I first tried DietBet almost a year ago and was amazed at how easy it was to make good decisions when I knew that my bad decisions would result in the loss of $25. $25 is trivial really but I knew it would be irresponsible to not try my hardest to get that money back. I also knew my husband would (a true cheapskate, as he and even his own mother would testify) would consider it a waste of money if I just didn't try. We both agreed that if I lost weight, but missed my goal it would be okay. Using DietBet led to the first real weight loss I had ever achieved. Seriously, I've wanted to lose weight for the last ten years of my life and have never dropped a pound by dieting. I just don't have the self-control.
Fast forward to a year later, and I've put all that weight back on. However, I've also worked very hard at weight training, high intensity interval training, and running with the goal of running a 5K and I know a lot of my weight gain is muscle mass. I struggle with separating the number on the scale from my overall fitness and I see that number as proof that I'm not working hard enough. What I hope will happen with this new DietBet round is that I can develop some long-term good habits. Instead of pigging out after my final weigh-in, I'm going to start a new DietBet and keep up my good habits. I know that I can't lost weight merely by exercising and that more than half the battle is in my kitchen.
I hope that blogging will instill a new level of accountability in me and give me a healthy way to express my frustrations and brag on my successes.
Where I'm at right now: Disappointed that I put weight back on, nervous that I won't be able to make the necessary changes to lose weight in a healthy way, and excited to try again.