gin and tonic, a few baby back ribs... Well, as they say at the fat farm, that's what separates the sausages from the feet!
Let's just resign ourselves to the fact that the summer will pose a few special challenges. There are things you can do to overcome them. My first suggestion: start pounding the water! I cannot say this enough! Double the amount you have been drinking, since you are now perspiring much more. You don't want to keep retaining, making it harder and harder to lose your weight. So, no matter what it takes, drink up!
In addition, please do yourself a favor and stay away from salty foods for these next few months. I am sure that this has been a problem in the past, and it really does not have to continue. I can tell you from experience that the salty foods and snacks will do you in - even just a few bites (if you can stop at only a few) will bring your weight loss to a halt. Seriously, you could do so much damage in the next 3 months! You have worked too hard to start choosing the toxic foods of summer in place of nature's seasonal delicacies. Why choose chips, pickles, and salty nuts, when you can enjoy vine-ripened cherry tomatoes, sweet red peppers, blueberries and strawberries harvested with the kids at a local farm, and homegrown zucchini and lettuce?
Did I mention water? You must guzzle that water. No kidding! Start chugging, and by the end of the week you will be pleasantly surprised to see that by merely drinking more you have dropped some weight!
Your third strategy is to have a plan for each of your social engagements. It's as easy as focusing on the importance of your commitment to yourself before you arrive at the neighborhood block party. Keep in mind that you are still going to eat three healthy meals every day, watching your portions and drinking gallons of water! (Did I already mention that?)
Lastly, please enjoy and take pride in your accomplishments. When you make it through this summer staying true to yourself and your food plan, you will be that much closer to never having to lose weight during barbeque season again! And if you stay on course and have a good fall and winter, who knows? You might just approach next year's spring and summer activities at, or close to, goal filled with the confidence you will learn this summer. If you stick with it for the next 12 months, next year you can enjoy your summer days and control your eating with ease! You will be proud of your body, in and out of a bathing suit, and you will know that you have conquered this problem with food once and for all. However, you won't get there without having a good day today, and 12 more weeks of good days. How many future summers are you willing to give away? I hope you are ready to answer, "Not a single one!"
I'm sorry to have to bring up all of this, but I feel obligated to remind you that it is very easy to veer off course. It only takes a second; however, that second, plus some bloating might just be enough to make you to throw in the towel. Remember that temptation occurs in a single one moment, and it can pass just as quickly. You are not doomed; you have a choice: throw in the towel and sit on the beach in your fat clothes, or spread out the towel and lie on it in your skimpy new bikini! It's up to you.
You can do it! Just Lose It!!
