Since completing the 14 day challenge a few weeks ago, I've been debating about whether to dive in even further to BLE world and do the Boot Camp program which I believe is 8 weeks long and costs a bit of money that I'm not really looking to spend at the moment. Despite some weight fluctuations that I've documented in previous posts, I've continued to do well with the program, not perfectly perfect, but well.
In the FB group, people have mentioned the term "rezoom," but I couldn't find any information about what that means, until now. Rezoom simply means resume, as in start again, and it's premised on the idea that things go well until they don't. I felt kind of dumb when I figured this out, but in my head I was putting the emphasis on the zoom, as in "zoom around a track." When you say the word rezoom outloud (instead of silently in your head) it makes sense that it means "resume"... it just took me a minute to catch on...
Anyway, because I've really embraced the concepts of BLE, I started looking for strategies to prevent the inevitable loss of momentum or relapse before it happens. This Blog itself is a snapshot of what happens in my real life. I go all gang busters on a program or an idea, and then something happens, as SPT says "life gets lifey," and I fall off the wagon or I an excuse (like I have with VIP) that it's just not sustainable. What I'm trying to find is a way to prevent that from happening.
What I found are SPT's Vlog entries about the "Reboot Rezoom" program. The graph above shows what happens in the average person's weight loss journey, according to SPT, and it resonated with me. The red peak/valley line demonstrates that over time, like my own experience, people are successful with weight loss, they hit some sort of peak, then slide back down before having to start over, and this happens again and again for many people. SPT suggests that before you hit the peak, you need to figure out what causes a slide and take immediate action to correct it before you dip down into the "danger zone." The danger zone is different for everyone, and based on what SPT talked about in the Vlog I watched, I suspect a slide into the danger zone for me would look like me not stepping on the scale, procrastinating or avoiding the habits in my bullet journal, pulling back from posting or talking about this journey, and making excuses that allow me to blur the lines more frequently and to a great degree.
SPT says that what she hopes for those of us following BLE is a journey that looks more like the blue sine wave on the graph above. We need to raise the bar a bit higher, establish a bit of a cushion for those periods of time where we're not perfectly following the bright lines, so that when the slide inevitably begins, which it does for everyone, you can catch it before you fall into the danger zone where the potential for obliterating all of the previous success exists.
The strategy offered for rezoom-ing is called the FAS system, which stands for Food, Actions, and Support. These are the 3 areas to focus on to keep the sine wave smooth and the cushion comfortably above the danger zone.
For the food strategy, SPT reminds us that we need to take immediate corrective action if we find ourselves failing to prepare and plan. The quote I wrote down from this part of the entry is "you've already failed if you're leaving your house and you don't know what you're going to eat for the day." In my world, it's the equivalent of saying drunk driving is a choice, the choice to not drink and drive is made when you leave your keys and your car at home. You've already made a bad choice about drinking and driving if you drive to the party/restaurant/event where you know there will be alcohol served and you plan to drink. Planning and preparing ahead of time is an essential part of BLE, and if you don't take care of that part, then you're planning and preparing to fail, it's as simple as that.
As for the actions strategy, I think I've done myself a real service with my BLE bullet journal, especially the habit tracking chart. It is a real-time visual of how I'm doing on a day to day basis with all of the BLE components, including committing, meditating, meal planning, weighing myself, etc. As you can see below, I started a slide last week right after my birthday. I just kind of let things go for a few days by not planning ahead, not recording the habits, and blurring the lines somewhat dramatically (see my previous post about cake.) I'm not even near my goal weight, and I still let things slide, which is disappointing to me, but not unexpected given my history. I've been doing this for more than 50 days now, and generally speaking I've been more successful than not. That said, I need to stop this slide now. Fortunately, I still managed to have a "down" week on the scale. Not by much, but at least it didn't go up. In some ways, I think it's good that this slide happened now, because it has reinforced for me how important the daily check-in with myself is for this process. If I keep this tracking up, I'll be able to keep moving the sine wave up above the danger zone. Now I know that if I start getting lazy with the journaling and recording, it's the sign of the beginning of a slide.
Finally, according to SPT the most effective way to assess where you are on the sine wave is by how you use your support network. Finding and developing a support network is critically important for success, but it is underused by most people. Many people, myself included, begin isolating or hiding when the fear of the slide starts taking hold or when panic about failing sets in. It's at that point where you need the support the most, but if you haven't cultivated that support before the slide begins, then it's not there when you need it most, and it's even harder to reach out for the support you need. SPT says you need to invest in these support relationships when things are going well, in her words, "connect before the crash." For me, I guess one way I've tried to cultivate support is through writing this blog and sending it out for others to read. When I stop writing and sending these posts, that might be a sign that I need support and maybe I'm entering a slide. Honestly, I'm not sure how I can sustain writing 3 or 4 entries a week because I don't always have something interesting to write about, but I can try to continue to check in with my meal plan on Mondays and "taco'bout it" Tuesday entries.
So, friends, I'm relying on you for support. If you see that I'm not posting or briefly checking in, feel free to give me a nudge, I'll appreciate it more than you know. In return, tell me how I can help you with something you need help with, I'd be thrilled to "help!" 💖
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