So yesterday Regan and I were talking. And she asked a question: Why is it so easy to backslide on the 20/20 lifestyle, if the lifestyle is so wonderful and we enjoy it so much? (20/20 Lifestyles is the name of the weight-loss program we both did.)
She's got a point: Our bodies feel great when we eat properly and exercise, and our self-confidence increases when we know we look good and when we can do things we never thought we could.
However, it's easier to backslide than to stay on track. Here's why, in my opinion.
1) Food is everywhere. When don't we include food in our events - from an afternoon of shopping to a full day of meetings to cookies and hot chocolate after playing in the snow. Eating is ingrained in our culture and part of the enjoyment of everyday life.
2) There's always an excuse not to exercise. I'm tired, I'm sick, the kid is sick, work is busy, I need to do X, Y, Z. I can do it later.
3) We believe other people get to eat what they want. I watch one of my co-workers eat a burger, fries, cookies, and non-diet soda every day for lunch. He doesn't gain weight. When I sit next to him and just look at his food (with lust in my heart - for his food, of course), I gain a few ounces.
4) We get sick of the discipline required to maintain the lifestyle. The 20/20 lifestyle imposes a rigidity against which we sometimes want to rebel. I talked to a friend who did 20/20 then gained back...oh, I don't know, maybe 100 pounds! A lot, anyway, and he said pretty much he just didn't care. He didn't want to make the effort anymore. On 20/20, you're constantly thinking about your calories and your exercise and your heart rate and a zillion other numbers. All that structure is just ripe for rebellion...and see point #1, there's always food around for when you are in those moments.
5) We get annoyed with the knowledge we have. It's incredibly frustrating sometimes to know that a tablespoon of olive oil is 140 calories, and adding that to my two slices of bread before dinner in a nice restaurant nets me a total of maybe 340 calories - before I even eat the entree or dessert! Oh, and to burn 340 calories I need to exercise hard for 45 minutes. Seriously, this is so selfish, but I hate that McDonald's prints the number of calories on their french fry containers. I know fries are gross - but for those five minutes after the fries are cooked, if they're perfectly salted and taken out of the fryer at the right moment, there's some incredible magic that makes them the most delicious things on earth, and the last thing I want to know is how many empty, stupid, soon-to-be-regretted calories I'm consuming. (But honestly, it wouldn't matter if McDonald's didn't print the calories on the boxes, because I learned the numbers during 20/20 and I unfortunately can't forget them.)
6) But finally, and I think this is the big one, we think we're more powerful than the temptation of food. We have lost weight and we have the tools to do it again; knowing we can gives us a false confidence that we can eat what we want today and fix it tomorrow.
WE CAN'T. Now I know, somehow I've kept most of my weight off for two and a half years. I think I've been successful at that only because I'm still fascinated that I can swim and bike and run - all in the same day sometimes, too! I'm still entertained by seeing my muscles in the mirror when I lift weights. And I'm still amazed that I can go to a regular clothing store and buy anything I want because I know something will fit me (as opposed to when I wore a size 14/16/18/20 and either had to hope the extra-large fit me or shop at stores with "women's" sizes).
The 20/20 office considers me a success. In fact, I just was asked to appear in their brochures touting the program, and I'm happy to do it. I've definitely changed my lifestyle, and I've definitely kept the weight off. But it's work every single day, and so far it hasn't gotten easier.
So I think we backslide because temptation, laziness, excuses, and cockiness trump our best intentions and the good feelings eating right and exercising produce (because eating sugar and drinking alcohol and eating McDonald's fries produce good feelings too ... at least for a while).
I'd love to close this post with a list of things we can do to counter our backsliding. Alas, it's not that easy ... but I'll think about that too and see what I come up with. Or you can tell me what works for you, and whether this rings true for you, too.
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5 comments:
There is no way I could keep weight off for good with diet and "working out" alone. Training, and trying to eat for training while still being able to indulge at times, makes it a lifestyle for me.
How many times do I hear overweight women stare at women who are thin and fit, and say, "she's so lucky." That is a very common misconception. True, a very small percentage of women are naturally thin, but the other 99% have to work really f'in hard at it, and it SUCKS.
That said, I wish I had an ounce of your discipline when it comes to food. Working out is an addiction to me and I can do it till I fall over, but I'm so weak around those fries. I guess that's a good tradeoff, right?
I think fries for training is really the only tradeoff to make if we want to stay in shape and eat what we like. However, I wish I could turn off the desire for and enjoyment of food. Or maybe it's about moderation - although even though I understand what moderation means, I wish it were natural. I'm not sure it ever will be for me.
And I think that might be the difference between me and those naturally thin women - either they don't love food like I do, or they innately can moderate themselves. Or, maybe they just work harder than me. Whatever it is, I'm still jealous. :-)
I'm jealous too... I see them all over my office, skinny women that don't work out. I'm learning to be ok with it though, I'm playing the "they can't run a marathon" card a LOT these days.
A few other things that innevitably make me slide... stress, lack of sleep and a reason to drink alcohol with friends.
I think the biggest thing for me is I a) loose focus. something else comes up and I don't have the mindset anymore to keep going. And b) the cockiness factor - I think, oh, I'm doing so well, I look great, can move my body, I'll just have this piece of cake and get back on it tomorrow. Hah!
Now before you judge too many of those women, keep in mind that sometimes we don't know all the facts. I know one of those "skinny" women who seems to eat/drink whatever she wants. A few months into the 20/20 program, I asked how she did...and that was when I found out she ran 7 miles! Every day! She doesn't go the Pro Club (although she's a Microsoftee) and doesn't do any other sort of workout, but the run gives her the burn she needs.
On the plus side, my diet has been going great and things seem to be back on track - yay! ;)
Hugs to all,
Regan
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