Month: May 2018

I believe that words define our reality.  They provide an outlet for us to direct our energy. I believe words open us up in a way that lets us share who we are, and who we hope to become with the world.

So when it comes to this journey what words do you use?  I believe this matters, it is very important. You just joined Weight Watchers, or Gold’s Gym – what words come to mind?  I don’t pretend to know how you might answer this question. It doesn’t matter what I think, the only person who matters here is you.

I can only tell you this when I got serious about getting to goal I became quite clear about what I wanted. why I want to do this, and how I was going to make it happen. Having these three ideas crystal clear in my mind has helped me to tell a better story about getting to goal.  So I wonder what’s your story? Think about your words carefully because they pave the road to success.

Some days you can feel lucky just to come across a song that makes you feel something. I heard a beautiful song driving to work today.

I cannot underscore how important songs of hope are in this world. I found myself singing along and feeling grateful. It occurs to me that everything I have is in some way tied to sacrifices that prior generations made. We are all in so many ways so very fortunate.  Just the fact that you, or me, or anyone is here at all is a probability of one in 10^2,685,000 (Are You a Miracle? On the Probability of Your Being Born).

While at work, I made a Kindergartner feel better about herself today. She was upset and I was able to turn it around for her and that was an amazing moment. To move her away from anxiety to a sense of safety. Again, I felt so grateful to be there at the right moment to make a difference. Why are we here if not to make a difference?

This is the part where you may be thinking – what does this have to do with health and weight loss? I have wanted to lose weight for a long time. I can tell you, that there were times when I never thought I’d actually be able to accomplish this.

How did I turn it around?   As I look back 270 days into the journey, I see some connections. Having a sense of gratitude helps. Finding beauty in the world helps. Considering multiple perspectives helps. Being kind to myself and practicing self-care helps.  If you are someone who never had to lose weight I don’t know if you really understand what a remarkable thing it is to get close to goal. It is life-changing, it really does change everything.

I not only have so much more energy, it is also that I see myself differently in the world. Yes, there is the matter of self-confidence and that I feel good about my appearance. It’s more than that… it’s the understanding that I am doing something that I really wanted for myself. Something that has been elusive for so long. I wonder, do you relate? If you do please believe that you can do it too – because you can. More tomorrow.

Routine is very very important when it comes to weight loss. Packing food for the workday, having a regular exercise schedule, and even writing reflections all are all helpful habits.  However, having a routine does not have to come at the expense of rigidity.

I was flexible today and I know that ability is helping me to stay on plan for the long run.  For instance, even though I brought my lunch to work, I splurged for a Ceasar salad with grilled chicken. I pulled off the big bready croutons  (they didn’t appeal to me) and I had a lighter dressing on the side. I wanted to have lunch with my friends and I’m very satisfied with my choice.

I do a lot of running around and it would be so easy to skip my reflection but that is a critical part of the journey for me. These posts are helping me to process my day and help me to get closer to goal!

Memorial Day is a marker of freedom. Putting that freedom in context is has changed over the years. When I was a kid, Memorial Day represented the launch to summer and all that goes with it. Carefree days spent riding bikes, going to the beach, barbeques and family vacations. Freedom meant time away from the classroom and life was sweet.

Now that I am older the weight of Memorial Day means so much more than it once did. I am humbled to remember our veterans who would never return home. I, like so many others, attended our local Memorial Day parade, and I was struck by the gravity of the words spoken during the ceremony. It all seemed so much more poignant and special. We are forever in their debt.

It was a good day on plan. I went to spin class, I shared breakfast with my husband after the parade. I did some work, and I went for a bike ride. Yes, I still do enjoy a good bike ride around the neighborhood! I am looking forward to the summer and all that it will bring. I’m happy to say that I am feeling full of energy and am comfortable in my own skin and that is a new sensation for the start of the summer season. One I have not felt in a long time. I am grateful for this journey, and for all of you who read my posts.

I ran into my neighbor when my husband and I took our dog for a walk. She commented on my weight loss and asked how I did it. I told the same story that I tell everyone, Weight Watchers and I go to spin and yoga classes. She is considering joining and I hope she does. My Saturday morning group is an amazing support system and I am very blessed to be part of the group.

There is a lot of power to maintaining a beginner’s mind when it comes to weight loss. When you begin something you pay attention and you make very intentional choices. As time goes on, it’s easy to become lax and lose ground. So, keeping the journey engaging is very important. I have been thinking about ways to challenge myself and to set some new goals. Here are some ideas I am considering:

1. Set a  regular schedule to attend yoga classes (2x per week)
2. Cook at least one new Weight Watcher  recipe a week
3. Cut out having dessert for one week (no cookies, ice cream, or pudding)

Well, it’s a short list but I’m still thinking about ideas. If you have any please feel free to share!

My last words today are to stress how words can convey such beauty. Beauty is not always pleasant. It can be sad and haunting too.  If you’ve never read Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address, or if it’s been a long time since you have, do yourself a favor and read it.  More tomorrow…

I was reading posts on Weight Watchers (WW) Connect. This is a closed social media platform for WW members and as I read the posts from other members I found myself feeling very empathic. I can relate because I share the struggle with wanting to change your lifestyle, lose weight, and get to goal.

Some days it feels like getting to goal is right around the corner. Other days, it feels very far away. For better or for worse this is a process and it takes time. With just 26 days left on my countdown clock, and with my goal weight about 25 pounds away, I understand that will not be reaching goal by then. However, I am curious to see how close I will get!  It’s not really about the number anyway,  it’s about how I feel inside. I wonder do you understand?

It’s a double-edged sword because the beautiful part of this is also the hard part too. It is the day-to-day decision making. All the choices I make, what to eat, when to workout, or how to handle stressful situations are making me healthier. Every choice I make is a step towards empowerment or, potentially, a step backward.  That is what I saw in many members posts today on Connect. Members asking for help to find ways to get back on track.

A bagel Hole 4sp

A breakfast sandwich 3sp

Here is the thing, all is not lost if we have a bad day on plan. It’s scary because it may feel so familiar. It may feel like your destined to return to bad unhealthy habits because it feels like it’s all out spinning of your control. That’s the time to assert a little power. It can be drinking a glass of water, or writing a reflection, or going for a walk, or calling a friend, or just brushing your teeth. Then focus on why you want to do this, believe me it gets better. Then sometimes you can expect days will be hard you may feel like giving up… while other days it will be as if you always lived your life this way. It may even feel effortless. If you’re not there yet… don’t worry just remember this, you are worth the effort. One day soon, this will all pay off, and you deserve to live your life in the body that you want for yourself.

So I hope you will do this with me I don’t know about you but could really use help along the way. We can do this together.

What happens when you go up? You go on. My first reaction as s I reflect on my results on the scale this week is that I am in control. All week people have been commenting on my weight loss, and certainly, that is because I’m losing weight. However, I think it’s more than that I think it’s my self-confidence that people are responding to – I feel like the woman I really am inside.

This blog exists as a platform for total honest reflection to help myself, and I really hope, others who are like me. There is no reason for us to suffer alone when we can do so much better together. So, the flip side to my new found confidence is a feeling of dismay that I went up. I am living the plan When I look at My Weight Watchers Recovery Plan Checklist I know I am on track. I am disappointed that I went up it feels a little like losing at a casino… I placed my bet and I came up short. That was my second reaction… However, if I dig a little deeper, I know that it’s really nothing like that at all.

I stayed within my healthy eating zone. That’s not luck. I met my activity goal. That’s not luck. I practiced mindfulness. That’s not luck.  It’s not luck, it’s dedication. I have made a conscious decision to change my life and I am making that happen. Me. So, my next questions (I do love to ask questions) are:

• What exactly are my expectations?
• Are my expectations realistic? 
• Am I really in this for the long run?
• Is my why compelling enough?

All of these questions are stemming from my reflection and by listening to other members today at my meeting. I heard exactly what I needed to hear there and am so fortunate to benefit from the perspective of others. I realize that I blessed to have a positive inner voice; however, it’s still only one-sided and when I listen to others, I see things I most definitely would have missed on my own.  Asking and thinking  through all of these questions is as important (maybe more so) as finding the answers to them. My short answer for all is that my resolve to get to goal is intact.

I went for bike ride with my husband after my Weight Watchers meeting today. We rode all around our neighborhood and it was such a good time. I could do it easily, as I felt my body responding to the physical needs of the ride. That is a Non-Scale Victory or NSV I truly have my energy back and I don’t feel older than my age. If anything, I feel younger than I did a year ago.  I’m going to get to goal, and so can you – believe it!

I am scrolling through Weight Watchers Connect and I am so inspired by the pictures and messages I’m reading. Some are poignant, funny, while others show pictures of people who have been totally transformed.

I had a conversation with a colleague today and I saw a lot of myself in her. Well, to be honest, she has it a lot more together than I did at her age.  She works in a full-time position, is married has two adorable little girls (a three-year-old and an eighteen-month-old) so obviously, she has a full plate! Anyway, we were eating lunch and chatting when our conversation turned to health. I don’t typically talk about weight loss or health because I don’t want to be one of those preachy people. It’s different if I know someone belongs to Weight Watchers because I know that they get where I’m coming from.  Lots of people at work have commented on my weight loss recently and I guess that was what prompted her to say, “You know, I think there are times in your life when you can devote time to yourself. Like right now, I’m just so busy there is no time in the day to get in exercise. I’m exhausted. I just can’t fit anything else in.”

Maybe she is right, maybe not… the important thing is that, for her, right now this is her truth. I could have suggested ways that she might fit in activity but it has to be important for her to do it. Our beliefs make an ennourmous difference. Whatever you believe for yourself is what will eventually becomes your reality.

I believe this time is my time to get to goal. I weigh in tomorrow and I’ll see if I move closer to getting to goal this week or not. Either way is ok because  I’m in a good place and I’m feeling strong. I hope you are in a good place too. Thank you for reading.

My son practices Nokado and tonight was his belt test. He is now officially a brown belt, “Brown like the color of the falling leaves.” as opposed to what he was,, “Blue like the color of the ocean the dangers that lie beneath.”  Martial Arts requires a great deal of skill and dedication so each time he accomplishes a goal new goal is set to work towards.”

Goals are part of every journey. Understanding how important goals are, and being able to work towards them is a huge deal. What goals have you set for yourself?

I am working on being mindful. Something I am grateful for right now is my bed! I am pretty tired, I went to spin this morning, worked all day, and came home and we were off to our son’s test. I thank you for reading… more tomorrow.

I am not perfect, I can be fickle.

Last week a colleague said, “Jenn, you’re on Weight Watchers and I know you can’t eat this.” as she brought in a little dish of pastries to share with a friend of mine. I was annoyed, sitting across from them thinking to myself, “It’s not that I can’t have it, I can have anything I want. I just don’t want that right now.”  

This week, a different colleague had to run out at lunch and asked me if I’d like a coffee. I was delighted by this kind offer. When I came back into my room I saw a donut (my featured image) sitting there next to my coffee. What the heck! My colleague came in, “OH yeah the guy at 711 gave me a free donut I thought you’d like it.” Boy was I annoyed, she knows I lost all this weight – why is she leaving me donuts? “Oh, thanks but I’m not going to eat that. You should take it.” She put her hand over her stomach, ” Thanks no, I can’t eat that.” She tossed it into the garbage.  

As I reflect I realize I’m being oversensitive. None of those people have any power over me unless I give my power away. The choices I’m making are for myself so I can be happier in my own skin. I am learning how to be more poised and perhaps that is the flip side of fickle…

I’m learning every day on this journey just another reason why it’s worth taking on this goal. More tomorrow…

“This is hard, to cut out a dinosaur, but I can do it!”  He furrowed his brow and carefully moved the red scissors up and down cutting along the thick black outline of a smiling dinosaur. From the very beginning, we are wired for growth. Working with young children strengthens my belief that we humans can learn anything if we are willing to work for it. By the way, he did cut out that dinosaur and did a magnificent job!

Changing my lifestyle for the better has definitely stretched perception of the growth mindset because there are so many challenges that I have to persevere through. I do have to believe that when I put in the effort I will succeed. When I listen to other Weight Watchers members I am inspired by their successes. I have always had a strong sense of internal locus of control and this theory helps to explain why. A growth mindset reinforces the thinking that we can influence the events in our lives and their outcomes.

I paid some bills tonight, and one of them was my water bill and that got me thinking about how appreciative I am to have clean water. Long Islanders get their water from aquifers deep under the ground. All of the rain is filtered through layers of sand and rock and that is what cleans the water so it can be used again. Nature offers these elegant solutions that help to sustain life as we know it. Clean water, like so many things in life, requires a delicate balance. As I tried to learn a little more I found out that there are other toxins and pollutants that are also getting filtered into our water supply and that is alarming.   So what can I do be part of the solution instead of the problem? I can:

• Maintain my cesspool
• Properly dispose of prescription drugs
• 8 Steps to a Toxic Free Lawn (I have to convince my husband about that)
• Be Informed! 

This isn’t really where I thought my Mindfulness goal would take me but that’s ok. It just reinforces why I have to think of things that are beyond my everyday life. Being informed, engaging the world, and taking personal responsibility are also steps towards living a healthier lifestyle. Can’t be healthy without clean water – just sayin’…

I wonder what are you thinking about. Are you making decisions that will get you closer to your goals?  If you’re not, why not? Remember, you don’t have to go it alone there are so many good people out there. More tomorrow…