Those first few pounds lost.
As a writer of fiction, I understand the excitement of a new project. I could probably write an endless stream of new ideas and first lines if I didn’t care about finishing anything. That first flush of excitement and those first pages make it seem like there is hard proof that I will have a novel in my hands real soon.
I think losing weight is like that. I think dieters get excited when they see the proof of those first pounds lost and instantly forget any past failures because they really believe this time it will be different.
Those of us that have done the boring research know there’s tons of evidence to show that most people can lose that first ten pounds. A small amount of weight loss, in the short term, is very possible.
The problem comes when we talk about the long term. Whenever I see commercials on TV showing celebrities that have just lost a bunch of weight I get real cynical. I’m more interested in hearing about their result after five or ten years.
That’s the illusion that’s being propagated: that short-term proof means long-term success when it comes to weight loss. The reality is that only 2-20% of the population have kept off the weight they’ve lost after that five or ten year mark.
I understand persistence. I taught myself how to finish a story because you can’t sell an idea on a first line. While I don’t choose weight loss, if people are aware of the odds and they still want to try to lose weight then I figure it’s none of my business.
But I would urge anyone to find some sort of self-acceptance. Life is hard enough without hating on ourselves.
Great analogy. I know exactly what you mean about the excitement. I wrote a novel once and carried that excitement with me for about a year-and-a-half. Toward the end, it began to feel like a millstone, like this thing I *had* to finish. It became more like work and less like the fantasy vacation it had been.
I would imagine permanent weight loss is the same: the longer you try to maintain it, the more difficult it becomes to hold that position.
Peace,
Shannon
You write fiction?
How many people who write fiction sell what they write?
Why would anyone try to write fiction????
Substitute lose weight, of course.
Shannon, I write fiction under another pen name. Under this pen name I am working on a book about what a life with mental illness (bipolar disorder, borderline personality disorder, OCD/hoarding disorder) has been like. And yes, it is VERY hard to stick through to the end, I know what you mean!
I am still working on the accepting myself and you are absolutely correct about that. Unfortunately I tend to hate myself part and parcel and the weight issue is just fuel for the fire.
Faycin,
Good luck with your writing. Stick with it, as writing is an incredibly outlet for what matters inside you. It can also help you reach those crevices where self-acceptance seems impossible.
Peace,
Shannon