When undertaking a new fitness and nutrition effort, the most obvious loss is pounds. The scale goes down. But there are a number of other losses associated with this process that aren't always anticipated and aren't always welcomed.
It may sound silly or superficial, but there are a lot of clothes that I loved to wear that I just can't wear anymore. They just don't fit my new body properly. Slacks sit low on my hips, with the attractive "dropped crotch" look. Skirts are a little better, but they then hit at an awkward spot and just aren't as flattering. I did have somethings altered, but clothes can only be altered so much. My pants looked like they had "wings" where my hips should have been. For example, I LOVE this skirt but can't really wear it anymore:
I think I've had it taken in once already. It's just tough to resize because of the pleating that's sewn-in and sometimes the altered clothes just don't fit the same way. I'm not going to pay to have something entirely reconstructed when I could buy something new for the same price. And there is the plus side that I've gotten to buy new clothes. I remind myself that clothes can always be replaced and repurchased. I've held onto some of my larger clothes - in case I regain weight, for possible maternity clothes, or to share with friends instead of donating (which I do with the majority of my clothes). When I complain about my clothes not fitting me anymore, my husband's loving and sensitive response is often "So get fat again." (Gotta love that guy!)
There might be fewer invitations for getting together with friends. They may assume that I'll turn down a night out because it's "unclean" eating or because I'd rather exercise. Not true! I prefer to know about plans in advance, but that's just because that's my personality (though I do try to fly by the seat of my pants sometimes). So I make an effort to accept the invitations that come my way and to extend a number of invitations myself. I figure that I can show others that it is possible for me to strike a balance between eating clean and having fun, and I do like to have fun!
With weight loss, it can feel like there's also a loss of privacy. (I know this is ironic, what with my doing this blog and all.) It's more that other people seem to feel much more free to comment about my weight when they see that there's been weight loss. For the most part, these are positive or encouraging statements. Someone I haven't seen in several months may say that I'm looking great. I may be asked "What's your secret to losing weight?" But sometimes the comments become more critical or personal. If I turn down a snack or a treat, I could hear "That's right, you don't eat." Someone will ask "Don't you think you've lost enough weight already?" I've even gotten comments about my "disappearing" booty and bosom. (That's a specific loss which I'll address in a future post.) A friend had a complete stranger approach her on her daily commute, compliment her on her weight loss over the past year, and then warn her that she'd better not regain the weight. What!
Sadly, I think some friendships have been lost (or at least strained) by weight loss. This may be my reading too much into things, but I've noticed that some people seem to be less comfortable around me or around me less in general. Perhaps there are comments about what I eat or how I exercise. They could be said as jokes or on the side, but there's still a little jab in there. Perhaps there's a sense of competition. I don't know if they're comparing themselves to me or thinking that I'm judging them. I can honestly say that I'm in no place to evaluate anyone else and I try really hard to not come across and judgmental (because I'm not!), but I am very vocal about what I'm doing and I can understand how someone else may HEAR that as my being critical of them. I'd much rather that people speak directly to me than make assumptions, harbor ill feelings, or avoid me.
Perhaps tied into this is a reduced understanding from others. I don't mean that I'm looking for sympathy or pity. Rather, there can be an assumption from others that I don't face any challenges or that things come easy for me. When discussing the struggles that people face with making decisions around food and related issues, one woman said that I wouldn't understand the difficulties of weight management because I'm skinny. She also implied that I don't have to work at it in the same way that she does. Hello? I spoke up right away, told her about my history of struggling with my weight, and how I make intentional decisions every day to manage my weight and take care of myself. I shared with her my exercise regimen and my strict meal plans. Once I shared this with the woman, she seemed to listen more to my opinions. I can understand being more receptive to a message from someone who has walked in your shoes, but don't assume that someone hasn't been in your shoes. Just because they're not there now doesn't mean they haven't been there before.
Would I regain the weight if it meant I didn't have to deal with these and other losses? Of course not! I just think it's important to have realistic expectations. Often, there's an idealized expectation about what "that" experience will be, whether it's starting a new job/school, going on a "dream" vacation, getting together with a friend you haven't seen in ages, or succeeding at weight loss. Whatever the undertaking, the best approach is to go into it with eyes wide open. There's certainly a lot to be gained, a lot of positive aspects, but it can (and often does) come with a price. I try to be prepared for some let-downs, but don't let them undermine the efforts I make to achieve my goals.
Food Log:
Exercise: It may sound silly or superficial, but there are a lot of clothes that I loved to wear that I just can't wear anymore. They just don't fit my new body properly. Slacks sit low on my hips, with the attractive "dropped crotch" look. Skirts are a little better, but they then hit at an awkward spot and just aren't as flattering. I did have somethings altered, but clothes can only be altered so much. My pants looked like they had "wings" where my hips should have been. For example, I LOVE this skirt but can't really wear it anymore:
There might be fewer invitations for getting together with friends. They may assume that I'll turn down a night out because it's "unclean" eating or because I'd rather exercise. Not true! I prefer to know about plans in advance, but that's just because that's my personality (though I do try to fly by the seat of my pants sometimes). So I make an effort to accept the invitations that come my way and to extend a number of invitations myself. I figure that I can show others that it is possible for me to strike a balance between eating clean and having fun, and I do like to have fun!
With weight loss, it can feel like there's also a loss of privacy. (I know this is ironic, what with my doing this blog and all.) It's more that other people seem to feel much more free to comment about my weight when they see that there's been weight loss. For the most part, these are positive or encouraging statements. Someone I haven't seen in several months may say that I'm looking great. I may be asked "What's your secret to losing weight?" But sometimes the comments become more critical or personal. If I turn down a snack or a treat, I could hear "That's right, you don't eat." Someone will ask "Don't you think you've lost enough weight already?" I've even gotten comments about my "disappearing" booty and bosom. (That's a specific loss which I'll address in a future post.) A friend had a complete stranger approach her on her daily commute, compliment her on her weight loss over the past year, and then warn her that she'd better not regain the weight. What!
Sadly, I think some friendships have been lost (or at least strained) by weight loss. This may be my reading too much into things, but I've noticed that some people seem to be less comfortable around me or around me less in general. Perhaps there are comments about what I eat or how I exercise. They could be said as jokes or on the side, but there's still a little jab in there. Perhaps there's a sense of competition. I don't know if they're comparing themselves to me or thinking that I'm judging them. I can honestly say that I'm in no place to evaluate anyone else and I try really hard to not come across and judgmental (because I'm not!), but I am very vocal about what I'm doing and I can understand how someone else may HEAR that as my being critical of them. I'd much rather that people speak directly to me than make assumptions, harbor ill feelings, or avoid me.
Perhaps tied into this is a reduced understanding from others. I don't mean that I'm looking for sympathy or pity. Rather, there can be an assumption from others that I don't face any challenges or that things come easy for me. When discussing the struggles that people face with making decisions around food and related issues, one woman said that I wouldn't understand the difficulties of weight management because I'm skinny. She also implied that I don't have to work at it in the same way that she does. Hello? I spoke up right away, told her about my history of struggling with my weight, and how I make intentional decisions every day to manage my weight and take care of myself. I shared with her my exercise regimen and my strict meal plans. Once I shared this with the woman, she seemed to listen more to my opinions. I can understand being more receptive to a message from someone who has walked in your shoes, but don't assume that someone hasn't been in your shoes. Just because they're not there now doesn't mean they haven't been there before.
Would I regain the weight if it meant I didn't have to deal with these and other losses? Of course not! I just think it's important to have realistic expectations. Often, there's an idealized expectation about what "that" experience will be, whether it's starting a new job/school, going on a "dream" vacation, getting together with a friend you haven't seen in ages, or succeeding at weight loss. Whatever the undertaking, the best approach is to go into it with eyes wide open. There's certainly a lot to be gained, a lot of positive aspects, but it can (and often does) come with a price. I try to be prepared for some let-downs, but don't let them undermine the efforts I make to achieve my goals.
Food Log:
- Meal 1
- 4 egg whites and 2 eggs with salsa
- Meal 2
- 2oz chicken
- Green and yellow beans
- Meal 3
- 2oz chicken
- Meal 4
- 4oz chicken
- Green beans
- Tablespoon of peanut butter
- Meal 5
- Protein shake
- Time: 62 minutes
- Level: Level 1 for 1 minute, Level 4 for 58 minutes, Level 1 for 3 minutes
- Calories: 700+
Today's Weigh-In: 143.8
No comments:
Post a Comment