At the end of our last episode, I said I’d let you know how Diet Number Eleventy-One went. First, here’s the my-alarm-didn’t-go-off-and-now-I’m-late-for-work-but-I-really-want-to-see-how-Charlie’s-diet-is-going-first version: it went great and then The Holidays happened.
Long time readers know that The Holidays is just a short-hand, eleven-letter way of saying, “All the days between Halloween and New Years Inclusive.” It’s that time of year where after another long and difficult year of laboring in the potato fields, I celebrate the harvest by feasting on an acre of mashed potatoes all by myself. (Okay, that’s not entirely true. Some of them I turn into French fries.)
I won’t make you wait until the end of the post to see the weight loss graph for my eleventy-first diet. Here it is:
It began well enough. Frankly, even Halloween wasn’t that bad this past year. But then things flattened out for a bit until the line began its inexorable climb back up. Now, the good news is I didn’t gain it all back. Which, I suppose, is a victory in and of itself.
It’s also the reason that the next diet wasn’t given the 112 designation. That is to say, since I wasn’t completely starting over, I didn’t count it as a whole new diet. So how’d that go? Won’t you be sorry you asked.
Diet 111.5
January 2, 2014. I was still eight pounds down from my Eleventy-One starting weight.
Diet 111.75
January 4, 2014. I somehow went up another two pounds. Still, six under from where I started wasn’t bad, right?
Diet 111.875
January 26, 2014. I managed to lose a pound. Seven under from the starting point. Woot.
Diet 111.9375
January 27, 2014. Up a half pound.
At this point I was flummoxed. After being so “on” for so much of 2013, I couldn’t figure out why or how The Switch flipped off so quickly. Nor could I figure out how to get it back on. (In spite of my repeatedly telling the world that The Switch isn’t under our conscious control.)
So after pondering and pondering and pondering this, I realized there was only one way out of this.
That’s right.
Diet #112.
on March 3, 2014 at 10:29 pm
I hate the fricken Switch, mine has been off for a couple months too. I guess I will join you in diet #112!
on March 3, 2014 at 10:29 pm
I’m with you Charlie! I re-started march 1st and almost caved today!
on March 4, 2014 at 6:23 am
We’re all reading many of the same articles about the long term difficulties of maintaining willpower, yes? Isn’t that what we are talking about when we talk about the Switch?
Anyhoo, I’m giving the 5:2 fastdiet a go. The idea I don’t have to exercise much willpower except for 2 days out of every 7 seems to offer the chance this will be tolerable indefinitely. Not so with every other system which inevitably crashes as I conclude nobody should even want to live without ever eating bread (or pasta or pizza or potatoes or Chex Mix or rice, or…).
on March 4, 2014 at 9:28 pm
The Switch is less about will-power and more about physics. A full discussion requires more typing and philosophizing than I have time for at the moment. But, in short, your lower brain functions decide when it’s time to stick to something (or not) and never consults with your higher-order brain functions before doing so.
I wish I had some clinical proof of this. Instead, all I have is a billion dieting failures that suggest there’s more than something as vague as “willpower” at work. 🙂
I haven’t come across this 5:2 thing yet. I shall look into it.
on March 4, 2014 at 8:43 pm
Diet 112, here I come too. It started today and I get a C. Nothing was perfect except the fact I didn’t have any bread or cold cereal and that was the for sure not to eat stuff today.
Tomorrow the same and maybe no sweets.
Good luck Charlie.
Blessings!!
on March 6, 2014 at 7:06 am
How’d it go? Did you avoid the sweets? 🙂
on March 6, 2014 at 10:33 am
I tried to reply under my comment and yours but I don’t think it’s working but you’ll know who this is.
Not to well Charlie. Those malt ball Easter eggs are calling my name. Only a handful but still some sweets. No cereal and no bread for 3 days now. And as much as I hate to admit it and I oh so want some cereal, my tummy is feeling a bit better. We’ll see how this goes for the rest of my week and take it from there.
Thank you for asking. I hope #112 is going good for you too.
Blessings!!
on March 7, 2014 at 6:59 am
Replying to my comment worked. 🙂
on March 6, 2014 at 7:15 am
[…] etc. . . . I’ve lost 3.8 pounds. I thought my brother Charlie would appreciate that, now as he starts on his Diet #112. I sent that WW picture to my sister and she said “just think of how big you would […]
on March 10, 2014 at 9:12 pm
[…] Oh The Usual Charlie said, "Replying to my comment worked. " Julie said, "I tried to reply under my comment and […]