The purpose of this blog is to help me keep my head straight while I lose weight; it’s my form of accountability, and I believe it has helped me. While I don’t have a loss to report this week, I’d like to revisit some old topics; both for those that might seek some helpful tips, and to remind myself about methods that work. (These tips may not work for everyone; your mileage may vary.)

Accountability. While it’s sometimes very uncomfortable to be public about my journey, knowing I have people who expect me to give them updates helps. There are times when, frankly, I don’t want to talk about weight loss, or I don’t really feel like owning up to a misstep or a sour mood, but not everything about this journey is perfect.

Those are the times I need to be the most transparent because they’re the weak times. When I get frustrated or I don’t feel well, I’m more likely to think “screw all of this!” and drop off a diet. I’ve done it so many times in the past that I know the thought process. Knowing that people will ask me how I’m doing, or expect an update, gives me one more reason to keep up the good fight when I’m not at my strongest or best.

I can’t say it enough — thanks for being there for me. I appreciate the fact that you exist, and that you take the time to read my words.  You help me, every single day.

Planning. “Failing to plan is planning to fail” — it’s absolutely true. All of us get caught off guard by circumstances beyond our control and have to make the best of it. If caught in a bind, it’s far too easy to shrug it off and eat whatever’s available, even if it’s not on plan. The best solution is to always have something with you that can tide you over until you can make better choices.

I’m guilty of this. I had an awards luncheon to attend, last week, but had no way to find out what was on the menu. Instead of carrying something with me to snack on until I could have more healthy choices, I just rolled the dice. Luckily, the menu included good options, but I should not have put myself in that situation.

If I’m dining at an unfamiliar place, I’ll research it (if that’s possible). If websites don’t have restaurant menus on them, often services like Facebook do. I like knowing what I’m facing in advance; it keeps me in control of the situation. Smartphones are great for dieters! Even if I’m trying to decide on the fly, I still have that available.

Failing that, I use a service called My Fitness Pal. It has an app available, and many foods from chain restaurants are listed. If I’m not sure about something on the menu, I can look it up there.

Tracking. Another mention of My Fitness Pal; I use it to track my meals and physical activity. To be honest, I’m not absolutely crazy about all of its functions; I want the ability to track more information, but I don’t feel their paid service merits the cost. (Otherwise, it’s free.)

(One caveat that I find irritating about MFP: exercise calories are added to daily allotments, insinuating that it’s okay to eat more. I don’t think this is a good idea because I’m not convinced their exercise calorie burn amounts are entirely accurate. Why take the chance?)

If I stray, it’s usually because I decide I’m not going to track something. It’s part of my accountability to myself; in order to be successful, I really do need to know what I’m eating. Guessing doesn’t cut it. Measuring food servings, and being honest about those serving sizes, is a must.

Previously, I’ve tried to get by without weighing myself, because I know I take an emotional hit when the scale isn’t cooperating. While I found some limited success in only using clothing sizes as an indicator of weight loss, it didn’t work for me. However, using several methods helps me mentally; when scale weight doesn’t indicate progress, physical measurements and clothing fit often do. I’ve learned to never rely on just one method for gauging success.

Self-Respect. This is a tough one; if someone compliments me about anything, including weight loss, I tend to try to counter it somehow. I have been making an effort to shut up and say “thank you” instead of answering “but I’ve got a long way to go”.

This also includes how I care for myself. I’ve been making the effort to wear clothes that fit, rather than baggy ones, and getting the too-big clothes out of the house. I don’t want to hedge my bets and keep bigger clothes around, just in case I fall off my diet. No! I should be proud of my accomplishments, and I should present myself in the best light, and that means feeling good enough about myself to get rid of the things I shouldn’t be wearing anymore.

Internally, self-respect also means not punishing myself. I’m admittedly really hard on myself, and that can cause problems. I don’t necessarily pamper myself; a little of that is fine, but not all the time. I also take the occasional few days where I relax my diet. Mind you, when I say “relax”, I don’t mean “blowout”; this might mean eating rice and beans with a Mexican dinner, not eating the largest dessert on the menu. I also do this with the full understanding that there’s a price to pay, and I have to accept that before I take a bite.

I also make sure that when I do choose to eat something off-plan, it’s actually good food. Nothing irritates me more than to spend my carbs and calories on bad food; my diet is pretty bland most of the time, so I want to fully enjoy and appreciate off-plan meals.

Self-Acceptance. This is one of the hardest things for me to do. I have lived for so long with a body that I despise that actually seeing photos of myself makes me cringe. I’m critical, no matter what. If a photo is taken at a bad angle, I’m more likely to beat myself up and tell myself I haven’t made the progress I think I have, than simply understand that everyone has the occasional bad photo.

My idea of what I look like often doesn’t match that of others. At this moment, my mental picture matches the physical one, but that’s not always the case. No matter what, I have to accept that this is a body in transition, but still me. This is also a slow process that requires I evaluate on a day-to-day basis, and it’s often easy to get lost in thinking too far down the road. I have to consciously remain in this moment, not dwell on what will happen as I continue to lose.

If you have other thoughts and tips, please share them! (Look for me on My Fitness Pal as LFTS.)