Frustrating Success
Frustrating Success
Ever since our daughter was born 5 years ago, I have slowly put on weight. Not just a few pounds but almost 25. It just crept up on me with a little bite here, a little nibble there, and a few chips here and there to calm my nerves. I whined a lot about it but did little to change until Emmanuelle came back from seeing her family in France.
She told me about a new health/eating plan called the Protal Diet. Her sister lost 50 pounds in 6 months on the plan and we decided to do it together. I am officially at day 25 and have dropped from 195.4 to 186.8 pounds. Who is ready to jump on already? Before you do though, read the rest of the “Thought of the Week” so you know what you are getting into! Here are my results broken down into 5-day segments.
Days Start 195.4
1 to 5 195.4 193.4 191.4 191.6 191.8
6 to 10 191 190.4 190.4 190.2 189
11 to 15 190.4 190 188 190.2 188.4
16 to 20 188.4 189.4 188.6 189.8 187.8
21 to 25 186.6 185.8 186.6 186.6 186.8
Upon closer look there is a lot to learn about how “frustrating success” can be sometimes. Here are a few of my interpretations from the results.
• Overall, I am down 8.6 pounds in 25 days. That is fantastic!
• I experienced 44% of my weight loss in the first 5 days
• In the first 10 days I experienced 74% of my success
• 44% of the days my weight stayed the same or went UP instead of down
This is such a great example of what people experience in the pursuit of goals. I experienced the greatest amount of success, results and emotional highs the first 5 days of the program. I was flying high as I watched the scale tell me of my continued success everyday. The second five day period I still experienced success even though it slowed down in its momentum and smaller numbers. It was during this period that I started to really physically notice a difference around the waist. I also lost the most enthusiasm because the amount of weight I was losing everyday started to wane.
The third cycle I hit a plateau and could not break through to under 190 pounds. The fourth and fifth have been frustrating because I am feeling the diminishing returns and the scale was not singing praise to me anymore. In the last 15 days of the plan I only lost 2.2 pounds!!!! Success was frustrating for sure compared to how I started out.
Imagine the emotional frustration (while experiencing success overall) that came when I stepped on the scale and almost half of the time my weight stayed the same or went up. Everyday was a mental and emotional struggle, is it up or down, am I seeing the results? Am I doing things correctly? What do I need to change or adjust? Will I continue to drop at this slow rate? Why did the weight just jump up again?
Sometimes, even in the middle of the cycle of success, things can be frustrating due to one emotion called expectation. Many people never reach their long term goals because they expect to have the large amount of success they experience at the beginning of the journey continue throughout the whole process of change. I wanted results like in cycle 1, where I lost 3.6 pounds, each and every week!
However, the real commitment to achieving a goal is never in the beginning as much as in the middle when it gets tough, when we are not experiencing the “highs” of immediate and big results but making small baby steps that seem negligible. There is a lot of excitement and enthusiasm at a marathon start line but at mile 17 you just have to dig down, focus on the next step, and look towards the finish line.
One more question, “Looking at the results, in which cycle did the weight loss have the most meaning?” Well, in the short term the immediate results provide great motivation but it has a huge downside because of the expectation that was created. In my mind, they canceled each other out.
The pounds that have the greatest impact are the 26% that I experienced after the first 2 cycles. During the later cycles, the weight I lost was pure fat. The majority of the initial weight loss was predominately water weight.
As you pursue your goals expect the ups and downs. Remember the initial change that you see may sometimes not become the norm and standard for the whole process. Be wary of the expectations that may be created by that initial burst of high enthusiasm and change. The real commitment to any goal is defined by what happens after that initial high. And, that is sometimes where the most important change is experienced.
Just a closing note, since I wrote this, I am now at Day #34. I have been up 3 out of the last 8 days and the scale measured 184.6 this morning. It is reassuring how the “frustrating” cycle of success continues.
Sometimes it is good to remember that where you are emotionally, in the moment, does not necessarily reflect the overall direction you are headed towards. Keeping your commitment and driving forward into uncertainty and doubt is what creates future opportunities for success. Without moving forward through adversity, opportunity is lost.
I wish you a long term “frustrating success” cycle in all of your endeavors and would love to hear about how you are making your dreams become real. After all, if success wasn’t frustrating once in a while it probably would not create such a deep meaningful experience when the finish line is crossed.
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Here is an example of one of my client’s success last month with the Fast Track Program.
“I have to say that my clothes are already starting to feel much looser. I wore a jacket to church on Sunday and I could already tell that the jacket was much looser. I am also starting to wear several shirts that had just gotten too tight for me but are now starting to fit much better.
Regardless of the weigh-in tomorrow I would say that this program has been a huge success. I was 201.4 at the beginning of the month and I have lost nearly 9 pounds so far. Given the fact that I was completely out of the loop for two weeks with regards to physical activity – one week because of a sinus infection and one week because of surgery, this was mostly achieved through practicing good self-control on the eating front. I am still trying to hit 190 by the end of this week. Also, the only time I have lost weight in the past is when I was on a diet (I have tried several over the years) or on a physical fitness plan…….so, to me, to accomplish this without a “diet” mentality is actually a bigger win than just about anything else. I also noticed this AM that I have much more energy that I did at the beginning of the month.
I have now set a new goal to hit 183 by July 31st…. I am actually confident that I can achieve this goal using this method that we have used here.”
At weigh-in the next morning at the completion of the 30-days with the Fast Track to Success Plan…
“I was at 191.8 this morning…..So, I have lost a total of over 9 1/2 pounds in the last 30 days! I am feeling great! My goals are set for today!”
Thanks,
J.S.
Are you looking to jump start your weight loss for spring, take control of your finances, build a better relationship or take the next step in your career? The Fast Track for Success program allows you to focus on making those consistent changes daily for you to get what you want by making “small deposits every day.” Most of us overestimate what we can do in a year and underestimate what we can do in ten.
For only $199 you get a specialized, 6-Step program personalized to achieve your goal.
The bottom line is that most people are excited to start a goal for 24-48 hours before the emotional high wears off but it takes 17-21 days to develop a new habit.
I invite you to experience more success in a single month than you have had in the first two quarters of this year. The only reason you won’t call to achieve the life of your dreams is because of time and money. How many calls and emails do you make in a day? Make one that will change your life! Where else are you guaranteed to experience results and create what you most want in life? Put your investment to good use–on yourself!
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