Onederland

In the journey of weight loss – big time weight loss, where you need to change the first number on your weight at least once if not more times – there is a special place that you always long to be.  Most of us losing weight refer to that place as “Onederland”.  Definition = the place you get to when the first digit on your weight is a ONE!

Onederland and I have met before… for about a year in 2010 and a portion of 2011.  After losing nearly 100 pounds I made it there.  I lost another 15 or so pounds, and then I got pregnant with Lily, and watched slowly as my weight creeped up and up.  When I was first pregnant, I figured it should be no big deal to keep my weight gain under 30 pounds, and so I hoped to never see a“2” on the front of my weight again.  Then early last summer, I did.  I was devastated, but I was also pregnant, so I excused it. 

Of course, at the time I was dealing with all sorts of stress – for instance, being told that the baby girl I worked so hard to get pregnant with wouldn’t make it to birth, and if she did there would be major complications.  For obvious reasons, I found solace in pie, licorice, muffins, donuts, and pretty much anything sweet.  I watched as my weight climbed higher and higher during my pregnancy until the day before Lily was born I was up 44 pounds from my Weight Watchers goal weight!  Onederland was a distant memory at that point.

A week after my 5 lb 9 oz miracle baby girl was born, I weighed myself.  Much to my disgust I had lost exactly 5 pounds!  How is that even possible?  Just given her birth weight, I should have at least lost 5-1/2 lbs; not to mention all the other fluid you lose after a pregnancy.  That was September last year.

A week before Christmas last year, I walked myself back into Weight Watchers… head hung low, hoping no one was looking to see how fat I’d gotten.  I stepped on the scale and was within 1 pound of what I weighed the day before Lily was born.  Slowly over the last 6 months I have been working my way back to my goal weight.  It has been frustrating.  It  has been slow.  I've wanted to give up.  I've wondered if I’ll ever get back to the promised land, let alone my goal weight.

Last Thursday, I hit a milestone… I looked on the scale and saw it ONEDERLAND!  I was back there again.  It felt good.  It gave me a burst of willpower and positivity that I can also find my way back to goal.  Yes, it is slow, but this is not a race.

 Progress… not perfection!

 Onederland, I plan on never leaving you again.  You are stuck with me for good!