I am officially in diet limbo. I have been wondering if I have lost enough weight and whether I should stop dieting and start the weight maintenance phase. The first few days of that did not go well. I gained six pounds immediately, so I have dieted it off and am back at 192.
I got out the book that contains my written goals; they were not exactly as I remembered them. The goals were to weigh less than 220 by the middle of October, 2006. I actually weighed 202. Here is the goal that I forgot about; to have a “possible” goal of less than 190 by the middle of October, 2007. I weigh 192 now. Finally, I set an “ideal” goal of “about” 175, keeping my weight between 170 and 180 forever.
The ideal goal is the weight that all of the prevalent weight charts say that I should weigh if I am 5’10” and have a large frame. For a number of reasons, I am wondering if the ideal goal is attainable. As hard as I have been dieting, it is now very difficult to lose more weight. I have developed muscle from swimming which may account for some of the extra weight.
My doctor and my wife have commented that I look gaunt. My doctor is my conscience and my voice of reason; my wife is the only person on the planet that I want to please with my looks. I went into a GNC store to buy an over-the-counter “fat burner” which my doctor recommended. This lady, who makes her living selling supplements to people, looked at me and suggested that I had lost enough weight.
I do know that I have failed miserably in the past when I tried to maintain an ideal weight by “eating sensibly”. My doctor tells me that he eats a very small breakfast and lunch and a reasonable, but satisfying dinner. I may try that.
Twenty-five years ago, I dieted to a reasonable weight and kept it off for a few years by running six miles a day. The problem was that I didn’t learn to eat right; I just learned how hard I had to work to maintain my weight and my “preferred eating habits”.
This time I need to maintain a proper diet because my general health is at issue. I do not want to do what I did this week; eat a few days and then diet it back off for a few days. My exercise level is really good; I just need to find an eating plan that will last for the next 25-30 years.
Stay tuned on Thursday mornings.
Ed Paul is a Families.com Adoption blogger. Read his blogs here.