20 Pounds–There And Back Again

For a couple of days last week, I had lost 20 pounds. I finally reached the elusive milestone and walked around in a silent, self-congratulatory haze. Then, in her always cruel way, Mother Nature struck as she does most months and the water weight piled on, three pounds worth.

There’s no real, concrete way to measure the success of the weight loss process other than with pounds. Some people say to concentrate on how the clothes feel, but depending on the material, whether it’s been newly washed, what I had for breakfast, how much water I’ve drunk, and so on, my "fat" pants can be hanging through the middle or digging into my waist. Looking in the mirror is no help, because I still don’t see a difference in how I look, even though many people have told me they can see it…I’m guessing that 50 pounds can disappear and I’ll still be seeing myself with them on.

Unfortunately, weighing in every day, or every other day, or even every week as Weight Watchers recommends, makes you vulnerable to seeing the effects of Mother Nature’s "gift" or high humidity or having pancakes two out of three days during a holiday weekend. It will go away. I’ll get back on track with the evening walk and the Wii Fit and the 64 ounces of water and unsweetened iced tea. And Mother Nature will take her gift and leave for a while. And the pounds will go away again.

And I’m told that 20 pounds in four months isn’t bad–it’s an average of five pounds per month, which is approximately 1.5 pounds per week. That’s the supposedly healthy rate at which to lose, the rate at which you keep it off. So if I look at it from that perspective, it’s OK. It’s the short-term fluctuations that make me crazy.