After one week of Maintenance and…
It goes to show that sometimes, even if I follow the plan faithfully and work all of my strategies, I can still go up. I think this why many people give up on weight loss. It can be discouraging to say “no” to things like candy, bread, and pasta and not be rewarded with a loss on the scale.
However, I am so proud of myself for making such good choices this week. Everything I did, I did for me and that’s what really counts. I know that the next time I step onto the scale, I will be more successful in terms of numbers. I am also thinking about my Saturday morning friends. A faithful tribe of others who attend the workshop meetings with me. Here is some advice I will keep in my pocket this week:
- Celebrate! I am part of a community who understands me.
- Apple picking! Living on Long Island, New York I am fortunate to have a local apple orchard, Richter’s Apple Orchard. Recommended apples were Ida Reds and Snapdragons.
- Snap & Track! When dining out, I can take a picture of my plate and look at it later to track more realistically than trying to remember.
Good advice right? So another challenge put forward this week references Shawn Achor’s research around happiness. The long and the short of it is that happier people make better choices. So our challenge is to find three things to be happy about for three days. I’m up for that, are you?
Lastly, as I think about today, I am struck by how important these three skills are: Time, Planning, and Mindset:
- Time: Get comfortable knowing that timetables and weight loss are at odds with each other. It is unrealistic to wish for weight loss each and every week no matter how dedicated I am to the program. I’m in this for the long run.
- Planning: When something is important I make room for it. If I need to shop, plan, and prepare foods so I can be successful. The same thinking goes towards activity too. I can elect to see my decision to plan for my success as an act of self-care.
- Mindset: It’s all in the way you look at it. I have decided to see my weight loss journey as a way to welcome joy into my life. I see it as permission to spend some time on me. I have to say that it feels good to focus on my own needs. I feel like I can be more present for others than I could before.
If you want to learn more this a great TEDx Talk:
Getting to Goal 