Day 1 Back on Track - Accountability

[jessiejess]

Well, I posted yesterday that after 4 years, I've had some difficulties and have, as a result, gained 50lbs in the past 2 years. I am recommitting myself for real this time and had day 1 yesterday. I weighed in the morning at 186 and by the end of the day, after drinking several bottles of water and eating very light, I had lost 2 lbs. That's what water weight can do, my friends! I said my goal was to have no alcohol this weekend because alcohol is the reason I gained so much weight. Well, I didn't exactly reach that goal. I did have some wine but it was in moderation and I balanced out my calories to make room for it. But still, I'm not okay with that. But I keep telling myself that I can't give it all up in one day or I'll feel like a failure and quit it all. So I made room for a couple of glasses of wine and that was it. I woke up this morning at 183. I've had one meal today. I had a bleu cheese turkey burger patty - no bread. See, I've followed Tinman's mantra this whole time - with the exception of my time in "the hole" as I call it - and his mantra bought me nothing but success. SO I'm following it again but I can't remember the whole thing. Lol. I just remember that I also listened to my body throughout my whole journey. If I wanted it, I had it but I did it in moderation. I counted nothing except protien and I worked out every day. I stayed away from carbs for a long time but did put them back into my diet once I really got into fitness. But for right now, I need to do the carb purge so that's my plan. I'm not perfect and I'm going to make unwise choices. But as long as most of my choices are good ones, I'll be alright. Progress, not perfection.
So, day 1 was a success. And, I left out the fact that since I've put on weight, I've also become a recluse. I don't want to go anywhere because I don't want to be seen. I felt so good thin and now I feel like the fat girl in the room again. So I stay home. Well, today we're getting out of the house. I've got some errands to run and we're going to see a movie. I've got to get my "ME-ness" back. It's going to be hard because I've developed a lot of social anxiety, largely in part to all the shootings that go on now. I'm in Houston and I feel very vulnerable when I go to malls or public venues. I'm a safety manager and have been to too many seminars on active shooters so I know it can happen anywhere. I've become paranoid. That partnered with my anxiety over my appearance makes for a home bound person who used to be an "on-the-go" social butterfly. It's kind of sad and something I have to snap out of.
So, in a few minutes, I'm going to drag my lazy ass off this couch, go put on some make up, put on the size 12 jeans I'm so ashamed of but accept the fact that they are just temporary and I'm lucky to be wearing a size 12, and get out of here. I'm going to go to the mall. We're going to go see a movie. We're going to have oysters (YUM!!!!) and I'm going to have a good time in my own skin.
Right now, I'm working on forgiving myself and finding myself again. Everything else goes along with it. So here I go!
And by the way, I'm nervous as HELL!!

[Dutchie]

Wow!
I applaud you!
You are one strong lady.

[AnnieG]

Oh, bless your heart. It's so hard when we let ourselves get lost somewhere. I think it's really at least for me a whole different process than the losing weight. I lose myself, and then I think I don't deserve to be healthy or feel good or look good. I'll be praying for you and you sound like you've made up your mind get back or your happiest which is with yourself. Thank you for such a personal share.

[Christie13]

Way to go getting back into the swing of things. You can do this. Keeping fighting the fight and get back to your happy, healthy weight!

[overweightofficer]

just so you know that the amount of people dying in gun violence is lower than it was in the 90s you just see a lot more stuff publicized...i suggest taking your safety in to your hands by learning self defense and possibly exploring the possibility in taking a ccw class so you have a means to defend yourself..

[Stacey03]

Jessie,
Im barracking for ya xx

[jessiejess]

I'm in Texas. It's a requirement to have or at least know how to shoot a gun. Lol. Sig P 238, baretta, 357, and my Remington 870 pump action 12 gauge are my favorites. But my remi kicks the hell out of my shoulder now that I don't have all the fat protecting me. I can open carry but i prefer not to. My sig just fits in my purse.

[sraebaer]

Size 12 is not fat! And in your photos you are beautiful. Just keep up what you're doing, but don't hide away because you think you're unattractive. I like your idea about getting healthy again, and not worrying about your size jeans.

[Cale]

". . .since I've put on weight, I've also become a recluse. I don't want to go anywhere because I don't want to be seen."

That's a lot of people. My weight has gone up and down my whole life. When it's up---I barely leave the house. When it's down---I'm Dean Martin.

[DHB]

I'm dreaming of putting my size 12 jeans back on and that is definitely not fat. But I'm glad to hear your words of warning as I start this journey. You've come so far and I look forward to hearing how you get yourself back on track. You're an inspiration!

[Stacey03]

How are you going Jessie?

[tinman]

Well, I posted yesterday that after 4 years, I've had some difficulties and have, as a result, gained 50lbs in the past 2 years. I am recommitting myself for real this time and had day 1 yesterday. I weighed in the morning at 186 and by the end of the day, after drinking several bottles of water and eating very light, I had lost 2 lbs. That's what water weight can do, my friends! I said my goal was to have no alcohol this weekend because alcohol is the reason I gained so much weight. Well, I didn't exactly reach that goal. I did have some wine but it was in moderation and I balanced out my calories to make room for it. But still, I'm not okay with that. But I keep telling myself that I can't give it all up in one day or I'll feel like a failure and quit it all. So I made room for a couple of glasses of wine and that was it. I woke up this morning at 183. I've had one meal today. I had a bleu cheese turkey burger patty - no bread. See, I've followed Tinman's mantra this whole time - with the exception of my time in "the hole" as I call it - and his mantra bought me nothing but success. SO I'm following it again but I can't remember the whole thing. Lol. I just remember that I also listened to my body throughout my whole journey. If I wanted it, I had it but I did it in moderation. I counted nothing except protien and I worked out every day. I stayed away from carbs for a long time but did put them back into my diet once I really got into fitness. But for right now, I need to do the carb purge so that's my plan. I'm not perfect and I'm going to make unwise choices. But as long as most of my choices are good ones, I'll be alright. Progress, not perfection.
So, day 1 was a success. And, I left out the fact that since I've put on weight, I've also become a recluse. I don't want to go anywhere because I don't want to be seen. I felt so good thin and now I feel like the fat girl in the room again. So I stay home. Well, today we're getting out of the house. I've got some errands to run and we're going to see a movie. I've got to get my "ME-ness" back. It's going to be hard because I've developed a lot of social anxiety, largely in part to all the shootings that go on now. I'm in Houston and I feel very vulnerable when I go to malls or public venues. I'm a safety manager and have been to too many seminars on active shooters so I know it can happen anywhere. I've become paranoid. That partnered with my anxiety over my appearance makes for a home bound person who used to be an "on-the-go" social butterfly. It's kind of sad and something I have to snap out of.
So, in a few minutes, I'm going to drag my lazy ass off this couch, go put on some make up, put on the size 12 jeans I'm so ashamed of but accept the fact that they are just temporary and I'm lucky to be wearing a size 12, and get out of here. I'm going to go to the mall. We're going to go see a movie. We're going to have oysters (YUM!!!!) and I'm going to have a good time in my own skin.
Right now, I'm working on forgiving myself and finding myself again. Everything else goes along with it. So here I go!
And by the way, I'm nervous as HELL!!

Ok...I said I wasn't going to post on here much, if any, in the future. But, Jessica's post made me make an exception. I've been coming on here to answer pm's and such and when I do, I take a look see at what's up.

See, Jess, Ann, a long lost poster named Truffles and Dawnrogers7 are my girls. All are, and always will be, rock star losers. Now, before you say, "I get it tinman, you singled out posters who used your method to lose." Nope. Truffles and Ann, in fact, did the exact opposite of my plan and were quite militant about it.

Both shit smacked the scales.

I got several emails last week from folks who bought the book and tried my suggestions in it. They took the time to email me back and tell me that my way most certainly did not work for them, but, it got them to try different things and each of them found what worked best for them and they gamed the hell out of it. (another central point in the book...find what works for you) I've never been more happy to be told I don't know what I'm talking about. That's what makes the sleeve such a powerful too. I call it the WMD of weight loss tools.

However, Jessie and Dawnie both did use my methods. So, as I've always said, there is more than one way to skin the sleeved cat. My way is my way, Truffles and Ann had their way, and Jess and Dawn used mine. What is common though is that all of us made a plan, stuck to it, made ourselves accountable for the results and changed up when it was needed.

So, let's talk about accountability. That is what is missing from Jessie's life. Jess, I want to invite you to come to one of my sleeve group meetings. You would fit in like shrimp in grits. The members of the group have changed dramatically from it's inception, but, the dynamic has not. We are a group of mostly rowdy as hell Texas women (that's a little repetitive as ALL Texas women are rowdy, and that's what I love about all of them) who love to get together and share stories and tips. We don't meet at houses or restaurants. We always meet at a bar where the setting is more informal and relaxed. We spend about an hour talking through problems and stalls, an hour or so gossiping, and usually, they spend an hour or so trying to fix me up. Like I said, rowdy. About half the group uses my method and the other half do their own thing. They all have one thing in common. They are accountable to themselves and the others in the group.

What makes the group work is the accountability piece. No one gets shamed, but, no one gets a pass either. If you start letting bad habits into your life, these women will talk it through and figure out the best way to reverse the back slide. I think of it like an AA meeting, except with alcohol....lol. I know, inappropriate. But what the hell, I'm tinman and I am nothing if inappropriate. (see my post about speedos and ziplines)

So, I would love to extend a personal invite to you to come check out the group the next time we meet. I also think it would be great if you wanted to bring Rick. I'll see to it that we meet somewhere down in your neck of the woods. They all love going to the Turtle Club so that may be just the ticket for you. You don't have to drink if you don't want to. In fact, if you don't want to, then I won't either. The bartenders there will be heartbroken as they love to make my personal favorite, The Roberita. The silver lining is that I won't have a 75.00 uber trip to pay for either.

Again, another story for another time.

For the rest of you who may be facing the same situation as Jessica, I'll tell you what I'm going to tell her. With the sleeve, everything, and I mean everything, must be done in moderation. I never, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, overeat...ever. For Jessie, it may be as simple as not over drinking. What's important is to make a plan, work the plan, own the results, and change as needed.

Here's the mantra that Jessica was speaking of earlier.

You are not on a diet.

Since you are not on a diet, you cannot be failing at a diet.

You will be sleeved for the rest of your life. So, this really is a marathon, not a sprint. Take your time to find a plan tailor made for you and work the hell out of it.

Carbs and fat are your friends, not the enemy.

You must eat as much protein as your little tiny baby tummy will let you. No less than 80 grams for folks over 3 months out and as much as you can for the newbies.

You must drink 64 oz of WATER a day. Mandatory, not elective. (I'm betting this is one of the reasons why Jess gained.) Not tea, coffee, coke, gatorade, protein shakes, beer, margaritas. WATER. H2O, AGUA. You can have all of that other stuff you want as long as you get in your 64 oz of water a day.

You must pay attention to the four pillars of weight loss using the sleeve. Nutrition, Hydration, Exercise, Supplements. Ignore any of those four and you will stall, stall often, and stay stalled for weeks and months at a time.

And finally, you must never, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever overeat....ever.

Thus endeth the mantra.

Jess, you and anyone who wants to can email me with questions or advice. Look forward to hearing from you.....again.

wmd1@gmx.com

[Ann2]

I so LOVE this ^^^^^, Robert.

Jess, I so hope you take Robert up on his invitation.

[Katrina]

It's so easy to know what we have to do to get and stay on the right track, but so much harder to actually do it. And why the hell do we always self sabotage? I've gained more weight than I want to. Though I still fit in all my clothes, I know that it's only a matter of time before that won't be the case if I keep letting the scale climb. Yet here I am saying I'm going to watch what I eat this week, and found myself at 4:30 this morning watching myself eat a pack of Twizzlers. And wouldn't you know that the scale is up another pound this morning to 117. Still a small enough number, but not when you consider that's a 15 pound gain since April 1st. I haven't been able to come to accept that I can't eat the same things I was able to eat the past 3 years and be able to maintain the weight loss, and I'm pouty about it. I'm going to miss the cookies, candy, and chips when/if I decide to finally put them down. But we can do it, Jess. If we want this badly enough, you can set down that wine and I can throw out the junk. We've come too far to keep sabotaging ourselves. Let's do this!!

[molly4]

Please do not tire writing such messages I for one feel as if you were talking to me, thank you I need to save your message somewhere on my phone so that I can read it every week thank you