Pick Your Battles

Recently, my husband and I decided that we were tired of rolling into the hole, we had created over the years, in the middle of our bed. After losing over 200 pounds, between us, our poor, overloaded, mattress and box springs needed the good, old heave ho. So we headed out to treat ourselves to a new pillow top.

At the store, a tall, dark and handsome young man, (I swear this relates to the story), came over to wait on us. We told him about our weight loss and need for a new set. He shared that he, too, had lost over 150 pounds and had kept it off for five years. I heaped praise on him and he continued with his tale of the scale. He was 19 and going for gastric bypass surgery. The first thing they told him to do, prior to the surgery, was to lose 40 pounds. Once he did, he decided against the surgery and continued on his journey by eating less and walking; and then he started jogging and eventually he entered marathons and now he runs almost daily.

He said the secret, (I LOVE SECRETS, c'mon who doesn't), to his maintenance is that he gives himself permission to eat whatever he wants every Sunday. He has lasagna, sundaes, garlic bread, spaghetti and meatballs, Ziti (did I mention he's Italian) and THEN he goes back to low calorie, low fat eating Monday through Saturday. BRILLIANT! He figured out what worked for him and he sticks to it.

I believe in weighing oneself ONCE A WEEK - AND ONLY ONCE A WEEK. The Pray it Off group weighs in every Thursday. On Thursday night, after the meeting, I allow myself the treat o' the week. Then I eat sensibly from Friday through Sunday and then drop my calories way down on Monday through Wednesday. It works for me.

One member of the group, who has lost and kept off over 60 pounds, eats whatever she wants every Friday. If she wants chips she has them; she loves full fat ice cream with hot fudge and that is her Friday night dessert. THEN she makes sure to do her elliptical and low fat eating, the rest of the week. It works for her.

When you pick the terms of your own food choice battles, you are armed with the best defense possible - control. What people who don't lose weight do is give themselves permission to eat whatever they want, on a DAILY BASIS. They have no control, no defense.

Without a good defense you lose the battle. Lose enough of them, you'll lose the war.