The following is an example of a phenomenon I witness on a regular basis. Perhaps you can relate? Do you recall the rush you always feel on the first day of the "new" weight loss program everyone's been talking about. There you are, ready to throw down the gauntlet and challenge yourself to do battle! So, off you go again on this next-no, final-weight loss crusade! This time, you have a really good feeling and know you won't give up, no matter how slow the progress. If it's going to be one pound a month, that's fine. After all, everyone knows taking off 12 in a year is better than putting on 20!
And you get off to a fine start losing of a couple pounds in the first week. While this is nothing monumental, it's not bad! Then comes the weekend, and you hang in there like never before 'cause you're the bomb, and nothing will get in your way this time, baby! Week two begins and things have slowed down a little bit, but still there's some movement, and although you're feeling a little tired as the week goes on, you're still able to remind yourself that the idea of 12 pounds a year worked for you just over a week ago, and you're already down 3.5, so it's all good!
Not bad so far, right? Aren't 3.5 fewer pounds a decent accomplishment for a little over a week? Especially considering that in the past your weight never dropped, no matter what you tried. Yes! This time is different! This time you'll succeed by continuing to lose 3.5 pounds per week. That is awesome weight loss, right? You bet, and you're on the plan! Okay, the week leads to another weekend and you're still strong; you are woman, and you rock!
Then... your sister calls to say she's having a little party. You need to be there 'cause she has invited this gorgeous guy you'll just die for-just come and wear something sexy.
Wear something sexy? Well, I'm down 4.5 pounds and feeling pretty good about it, and my sister has Mr. Perfect waiting to meet me tomorrow night. I should be ecstatic, right? Wrong. I'm about to lose it. She said sexy. Not possible. I've got a ton more to lose. Why does she always do this to me? She knows I'm not sexy yet! She's just trying to make herself look good by inviting her fat sister. Well, I'm not dealing with this. I can't deal with this! I'm hungry, too. Come to think of it, where did that bag of Halloween candy the kids brought home get hidden...
Are you really going to allow this to throw you? Nothing has happened, and you don't even have to go. That's right, if you don't go, your life can go right back to being awesome. You can go back to losing weight and feeling good about yourself. Decision made. So, you call your sister, but she's waiting and prepared for the call. She knows you, and she won't hear a word of your excuses. She assures you that you look beautiful, and of course she understands how sensitive you are about the weight, but he's a really nice guy and there will be other people there and yadda, yadda, yadda.
Admit it; you never had a chance. So, into the closet you crawl, and after trying every last thing you own, you have to admit that nothing is remotely sexy. Miserable at the thought of the next step, you resign yourself to doing it, and off you go to spend three or four hours standing in front of six-way mirrors under the glare of unforgiving light that would make even Cameron Diaz look like ten miles of bad road! At the end of the day, you have literally shopped till you dropped, and there you are in a heap on the dressing room floor, surrounded by piles of clothes that you'll never own. Except perhaps the dress that has you in sort of a straightjacket hold. You can't move to free yourself because you heard something ripping, and you can't ask for help, obviously.
So, there you are where you always end up after a day of shopping, thanking God once again that you can't see yourself (since your arms are stuck over your head with the dress almost asphyxiating you) and once again...you cry. Yes, unabashedly because you just have to; and you cry until you finally have to stop and address the fact that there is no longer any feeling in your arms and fingers. You then notice that your eyes are somewhat stuck to the fabric, and you've left two huge stains and a few eyelashes on the lovely dress that threatens to immobilize you for all eternity. Frustrated and angry, you practically rip off the offending garment, knowing that you own it since pieces of your eyelids are still affixed to it. Defeated and disgusted you leave the shop and head straight for comfort: Lindt truffles will do the trick, thank you very much...
And then it's party time. You end up wearing your usual black slacks and black sweater with a colorful scarf, and you have a lovely time. Obviously, you have already binged and ruined everything, so what's the point of sticking with the diet, right? Well, you aren't going to pig out, but you're not just eating the lettuce, either. The evening is lovely, and when you hop on the scale in the morning, you're up 4.5 pounds.
Here is the moral, and in this case, there is moral. If this fictional character hadn't flipped out, gone shopping and binged in despair, she would have worn the go-to outfit, she would have met the nice guy and had such a nice time that she wouldn't have wanted to overeat, and she would have continued to lose weight. Life would have remained lovely. Instead, she got pulled into the theatrics of obsessing over her weight instead of addressing the changes she needed to make to lose the weight.
Although you might think this an exaggeration of how people think and react, it actually isn't. Life goes on, with or without you. Nothing ever really happens, so don't get pulled into your own personal drama! Lighten up! Whenever you're faced with the "what in the world do I wear" dilemma, go with your tried and true. You can always buy something new when you feel like shopping for an outfit to show off your hard work.
Don't panic! & Just Lose It!