Perspective

"How are you feeling?"  "How challenging is the workout?"  "How hard did you push yourself?"  These can be tough questions to answer, because they're always subjective.  My husband get's frustrated when he asks me a "yes-no" question and I give him a narrative in response.  Am I feeling better?  Better than what?  Better as in back to 100%?  Better given the activities I engaged in today as compared to yesterday?  See what I mean?

That perspective is also important to keep in mind when evaluating other aspects of life.  More specifically, it's important to put that perspective in a given context.  Here's what I'm thinking:  My weight has crept up a bit over the last few weeks, what with not exercising and not eating clean.  I'm more conscious of this weight increase because it's more significant in proportion to my current weight.  I feel like the extra 6 pounds are more noticeable when it's 142 to 148 than it was when I went from 180 to 186.  It's objectively the same amount of weight but it's also a subjectively different experience.  Does that make sense?

If my clothes are a bit more snug right now, are they really snug?  Or am I feeling a bit more self-conscious about my appearance because I haven't been feeling well, because I'm worn-out and exhausted from being sick, because I'm sluggish from not exercising, or because I'm more focused on tightness in my body from coughing and sneezing?

I think everything is best-understood when it's placed within it's particular context.  That's not the same as making excuses or muddying the waters.  I'm not a politician and I don't straddle the fence, rather I want to provide the richest answer possible.  When asked the question "Do you like ice cream?" which response is the most useful:

• Yes.
• Yes.  Chubby Hubby's my favorite.  I don't like coffee-flavored.  Just about everything else is okay in my book.

-or-

• No.
• No, I'm lactose-intolerant so I go for soy ice cream instead.

I don't think it's "running on at the mouth" or providing unnecessary details.  Sometimes they're worthwhile details that allow for a more in-depth understanding of what's going on.  So....

Am I feeling better?  Nope.  Not at all.  Still trying to work through everything with my doctor.  The medications I've been getting just aren't doing anything for me.

Am I heavier?  Yup.  I'm probably up 6-8 pounds over the last 3 weeks.  I haven't been exercising and I've been eating more.  I haven't re-gained ALL the weight I've ever lost.  It would take a lot of work to re-gain another 40 pounds.  I didn't gain that weight over a month or two the first time around and it won't happen that way this time either. 

Is this gain permanent?  Nope.  I've lost weight before and I'll lose it again.  Once I'm back to feeling healthy, I'll return to my previous exercise and eating programs.  

 

My husband asked if it would be difficult to get back to eating clean after my cheating.  Nope.  I tend to get back on plan pretty easily.  Once I've got a plan in place - and the capacity to follow it - then I just follow it.

Here's to keeping life in perspective!