Wednesday, June 28, 2006

Dancing with the Devil

Now that I am officially in maintenance mode, I don't have to weigh in except once per month. This combined with the fact that I was travelling for business last week has put me up a bit. When I returned from travel, I was 5 lbs over my goal number. Half of that quickly fell away early this week, but I think I may have to return to diet mode for a couple weeks to take it down to the magic 177.

I should like to get to the point where I am hovering around 175 so that my upticks still leave me under goal weight, but each time I get to 177, I lose my resolve to be in diet mode.

I am maintaining the barest semblance of an exercise regimen. I'd guess I'm averaging just over 1 time per week. While this is far short of the 4 times/week that is optimal, I note that it is better than nothing. the lunchtime run has become enough of a part of my life such that even when I am more or less screwing off I am still hitting the streets some.

My apologies to Knights and Ladies for not keeping up with your quests. I am crazy busy and will continue to be so until August.

7 Comments:

Blogger ReallyTooBig said...

First time I have read your blog, and I think it's tremendous that you lost your target weight. But it occurs to me that your diet is ending the way most diets end - you cut a little here (less running), you cut a little there (eat a little more), and, well... there goes the neighborhood.

Been there, done that, more than once. Right now it doesn't seem to matter, it's only 2 pounds or whatever, but you announce your ultimate outcome when you say "I have to go back to diet mode". But the reality is that there is no diet mode, you forever have to eat like you weigh 177, you forever have to eat less if you run less. This is the true meaning, and sometimes unpleasant reality, of Life Style Change.

I really hope that you keep your new weight.

Bob

7:31 AM  
Blogger Don Q. said...

Bob,

Yes and no.

Losing weight and maintaining weight are two different animals. Though some changes in my habits will need to to continue for the rest of my life, I will not need to be as strict as I was in the preceeding 40 some weeks.

Diet mode knocks off about 1-2 pounds week. That's about 5000 calories. Those extra 5000 calories make big difference in maintenance mode.

The reason I point this out is that I see a lot of people get discouraged during weight loss because they think "I will have to eat this way forever". Not really. It's a lot easier to maintain weight than to lose it.

Now when you are a chucklehead (like me) and you slip into weight gain mode, you will need to spend some time in weight loss mode to restore the balance.

7:58 AM  
Blogger 40 Something said...

I side with Don on this, but Bob does make sense on this also.

11:27 AM  
Blogger 40 Something said...

This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

11:27 AM  
Blogger ArleneWKW said...

It is good that you're dealing with a regain early. And very important that you really do deal with it (as you know). You are in vulnerable space right now and will be for quite some time. Maintenance is difficult.

That said, thank you for your comment to my last post. It has had a profound effect on my approach to getting rid of my own much more extreme regain. I've written about this in my most recent post.

10:38 PM  
Blogger Kim Ayres said...

Just back from my holiday, and must say that I'm with Bob on this. The way it is going to stay off is to have a lifestyle that you can keep going with.

Dieting is awful because it's all about denial, so as soon as you stop you indulge in all the things that got you fat in the first place.

But if you can find a way of eating that is enjoyable and not fattening then you can maintain it indefinitely.

2:01 AM  
Blogger ArleneWKW said...

It's been a while since you've posted. Obviously, as you warned us in this post, you've been busy. I hope things are going well with you weightwise and otherwise.

6:21 PM  

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