Losing Weight 10 Pounds at a Time

I always forget about November 1.

After trick-or-treating is done, the kids pile all their candy on the floor and pick out what they actually like. They toss aside the bubble gum and the oddly colored bricks of chewy stuff. They stare curiously at the toothbrushes thinking maybe they should keep them, but then the disgust of actually getting a toothbrush for Halloween takes over and they toss them aside, too. They make trades with each other, like I used to trade baseball cards, getting one thing they really like for two or three things they don't like as much. Then they look at me.

"Here, Dad. This is the stuff we don't want." They push a massive pile of sugary awesomeness toward me.

Now, in previous years, I would've snatched up a few choice things and gone to town. Some years I'd bag it all up and take it to work to give it away (meaning that it would sit on my desk, and I would eat most of it). But this year is different. I picked out one thing, a small Snickers bar, and enjoyed it. I put the rest aside for any other trick-or-treaters that might come by, and then we threw it away.

Felt pretty good actually.

"But you're wasting food!" my inner voice screams. That's a common phrase my inner voice uses. I hear it at restaurants when I think I couldn't possibly eat any more. Or at family or church gatherings where there's always a ton of food to be had. And some days it's harder to ignore than others.

But on this Halloween evening, it was easier. Perhaps because of how the rest of the weekend went. It didn't go too badly, but we did have a family birthday party where the meal and the desserts were a little too enticing.

Even though I had too much to eat that night, I remembered my contract with myself and the promises I'd made. It brought me back to reality, and I was able to correct my course a little quicker than usual.

And then comes November 1.

It turns out everyone else has the same problems I do. I walk by someone's desk, and they have a bag of candy his kids didn't want. Another has brought in leftover cookies for the rest of us to enjoy. Another area I walked through had a tray of cupcakes out, with an inviting "Please take one!" sign. Everywhere I turn, the temptations are staring me back in the face.

But this is the world we, the overweight, live in. These things are out there, and we have to learn to cope with them. How did I deal with it?

I sat at my desk, drank water and chewed gum. I did my lunch break walk. I passed that test.

And it wasn't that tough of a test really. As I've said before, my main struggles are during dinner and the evening hours. But I'm trying to spread out my eating during the day a little more, so that I have a better balance and am not famished by the time dinner rolls around. I try to wait to eat lunch until I feel hungry, instead of just eating because the clock says it's lunchtime.

The rest of my family doesn't seem to have the same problems I have. They can eat dinner and put it away and be fine the rest of the night. In the past, I'd find myself sneaking food so they wouldn't know. I still feel the urge to do that, but for the most part, I'm resisting it. Breaking habits and making new ones is hard!

As far as my 10 pounds by Halloween challenge went, I almost made it. I was only 0.7 pounds short. Given my recent history, I'd consider that a success. My next goal is going to be another 10 pounds by December 1. I'm inching closer to my lowest weight this year that I reached back in May, before I started gaining again. I like the idea of setting smaller, short-term goals. It keeps it all manageable.

My soft drink ban is still going pretty well, too. I won't lie to you; I did have two or three Diet Cokes this month, but it's still nowhere near what I used to do. I'm working on two weeks now without a soft drink. I do keep a bottle of club soda in the fridge. It satisfies my "fizzy drink craving," but I don't think it contains all the nasty chemicals regular sodas have. Does that count?

I'm still using Weight Watchers Online for Men. It's going pretty well. Now that I've got a lot of the usual foods that I eat saved as favorites, I can log my food a lot quicker. Some days, I don't get close to reaching my point target. I wonder if I should eat something else to get closer to the daily target even though I'm not hungry. Sounds like a trap to me. I don't do it.

We had a little minor illness in the family on Saturday, so we didn't make it out to the community workout. But I heard it didn't go very well. Nowhere close to breaking the record. Oh, well, maybe next time.

My goal this week is to really focus on getting some exercise. I enjoy my lunchtime walk, but I need to try and get some more in. I'm thinking about getting up earlier in the morning or going out late at night for a walk/run. I'm already waking up at 5:30 a.m. in the morning as it is, so I think the late night run might be a better idea. Throw in some sit-ups, push-ups, and maybe the bicycle, and I should be good to go. It's just something I've got to make myself do. Right now it's raining -- a lot. So my outdoor activity has been curtailed.

For those of you who exercise at home, what are your tips and tricks? Any online tools or methods that are particularly helpful for you?

More on Tipping the Scales:
Signing a Contract With Myself
The Art of Self-Control
Running and Random Acts of Kindness

After decades of dieting only to gain it back, two That's Fit readers have decided to finally rethink their relationship with food and exercise over the next year to move toward a lifetime of fulfilling, healthy living. Come by every week as Ashley and Lee share their successes and challenges as they tip the scale.


Weight Watchers provided me with a free trial membership to try out their program for a limited time. All thoughts are my own.