Failure and starting over

Success doesn't come without its challenges, struggles, stresses and new learnings. It's all part of a process. This may seem trite, but it really is true. When something goes wrong, when we get off track and feel like we are a failure, it's time to refocus the thinking. We may have failed at something we're doing, at the moment, but we are not the failure. It's merely that moment and that attempt that failed. Again, trite and true - the Thomas Edison analogy. He "failed" thousands of time in inventing his light bulb.

So, too, we may experience many snafus in our weight loss journey. I know I do. Over and over again, it happens to me. In past years, it was all about gaining weight, losing it, and then finding it again. Hair-pulling time, argh! Now it's about stumbling blocks in my current weight management journey. I try not to refer to "loss" or "losing weight" since anything that is lost can be found again. I don't want to find my lost pounds... let them stay gone!

Why am I even on the subject of success, struggles and learning? Because the past two weeks haven't been easy; I've been so-o-o off track. Lots of excuses come to mind. For instance (brace yourselves!), I signed up to bring a treat for my grandson's kindergarten picnic. The treat included gummy worms, which I bought a week early - and ate. Restocked a few days before the event - ate them up again. See what I mean? I also haven't been keeping track of what I'm eating - at least not in my Weight Watchers' tracker. When it's not there in black and white, I can easily pretend I'm still on track. Hah!

How have I felt for the past two weeks? From bad to worse to horrible. Sure I continued to eat good foods, but in addition I ate gummy worms and other foods I will not name for fear of jinxing my current attempts at getting back on track. All that sugar and all that extra food led to sleepiness, bloating, gas and aching joints. At first, I fooled myself thinking I was getting the flu or my arthritis was flaring up for some unknown reason or one of my medicines needed adjusting.

Hogwash, I finally admitted. Too much sugar makes me crave extra naps (and more sugar). It also makes my joints ache. When I feel bloated, it seems to me that I've gained back all the weight I've gotten rid of. Now it's physically impossible to regain almost 50 pounds in less than two weeks, but that's what it felt like.

There comes a point when you have to make a choice. What am I saying!? Every day is about choices. Every day I choose what I eat or don't eat or overeat. Whether or not I exercise and how much I exercise. Luckily, throughout this latest challenge, I've continued to exercise. That's my solid reminder that I have not gained back a lot of weight. If I had, the exercise wouldn't be so easy.

Weight loss (GETTING RID OF...) is about ups and downs, successes and failures. How else would I learn about myself, my body, and how I view everything that happens in my life. What I learned -- and know I'll forget again and have to learn all over -- is that I didn't like the bloated, sleepy, sluggish person I was becoming recently. I also learned that employing just one trick from my little bag really works. If it doesn't, I try another. Night before last, I pulled out a slip of paper, checked the contents of the frig, freezer and cupboards and wrote out a menu for the next day. So, yesterday was a 98% better day. I'm not aiming for 100%. That would be too wearing. 98% is great. I didn't do a menu last night for today, but I prepped my breakfast again. Dry oatmeal, cinnamon and flax seed in a bowl, ready to add water, milk, and blueberries and pop into the microwave as I exercise. And, I did write out a menu this morning.

My Weight Watchers leader carries food and water everywhere she goes. You can tell -- she looks great. Remember the gummy worms treat. Yesterday was the kindergarten picnic. I had no idea what other foods would be there in addition to my chocolate-gummy bars, but I know me and know that I would be inclined to eat the most sugar-laden, fat-laden foods in the mix. I pre-pared. Packed a bag with water, celery sticks and a low-fat veggie cream cheese. It worked. I sipped on water and munched on celery (which is pretty boring by itself, but I love the crunch and the cream cheese was the "kick").

HeliumTips for a first-time breastfeeder