At least that is what I hope for this month. Last month ended up as a complete standstill, weightloss-wise. But I still think my body is rebuilding, especially where skin is concerned.
That´s also where I disagree with Alan. Yes, getting rid of my extra baggage is something I can´t wait to finish. But, considering that the human body is in a constant state of renewal, with cells being replaced by new ones all the time, I think it is possible to take advantage of that fact. Namely, I do not want to have to go under the knife to have my skin re-tailored to my slimmer body. Just as you get stretch marks only when you gain faster than your skin will re-grow in the bigger size, it should be possible to avoid those hanging skin folds at least partly by losing only as fast as your skin will adapt to.
Oh, and if Alan should read this (I haven´t found out yet how to post a comment to him directly)- if an obese person loses a pound a week he will be 52 pounds lighter by the end of a year. Which is certainly better than not losing anything at all. Or gaining.There are many of us who do not have, either the willpower, or the metabolism, to stick to a plan as strict as what Alan advocates. But, that doesn´t mean that losing weight is hopeless for them. It just means it may take a while longer.
There´s a fine line between encouraging someone and discouraging him.
It´s one thing I found out about myself when trying to find an explanation why it had taken me so long to get rid of the weight I acquired seven years ago. The very thought of being a hundred pounds overweight just stopped me cold when thinking about how long I would take to get rid of them again.
Now, if I had started to lose in increments of as little as a pound a month back then, and kept that up, I would have gone below the point of morbid obesity almost two years ago.
I am still above that point, so, yes, I am kicking myself for not starting sooner. But every time I climb the three flights of stairs to our flat and do not need to pull myself up by the handrail one step at a time, I know that every pound I lose helps my health. Even if I might have lost two of them by following a very strict regime.
And there´s something else.
For a binge eater in recovery like myself, the very thought of never again being allowed to eat something is a surefire trigger.
So, in order for my weight loss to be sustainable, I have to find a way of losing that works with that peculiarity of mine.
Besides, it was my old eating habits that got me fat. Were I to revert to them after condensing myself, I would pile the pounds back on quickly.
Any plan that is so severe that you can´t wait to get off it again, bears in it the seeds of a big-time relapse.
So, I´d rather get below morbid obesity a bit later and stay below it for good, than celebrate an early victory only to lose the war in the end. After all, it´s been scientifically observed that repeated yo-yo dieting is more dangerous to someone´s health than just being overweight.
Julia
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