October has been a rough month for me in terms of weight loss. I struggled and now I am going to feel great going to bed knowing that I made through the day without eating Halloween candy. One day at a time one meal at a time. All I can do is stay engaged and do my best. Here I am doing my best lol…
How can one piece of (thin-crust) pizza be 13 SmartPoints? I know it’s 13 sp. because I weighed it on my WW scale. At first I was really happy because it came up as 5 sp. until I realized (right away) it was too good to be true. Turns out I was reading ounces for grams, and THAT was very disappointing. So I ate my one piece of pizza, with salad and balsamic vinegar. Even though it was delicious, I was so distracted thinking about how little there was of it.
I hate to say it but this pizza situation is just the kind of thing that makes people give up. On one hand, it feels kind of rotten to restrict myself and watch everyone else eat what they want. On the other hand, now I am satisfied I’m not hungry, I can say I feel amazing to be in such control. To say I’ve got my hands full with this weight loss journey would be an understatement.
Giving up… think about what would I be giving up on? Me. I’d be giving up on me. I won’t do that, neither should you. In the moment it may feel bitter but getting through it, afterwards, it’s pretty sweet. Things change all the time. Name it, feel it, and I bet it will help you get through too.
Important moments are sometimes so small they can easily be missed as they are happening in day-to-day life. I had one of those significant moments in the parking lot at school today. Students were on the way home, the buses had left the parking lot, and everything had gone from noisy to quiet. I was left loading heavy tote bags (filled to the brim) with work into the backseat of my minivan. My brain had already started to tick down my list:
My brain felt as though it was navigating busting city streets, briskly weaving in and out so I could reach my destination. What’s the best route? The list kept coming and I was getting sucked in by its enormity. I stood there, the van door still wide open, and I noticed that the sun was starting to slant lower than it did even a few weeks ago. Days are getting shorter and there is still so much to do.
I felt a pang inside and my eyes drifted over to the Stop & Shop bag where the blue box of Chex Mix jutted out. The Chex Mix, I mistakenly bought thinking they were only 4 SmartPoints and it turned out they were a gut wrenching 7! Way too much for a carb laced snack that will only leave me wanting more. I had pushed the bag deep into the back seat way back so if I wanted to grab it, I’d have to climb inside. “I’m hungry.” my brain wailed and then it hit me – that’s not what you’re hungry for.
Giant lists of things to do after working hard all day is overwhelming. I am setting myself up for major disappointment if I crack open a bag of Chex Mix when what I really want is some calm. “No. My brain insisted – you’re hungry.” I was hungry lunch was over four hours ago. Then I remembered, I saved the blueberries from lunch for the ride home just in case. I buckled my seat belt and snacked on blueberries. I turned on the radio and decided that in the words of my father-in-law, “Don’t worry, it will all get done dear.” I was calm, I was kind, and that made all the difference.
I exercised control in the face of that immediate want and I realized that this “want” is the “thing” that’s slowing down my comeback to healthy habits. I think this little moment has helped me turn yet another corner on my journey.
I have routine and rituals. Routines and rituals are what helps me to stay on plan Between yesterday, and today all of my routines and rituals were thrown out the window. Yesterday I just ate too much. Today I started off good, but was quickly followed by a series of bad events that thwarted my efforts:
Some of today’s crack ups were just bad luck, some were a lack of planning on my part. It’s really hard to keep it all together, all the time. Now, I am thinking of of what I can do next…
The truth is, I’m pretty disappointed that I had two rough days after building so much momentum over the past week. Even though this really bothers me I can also say I am proud of myself for taking the time to write tonight’s post. I’m writing because I want to figure out why I did what I did and I’m doing this even though I have quite a bit of work left to do before I can call it a day. I am taking back a little time just for me and that’s something to celebrate.
So, I can either, sit here and call myself a failure and that be the end of it, or I can concentrate on what I learned and try to improve. I am practicing being resilient right now, I have a plan of action and even though my routines and rituals did not save me today it doesn’t mean they wont work tomorrow. Sometimes I have to be my own hero and rescue myself. Sometimes, I may have to fail and figure it out as I go. No matter what, I’m worth the fight. So are you, and don’t forget it.
Rain is not a friend to weight loss, or at least not for me. Today has been a stay inside, snuggle up with blankets, watch movies, and snacking kind of day. Plus, we celebrated my son’s birthday so dinner was followed by ice cream cake. Need I say more? I am over my SmartPoints budget.
Tomorrow is a new day.
To weigh in or not to weigh in that was the big question. Today is meeting day and I did follow through on my plan to weigh in. Truth be told, this blog is a place for the truth, I went up on the scale. However, it wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be and knowing the number didn’t derail my focus or my confidence. All I have is a satisfying sense of control over my situation. I took back my power and that feels great.
My goal this week is to continue to face up to reality when it comes to food choices. Here is how I’m going to do it:
I want to keep this list short yet generous. What I mean by that is I don’t want to try to do too much that I feel defeated. I want to give myself a lot of room for success so if one day things are too hard, I want to remember that I can always recover. This is my plan for the week.
It’s getting close to Halloween, and I said “No” (in my mind) to candy all day long. Then, I ate the lunch I brought with me, rather than buy lunch from the deli with my colleagues. I ended my day, shopping for a healthy dinner to prepare. I came home and cooked a healthy, reasonably pointed dinner for my family and me.
After all of this, I cleaned up and as I did so, I thought about eating the tub of Salted Caramel Enlightened Ice Cream that is in the freezer. Then I realized what was really happening, I wanted a reward. I wanted a reward for all of my efforts. The family was fed, the dishes were put away, a successful work day was behind me. I wanted something good just for me.
What do I really want? I want to reach my goal. I want to get back to Lifetime status. I want to be able to move easily with lots of energy. The last three days has been really good ones for me. I want to continue my success and get my groove back.
I have a problem though. I’m not sure if I should weigh in tomorrow. I’m not convinced that if I weigh in I won’t be discouraged when I find that my number on the scale has gone up. What should I do? I don’t know what I should do. I tried to write a pro’s and con’s list but I’m feeling stuck about that too. My feelings about it are too complex for a list. I want to be honest with myself, I want to feel like this is period of struggle was just part of my journey. Inside, that is what I believe. Then I think, well what if that number goes up a lot and then I feel defeated and demoralized? How can I recover from that?
A number does not define my success on this journey. I know that in my head, but do I believe that in my heart? I don’t want to be heartbroken tomorrow in the Moose Lodge. Standing there in stocking feet, on a (slightly) wobbly digital scale. Looking at the receptionist hoping she isn’t secretly judging me. I know she wouldn’t by the way, all the receptionists are lovely. Right now, you are listening to my lesser angels talking out of fear not reality. This is what I have to say to that, “It’s just a number. It’s just a number. It’s just a number!” I did something remarkable, Now I’m the road to doing something extraordinary because I’m in the midst of a comeback. I believe in me, and that’s why I will weigh in tomorrow. No regrets.
I try not repeat my blog titles, so I did a search for today’s post, and this post came up: “Beginning” It came up because I used the word, “prosperous” (pros) and “continued” (con). Funny. Then I read the post, and my own words came to my rescue.
There used to be this show, “Who Wants to be a Millionaire” on TV. Contestants would be asked a series of questions, and when they got stumped they could use a Lifeline:
How great it would be if I had these Lifelines for my weight loss journey? When I really think about it, in a way I do have them. My sister is my “Phone a Friend”. She is always there to support and encourage me. If I’m stuck she is the one who knows an answer. Sometimes the answers come from my workshop and blog communities. These spaces offer me an Ask the Audience option. Learning from the experiences of others is invaluable. Hum… that’s two for two! Sometimes, I really don’t know the answer and I just have to make my best guess.
today was another good one for the books. It was an extremely long day but I’m proud that I stayed on plan.
I had a great day on plan. It’s the first great day in a long while. It’s been a total of fourteen days since I wrote my last post and tonight I am writing from my heart. My weight loss journey is very important to me it has given me both confidence and energy. It has shown me that I can overcome obstacles and reclaim my personal sense of power. Since I’ve been on this journey, I have made important self-discoveries because writing these posts has pushed me to be more reflective. I am extremely grateful.
Even with all of these positive rewards, this is still hard. If you find yourself in a similar spot (thinking this is too hard) I hope you will give yourself the time and space you need to reengage with your weight loss efforts. You can do this, don’t forget that because it’s the truth. Thank you for reading. More tomorrow…
What are your personal beliefs about weight loss? Before you answer that question consider what informs a belief system. Beliefs are shaped (in part) by what the people around us say, our own experiences, and what we read from credible sources. If, upon reflection, you sense that there are some negative forces at play with your belief system for weight loss – it’s not really that surprising. Most people don’t believe long lasting sustainable weight loss is possible. So if you’re attempting to build up and fortify your belief system that not only is weight loss possible, but it is going to happen for you, seems like a tough sell well then those feelings just makes sense.
It’s all in the details. when Building a strong belief system Having a detailed plan of action to fall back on makes your peroanl outlook well – believable. You know because you’re make it happen.
Getting to Goal 