Rough week. I learned that I’d only lost 2 pounds in the last 2 weeks. I’d been hoping to lose AT LEAST 4 pounds during this period. This was a bit of a crushing blow after losing 10 pounds in 3 weeks. I couldn’t stop thinking about what I might have done wrong. Sarah @ Eating Free looked over my database entries and we noted that my dinners have been a little large and I was going over on my carbs a little bit, so I decided to focus on improving these things for next week. I’d had one “large calorie” day, but really, 2 pounds in 2 weeks? Even a day with some booze and a small piece of cake shouldn’t keep me from averaging better than a pound a week for 2 weeks! (And for the record, it was Citizen Cake’s After Midnight Chocolate Cake, a freakin’ FIFTY FIVE DOLLAR CAKE; I picked it up for a party in my office, I didn’t cave and eat some crappy Safeway cake with plastic frosting — just so we’re clear, I didn’t get to be the big guy I am today by not having Cake Integrity.)
An interesting side effect of the weight loss process is how everyone in your life wants to get involved. While this is usually a good thing, I told a few people about my 2 pounds in 2 weeks, everyone started giving me all their theories. And some of theories were kinda annoying, and ill-informed. I know everyone wanted me to feel better, and yes, I totally understand that this is just ONE data point and beating myself up over it accomplishes nothing…but dammit, weight loss is emotional experience so I’m entitled to sulk a bit, right? Consider that freakin’ comic strip “Cathy.” That woman is NUTS, she sweats huge tear drops (they fly into the air!) every time she resists a piece of cake. I’m not neurotic like that. I just want better numbers. I’m a math guy. I always have been. I believe that success in this arena is measured by the numbers. Every time someone says to me “it’s not about the NUMBERS, it’s how you FEEL,” I say, “I will FEEL better when the NUMBERS are better.”
