Twelve years ago this week, I reached my ultimate weight loss goal and became a WW lifetime member. I remember this vividly, because it was also just before my birthday weekend, and my parents had given me a HUGE gift card to go shopping for clothes.
That was one of the best weekends of my life.
I remember running through the mall, trying on clothes in sizes that I hadn't worn in years, and grinning so hard my cheeks hurt. I remember squealing in the fitting room and hugging the saleslady who kept bringing me smaller sizes.
"Honey, that's too big on you." She said obliviously, "I think you need the next smaller size." I was literally exploding with absolute glee.
It was amazing.
Twelve years later, I am still going strong and keeping off my 40 pound weight loss (give or take a few pounds depending on the day), but for some reason - I no longer squeal with glee when I try on a pair of jeans.
So what happened?
Maintenance.
It ain't thrilling. It ain't sexy. It ain't easy.
But it's necessary.
I mean, Jean Nidetch lost 72 pounds and has kept it off for 50 years. That's right. I said 50 years. You gotta respect that.
Maintenance is tough work, and it is not very rewarding. The compliments are scarce and the accolades are few and far in between, so we need to find ways to settle in for the long haul and learn how to keep the WW love alive.
I, for one, like to focus on small accomplishments and try new things. Here's an example:
So how do you keep it fresh? How do you stay motivated and keep yourself excited about the weight loss journey after the thrill is gone? What's your "Frankfurter Spectacular"?
Do tell...
7 comments:
that. is. amazing.
and so are you!!!
my motivation waxes & wanes. i have nothing to share...today :)
My motivation sits in front of me every Tuesday night at 6 PM when I am the Weight Watcher leader. My motivation gives me hug around my waist and his arms reach easily when finger tips once never met. My motivation is my first grand child, a girl, who I was alive to see born in Sept.and my plan to be alive to see her get married. Finally, my motivation is the steadfast knowledge that I am worth the effort! (Hmm...perhaps this will become my new blog post :)
That hotdog thing actually is fairly amazing. Very weird and interesting. It reminds me of the big pile of red and green Rice Krispies balls I stacked up for Christmas. My kids just looked at it and stared, completely speechless.
:-) Marion
This is a great idea for a post, Mimi. Congrats on your awesome maintenance! I am about 10 pounds away from goal, and I can't wait to go on a shopping spree like the one you describe. Cheers!
Congrats Mimi. It's the long run that always counts most in life.
I'll let you know when I AM motivated (this post has helped a bit).
I ADORE that Frankenfurter Spectacular - no guts, no glory HA!
This is an amazing post. We actually spoke about this for a few moments in our meeting today. I hope that one day, when I get Lifetime, that I will have some words of wisdom on how to keep things fresh.
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