Maintenance…It’s Hard!!

      13 Comments on Maintenance…It’s Hard!!

I’m slowly getting back into running, and I must admit, it feels good. It was weird to go from running upwards of 35 miles a week to running about 12 a week.  Big difference!  On Wednesday, I ran a mile and a half with JJ, who is training for his next 5k, and he did great!

 

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He ran at an 11:21 pace, and that included stopping to tie both shoes.  He was really proud of himself when he was done.

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As for me, I’ve only run about 8 miles this week, and let me tell you, my body definitely can feel the difference. I weighed in yesterday at my Weight Watchers meeting for the month. I wasn’t feeling very good about it, but we’re getting close to the end of April, and they require you to weigh in once a month.

We have a Weight Watchers work group going at my office right now, which is nice, because it’s a lot easier to find the time to go weigh-in when it’s just a few steps from my desk. I won’t say I love talking about weight loss struggles with my coworkers, but on the other hand, I’m the only one in the group who is actually at goal, so I suppose it’s probably easier for me than for them, right? 😉

We’ve had a few leaders over the last year and a half that we’ve had this program on and off, and I’m not overly fond of the current leader. She’s not terrible, I just don’t feel a real connection with her. Our first leader was fantastic, and our second one was pretty good, too, although not as good as the first. The current leader is a little more quiet, and I guess, being the extrovert that I am, it’s challenging for me. 😉

Yesterday, however, she bothered me quite a bit. I was one of the last ones to weigh in, and when I stepped up to the table, I gave her my little book and then stepped up on the scale. I wear high heels at work, with nylons, and I know that you’re not supposed to step on the scale with nylons. It doesn’t bother me to wear my shoes; even when I weigh in at my normal way center, and I’m wearing tennis shoes, I always keep them on. This is a change from all my previous attempts of trying Weight Watchers, because I always wanted that extra pound or whatever that I could get by taking off my shoes. It didn’t matter to me back then that it wasn’t really making a difference, if I took my shoes off every single week. :/

When I first started going to in-person meetings to weigh in back in 2012 (when I was trying to get to “real” Lifetime, which can’t be done online), I kind of halfheartedly felt like I should keep my shoes on, just in case I ever needed the extra leeway if I had a really, really bad week. But the truth is, my goal weight is 129, and I’m quite a ways under that. I actually weigh in anywhere from about 118 to 120 at the meetings on a good day. (At home, in the morning before I’ve eaten and with very little on, I weigh less than that.)

Yesterday, when I got to the meeting, I’ll admit that I wasn’t feeling very confident. When I weighed in at home last week, just a couple days after my marathon, I was up almost 4 pounds. Yikes! Sure, I ate  like nobody’s business on Saturday night, and even Sunday, after my marathon, but I also ran 26 miles, so the weight gain was rather discouraging. My husband and my massage therapist both pointed out to me that my muscles were recovering from all the running, and were probably retaining a lot of water. So I just chalked it up to post-marathon weight gain, and the following Monday, even after the food I’d eaten at Easter, I was down almost 2 and half pounds from the previous week.

 

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That weight isn’t an ideal for me (I’d like to be down below 116), but after all that weight gain the week before, I wasn’t going to argue. Yesteday, however, I was honestly feeling very fat. I made the mistake of putting on a pair of my “skinniest” pants for work, as well as a button-down shirt that is quite tight if I have even a hint of bloating. And there was more than a hint going on yesterday, let me tell you! It got so bad in the afternoon, that I actually had to unbutton the shirt for the first time ever, because I was so uncomfortable at my desk. (I had another shirt on underneath–don’t fret!)  I know it happens, and my body is still adjusting from running a marathon, but I also know that I had a few pieces of Frozen Lemon De-Light this week, not to mention more than my share of the kids Easter chocolate. Nothing awful, and I know I’ll be able to recover. (It will help when the Easter candy is gone. 😉 )

So as I stood on the scale yesterday and waited for her to record my weight, I knew that it wasn’t going to be pretty. What I didn’t expect was her reaction. She had started out by commenting on the fact that I was wearing nylons, and I interrupted her, saying I already knew that I couldn’t take my shoes off, and that was fine. Then she looked at the scale number, and her eyes got a little bigger.  She said, “Oh, well why don’t you just take this piece of paper here and put it on the scale and step on that?  Then you can take your shoes off.”

I politely said, “No, I’m okay.”

She looked at me and then grabbed my weight tracker. More forcefully, she said, “No, here, take your weight tracker and stand on it.”

Again, I politely declined. She looked at me like I was nuts, saying, “I’m just trying to help you, because I think you’ll want to weigh in without your shoes.”

I got off the scale at that point, and said, “I’m fine. Thank you though.” I was getting really ticked by this time. I know she meant well, and that she’s probably used to people wanting exactly that kind of treatment, where they expect her to do everything in her power to make this scale read lower than what it actually does. There was a time in my life when I probably would’ve begged for treatment like that.

But I think that’s the difference between all the times before when I tried and failed, and this time, the time that I finally made weight-loss succeed for me. I’m not interested in tricking the scale anymore, or tricking myself into thinking that my weight is any lower than it actually is. I’m living in the real world now, where I make mistakes, and I learn from them. I’m not fooling anyone but myself if I choose to pretend that I’ve done anything other than gain weight this week.

When she kept trying to get me to take my shoes off, despite my usual self-confidence, it made me feel a little like a failure. And this is part of the problem I have with Weight Watchers and the maintenance philosophy, or lack thereof. I’ve lost almost 90 pounds and kept it off for two years. I am not a failure! I am, however, human, and there are going to be bumps in the road along this journey.  This particular bump was almost four pounds!

 

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Does that suck? Sure.  But the leader could’ve handled it a whole lot differently, and I wouldn’t have felt nearly the self-doubt that I did when I got off that scale. That’s one thing that the ladies at the Weight Watchers center down by my house have going for them. There have been times over the last couple of years when I was doing my monthly weigh-in that I had gained a little, sometimes more than a little. When that has happened, they’ve been very matter-of-fact about it, always trying to be positive. Usually they would say, “You’re up a little, but that’s okay, you’re still doing great, and you look great. I know you’ll get back on track next month, right?” They always recognize that I’m well below my stated goal, and even farther below the high-end of the range that’s acceptable for my height.  And I have, indeed, always gotten back on track the next month.

The truth is, weight fluctuations happen, even if you’re only weighing in once a month. And dammit, I ran a frickin’ marathon 10 days ago! If anyone deserves a little leeway, I think it’s me! Clearly I am not sitting on my ass, eating bonbons. 😛 (Mmmm…bonbons…)

So, anyway, I just thought I would put up a post to show that it’s not all rainbows and sunshine and puppies in the land of maintenance, even when maintenance includes lots of good choices and plenty of exercising. It’s taken me two years to figure this out, but I know I’ll get back on track. I spent four months running like a crazy person, sometimes earning more activity points with one run then the actual number of points I was given for the day! And then, in my recovery period, I stopped exercising almost completely. My body is adjusting, and it’ll get things sorted out. I’m looking forward to getting into more of a training program again, but I also know that I need to get back slowly, because my muscles are still recuperating. These are the things that are not reflected on a stupid scale, and I’m really proud of myself for realizing that. 🙂

Wherever you are in your journey, I hope that you’re doing it smartly, and that you’re making good choices. This week, my one good choice is going to be to stop eating the kids Easter candy every time I walk by the bag. 😉 What one good choice are you going to make this week?

Thank you for reading!

13 thoughts on “Maintenance…It’s Hard!!

  1. lisa price

    Great points! I’ve finally gotten away from tricking the scale crap too! I hate that damn number! I let it rule my day and so now it is hidden away! Maybe this way I can stay away from it every single time I go into the bathroom!! Anyway I love this post! Hits home!

    Reply
    1. steph Post author

      It’s SO true–I hate how the scale rules my day! I should hide mine, too…but at least I only pull it out once a week, right? 🙂 Thanks for commenting!

      Reply
  2. agb

    As a whole, I think the WW philosophy and program are great. And I realize that as a program, WW needs to utilize the scale as the finite measure of how we as members are doing. Can you imagine how much it would cost to have our body fat scientifically measured each week? Not to mention the time it would take?

    I think there are two missing links though. First, scales don’t just weigh fat – and if one is having a “bloated day” it is going to reflect on the scale. Some WW employees are really good at acknowledging this (the person who weighs me on Saturday mornings will actually ask me how I enjoyed my sushi last night when I am up 🙂 others, not so much.

    The other thing is that unless your leader is a active, endurance athlete, they just don’t get what it means to train for and complete a long distance race. Seriously, 4 pounds up 10 days after a marathon? That is NOTHING! My leader weighed in two weeks after her marathon up 15 lbs!

    Don’t let the reaction of your leader belittle your self-confidence! You have done a truly awesome thing by completing a marathon – working full time, being a mom to two active boys full time and training through the worst winter that I have ever experienced.

    You rock! And personally, I appreciate that you put it all out there for complete strangers (like me) to motivate and excel like you do.

    Reply
    1. steph Post author

      That is such a good point! It would be cool if they COULD measure our body fat though. 😉 Thank you so much for the support and encouragement…your post put a huge smile on my face! Thanks for taking the time to stop by and leave a comment–I appreciate anyone who reads, and since I know how hard it is to find the time to comment (or reply to them, ha ha!), I really DO appreciate those, too. 🙂

      Reply
  3. bookbelle0819

    You rock! A marathon is nothing to sneeze at! I love that you get the ups and downs and bumps in the road of maintenance. The numbers are one measurement but definitely not the end all. The peace and ease of mind that comes with knowing what to eat and how much to exercise and eat to feel good or great every day comes with actively working our lifetime health goals which is ultimately bigger than the maintenance phase of a weight loss program. I think this post sort of speaks to that.

    Reply
    1. steph Post author

      It’s hard to get to the point where you know the numbers AREN’T the be and end all. I won’t say I’ve totally got that “peace and ease of mind” yet, but I’m working at it for sure! Thank you for the nice comments!

      Reply
  4. Dena

    Stephanie..what have I told you about wearing shoes that weigh 4 pounds?!? I mean that’s just not good for you…:0)

    And let’s just talk about how you go run crazy miles like that and then go work in high heels! I can’t even wear heels..I fall over!

    But I think it’s good to stick up for yourself. And it might not be a bad idea as much as it takes other time to go to a different meeting. Maybe she’s not a great leader for you. But it’s pretty clear you know your body and how it holds on to the weight. I’m pretty confident you will get it figured out :0)

    Are you gonna do another marathon again? Or just run to run?

    Reply
    1. steph Post author

      Dena, you crack me up! I’ll try to find lighter shoes, Mom. {blushing} 😉

      I think I’m going to go back to the center near my house, and hopefully I’ll find a leader I like. It’s only once a month, anyway…unless I really like her, ha ha! Thanks for stopping by!

      Reply
  5. Jenn

    “I’m not interested in tricking the scale anymore, or tricking myself into thinking that my weight is any lower than it actually is.”

    Amen, sister! I am 1.5 years into maintenance and it is so much harder for me than losing the 65 lbs. I love having the WW at work meeting. Being at goal, I really want to encourage the other members. I do try to go each week to the meeting, it helps keep me grounded and in check. Good luck, Steph!

    “What one good choice are you going to make this week?”

    I am going to listen to my friend, Steph, because she is one of my anchors and I know I can count on her for encouragement, reality checks, and reminders to be present for the me I am today.

    In addition, I am hosting a party today (for Sophie) and I am going to try and be more mindful of my food intake. Wish me luck.

    Reply
    1. steph Post author

      You know you can always count on me, babe!! I’m glad the party went well, and because we already chatted, I know that you did great–awesome job!!!

      Reply
  6. Kitty

    I’ve been a WW member for a long time and I’ve weighed in wearing nylons plenty of times in the past. I guess not so much now since I weigh in barefoot. But I’ve just never heard them say that people can’t weigh with nylons. What’s up with that?

    And, yes, I think the leader was being ridiculous to push you to take your shoes off.

    Reply
    1. steph Post author

      I don’t know…it could be a different rule at different centers, I suppose! But regardless…I agree with you. It felt pretty demoralizing. :/ Thanks for commenting!

      Reply

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