June 09, 2021

Weight Loss Wednesday

I'm not turning "Weight Loss Wednesday" into a thing--but it has a ring to it and since I'm going to write about weight loss today, it was fitting. I always used to do my weigh-ins on Wednesdays--"Wednesday Weigh-In"--and I can't even remember the last time I did one! It's been a very long time.

I haven't kept it a secret or anything that I've gained weight, so it's not like I'm trying to hide that fact. The reason I stopped doing the weigh-ins is because I wasn't losing anything. I knew what I needed to do to lose the weight I'd gained, but I wasn't doing it. It was depressing to post another weigh-in showing that I'd gained or at least not lost anything.

I'm definitely embarrassed about the weigh gain--I always wondered if it would happen to me and I was very careful not to use statements like, "I'll NEVER be overweight again". Because I simply didn't know what the future held! Nobody loses weight with the intention of gaining it back. I'm just grateful that I haven't gained back all of it (or even half of it).

Seeing people again after a year of only going out to the grocery store here and there, thanks to COVID-19, I am very self-conscious of my weight. I actually hadn't gained much over the last year--I gained it in 2018-2019, I believe--but I just became very aware of it after the lockdown.

I was scrolling through Instagram one day and saw someone's post about a DietBet. I'd done one before several years ago and it really helped me to get back on track. DietBet is a website that has different "games" you can sign up for--the basic one is that you bet $35 (you pay up front) that you will lose 4% of your body weight in 4 weeks' time. At the end, everyone who has reached their 4% goal splits the pot (AFTER DietBet takes out their large fee). DietBet does guarantee that you'll get back at least 100% of your bet as long as you reach your goal, though.

I signed up for a 4-week game that was $100. (The more I bet, the more I'm at risk of losing.) It runs from May 25-June 21.

When I did my initial weigh-in for the DietBet, I nearly died. Eventually, I will write the actual numbers, but I feel vulnerable enough just writing about all this--so I'll give it a little more time. I was horrified at my initial weigh-in, so I started immediately with calorie counting and the Couch to 5K plan.

I'm over two weeks in now, and I have stuck with it 100%. The last time I was this disciplined was the first month of 75 Hard last year (July-August). I've tried numerous times over the last few years to feel determined again, to have the discipline needed to make uncomfortable changes in order to develop better habits. I had gotten out of all of the good habits I'd developed, so I was starting from scratch. And it's HARD. You all know how hard it is to change habits! We all know what to do, but actually doing it seems impossible sometimes.

Anyway, the scale has been moving downward (a significant amount!) so my hard work is paying off. I don't know what it is about this DietBet that has really lit a fire under me to just do this. Getting back to counting calories wasn't as bad as I was imagining. Having the calories from all of my recipes already calculated and saved in the Fat Secret app helps a lot.

I've been eating a ton of fruit this week--it reminds me of when I used to post my food logs, which included millions of grapes, and a couple of people always commented that grapes weren't any better than candy--just "diabetes in a bowl", hahaha. Well, grapes are my secret weapon ;)

Since the DietBet is only four weeks, and it's going to take significantly longer than four weeks to get my weight back down to a comfortable number, I actually decided to sign up for a six-month DietBet. 

You pay $35 per month (or $175 up front--if you pay all at once, you get a month free and you still split the pot equally in the end) and you have to lose 10% of your weight in 6 months. You have to do monthly weigh-ins and if you fail to reach a certain point each month, then you lose (that's to prevent people from starving themselves in the last month in order to reach their goals).

The reason I like this idea is because of the accountability of each month's weigh-in. If it was just a weigh-in at the beginning and then one more at the end, it wouldn't be as helpful (for me, anyway). Having to weigh-in once a month will make me much more likely to stick with it. That's the whole point of doing the DietBet, anyway--I want a tool to help me get back to a comfortable weight, and for whatever reason, this is helping!

I wanted to start one that would overlap my current one, just so that I don't "take days off" in-between. I want to do this for the long haul so that I can feel good about myself again. Even if the change isn't noticeable now, I DO feel better about myself--just the fact that I feel in control again and not entirely hopeless helps a lot!

(Since I'm pretty sure someone will ask, this is the six-month DietBet I'm participating in. It runs from June 14-December 13.) I'm hoping that in a couple more weeks, I'll be confident enough that I'm in this for the long haul in order to start posting Wednesday Weigh-Ins again. For now, I'll at least try to post progress and updates on Wednesdays.

For those of you that joined the 4-week DietBet with me, how are you doing? Has the accountability helped?

8 comments:

  1. I did a 6 month DietBet last year! Not only was it great motivation but it was a nice but of money right before Christmas! Good luck.

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  2. Thank you, as always, for your transparency. Your writing even sounds more positive in this post. Looking forward to your next Wednesday Weigh-in, when it is right for you to post it.


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  3. Where are you running the 5K?

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    1. I'm not doing a race or anything--I would just like to get back into running for fitness. I haven't been running much at all in the past few years!

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  4. Go Katie go! I'm so happy for you that you've found something that's working again. Through the ups and downs, you've always been an inspiration to me. I'm on day 19 myself and the habits are starting to take hold. It's such a great feeling.

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  5. So glad you found something to get the number moving in the direction you want! We're fighting inertia. Go you.

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  6. I am signed up for your dietbet with you! Let's do this!!

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  7. This is awesome! As usual Katie you are such an inspiration to me! I love reading your daily posts. Keep it up.

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I used to publish ALL comments (even the mean ones) but I recently chose not to publish those. I always welcome constructive comments/criticism, but there is no need for unnecessary rudeness/hate. But please--I love reading what you have to say! (This comment form is super finicky, so I apologize if you're unable to comment)

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