Complacency Is Not Our Friend

com·pla·cen·cy [kuhm-pley-suhn-see]

–noun,plural-cies.

1.

a feeling of quiet pleasure or security, often while unaware of some potential danger, defect, or the like; self-satisfaction or smug satisfaction with an existing situation, condition, etc.

I can't help but notice that a lot of my weight loss buddies seem to struggling with their journeys as of late and I must confess that until just recently, I could've been counted among the ranks of the floundering. I wasn't off program per se, but in my heart of hearts I knew that I wasn't giving my goals and dreams the honest effort they truly deserve. Ultimately, I had gotten too secure in the belief that if I do A and B then C will naturally result, despite the fact that the equation had drastically changed over the past year. You know that saying "If you do what you've always done, you'll get what you've always gotten"? Well, I'm thinking Mr. Robbins shouldn't speak in absolutes because in the world of weight loss, this isn't necessarily the case.

In truth, trying to lose weight as a 320 pound woman is a completely different process than trying to lose weight at 220 pounds. My weight loss has drastically slowed since the beginning of 2010 and I blame it almost entirely on the fact that the first seven months of my weight loss journey conditioned me to believe that if I (A) eat a Moonpie even if I don't have the points and (B) skip my daily workout then (C) I'll still lose 2.4 pounds that week. However, take into consideration that there's over 100 pounds less of me and this equation no longer adds up. Introduce an additional 300 calories into my day and ensure that I burn 600 calories less by skipping the elliptical and, Houston, we have a problem.

I'd been so smugly satisfied with my initial results that I never recognized the potential negative effect my complacency would have on my weight loss efforts as I grew smaller. I've learned the hard way that once you've lost a significant amount of weight, you must completely overhaul your program because having a lower body mass index also means you have a much lower basal metabolic rate. You can't be nearly as lax as you were in the beginning and sadly, constantly bending the rules just isn't an option anymore. The change in your BMR is precisely why WW lowers your daily points allowance as you lose weight. Add additional exercise and less rule bending to your lower calorie intake and voila(!), you may just be able to maintain the same rate of weight loss that you so enjoyed at the beginning of your journey.

Here's the good news. After what I perceived to be an "undeserved gain" on Tuesday and an all-out Chinese food gorge-fest on the same day (methinks the two may be related....), I've been 100% OP and my attitude has been adjusted. I recognize how silly it was for me to believe that I could continue to act as though I still weighed 320 pounds and I'm now aware that my approach to weight loss (not just my daily points allowance) will constantly need to be refined in order to compensate for my diminishing BMR. A simple regimen tweak, such as adding a new exercise or using less weekly points, every so often ought to do the trick and acknowledging this fact has truly reignited my fire.

Sorry, folks, but it would seem that there's just no room for complacency on this proverbial wagon.