Here we are on week 42! This week I’m really present to the idea that getting healthy, losing weight, and keeping it off, is a long term strategy, not a short-term tactic. It’s a long game. You go through ups and downs and setbacks and start-overs, and you have to deal with all those things in ways that don’t let you get off track. But as Confucius actually did say (at least, so the internet tells me), “it does not matter how slowly you go, as long as you do not stop.”

Pounds lost: 58.4

% to super goal: 46.4%

Doing the damn thing!

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Dealing with weight-loss setbacks feels a lot easier said than done. There are a lot of articles out there with great advice, some of which I resonate with, and some I don’t. Some things, like drinking enough water and getting enough sleep, we’ve talked about before. Others, like not weighing yourself as often, I am on the fence about.

To Weigh Daily…Or Not

Weighing myself every day is a little controversial, I think. In one respect, it keeps me focused on losing weight, which is only a part (though a large part) of my overall health goals. On the other hand, it does keep me focused. And better, it keeps me realistic. Whether the gains are water retention, or too many carbs, or not enough exercise, checking in daily helps me remember that my weight will go up and down. It keeps me realistic to what’s possible and in a weird way, stops me from freaking out when the scale doesn’t move as much as I’d hope. I can handle it because over the last nine months I’ve seen it go up and down, over and over again.

Focus on the Long Game

I think people get discouraged when the weight loss doesn’t happen as quickly as they think it should, or as quickly as many ads you see on Pinterest or other places on the internet would have you believe. It truly is a long game. You have to find a way of dealing with your weight loss and other health goal setbacks in a smart way. If you want to get healthy and stay healthy, it’s a lifestyle change, not just a fad diet. You have to be of the mindset that the changes you’re making are for the rest of your life, not just for now.

I started January at 198 lbs, and by the end was at 192. I got down as low as 191, and now, today, I’m back up to 193. It’s kind of discouraging. I feel like I’m working hard and making good choices, I’m not overeating. I’m eating good, homemade, nutritious food.

What helps me most in situations like this, is to really understand that it is a long game. It is a long term strategy. And slow as I’m going, I’m not stopping. I don’t feel like I’m depriving myself. I feel like the way I’ve been eating and the way my lifestyle has been, is something I realistically can do for the rest of my life. This won’t be something where I (eventually) get to my goal weight and then stop what I was doing and go back to my old habits because “now it’s over, I’m done”. Keeping the weight off won’t be a hardship because I’m not dieting. I made a lifestyle change and, in the immortal words of Schmidt, I can do this all day. ALL DAY!

Final Thoughts

So I guess my message for today is, keep your chin up, peeps. Even if it’s hard. Make changes that you can commit to for the rest of your life. Really get clear on why you want to do this, because all the advice in the world, all the fad diets out there, won’t work long term if you can’t do it every day. Day in, and day out. Carefully craft your lifestyle. Don’t be afraid.

Then do it. ALL DAY.

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