It’s strange. I feel exposed and vulnerable since I put on 15 pounds. Here I am, a weight maintenance guru, failing to follow her most basic guidelines. Nonetheless, I have done it, and now I’m doing that thing we say never to do unless it’s a real emergency: dieting. I started a week ago when I scared myself by hopping on the scale. Yikes! Double yikes! Several days in a row.
As you know, I had a knee replacement in September. The weight management went on the back burner as I focused on physical therapy, walking, pain management, and, well, living in an altered body. I allowed myself seconds and homemade cookies during my recovery. Eating without a plan was fun but was not without consequences.
One thing we talk about in our book, Stop Losing and Win (which will probably be out in the summer), is how flimsy willpower is. For that reason, I was glad to have a plan and an alternate set of habits that allows me to eat a highly nutritious diet and leave off the junk. WW rewards you for eating lots of fruits, veggies, and lean proteins by making them zero-point foods. I’m not eating everything anymore, but my choices are delicious. Speaking of habits, using the WW tracker gives me instant feedback and assures that I will continue to lose weight as long as I use it. It’s good to have a plan.
All that PT and walking? They have paid off. I now have the strongest legs I have had since I was a teenager (and didn’t have to work at it). The new knee is remarkable and, after over 10 years of incapacitation, I’m amazed at what it can do. I’ll have the second knee replaced in January, but this time, I won’t go way off my plan, wandering in the wilderness months. Let’s just see if I can pat my head and rub my tummy at the same time.
Stop Losing and Win 