Complacency Complaints

Last night I went to bed with damp hair. I thought it was mostly dry. But I was wrong. And this beautiful hairdo is the result. Why did I go to bed with damp hair, you ask? Well, I’ve decided to write a new page in the book of my life…I’m going to wake up early (6:00 a.m.) and get an hour of work in before my kids wake up and we begin the hectic morning routine. If I wanted to shower before all this, I’d have to wake up around 5:30, and that’s clearly not an option, so I opted for the night-before shower.

All of this is part of my larger attempt to get my weight loss back on track. I feel like I’ve been wading through quicksand since my vacation in January. Sure, I had one or two good weeks after my abysmal 5.8 pound vacation gain, but since then it’s been a gradual slide into utter complacency. It’s just so hard to stay motivated! I look at myself in the mirror, and I’m wowed. For once — for the only time in my life except during the 2nd and 3rd trimester of pregnancies — I am comfortable with my body. Sure, I have some loose skin (notably on my belly) and my boobs are saggy (but small! yes!) but overall, and especially in clothes, I’m extremely happy with how I look.

And being on Weight Watchers, while not difficult, per se, is not zero work, either. You have to think about what you cook. My old staples, like a big pot of rotini with a pound of ground beef, can of tomato soup concentrate and cup of grated cheddar, while delicious and easy, is deadly. Now I have to plan out things like grilled chicken breasts, vegetables (but cooked potatoes, peas, corn, carrots & onions can count for points, so gotta watch that, too) and a healthy whole grain. And then calculate the points. But it’s not that I can’t…it’s just that extra little bit, ya know? And then there’s the journaling. Writing down everything you eat. And drink. Every single morsel that passes your lips. Plus then the earning of points through exercise…first find the time to exercise and then calculate the points you earned. It just all adds up, and when you’re already somewhat complacent and comfortable with your body, it’s so easy to just let it slide…just one meal…just one day…just one week…pretty soon you’ve put on 2 or 3 pounds (yes I have – hanging head in shame/resignation).

And Hubster’s been in the same boat. Only he finds it even harder than me…by nature he is such a black & white person. For him it’s right or it’s wrong. He get’s frustrated if he doesn’t do something perfectly the first time. Good enough is, in fact, not good enough for him. The result of this attitude is that if it isn’t quite perfect, he gives it up altogether as a failure. So, if he overshoots his points one week, or eats a forbidden food, or misses a workout…or whatever…he is gone. Gone. All. The. Way.  So he’s put on a few pounds since our holiday as well. He doesn’t know how many…he’s not getting on the scale these days.

So, we’ve agreed. This week it’s back on the wagon for us – BIG TIME! Then, yes, we are going to Weight Watchers on Saturday morning to weigh in – he hasn’t been in so long that he will have to re-join. We are going to buckle down and get down to our respective goals within the next 4-8 weeks. And then we’ll have to master maintenance…but that’s the next chapter in the book.

Oh! And to motivate myself, I’m going to go shopping later this week to find a dress to wear to the urbanmoms.ca Mom’s Night Out party (you can win tix…click here for the deets). Check back later on to read about the shopping trip and check out some pix of me in my new dress, whatever it turns out to be. In anticipation of said event, I bought these shoes yesterday…so very unlike all my other footwear! (I got the black ones…)