Losing 10 pounds in about a month is completely reasonable. It is only about 2.5 pounds a week. I can do that, right? Yet, I am only slightly (please read lots of sarcasm in my slightly) apprehensive that I'll be able to complete the task. Why?
Well, there are lots of reasons.
First off, I've never been successful at losing weight, only at putting it on. Over the past 10 years or so, I've pretty much done nothing but gain weight. Sometimes the weight gain was slow, and in my mind no big deal. At other times, the weight gain has been fast, and yet I still have a hard time controlling myself.
Secondly, I'm great at starting things, but not finishing them. I have no problem undertaking a task, but when I have to press onward to complete the task, or when the going starts to get a little tough I give up really easily or put it off until tomorrow. Just ask my husband about completing my graduate degree. I've been almost done for two years now . . . but that's another story for another post.
Thirdly, I'm lazy, terribly lazy. I hate this about myself, yet I am constantly making excuses for my laziness. I'll tell myself that I really deserve to be a bum on hang out on the couch watching TV even though there are things I need to get done. If I'm going to lose 10 pounds in 25 days, I'm going to have to spend some of my time working out.
And finally, I'm slightly skeptical because I'm challenging myself to lose ten pounds between now and Christmas. I already have three Christmas parties on the schedule, and one big family gathering before Christmas Day even arrives.
Something finally kicked in for me recently when I was considering this challenge. If I'm ever going to live the healthy life that I want to live, I'm going to have to learn to live that life all the time, even during holiday seasons. During the month of October, I found myself thinking, "Oh, once all the good pumpkin treats are gone for the season, I'll really start in on my diet." Once Halloween passed, I was rationalizing again, "Once Thanksgiving has passed, I'll really be careful with how I eat. After all, Thanksgiving time only comes around once a year." I cannot live my life always waiting for the next special time or season to pass before I commit to the healthy lifestyle I need to be living. There are too many holidays, birthdays, and special seasons year round to live my life that way.
Just a little over a year ago, I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes. Although many women who develop gestational diabetes are not overweight when they become pregnant, being overweight is a risk factor for getting gestational diabetes (and I was definitely overweight when I became pregnant). I was diagnosed just a couple of weeks before Thanksgiving, and at first I felt like I'd really be missing out during the holiday season because I had to follow a very strict diet to control my blood sugar levels. And although there were definitely things I wanted to eat and enjoy that I couldn't, I learned that it is possible to make it through the holiday season without over-indulging. For this challenge, I'm leaning on my experience from last year.
I KNOW it is possible to lose these first 10 pounds of hopefully many more to come during the holiday season. At this point, I am way too embarrassed about my weight to post it. I will, however, post my gains and losses over the next 25 days. My goal is to be at -10 pounds on Christmas morning!
