Waiting for the fat logjam to break free.
The mansions on the main street in my hometown were built in the 1800s with money earned by Michigan lumber barons. I was always fascinated by the stories of their exploits up north. Which is why it is fitting that I would relive a little piece of that history with my summer weight loss program. It has been a fat logjam.
For the better part of a month, I gained and lost the same 2 pounds. It was as if I had a 2-pound belt that I would take off in the morning, put back on at night. Take off on Wednesday, put back on come Saturday. I went over this same territory for so long that when I would step on the scale, instead of showing my weight it would just say, “Why do you bother?”
My sister Mary Kay said she had the same problem in August, so it might have had something to do with the alignment of the moon and stars – probably the tides. Definitely not related to eating out and partying too much. Oh no.
Drum roll please…I finally lost a pound. A new pound. A never-before-removed-from-my-thighs pound finally slipped free of its fat moorings and went Wherever Fat Goes To Die.
Halleluiah! The fat logjam has been busted!
Things have progressed pretty well since that breakthrough. Further fat logs have eased their way downriver, and hope springs eternal that I will be able to ride this out to the end. Which end is defined as some date in October or November when I get together with my sisters.
I’ve heard some tales of good progress from the other contestants, but mostly a big, fat cricket chirping on the interwebz. What does it mean? Sandbagging? Or logjamming?
I guess we’ll have to wait a few weeks to find out. Wish me luck in the home stretch.
Peg-o-Leg's Ramblings 
Oh I wish you so much luck that you will never know how much. Whenever somebody tries to lose weight there is always a plateau when things do not seem to move. That is when people find it easy to give up BUT that is what you did not do and well done to you! I applaud you!. Just carry on eating properly and in time you will get good permanent results..just don’t let it slip back.
Remember you can eat a little of anything but not a lot of everything ,,there is a difference!
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That is so true, Miss P. The eating a little instead of a lot is something I’ve struggled with all my life. It is, literally, a feast or famine with me. I just hope I can learn some new habits. Thanks for the encouragement!
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Congrats on your tenacity and your soon-to-be svelte thighs!
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That might be a bit of a stretch. I’d settle for thighs that don’t block the sun.
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Congratulations on finally kicking that additional pound to the curb!!! You have worked hard and can continue the battle to the end. Keep your eye on the prize and visualize yourself the/a winner – because you are!!!
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Good motivational talk! Gee, with all this inspiration I’m looking for a locker full of frozen beef to pummel!
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I am also a former Philadelphian… I’d be happy to send you directions to the Philadelphia Museum of Art so you can run up the steps doing fist pumps to the sky… Or, since they’ve moved the Rocky statue to the base of the PMA steps, you could do it in reverse and run DOWN the steps pumping your fists to the sky (It’s easier on the knees)!!
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I think you’re on to something with running DOWN the steps. Not as dramatic, but a heck of a lot easier.
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*Gets cheerleading suit back out* PEG, PEG, SHE’S OUR (wo)MAN! IF SHE CAN’T LOSE WEIGHT,
…maybe the rest of her family can?
Don’t let them win, Peg. You’ve got this. 1 pound shall lead to many more. Bear those teeth! Grrrrrr!
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Shake those pom-pons, Jackie! Go team, go!
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Congratulations on effortlessly passing the stuck stage it should all fall off from now on!
I’m rooting for you 🙂
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I don’t know about fall off, but it’s getting peeled off, kicking, screaming and clinging every step of the way, much easier now.
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Thank the high heavens for Reuben and his love for shapely women! (I just had to say that!)
Struggling with weight is as much an epidemic as is being overweight. I’m always chagrined to know that any person is fighting with her/himself over anything. When I stopped thinking about food as an enemy combatant and more as a natural fuel for my body, I lost weight. Diets make you food-obsessed. How are you going to lose weight when all you think about is food that you’re not supposed to have? Food as fuel is a way of thinking that gets you off of thinking about food all the time–only when you’re hungry and only the food that will nourish your body. The rest naturally takes care of itself.
I didn’t mean to “lecture” you. Sorry. 😦 You are awesome in your commitment to your weight-loss challenge and every step in that direction is a great success!
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Lorna, you are so right. The problem is that chronically overweight people like me don’t think that way. I really think we are hardwired differently. I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to think of food as merely fuel and jettison all the other baggage attached to it, but I’m sure going to try.
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Hooray! The flogjam has finally given way! Go, Pe-eg…go, Pe-eg…go, Pe-eg (that’s supposed to be me chanting, swaying and raising my hands up in the air, but it’s so hard to type that out effectively…)
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No, no, I got that right away. Thanks! You and Jackie should explore getting uniforms made – really class up the cheering section, don’t you think?
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I love how Darla explained her cyber chant 🙂 I was going to try and type out a detailed description of me doing the celebratory Running Man, but that could take a good paragraph!
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Running man with clenched fists raised above his head like when Rocky got to the top of those stairs? That’s what I’m seeing. Is that what you’re projecting?
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Yo! Pegoleg! Congrats on that one pound KO! Eye of the tiger! Eye of the tiger!
(*hmm… that sounded a bit more like Schwarzenegger than Stallone… I guess I’d better keep training…)
🙂
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Wow – with both Arnold and Stalone in my corner, pummeling beef or other people, or whatever need pummeling, I can’t lose!
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Remember when we were in our 20’s and if we didn’t finish our fries, the scale would go down 2 pounds?
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heavy sigh
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I must’ve had a defective scale. Sigh.
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Good for you! I was lucky enough to have a big class reunion about 18 months ago – those old classmates gave me motivation to lose 12 lbs. But for the last 18 months it has been the SAME two back and forth, just like you. I am thinking my scale froze in surprise 18 months ago, and now it just won’t go lower than that.
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That MUST be the problem. Time for a new scale. Congrats on keeping it off!
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You’re freakin’ pictures sometimes crack me up even more than the post! I used to have to drive behind log trucks on my way to school and I was always worried one of those suckers would fall off and hit somebody. Here’s hoping that if one of YOURS does, may it hit a fellow family member and knock them off-balance in this competition.
(ps – I bestowed a fancy Versatile Blogger award upon you to add to what I imagine is quite a collection. Thanks for the laughs! 🙂 )
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I wouldn’t want anyone hurt by my falling poundage.
Aren’t you sweet with the Versatile Blogger award – thank you so very much. I really appreciate it!
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Peg sure does GO!!! She’s lost over 30lbs so far, I believe. Much more than I have, the one who started all this to motivate myself. Glad it’s working for some of my sisters.
Another great read, thanks Pegoleg 🙂
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There’s still time, Tar. I just had lunch with our brother Bill, matter of fact, who was heading through town. I misunderstood his prize offer – he has $100 for the SECOND place finisher. So don’t give up – go for it!
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You’re great to persist despite dropping & gaining 2 pounds – that would be sooooo frustrating! Well done with the new pound! And good luck, onward 🙂
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Thanks for the words of encouragement! A couple of glasses of wine had my name on them last night, but I hit the gym early this morning and I’m in the groove today. Have a great weekend!
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Hang in there, pegoleg. I’ve been at my weight loss program since this past May. FINALLY, yesterday, a guy I hadn’t seen in a couple of months told me I looked great and had lost a lot of weight. Wow. That was so worth the life changes I made! I’ve settled into a new eating and exercise regimen and now it’s not really that difficult or punishing. Keep at it. Slow and steady is best!
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Sounds like you’ve had a weight=loss summer as well. Good for you for sticking with it! The first pounds are pretty unrewarding. You have to hit that tipping point where all of a sudden your progress is noticable, and that is motivating in and of itself. A compliment now and then really helps, doesn’t it?
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Oh, that nasty plateau! Hooray for you for not giving up! We need one of your famous pix of Sly and Arnold bench-pressing you on those Philly steps!
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Rock on! I look forward to more good news in the near future. 🙂
In order to get running strong again, I would also be absolutely delighted to send a few logs of my own to that grand ol’ Wherever, but I’m told I have to actually make changes for that to happen. I definitely intend to . . . sometime around tomorrow. Ish. *cough*
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I admire your running, Deb. I can’t do it – I have all the grace of a young elephant. Each time I’m on the treadmill I think about dialing it up to a run, but I’m scared to commit.
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Congratulations! You won the battle! You deserve to be proud of yourself!
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Seems the Battle of the Bulge is never-ending, but I’ve got a good head-start. Thanks for the encouragement!
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In the middle of the North Island of New Zealand, we often get behind those huge logging trucks and have to follow them for miles until there is room to pass. When the kids were young they used to call out “Log jam ahead”.
And congratulations on losing that extra pound. 🙂
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Hey, that sounds like all the people forced to wait for aisles behind me as I waddle around at the Walmart! Probably a lot more picturesque in New Zealand. Thanks for the encouragement!
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Well I was sick last week, lost 2 pounds and finally learned what my 5th grade Health teacher was droning about: if you want to lose weight….don’t put so much in your mouth. Cheez…who knew there was any truth to the 5th grade.
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Ouch! That’s doing it the hard way. Like I tell everybody considering the Stomach Flu Diet, the weight just comes back on when they hook you up to the IVs in the hospital.
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