Saturday, November 13, 2010

Crunching The Numbers

One of the bloggers that I'm watching out there is struggling. Seriously struggling. Actually, struggling might not even be the right word because it implies that she's trying to fight back, and even that seems inaccurate. Backsliding might be a better word. Although I do aknowledge that we only see a slice of any given blogger's life, so she may be working like crazy but we just don't get to see it. Anyway, this blogger did it. She made it to goal. And now she's slipping and sliding, and what's truly interesting are her follower's reactions to it. People feel betrayed and angry. They want to feel like people can lose weight and then life is perfect. Calories in, calories out. The math is simple and basic and if you follow it, life gets better - no, life will be perfect.

Sadly, it ISN'T just about the numbers. Yep, the numbers will get you there. No doubt. And there are those out there who can live by the numbers - every day, for years. But there are those who can't. And even when you can, life sneaks up on you. You get arrogant. You get smug. You get happy with the status quo. I know it. I've been there. There's days when I am there. It's not the worst thing. But when it gets out of control - when you lose the balance and start to slide and don't pick yourself up right away - that's when it happens.

When I'm losing weight, it's like I get into a zone. I'm focused and on plan and I have it all figured out. Until the day that I don't. A few too many poor choices, a few skipped workouts, and it sneaks up and bites me.

It's hard to watch others slide. I'm not really afraid for myself. I just feel really sad for her, but I also know that it's a necessary part of her journey. We all have our own path through this, and no one can do it for us.

4 comments:

  1. It's too easy to slip out of the zone. Getting to goal is kind of scary. We've been overweight and dieting and focusing on taking the weight off most of our lives. What do we do when that isn't the focus anymore? uh.... I think some people put the weight back on because they don't know what else to do.
    It's like waiting for Christmas when you're a little kid. So excited. Can't wait for it to get here. and then on Christmas day in the afternoon when all of the excitement is over we're so lost without all of that excitement and anticipation. That's when you stuff your face with cookies and candy canes.

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  2. I have stopped following the blog you are talking about. She was one of the first blogs i read, but i find it totally heartbreaking to see the same food intake of ice cream and cookies day in and day out. I pray to whoever is listening that whenever i have lost 120lbs i will have conquered the demons that make me crave ice cream adn cookies. It is absolutely breaking my heart to watch her post another gain, although I have never commented because i am only at the start of my journey, so what do i know :(

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  3. I just wonder what it says about me that I don't want to watch when this happens to someone else, you know? There have been multiple bloggers where I've just said to myself that I can't watch them hurt themselves anymore. I have to look away for my own good, my own mental heath. Some of them fight their way back, and some of them don't. But there's other times when I feel like I have to be there for them, just being a witness to their journey. Whether they know I'm there or not.

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  4. I can't watch either Maude. It just breaks my heart, and i don't feel strong enough (or wise enough) to advise.

    Thank you for your lovely comment on my blog. Have an awesome week

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