Keeping Momentum

In my past weight loss experiences, I've had a lot of trouble keeping momentum.  I'd work really hard on eating right and exercising, but then I'd hit that first plateau.  The scale would all of a sudden just freeze right where it was at for at least a week.  I would inevitably start feeling like a failure and just give up.  I'd feel like crap again, all while the weight I lost slowly crept back on to my body.  I think this is the case for a lot of people, especially those that are considered (morbidly) obese like me.  You spend your whole life being the fat guy/girl, and when you finally get the balls to do something about it...  CRASH! 

I've learned the hard way, many times in fact, that if you don't plan ahead and allow yourself those days or weeks that seem like nothing is happening, you will fail.  Every. Single. Time.  You MUST cut yourself a little slack and prepare for the plateaus (plural).  You can't escape this fact.  When you're as big as I am though, and you finally take those steps into bettering yourself, you can get a little bit of tunnel vision.  You only see the here and now and the very short term future.  "What will the scale say tomorrow?  What about the next day?"  We think in terms of immediate results because we've been this way for so long that we get too eager to see the changes in our bodies. 

We're told that all you have to do is eat healthier and get a little exercise and then everything will be ok.  You'll lose weight.  Easy peasy, right?  They fail to tell you about the challenges you'll face in the process.  The fights with willpower that can come late at night, when all you can think about is eating something sweet.  The struggles with breathing as you try to take that jog through the park. Most importantly, the challenge of staying on this "easy peasy" path for the rest of your life, when all you've ever known is a sedentary lifestyle.

I've been on this little journey since April 1st and have hit a few plateaus and road bumps along the way.  I've sneaked my way through a McDonald's drive-thru a few time to scarf down something that would satisfy a craving.  I've sat around the house many days, knowing full well that I should be out taking a run or doing a workout at the gym.  I've made plenty of excuses for stuff like this my whole life!  I'm a damn professional at it.  But even after I've done something to screw up my diet or skipped out on my exercise, I've maintained the promise I made to myself at the beginning of this trek:

"I WILL fuck up!  I WILL cheat!  I WILL have plateaus or even weight gains!  This is OK!  I WILL NOT give up because of it!"

It's been a simple mantra that has somehow changed my life so much in the past couple months.  I hold no copyright to it, so please feel free to adopt it as your own.

I've been on a small plateau for a little over a week or two.  My weight went up 4-6 pounds throughout the week, and it got me a little depressed.  I didn't let it derail me though.  Want to see proof?

This is from this morning.  Down more than 3 pounds from before my plateau!

When you feel like a failure...  When you start thinking that you just can't do it...  Do it anyway!  You will prevail over this obstacle.  It's not just positive thinking.  It's a fact!  I am proof of it.

On a side note: 
With the help of one of my coaches and a few resistance bands, I did my first pullup today.  Yea, I know...  I'm pretty awesome...  Thanks for noticing.