My Brother "Weighs In"

After a terrible night's sleep, I awoke very early this morning almost in tears about my weigh-in yesterday. I felt like I was in an emotional downward spiral, and it scared me. I didn't want to wake my husband up because he has not been sleeping well lately. So I did the next best thing: I called my baby brother.

As you may recall, my brother did Optifast in the 1980s, when only the Optifast 70 plan was available. No soups, no bars, and he didn't use any flavoring for the shakes. I have no idea how he did it. Ever so wise is he when it comes to weight loss on Optifast. He also has a terrible metabolic rate like I do, and knows first-hand how that affects the individual's Optifast program. And there's another good thing about him: he's a practicing psychologist so when it comes to emotional issues regarding weight, he's got a very sharp mind to utilize to help me process my turmoil.

The very first thing he said to me was to stop posting my losses and gains on Facebook. Such behavior continues to reinforce in me that these numbers are paramount to everything else. As someone who is extremely sensitive to weight numbers (and even scales, for that matter), I must cease doing this immediately. There is also the "weight tracker" I used to have on this blog. I have now removed it. Unfortunately, it is not something that is good for me.

I do have the option of facing my back to the scale so I don't have to see any numbers at all. This was a practice I followed before I started Optifast. However, my brother was completely against this. He told me to face my fears head on -- don't avoid them and let them fester. Look at that number and take it for what it is: a snap-shot of a moment in time.

He also let me know that he was concerned about the 7.7 lb. weight loss last week, meaning he had a sneaking suspicion I would have a gain this week. That's just too significant a loss for someone with a thyroid disorder. And finally, he reinforced -- yet again -- what I need to know: I am in a marathon. I am not running a sprint. He is projecting I will be on Optifast into December. I shudder at that, and think about quitting, but I know I can't. I feel too healthy -- heck, I am healthy -- and I really like my program.

Now, I really want to emphasize that these are my issues and not yours! I know there is great pride and joy with every pound lost and you must celebrate this with friends and loved ones. Plus watching those pounds drop on the scale make you feel so good and motivate you more each time. Just know for me that I have to take precautions due to emotional issues. That's just the way it is.

I also need to let everyone know that regardless of what that number says on the scale, I am still continuing to shed inches like crazy. My body is burning fat at a nice clip. That has not stopped. There is a transformation going on in my appearance, regardless of what the scale says. So I'm trying to keep that in mind.

I want to take a moment to thank a very dear Optifast friend who is helping me through this crisis. I am so lucky to have made new friendships along my journey. A big hug to her. She has helped more than she will ever know.