Weigh-in Wednesday

Image use courtesy of Cathy Zielske

The scale is an instrument of torture, created by forces of evil, sent here to torment me all the rest of my days.

We have a window at the top of our staircase, and I fantasized about pitching the scale through it with all my might this morning. But then I thought about our neighbors, and realized one of them could be walking down their driveway at that exact moment, which is just below and would have been the scale landing pad. And what a horrible way to go that would be -- Raging Woman Takes Neighbor Out with Scale from Hell. So the scale is still sitting on our bathroom floor. For now.

I didn't lose an ounce this week. I may have actually gained an ounce or two. I don't really know because I don't usually pay attention to the ounces, since my breathing alone seems to make them fluctuate. But, I know they're there. Taunting me.

I sound distraught about this, but really, I'm just kind of . . . meh. I can't change what happened last week, right? And, in keeping with the Theme of the Week, I'm trying to focus on how I can, calmly, forge ahead. I need a new plan.

Is it going to be calorie counting that's required? I guess I've been a bit naive in thinking that I could eat vegan and the pounds would start melting off? I understand that it's possible to eat unhealthily and still follow a vegan eating plan. But, I've really increased fruits and veggies lately. I haven't had chips in days! I swear!

Maybe what's going on is the same thing that happened to me years ago in my second Weight Watchers membership. I had been a vegetarian for a couple of years, and I didn't understand why I wasn't losing weight. After I joined WW, I realized that one of my favorite meals equaled close to 1/2 of the points (WW's correlation to calories) I was allotted each day. Who knew there were so many calories in an entire can of vegetarian baked beans? I mean, they're beans! And don't act like you haven't done it before, mmmmmkay?

So maybe it's that. Maybe I'm banking loads of calories in vegan croutons on my salads. Maybe the vegan granola that I so completely adore isn't the wisest weight-loss choice for breakfast. Oh, boy, I need a new approach.

Here's where I'm heading at the moment: Calorie counting a couple of days each week. I don't want to go all hardcore with it because I know myself, and it will make me neurotic and crazy. More neurotic and crazier than I already am. I think just a couple/few times per week will let me see the range I'm working in and start tweaking from there.

The cool thing is that I feel so much better. I am noticeably less tired. And I mean that literally. Paul noticed, and commented, on my increased energy level just last night. It was nice to hear, you know? Someone seeing that you've got a little more spunk.

Now I just need to really attack the junk in the trunk.