Consistently Inconsistent; That's Me

I feel broken lately. Well, not all of me, just certain parts of me.  I feel like I've lost the mechanism in me that recognizes satiety. I have forgotten how to nourish my body without overindulging in foods with no nutritional value. I've been painfully aware of my weakness with food because in the last three months, Chuck has managed to lose 12 pounds by making small adjustments in his eating and exercising. 

In all fairness, I have lost close to 12 pounds, as well, but unfortunately, they're the same two pounds, about every other week. "Just like a yo-yo..." Remember that Osmond Brothers' song? It's currently the soundtrack of my life. 

My hero in the Consistently Consistent Department.

Before the chaotic eating of the holidays hit, Chuck had his annual diabetic checkup with his internist. We'd been married just shy of a year, and apparently he had enjoyed my cooking as much as I had. His doctor was not impressed with his modest weight gain, or his elevated blood sugar levels. So, in classic Chuck style, my husband decided he needed to eat less and exercise more. To him, once he has determined a course of action is necessary, it simply needs to be incorporated into his routine. 

Chuck started checking his blood sugar levels regularly. We tweaked and trimmed his favorite recipes, lowering carbohydrate and calorie counts. Chuck started riding his exercise bike before leaving for work at 6. Instead of grazing on high carb snacks at work, he asked me to stop buying Ruffles, which are his weakness, and he monitored himself with his pretzel braids. When I baked cookies, I cut them into quarters and froze them. A couple of times a day, Chuck would take one or two pieces of cookie to end a meal with a sweet taste, and then he would declare his eating completed. All of these little changes made a difference.

A quarter of a cookie? That's all Chuck needs to be satisfied.

Last week he returned to the doctor. She was so pleased with his weight loss. We are still waiting on his blood test results, but we know from his frequent testing at home that the numbers have improved drastically. 

I'm so proud of him; really, I am. To me, it's nothing short of amazing that someone can muster up that kind of dedication so quickly, and get those kind of results. Each week he would trot down the stairs to weigh himself, and then proudly announce how many pounds he had lost.

"Honey, I am so happy for you," I would say. "You are my hero. Look at you go. I wish I could do what you are doing."

"You're doing great, too," he would say. "You work out harder than I do on the bike, and you do your seven minute workout. You're keeping track of what you eat."

Yeah, About that. I do work out hard, hoping against hope that exercising extra hard will somehow combat the extra calories I'm consuming throughout the day. (Yes, I am aware of the stats that say weight loss is 80% what we eat, and 20% of how much we exercise.) 

Valentine's Day I definitely took a holiday
from recording what I ate. 

Most days, I do record everything I've eaten. The app, My Fitness Pal lets me click a button that says "Complete this entry" at the end of the day, and then it either posts that "Denise completed her food and exercise diary for the day and was under her calorie goal." OR, as is often the case,  "Denise completed her food and exercise diary for the day." Notice the absence of "UNDER HER CALORIE GOAL." There have been more than a few days like that. 

My Fitness Pal is a social website that allows friends to see your progress, and gives opportunities to encourage each other. A couple weeks ago I noticed that I was the only one in our group who wasn't posting any weight loss progress. At breakfast that morning, I was whining to Chuck that everyone, including him, is making progress, but I am not. 

"I know what the problem is. Everyone else is consistently eating under their calorie goal and working out, and I am not consistent. It has been a trait of mine for most of my life, being inconsistent." 

"Well, you ARE consistently inconsistent," Chuck said with a gleam. 

Ugh. I am not spared from his dad jokes. I'm his sole audience more often than not. "Waka waka," his son Matt and I tell him when he has made an attempt at humor that makes us smile. Even if it's only a little.

This morning I sent Chuck a picture of my new haircut, telling him my hair was driving me crazy, so I cut my bangs myself. His response?

"See, there you go. Trimmed back an ounce right there." <Insert "waka waka" here.>

All joking aside, I seem to have lost the mindset I had back in the day when I wanted to make good eating choices that would allow me to maintain a healthy weight, or drop a few pounds. 

So, friends, I am in search of motivation. What do YOU do when you feel like you are stalling your weight loss progress because you've lost your mojo? Do you have any tricks to share? Favorite music that spurs you on? Pep talks you've found online? Any thoughts?

I'll tell you what I've done. I gathered favorite photos of myself working out, of me with my family and friends who support me, and pictures that are flattering to me in some way. I also found inspirational quotes online, and I made a little slideshow of the photographs and quotes on my iPad to Christina Aguilera's song, "Blessed." I found guided meditations on Spotify that encourage self-acceptance and healthy habits. I've mentioned before that whenever I want to be accountable, I let Chuck know my goal for the day is to avoid trigger foods. I keep my word to him, so on days I need a little extra push, I make a promise to him.

If you are currently experiencing success in the healthy eating department, or you have had success in the past, what worked for you? I would love for you to share your ideas and resources here. I am willing to try something new that might help me get back on track. Please help me become consistently CONSISTENT. I think that will be key.