The semi-annual gluttony retrospective.

Well, it's that time of year again.

In May and November of every year --

yeah, I'm a little late this holiday season, but at least I made it to the crucial "between Thanksgiving and Christmas" metric --

I write a few posts about the maintenance of my 2008 weight loss.  

I do this for a couple of reasons.

First, it gives me the opportunity to clean up the links to old posts about gluttony, weight loss, and weight maintenance.  Taken all together, the posts about gluttony and weight loss and such form a lengthy and growing series, and it's one that gets a lot of hits.  I can see from the stats that often someone comes to read through the whole thing.  I like to keep it maintained if I can.  (Right now it's a little ragged.  I'll let you know when I get it all fixed up.)

Second, it gives me a needed semi-annual accountability fix.  It always seems that right about every six months, I've started to slide a bit, and writing publicly about my lazy bad habits generally shames me into paying attention to them again long enough to do me some good.  This is a long-term project and it needs regular upkeep, even as the frequency of upkeep has dropped quite low.

Third, time has refined and tested many of my theories and ideas about how to defeat gluttony and, secondarily, how to resist gaining the weight back; also, how to maintain mental health and raise children with healthy attitudes toward bodies, food, and fitness.  As I stumbled along, I got a lot of things wrong or at least not quite right, and as I get older and learn things, I like to go back and see what I used to think and write, and ask myself if I have learned anything new.  I want to find places where I was wrong, and point them out here in this space, maybe go back and update old posts.

Readers:  

• what would you like to see here in the next few posts?  
• any stories from the trenches you'd like to share?
• recommendations of articles or books?  (A few people have sent me some already that I've saved for this)
• any questions?

The combox is yours.

 EDITED TO ADD:   Really, only one comment or question?  Maybe I've finally exhausted the topic!

Comments

[Jamie]

I'm curious about what you see happening as you get older. Am I remembering correctly that you're not quite 40? I think I remember you writing once about planning to adjust your target weight around menopause, but what about the years leading up to it?

[bearing]

Oh, that's a good question, Jamie, although I think it's prospective rather than retrospective, no?

I just turned 38. I can write a whole post about it, but the short of it is that I feel I ought to remain somewhat open-minded about target weight until menopause in case I have any more babies, but in the absence of additional babies I hope to stay about the same until then. Still, I'm trying to make it be about behavior and not about the numbers on the scale.

I didn't come quite down to my prepregnancy weight after the most recent (and only post-weight-loss) baby, but I was okay with that.

[MrsDarwin]

I really appreciate your maintenance/reminder posts, since I'm kind of at the same stage you are (though with less exercise). I'm at a basically acceptable weight which I maintain without much trouble -- I could stand to lose five pounds and tone up, but on the other hand, my clothes fit in a mostly flattering fashion. But I need the constant reminder not to be complacent. You should write about "keeping motivated in the face of okayness." ;)

[Bearing]

Keeping motivated in the face of okayness: check.

[Angela]

Hi Erin,
I've been looking through the weight loss posts - again- and am wondering if you have a category or posts on support and/or accountability? What did you do when it was hard? I have some ideas, but am always interested in others' thoughts! I've got 50 pounds to lose and have been pondering your post on change being worth it for it's own sake. Good stuff. Thanks!

[Bearing]

I had some accountability to my husband, and he wrote a guest post on his role. You can see this here

http://arlinghaus.typepad.com/blog/2010/06/guest-post-by-mark-my-role-in-my-wifes-fitness-and-weight-loss-1.html

I leaned on a couple of close friends to help me get to the gym -- by watching children and such, when my husband was out of town and it got tricky. It seems weird now, but I had this obsessive feeling about the gym routine, like if I skipped a single one, even for a good reason, I would break the spell.