On 22 Feb 2019, I joined WW online and weighed 162.7 kilos. It’s been a while since I shared an update on how this journey has been going. I wanted to be authentic and share how I coped with eating over the Christmas and New Year period.
Taking a Pause in my health and wellbeing journey
My last weight loss for 2019 was on the 13th of December; my total weight loss was 43.7 kilos. With Christmas approaching, I made a conscious decision that I was going to ease up on my eating and exercise for three weeks and I would get back on track 3 Jan 2020. I mentally prepared myself for a weight gain and in my mind, I would be okay with gaining 5 kilos. I told myself that I would enjoy those three weeks with no guilt.
During those three weeks, my portion sizes increased I indulged in a few Christmas time only treats; I’m looking at you scorched almonds and trifle! I drank one to two glasses of bubbles every few days. And I enjoyed a cheese scone every few days with lashings of butter. I enjoyed what I ate and savoured every mouthful!
On the flip side, my vegetable intake and water intake were a lot lower than what I usually eat and drink. However, as the end of the three weeks were drawing to a close, I noticed that my body was feeling different. While I didn’t look any different, my body was itching to get back into a routine again.
4.9 Reasons to continue my journey
As Jan 3 drew nearer, I knew I would have to get back on the scales for my first post-weigh-in and acknowledge my weight gain. The old me would have;
- convinced me, it was okay to quit!
- thought I could manage on my own
- felt guilty about any weight gain
- scolded me for being a failure
However, the changes and habits I created in 2019 have become my new normal. While I enjoyed freestyling over the three weeks; I was ready to continue my health and wellbeing journey again. On January 3, 2020, I got back on the scales – I had gained 4.9 Kilos. I owned that gain and had no guilt about it. I was ready to kick start 2020 again.
I saw that time as a chance to re-set and recalibrate. My body, mind and soul love it when I nourish it with good food and exercise. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have spent the time devoted to my health and wellbeing journey for this length of time if I hated what I was doing.
46.6 Reasons to Celebrate
After a week of being back on track, I was due to weigh myself. On 10 January I stepped on the scales to discover I had lost 3.8 kilos. Monitoring my portion sizes, tracking my food and making sure my water intake was back to normal paid off. As of 31 January, I have lost a total of 46.6 kilos. I lost my Christmas and New Year weight gain and then some. Would I do it again? I am not sure, to be honest. I can’t think that far ahead. I think if anything this period taught me is that a weight gain is not the end of the world. You see throughout 2019 I hadn’t any weight gains, I either lost weight or stayed the same of had small losses like 100 grams.
A weight gain doesn’t determine my worth – neither does the amount of weight I lose. I measure my success in other ways from the way my body moves now it is carrying less weight, or walking up a flight of stairs and not being red-faced or breathless.
Sure, I could beat myself up and say if I hadn’t done that I would be further on my journey. However, I knew what I was doing, and I own it. I have no regrets. I see my health and wellbeing as a marathon, not a sprint. Rather than look at how many kilos I still have to lose, I focus on losing the next five kilos.
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