Making Lists

Reflection is a critical thing to a weight loss journey, and having a community in which to share is invaluable. I know enough now, that I don’t want to go it alone because I think better in the company of others. Here are some reflections members shared today when thinking about what is working for them when it comes to losing weight:

  • “Setting small goals really helps to motivate me to keep going.” To this, I say, “Me too!”
  • “Weight Watchers meetings help because this is the only place where we can talk about this issue for an hour with people who get it.” I can only say, “Same!”
  • “Tracking my points, even when I am over, is helpful because I can make them up as the week goes on.” If you saw me at the meeting, you’d see me shaking my head, whispering”Agreed.”

With the good comes the bad. We also did some work exploring what isn’t helpful when pursuing weight loss:

  • “Letting myself get too hungry. When I get too hungry, I’m in danger of overeating.” (that was my reflection).
  • “Not planning ahead when going out with friends.” It’s so easy to fall into unhealthy eating and drinking patterns when going out socially. We have those behaviors ingrained and it’s easy to lose control.
  • “When I don’t consistently track what I’m eating.” Food journaling is the number one habit that successful weight loss revolves around. Not putting food into our trackers is just another way to kid ourselves. It’s like we don’t want to see it but it’s not at all helpful and it just hurts our efforts.

Making a list of helpful/unhelpful behaviors for weight loss is a great vehicle for reflection. It clarifies a plan of action so that we can all get a little closer to reaching our goals.

Changes

Here is a moment from my day to celebrate. Instead of ordering out with the girls, I ate the lunch I packed from home. The great part is that I didn’t feel as though I missed out on anything. I really enjoyed eating with my friends, and I still stayed on track. There have been times when it wouldn’t go this way. I felt good because my health and wellness journey is important to me. I want to make a positive impact on my life and it’s working. I feel better, even if sometimes it’s difficult, I am proud of myself for maintaining my resolve.

Inspiration

When was the last time you felt inspired? I know so many people who inspire me. In many ways, this post is dedicated to all of them. But specifically this post is about just one. Inspiration is something to be let into the heart, It is pure positive energy that lifts us up as though we were riding in a hot air balloon into a cerulean sky. Knowing someone else’s story and seeing how that person overcame obstacles, or maybe was selfless, or is someone who despite hardships still just doesn’t give up. These are the people who give us the drive to be more than we are today.

Today was one of the top ten weather days of the year. Long Island is really a special place when the sun is shining. Sometimes, like today, there is a light cool breeze that teases the air, kissing your cheeks like an old friend who is so happy to see you again. My husband and I wanted to make the most of this beautiful day, so we went to Eaton’s Neck, to walk along Hobart Beach.

Hobart Beach is the thin line of land extending from Eaton’s Neck. I earned over 14,000 steps today!

During out walk we talked about many things. It was intimate and lovely. I told him all the ways he inspires me, and I’m so glad I did. It wouldn’t have happened this way had it not been for this May Challenge.

No, Not Ever…

Today was the Super Bowl LIV (54 – yes I had to look it up as this is the only time we Americans use Roman Numerals). I was the dutiful wife and prepared snacks for my husband as he enjoyed the game. It made me happy to make it special for him. And as an added bonus, these foods weren’t all the tempting to me. I don’t really love chicken wings, pigs in a blanket, mini beef pockets, or mozzarella sticks. Temptation was successfully averted! Woo Hoo!

Now the game is over, and congratulations to the Kansas City Chiefs! The the dishes are all stacked inside the dishwasher, and I am left to think, would I have been as successful if I enjoyed those foods? Would I have to make a vow not ever to eat the foods I really do like in order to keep the weight off? The answer is decidedly “No.” There really can’t be any foods that are totally off limits if my weight loss is going to stick for the rest of my life. Learning how to eat foods I really enjoy in moderation continues to be a learning curve for me. However, this is one lesson I’m going to have to learn.

I’m not there yet. I do overindulge and sometimes I do eat to get some comfort or relief from stress or anxiety. I am grateful that I am at least self-aware to know this about myself. The next phase is to take an active role in changing these behaviors. I’m open to suggestions by the way so if you have any ideas of how to stop overindulgences as they are happening please let me know.

Anyway, thanks for reading. I go to Teachers College in NYC tomorrow. I’ll take some pictures and let you know how the day went. We can do this, and better than that we can do it together.

Like Butter…

My husband did a beautiful thing for me today. He painted our bedroom. Of course my favorite paint color is called (wait for it) Butter. That just makes perfect sense to me. Anyway, he was so sweet to do it, because it really was a lot of work. Now I can just sit back and enjoy how lovely it looks.

My view into the hallway

I wish I could report that today was a great day on plan. It was for the most part until this evening. Then I just snacked mindlessly. I’m am still getting over being sick, I am feeling sore, and just a little bit sorry for myself. I also think I’m also worried. The holidays are coming and while I do love this time of year, it adds additional stress that isn’t always so easy to cope with. I’m not trying to make excuses, I’m trying to understand why I made such poor choices this evening. The bad combination of feeling sick, stress, and worry are not a winning combination. So while yesterday was a battle I won – today was a battle I lost.

All I want for Christmas is to fully appreciate my weight loss journey. Getting to goal was difficult and now I find myself working to get back to Lifetime status. My weight loss journey is the gift I gave to myself, and that’s how I want to honor it – it is something I did just for me. I never want to lose sight of that. If I lose sight of that then it would be like I’m giving up on me. I am grateful that I found myself again on this journey. I know I can do this because I’ve done it before.

Self imposed 14 Day Sugar-Free Challenge

For the next 14 days, I will not eat any sweetened foods. For each day I forego desserts or sweetened foods I will do something “sweet” for myself. I think this is a good way to kickstart my plan again because it is something I can control. If you want to join me, I hope you’ll let me know. More tomorrow readers, remember we got this.

Being Brand New…

Have you ever gone to Boot Camp? I thought I knew what Boot Camp was, but I didn’t really. I imaged it as kicking a heavy bag – obviously, I had it confused with Kickboxing. So when I walked into my first Boot Camp class, I made it my business to find the instructor and introduce myself, “Hi, I’m Jenn. I’ve never done this before.” She looked me in the eye and nodded her head, then she scanned the room to get an appraisal of the others entering the class. She told me where to put my things, and said she would touch base with me once the class got going.

When I go to Spin class I always feel energized and powerful. I feel like I know what I’m doing, and I get a great workout. Boot Camp is not Spin Class. Boot Camp, was REALLY hard for me. To say I was a total amateur is being generous. I didn’t know what I was doing half the time, but that’s what it’s like to be brand new. This experience made me feel so vulnerable, everyone seemed just way better than me. Then by the end of class, as people were stretching, I noticed that I was more flexible than some of the others. For that brief moment I felt like I belonged.

Belonging comes with competence and confidence. If you are considering taking on a weight loss goal, or are newly committed, and don’t feel so competent, it’s hard to be confident that you’ll succeed. If you’re feeling this way, know this – you’re not alone. I remember trying to lose weight and not knowing how to begin. Everything was overwhelming, What was the right food? How much food should I be eating? At that point it all felt insurmountable, this was a very difficult period in my life. That was pre-WW.

The WW program has given me a structure to organize my efforts. If I follow the program, I know it will work because it has a research base that has proven results. It works on a physiological and behavioral level. Rolling over points is a behavioral incentive, SmartPoints measure macronutrients in foods to render a numeric value. That is what I mean by a structure. However the reason why I’m losing weight and am able to follow the plan, is because I’ve told myself I can. I believe in me, and more often than not, even on the hardest days, I can think of something I did well.

Turn kindness inward, and recognize something good you did today. You can do this, it’s difficult, but you can do it nonetheless. Come on, I’ll do it too and together we can all reach our goals.

Beauty Benefits…

I came home to the most spectacular sky. The sky was lit orange and salmon, with vivid blues streaking across the horizon, it was an extraordinary expanse of color. It was so surprising, so unexpected. A far cry from the icy, yucky, wintry mix that greeted me on my ride home.

Breathtaking

How does beauty impact your weight loss journey? Appreciating beauty has some remarkable benefits that are easily overlooked. Today was hectic, and it would be easy to just dig into the “have to’s” that consume so much precious time. I have to get home. I have to get to the school to be on time to pick up my son. I have to cook dinner. I have to clean up. I have to work on that proposal. I have to wash my clothes for tomorrow. The list could keep going…

Waiting for my son this was my view out of my rear view window.

The thing is, all that stress makes it harder to stay on track with weight loss goals. That beautiful sky filled me up with a sense of wellbeing. I breathed deeply and marveled at it. I felt good. So, by the time I got home I was ready to do the “have to’s”. It also helped a lot that I planned ahead and had my lunch for tomorrow ready to go. There are choices that can be made that end up really making the difference.

No wonder it’s easy to get off plan and regain weight.

When we are stressed out it depletes our willpower. Willpower is nestled in the Prefrontal Cortex. My guess it’s in the sweet spot between emotion, attention, and judgment! Beauty is a way to offset the life’s stressors. Planning ahead when you’re feeling strong helps for the times when you’re feeling weak. It sounds cliche, but it is all about finding balance. I think my body is an extension of my state of mind.

“November comes
And November goes,
With the last red berries
And the first white snows.

With night coming early,
And dawn coming late,
And ice in the bucket
And frost by the gate.

The fires burn
And the kettles sing,
And earth sinks to rest
Until next spring.”
― Clyde Watson

Change is Possible…

Every week I learn so much as I listen to other WW members reflect on their journeys. I’m thinking about a reflection a member shared that really inspired me, she realized she was not truly following WW’s plan because she was being too rigid. She was not making allowances for special occasions, she had banned certain food choices, she was living her life as if she were on a diet. I was so inspire d by her realization and insight.

WW is a program that helps members reshape their relationship with food. In order to do that, we have to learn and grow. Now I’m wondering what my next big learning will be. I am tracking, I am cooking healthy food, I am packing my lunch, I am eating breakfast at home, I am meeting (and exceeding) my fitness goals. There are areas where I could improve. I could be more mindful, and I have to get snacking under control, and my tracking could be tighter, and bedtime continues to be a goal is to work on because I really think I need more sleep. I think it’s very important to pick one goal at a time. This week, I’m learning how to reflect rather than react. My goal is to think through my choices before I make them. I will stop, think, breathe, act. Just taking that minute to think things through would be a mighty accomplishment. Sometimes in the moment it’s difficult to exercise that kind of control. I think I’m going to make a sign and leave it out to remind me of what I want to do in the heat of a moment it may make a difference.

I do think this is a cool picture.

I’m glad I walked myself through my goal for this week. It’s only Monday, and I think it’s going to be a strong week for me. Of course I’d like a big number moving in the right direction on the scale, However, what I’m really after is a big insight for my own process for weight loss and better health. More tomorrow.

Keep Track…

Anything I ate was recorded in my tracker and that feels like a nice accomplishment. Some days, just tracking is enough to keep me going. There were two different times where I ate something where I could’ve made better choices. So I tried the rewind strategy and it did help. I think the power for this strategy is that it keeps me self-aware. Problems arise when I go on autopilot and I ignore the impacts of my choices.

Even When…

By the time I got home from the city today, I was tired and hungry. This is not a winning combination. I made some poor choices, and am now regretting them. Regret is a reason to reflect. If I had tracked my choices while I was making them, I probably would have made better ones. My dad liked to say, “Kick yourself once, then let it go.” So, I’m starting over. I am drinking a big glass of water, washing my face, brushing my teeth, and going to bed.

All day learning at Columbia University Teachers College

Tomorrow, I’ll go to spin and start again. Even when I feel like I’m failing on my weight loss journey, I know that’s not true. Just being on the journey, investing in the thought, the planning, the ambition to change my life and make healthier choices is a marker of great success. This is not easy, and it’s a mistake to minimize that. However, I know I can accomplish difficult things. My choices today do not define me. They are a product of physical and emotional exhaustion.