Good morning!
This post is coming at you later than usual because, instead of waking up early to go to the gym, I decided to sleep in a bit and get 8 hours of sleep.
Sleep does a body good, I’ve heard.
And if you’ve been reading this blog for a while, you know I’ve tried lots of things – from Weight Watchers (the first time, the second time, the third time), Whole 30, and multiple detoxes – to get this body looking good.
(Spoiler alert: They didn’t work).
Well, my confession for the day is that I’m putting a hold on all the THINGS.
Not because I don’t believe in the programs. (Well, I don’t always trust in detoxes. I think – for me specifically – they do more harm than good). But I actually believe Weight Watchers was working for me.
Still, I think I was more successful with it when I lived in California and had a friend to do the program with. (Remember? I’m a relationships girl. I have a better time meeting expectations when I know someone else is relying on me. It’s how I’m programmed and it’s not going to change).
I haven’t been very successful with it here. The meetings are on Mondays – in a local church – where I know absolutely nobody. I go in to the meeting with nobody, feel uninspired by the leader, and then come home and binge eat/drink all the things because I know I won’t have to weigh in for another week.
Not the healthiest way of approaching this thing.
So, I’m just going to call it quits.
Confession? Part of me feels guilty that I’ve stopped and started this program more times than I can remember. It’s also difficult to quit something when you KNOW it’s worked for you in the past.
But, I need to remind myself to get out of the past and focus on the present. What’s worked for me before may not work for me given my current circumstances.
So, I just have to let it go.
I know myself and I know that I am much more likely to meet outer expectations when someone is relying on me. So, lately, Ankur and I have been encouraging each other to get to the gym in the morning. And, when I start my day off with a sweat-sesh and a healthy breakfast, it seems to trickle down to the rest of the day. It encourages me to want to keep my snacking in check.
So, we’ll see how this goes.
I’m not going to shame myself for quitting the program. I’m not going to get upset with myself that this has been – and will always be – a struggle for me. I will remind myself that quitting the program doesn’t mean I’m throwing in the towel.
It just means I may need a different approach right now.
Questions of the Day:
- When was the last time you quit something? How did it make you feel?
- ‘FESS UP! Tell me a secret!
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Ah! The last time? Just yesterday; when I was done going to the gym. 🙂
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Fist-bump from a fellow WW drop-out. 😉 I did have a friend to go to meetings with. We’d do our weigh-in and immediately go get a sandwich at Subway around the corner. We failed, but good times!
Girl, I never live in the past. Sure, it’s there, and I can think about it sometimes, but I do not DWELL on it. If anything, I just use it to learn from and IMPROVE my NOW and FUTURE. And this is just what you need to do and it sounds like you’re coming to terms with it!!
As for “quitting”. Nope. I can’t recall the last time I quit something because I am not a quitter. I do not give up. I might TRANSITION from one thing to the next, but I don’t quit!
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I have tried every program out there too. There is no same in calling it quits to gain some perspective. I am currently trying a new way of eating but because of all the hype and criticism behind my new way of eating I am keeping it a little hush hush until I really see if it works for me.
No shame! You do you!!
I am a WW drop out! I lost 40 pounds and stopped going to the meetings (they all felt the same and I was unmotivated and uninspired) and then pretty much gained it all back over 3 years. Now here I sit wondering if I should go back and trying to lose it again on my own.
It’s okay to quit when you aren’t feeling it! I think healthy eating and being healthy is about finding the food and balance that works exactly for you…and that takes a long time to find! I wish you the best of luck as you strive toward your own healthy living goals! Do you think it also may have been easier when you were in California because California in general seems to be a bit easier and set up very well for healthy living?
I recently quit being on a committee that I hated at work. The members weren’t that happy with me but I decided to listen to myself and quit because it was causing unnecessary stress and anxiety!
Heather @ Polyglot Jot recently posted…When Things Don’t Go Your Way
Thank you for keeping it real. I can’t recall quitting anything. Because I’d have to join something in the first place before I could quit. My confession is that I do very little to participate in this world. Sad to admit but true. I’m glad you’re not going to beat yourself up about stopping Weight Watchers. It’s exactly as you said; you’re changing directions. Cheers to moving forward!!! That inspires the rest of us.
Love this love you. ❤ right there with you. I quit yo-yo dieting a while ago and it was the best thing I did. Xo
I don’t blame you for quitting
– you should always do what you feel is best for you! You can do it, no matter how you choose to!
Just know, I am here cheering you on! xxx
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Letting go, focusing on the Present–that will get you to your goal every time, Divya! That and forgiveness when you slip–which we all do 🙂
Susan Mary Malone recently posted…Stop Holding Yourself Back
Diets are sooo hard 🙁 I feel your pain!! I gave up dairy and it actually helped me lose a few pounds and overall make better food choices.
I agree diets are not the best, I think its better when you just try to make a small gradual changes. i wish you the best!
You are right diets don’t work. I wrote about this recently too. I am trying to lose some weight but I know the best way to do it is by starting and doing something I know I can stick with.
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Oh I can’t remember the last time I got 8 hours of sleep. Must have been the 90’s though 😉 As for a secret? Well, I once quit a chemistry class for an online degree because I couldn’t follow. It made me feel so guilty I died a little bit inside.
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I love your blog. Great post.
I really relate to this post. I have tried a lot of different kinds of dieting tools. I ended up quitting Weight Watchers too because I was doing it alone. I didn’t have anyone going through it with me which made me feel a little bit alienated. So I totally get where you are coming from. I find that I quit things more often than I should, especially as it relates to my eating habits. However I am usually able to stick to things pretty well. Thanks for sharing!
Dropping out doesn’t meant you’re failing. It just means you’re trying to better yourself with something that’ll work for you. Being a fellow waxing-waning kinda a gal, I’ve recently tried out Rujuta Diwekar’s methods which does NOT include calorie counting and is a more holistic method of eating. I find myself less stressed and overall, I get to enjoy my treats without any guilt. Plus, the weight seems to drop. Her book is titled – “Don’t lose ur mind, lose ur weight”
Girl, I feel ya! I started and quit a squat challenge so many times over the last few months. Then I realized I can’t stand doing any exercise that is repetitive. I’m better with a yoga flow or an aerobics routine but if I have to count reps, peace out! 🙂
Hmm, the last time I quit something was a few years ago. I quit my marriage. It was a toxic union that wasn’t going to change. It also forced me to quit producing issues of my magazine. I was more heartbroken about my magazine than my marriage. I never felt guilty about leaving but I felt guilty about walking away from my magazine for so long. I’m happy to say my magazine is about to go from digital to print this year and I couldn’t be happier 🙂
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I quit drinking and it feels bloody great!!
Not sure I have a secret to tell but re weight loss have you read Mel Well’s The Goddess Revolution? It changed my life xx
I’ve done WW about 3 or 4 times over many years. It really does work if you actually stick to it, and I think it is nutritionally sound. But, I always get bored and drop out. Then, I gain the weight again. I’ve decided I just need to stop thinking about it so much and stick to logical nutrition with smaller portions and exercise.
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Sometimes you need to take care of YOU. I don’t think it’s a bad thing at all that you quit!
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Hmmm, the last time I quit something was which I quit trying to quit drinking dr. pepper. It Just makes me so happy lol.
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You know yourself best, what does and doesn’t work for you. Good on you for not letting the past hold you back and making the present ways if exercising and eating healthily work for you.
Girl! I have been there! I think I stopped and started we about 1000 times. I finally have found something that works for me and I’m down 70lbs!!! It’s so hard but so worth it! Keep it up and you will succeed! Can’t wait to watch your journey!
Marina recently posted…5 Ways to deal with a plateau in your weight loss journey
I gave up dessert for the month of January. I got through the entire month and all of Feb thinking I’d kicked the habit for good. I’m back on the dessert train and it just feels so good. Maybe quitting isn’t the worst thing in the world 🙂
I agree with you so much about doing it with someone else. Its hard enough on your own but your right when you know someone is depending on you it helps kick your buck in gear! Keep on Keeping on!
I always tell myself I’m going to run but I keep making excuse. I think just trying to make it routine is the biggest hump.
Justine
https://www.theiridescentwings.com
I hate dieting too, I wish the world could take less of a focus off the physical side and focus on the authenticity of a person.
I have never gone on a diet. NEVER. I always try to eat healthy and work out. But since I have started food blogging, I have gained a few extra pounds and in the process of getting rid of that. I’m cutting down on sugary stuff and trying to work out for a longer period of time.
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Oh yes, I’m familiar with starting and then stopping. I was doing great at running in the evening until I fell back into my nightly popcorn routine. 🙁 Thanks for the post and good luck to you!
Diets never seem to work for me, but Whole30 did! I found that I was not as hungry while doing it. I also have a weakness for baking so 30 days without made a difference.
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I can’t really talk much about diets because I just don’t do them. I know myself too well. I bore easily and I like to eat what I want. Not a good combo. I do try to do small things to help like switching to better ingredients, sweetening with maple syrup not sugar, that kind of thing. I like to think it helps. 🙂
Weight Watchers more times than I can count, Whole 30 a couple of time, no meat, Jenny Craig….blah, blah, blah. I’m tired of the merry-go-round too. Here’s to eating healthy, moving our bodies and feeling good!
My post yesterday was all about the diet program I’m on. I just think I was mentally and physically ready, not that it’s always easy. I can see how some things just aren’t best for the person you currently are and that’s great you and your husband are motivating each other to be healthy and fit!
-Lauren
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Wine and M&Ms sounds like a great way to spend an evening. I can completely understand how you feel and why you quit. I do this with going to the gym, and the end result is always the same when the other person gives up I don’t last much longer. In the mean time, we have wine, and M&Ms
I think you’re doing what’s best for you right now. There’s absolutely no reason to feel shame about it!
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I LOVE sleeping in. I do that way too often. The poor gym misses me. Lol
It’s okay, you don’t have to be so hard on yourself for not working out. I’m thinking you just haven’t found the right program for you. And it’s always going to be easy when you have a buddy!
I think it’s okay to slow down especially if things aren’t working out for you anymore. I’ve followed a lot of programs and so far, the only thing that’s worked is my whole 30 diet which I have been loving. Sometimes, it’s tough to find the right one.
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Having been recently diagnosed with Hashimoto’s, I am looking into eating what will help my body function better. I still slip and eat something that I shouldn’t, but I feel now I know just how important it is to eat well and get moving, even when I feel fatigued as one of my symptoms. No matter what, finding what works for each one of us and sticking to it is important and I wish you the best of luck!
I’m such a relationship person too! Don’t give up! You can do it! Thanks for sharing your experience. You are very real. – hollybunker.com
there was a period, two hellish years, during which i was working two jobs: stock at target (typically from four to eleven a.m., but during the holiday season it was two a.m. to noon, monday through saturday); sales associate at pottery barn kids (one to six p.m. weekdays, one to ten p.m. saturdays and noon to seven p.m. sundays). in that two year period, there was rarely a day i wasn’t working either job, and if that were the case, it was almost always because i’d requested the time off. two years of this. sure my bank account was happier. i was feeling pretty unwanted by life then, so i was breaking my back at work so i couldn’t think about how miserable i felt.
a few weeks before christmas, i quit my job at target. i’d been scheduled for a sunday shift, even though i’m not available to work that day. i’d been so exhausted from the previous day’s work that i was scared i wouldn’t be able to sleep saturday night, so i took half an ambien. the shift leader at target called my house at two a.m. sunday wondering where i was. i’d gone to bed two hours before, and was under the influence of a pretty powerful sleep aid… i went to work. and then at seven a.m., i was like what the fuck are you doing to yourself? i quit. no notice. nothing. it’s not something i normally do. but it’s one of the best decisions i’ve made in my life, one i’d make again with no qualms whatsoever.
sometimes quitting something, even if you think you’ve signed on for the thing for the right reasons, sometimes quitting is the best thing you can do for yourself. it sounds like that’s the case here. DO. NOT. allow guilt to change your opinion of a good choice.
also… that thing about vodka, that’s AWESOME. i love it. thanks for sharing it.
i’ll link a secrets post up, but it’s an older post, so…
I’ve started and stopped WW so many times it’s not even funny. I really do need to do something to get rid of this weight, though…
I’ve never tried WW but I am definitely one of those people that goes gym and clean-eating crazy at certain times and then backs off for no apparent reason at other times. I had finally just gotten back to managing 5 classes last week and then I strained a muscle in my stomach on Monday and haven’t been able to work out since then! ARGH! Back to square 1 it feels… *sigh* I hope the new approach works out and don’t be hard on yourself, sometimes it helps to just try something different!
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I’m not a program fan either. I’d have some success and then the moment I went back to the “normal” world, I’d gain weight back. I finally lost weight by just changing my eating habits slowly, one thing at a time.
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I have quit before, I stopped doing good and listening to my boss and lost a good paying job, so I have had to pick myself up, quitting to me is a feeling of loneliness so I try to avoid it but when you fall you can still get back up
What a great positive attitude! I also think if you slip up you didn’t “fail.” Just get back where you left off and do better going forward 🙂
the last time I quit something I couldn’t even tell you I think of it more of lack of follow through for me.
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I was definitely a repeat offender with Weight Watchers. It never worked because I didn’t work it the way it was designed, always picking and choosing the parts I wanted to follow and ignoring the other that took more effort. I got out of it what I put into it but kept going back because it was the only program that was realistic, a lifestyle change instead of a diet. At 39 I joined for the last time and a health challenge was all it took to get me to work the plan as it was designed and I started with the decision that I wasn’t giving up no matter what. Celebrating 12 years at a 70 pound loss and have been a leader for about 9 years now. I love being a part of changing lives for the better! I also attended different meetings to find a group I liked and wanted to marry, lol. When I entere with the right mindset, the sky is the limit!
Love you. Love your Blog.
Enjoyed reading your confessions and surely can relay to that.
Its good that Ankur and you are holding hands and trying to keep yourselves on an exercise routine.
Like you said, you need company and accountability. Here you have a live-in partner to report to….:):)
You two together can do it. I think once you start your day with this positive exercise path the rest
of the day will automatically be on track.
Good Luck and God Bless.
Oh Gawd! I’ve started quite a few things and quit half way. I always feel horrible about that. Recently I started a de-clutter your space group, and after cleaning one closet, I was like DONE! LOL, I have like 6 more closets that need to be decluttered as we speak.
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I think it’s great that you realized it’s not working for you right now. If something isn’t working, then it’s time to try something new. Just like it may take multiple tries to find an accommodation, it can take time to find something that works for you. 😉
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I enjoyed reading your post. I have been struggling with my sleep and my weight. It has been a struggle, but reading your post has brought encouragement! Thank you!