One might think that a dieter like me would be setting the DVR every week for The Biggest Loser. In truth, I have only recently seen the show, tuning in for the first time once a few weeks ago, and this past week. I am not quite sure how I feel about the show, and here's why.
This past week was "makeover week." Apparently, people don't lose much during makeover week, because they are not focused on the gym as usual. Funny that this aired on the week after Thanksgiving, when I'd imagine most dieters also didn't do so well in their own weigh-ins. Here's how I did:
On Nov. 23, the week before Thanksgiving -
Weight: 215
Pounds lost: 3 lbs.
Total pounds lost: 54
On Nov. 29, the week after Thanksgiving -
Weight: 213
Pounds lost: 2 lbs.
Total pounds lost: 56
I am elated with this weight loss, but I am not surprised. On Thanksgiving day, I arrived at my mother-in-law's house with all the right things: green salad, my shakes, and lots of Crystal Light. I knew that if I had a shake before the meal, I wouldn't be as hungry, and would make good choices. I also visited Calorie King online (and found an iphone app for it - woot!) and looked up stuffing, cornbread dressing, mashed potatoes, rolls, yams, apple pie and pumpkin pie - and saw the calories each had, and the carbohydrates within. The very high numbers of each one deterred me from even THINKING about having more than a taste of each, and I remembered that when it was time to fill my plate. I had a spoonful of cornbread dressing and another spoonful of yams, some turkey with a little dressing, and a very large green salad. When others went back for seconds, I drank my Crystal Light and spent time enjoying the conversation. And when dessert was served, halfway through our Mexican Dominoes game, I had a cup of coffee instead. I made all the right choices, and for the first time in my life, Thanksgiving wasn't about the food - it was about family and sharing our time. This is a VERY big deal. I will never again look at Thanksgiving the same way, and for this, I am more thankful that I can adequately express.
During this week's Biggest Loser episode, before the five contestants got on the scale, we heard a lot about how "makeover week" is often a big disappointment for the weight loss stats. One of them only lost one pound, and everyone was aghast. The remaining four all had huge losses, and the lady who lost only one pound was voted off. I felt just terrible for her... and again, thankful.
The process I'm engaged in with the New Directions team does not entirely focus on the scale's numbers... the staff there often talks about the many ways of measuring success. I wished that Sunny, the one-pound-loss contestant, could sit down with my supporters and hear them say, "your clothes are smaller! You have more energy! You feel great! You can do so much more in the gym now than you could 11 weeks ago! One pound is good, by the way - keep it up!" These are all measures of success, and she has them. She talked about all of them - and they showed footage of her struggling at the beginning on the treadmill, and running easily now. But in that moment, when she weighed in, everyone was just disappointed in her. She looked stunned, confused, and sad. I really wanted to tell her that our bodies have cycles, and sometimes hold water weight... that it's not an exact science, and sometimes you ebb and flow with weight loss... and that next week, she'd probably lose plenty. But I couldn't.
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