Welcome Back!

I’m sure I had a nice post prepared for today…I did lose 1.2 pounds last week (mind you, I was just taking off what I had put on the week before, but more on my plateau later) and I had a great time trying on new ski gear – can I just say that a SIZE SIX ski jacket fit me!?!!

But before I get into any of that, I wanted to take a moment to publicly congratulate a dear friend for her decision to return to her weight loss regimen. YAY! Let me explain: this is the woman who, with her thirty-pound loss, inspired me to begin my weight loss journey. If she hadn’t courageously joined a weight loss program and experienced tremendous success, I most likely would still be obese and unhappy today.

This is a before picture of both of us.

Let me just say that after the inspirational first 30 pounds, she went on to lose 10 more, and dropped several clothes sizes as well. She was amazing! Beautiful, energetic, happy, encouraging, successful. And then life (as it does) threw her a curve ball, and she had to take a break. A few days turned into a week, and a few weeks turned into a month or two, and I began to worry. At first, I pestered her, and hassled her, and tried to guilt her into going back. Then I would casually suggest it to her, or ask her, in an off-hand way, when she was going back. Then, although I was worried, I stopped mentioning it. Why? Because I’ve been down that road myself, many times, and I know that nobody can successfully make or even encourage another person to do what it takes to lose a lot of weight (and keep it off).

I know what it’s like to lose 20 or 30 pounds, and then to stop. You just KNOW people are thinking "why?", but you can’t help it. Food is an addiction, as surely as alcohol, gambling and drugs are an addiction. You go back to your old habits, and it feels wonderful and terrible at the same time. You’re with an old friend, but you’ve betrayed yourself. Your clothes start to get tighter, and you either dig out the old ones or buy new, bigger ones (again). You look in the mirror and deny. You step on the scale and deny. And because you feel bad on the inside, you eat. And so the cycle goes.

I know, because I’ve done it. I’ve been in that cycle more often than I’ve been where I am now, on the successful side of the weight loss struggle. And I do worry that somehow I’m fooling myself. That it really can’t be this easy. That I will get fat again.

So that’s why I stopped saying anything. But then something happened this weekend. While trying on ski gear I said to my husband, "I should get a new soft-shell jacket. My old one is amazing but it’s just way too big now. Sarah always loved that jacket. Maybe when I see her next weekend I’ll tell her that if she loses weight I’ll give it to her." (By the way, this is a $250 GORE windstopper soft-shell jacket) He thought it was a great idea.

And do you know what? When I called her today, I found out she’d re-joined her weight loss program on Friday! YES! I was so happy to hear it. So I told her that when I see her this weekend (she’s coming down for a visit) I’m going to give her that soft-shell jacket as motivation. ‘Cause now the tables are turned, and I can be the inspiration. I know from my own experience that usually it’s the small, achievable goals that are the most meaningful and motivational. 2 or 3 weeks from now and she’ll be wearing that soft-shell jacket and looking (and feeling) great…eager for the next weigh in!

The jacket itself!