Tip: Be the Locomotive

It’s Monday, so I’m here with my weigh-in information, but first a story.

One of my friends on the food plan told me she fell for temptation this weekend. She was visiting friends, and the hostess placed a full tray of exotic doughnuts right in front of her. My friend tore off and ate pieces of several doughnuts, and in her remorse, figured she had eaten the equivalent of a whole doughnut.

I reminded her that one doughnut does not spoil everything she has done so far. All she has to do is get back on her food plan. If she wants, she can compensate for that doughnut by cutting out a few other starches and fats this week, or she can simply get back to eating healthy, fresh food that is good for her body and move forward.

One sugar-and-fat-loaded doughnut may seem like a big transgression, but let’s put it in perspective. If I took a jelly-filled, sugar-coated doughnut and laid it on a railroad track and a six-ton locomotive came along, what would happen? Yup, that heavy engine would squash the doughnut like a bug and stay the course toward its destination. We who have decided to take control over our health have to be that locomotive, and if something tries to knock us off our path, we squash it and stay the course toward our goal of a healthy lifestyle and healthy weight.

My own weigh-in news this week disappoints me, but I expected it. I knew I could not maintain the level of weight loss per week I had in the first four or five weeks of my food plan, but I wanted to average at least a pound a week, and at least I did lose a pound since last week.

I know the reasons (or excuses) why I didn’t lose more.

1. It’s natural to lose more weight per week for the first few weeks you begin any food plan or even any (heaven forbid) diet.

2. I was unable to schedule any extra exercise this past week, other than walking the dog, because I had to take my dog to an eye specialist for examinations and tests while also meeting deadlines for several editing projects.

3. I’ve lived with high anxiety, knowing my dog’s health is in danger and having to drive to several locations unknown to me to have my dog examined. When I learned that he needed an eye operation, my stress level increased. When I saw the costs associated with the surgery, my stress level shot even higher. Now, several times a day, I have to restrain my pet and put drops in his eyes, which he hates. I feel like an ogre, and I fear he will stop wanting to cuddle with me, if every time we cuddle I put drops I his eyes. Stress galore!

In the past anxiety often meant added snacks—crunchy, salty things I stuffed down my gullet in an attempt to stuff my feelings. Thankfully the corn chips and popcorn in my pantry stayed in my pantry, but I know I ate more protein than I needed at several meals. Anxiety, stress, less exercise, and being further into my food plan all conspired against me, and yet I still dropped a pound. I’ll give myself a pat on the back and say I did well. One average week won’t stop my train. I’m more determined than ever.

Today is another day, another chance to be conscious of every bit of food that enters my mouth, another chance to eat healthy foods and feed my brain and my body instead of attempting to soothe my psyche. Choo, choo, toot, toot!

Here are my statistics for today.

Starting weight: 245
Goal weight for this week: 219
Actual weight this week: 219
Goal weight for next week: 218
Total weight lost: 26
Overall goal weight: 150