Numbers Don't Lie But They Don't Tell the Whole Story

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As of this morning, I have lost a total of 12lbs. Yay! But I know it's coming in a few days, I can feel it...the bane of every woman's dieting: that time of the month. One of the reasons that I started charting my daily weight was because I knew I would need encouragement when that time of the month arrived. Intellectually, I know that the weight I gain is water weight and that it will go away in a few days. However, on an emotional level, I all but plunge into a tailspin of despair when I see the increase on the scale.

The day I started my weight loss program, I decided that I would weigh myself each morning and chart the results on my Google calendar. If you click on the picture, you can see the results in black and white, or blue and white, but you get the idea. And yes, that's my real weight. The numbers with an asterisk indicate that it's that time of the month. Is counting calories and charting my daily weight worth all of the effort? The short answer is yes.

I swore I would never do Weight Watchers again. Why? Nothing pissed me off more than to attend the weekly meeting during that time of the month, pay my fee, step on the scale and see that I had gained a pound or two, and then feebly try to explain to the Weight Watchers coach while sounding like a guilty person trying to convince others of her innocence. This time, I decided that everything I knew about weight loss, I already learned in kindergarten. (Okay, not really.) I needed to count calories, cut calories, and exercise. And, more importantly, this time, I needed to realize that changing my attitude toward food had to be the main goal, not merely losing weight. Maybe some people learn all of this at Weight Watchers - kudos to you if you are - but I didn't.

I use this calorie calculator to help me determine the daily calories I need for weight loss and then zig zag those calories. I use a couple of calorie counters here and here to determine the calories in foods that don't come in packaging. Finally, I use a recipe calculator to determine calories for some of my favorite recipes. Don't get me wrong, counting calories is cumbersome, however, it gives me an enormous sense of control over what I can eat. I ate a cupcake this afternoon, and yes, I wrote it down in my daily calorie log. When I did Weight Watchers, I always felt guilty for something, whether it was that time of the month or the occasional splurge.

I am encouraged by the progress that I've made, but as the title suggests, the numbers don't tell the whole story. The numbers don't tell of the changes that I've made in my eating habits or the 3 miles of daily walking that I do four times per week. Also, the numbers don't tell of the daily devotionals that I read for encouragement and perseverance. They don't tell the whole story, but they are an indication that I have made some changes in my life. What a difference a dozen makes.