Disappointment…

I am like many of you, I value work, and I am very dedicated to my career. It’s winter break and I am staying home. and I plan on being productive and organizing my house and working on projects for school. That will be good, but there is something else – I’m feeling pretty disappointed. I am not stealing off to some remote destination and kicking back away from my regular routine.

I guess I’m longing for some carefree fun. I am wishing for some time that I am not dealing with all the pressures of my life. I’m sure if you are reading this post, you may understand. Then today, I found myself looking and wanting to some of these…

Thankfully, my resolve held fast, and I didn’t buy any of them. It’s only now that I’ve had some time to reflect that I realize that it’s not this that I really want – it’s fun.

I wanted that feeling of freedom and good times. Why would I confuse food for fun? I don’t know. Maybe it’s some primitive response that enjoying something sweet triggers in the brain, but in the end, it doesn’t really matter. It just is. I think the more important thing is that I recognize the behavior. I think that is the thing that is really essential. I also think that I am not alone, I think there are many of us who unknowingly turn to food as a substitute for some kind of longing.

If I didn’t have this insight and the behavior was to stay unconscious, I might eat something high in points and then say something like, “You’re an idiot! Why’d you do that?” (That quote actually comes to you right out of my WW Workshop today). But in reality, the truth is, I’m not going away this winter break and that is disappointing. I’m not doing some of the same things my friends and colleagues are doing and I wish I were.

I used to turn to food. I don’t do that anymore, or at least not today – yay! I think it would be hubris to say that I will never repeat that behavior again. I know that it’s dug down deep. Now at least, I can say, that I’m aware of it and I think that’s a big deal. I am going to trust myself and rely on that awareness to keep me from repeating past mistakes. That’s good enough for today.

I realize that I may sound insensitive to some of you. For that, I am sorry. Deep down, I know that I am truly blessed. I have a home, a family, I get to teach children to read and write and to believe in themselves. That is truly a blessing. I do know that to some people reading this post, my disappointment may sound self-centered and spoiled. However, this blog is a space that I’ve created, for me to be totally honest.

So, even though I know I am blessed, I am still disappointed. I’d rather put my disappointment here on the screen than make some foolish choices that take me away from my goal. Maintaining weight loss is hard to do for a reason. Thank you for reading.

Day Four Hundred-Sixteen…

Happy 16th Birthday David! We had a party tonight to celebrate our son’s special day. We had the family over and had so much fun. I am very happy to say, David felt loved and that’s what a birthday is all about.

In terms of being on plan… it was a challenging day. It began with professional development, (I was attending not facilitating) and then, of course, there was the party.  Professional development comes with an assortment of snacks. With the party? Well, lasagna and birthday cake of course.

I’m happy to say I did not have any candy, and I was very strategic about what I ate. I used very few points and “saved up” for dinner. I did really enjoy what I ate and now I just feel good.  Will I get to goal? I don’t know, I really have no idea but I hope so. I did not reach my fitness goal, I only went to spin one time this week. I did recover my points from my overindulgence from last Saturday. I am rolling over 8 SmartPoints. I have been planning and tracking.

I will let you know how I did!

 

Day Three Hundred Sixty-Eight…

Successful, long-lasting weight loss is not only informed by numbers on a scale. I could not have been more strategic this week, I should definitely have lost weight. However, I’m dealing with some inflammation and that is slowing up my weight loss.

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I’m very honest and diligent about tracking so this really is my week. Sunday was Jimmy’s barbeque and it was a great time and well worth all my Smartpoints. However, the rest of the week is all true as well. So you can imagine my disappointment. Had this have happened earlier in the journey I might now be here, 87.8 pounds lighter, at all. Now I know that it’s all the habits and belief  I’ve put into this that is really important.

I went to spin for the first time in a few days. I’m having some health issues and I’ve been reluctant to go but today I went and I am so happy I did.  Going to spin class makes me feel good in a bunch of ways. It clears my head and makes me feel stronger. It gives me some relief from my stress. It’s something I can work at and it’s just fun for me. As the class was winding down, my spin instructor, Mike yelled …

“You live a charmed life. I promise you, believe it.” 

I was overwhelmed by gratitude at that moment because lately, I’ve been feeling so concerned about my situation. It’s easy to get a fixed perspective and sometimes a message will come through that makes it possible to see things differently. Mike is right, our lives are precious and being here is a gift. Find some kind of activity you love and do it because it makes this journey lighter.