Author of Weight-loss Book Gains 15 Pounds

Author of Weight-loss Book Gains 15 Pounds

When you read this, you could wonder why the author of a weight-loss book could gain weight when supposedly she's an expert in the field. And you might wonder if she'd have the guts to admit to her readers that she had gained weight, for fear no one who wanted to lose weight would ever want to read her book on the subject. Well, if you don't know me, you don't know I have to always tell the truth even when it's not pretty. I've gained 15 pounds in three months (that's five pounds a month!).

With that said, I hope you read my confession, given in the spirit of honesty in the hope that if you've fallen off any wagon of resolve, know you can always get back on and with a clearer understanding of yourself.

The 15-pound gain in three months was caused by three things.

1. I consumed too many carbs.

2. Compared myself to others who weigh more than I do (and dismissed scrutinizing those who weigh less than I do. (I've since learned that is textbook addict mentality).

3. Indulged in plain ol' entitlement issues (which I assign blame to Nelly, my inner child).

1. Too many carbs: I unconsciously turned date night into carb night, failing to recognize that I was gradually becoming more excited to be going out to be with Mr. French Fry and Mr. & Mrs. Bread & Butter than spending quality time with my husband. When you follow a low-carb lifestyle, it's so important to stay away from carbs, because they are addicting and they not only cause fat to stay with you, they cause thoughts of how good they are to stay in your head.

2. Comparing my body to other bigger bodies: In “The Mouth Trap: the butt stops here!” the book I wrote about losing weight on a low-carb diet, there's a chapter entitled, “How to Shoot Yourself in the Foot,” and it deals with this problem. Here's an excerpt that has helped me get back on my wagon.

When I was in denial about my weight, one of the biggest forces keeping me struggling was my penchant for judging others and comparing myself to them. For five years I sang in a Sweet Adeline Chorus made up of 130 women whose average age was 55 and average weight I'd guess was 175 pounds. I've never in my life seen such a massive collection of overweight, middle-aged women. When I compared my body to the average singer in that group I feltlittle.

But I was shooting myself in the foot. That tendency to compare cost me five years of dragging seven sacks of flour. [In the book I have my readers convert in their minds, their weight into five-pound bags of flour so seven sacks of flour equals the 35 pounds I wanted to lose and did.] I look back and wonder how I could have considered myself little. Had I been minding my own business I would not have judged any of those women. They have nothing to do with me and my weight problem. But I allowed comparing myself to them make me feel better about myself. Is there nineyear- old mentality lurking around here?

3. Entitlement Issues: Thoughts like, 'It's my daughter's birthday; I should be able to have cake and ice cream.' 'It's my son's birthday; I should be able to have cake and ice cream.' 'It's my birthday, what's wrong with celebrating once a year.' 'It's Terry's birthday, even though he's gluten and dairy intolerant, I should be able to have some cake and ice cream like everybody else is.' 'It's St. Patrick's Day, I should be able to have carbs, I'm Irish.' 'I was so sick with the flu; I deserve to celebrate my wellness with a visit to Burger King for a well-deserved Whopper.' 'It's Cinco de Mayo, I can have beer and chips, I love Mexico.' When our celebrations lead to weight gain, it's time to wake up and reset our entitlement meters.

If you gain weight easily, it most likely means you like sweets and all the white stuff; rice, pasta, bread and potatoes. It really is okay to have those foods once-in-awhile, but if you're too liberal with that notion you're in for weight gain. That's what happened to me. In the course of three months I had about 100 once-in-awhile eating sessions which set the tone for allowing more carbs into the house.

It wasn't that hard to get back on my wagon and now that I am, the carb craving has stopped and Nelly is settling down to minding my rules. No more white stuff, not even on date night and I'm happy to report I lost 2 pounds last week! I'm on my way and it feels great to be back on the wagon!

For more from Pam Young, go to www. cluborganized. com. You'll find many musings, videos of Pam in the kitchen preparing delicious meals, videos on how to get organized, lose weight and get your finances in order, all from a reformed slob's point of view. All Pam's books are available on Amazon.

‘MAKE IT FUN’

By PAMYOUNG

‘Make It Fun’ By Pam Young