Keeping it active

This week I got some SERIOUS activity in and loved every minute! I lost .6 this week, but my major achievement was in getting a record 62 activity points!  That is the most I have gotten EVER! I went hiking in the Catskills and here on Long Island, I also completed a set of 4 kickboxing classes. I am killing the activity and feeling GREAT! I gotta write more about all the hiking, it was AMAZING! Get out there and get active, try new things you never know what may spark an interest! Stay tuned since next week I am doing my second 5k and I am setting a goal to do a 14 minute mile.

Sometimes Failure is Success in Disguise

So this past week was my birthday. Yes this is an obstacle all by itself, even with the planning for my party: buying low fat hot dogs, light buns, making salads with fat free greek yogurt for dressings, eating only one of each item and trying to balance it with lots of exercise. I STILL went up and significantly! So I was upset for a while that day. I want you to see it all, the good, the bad and the ugly. I ate a lot at my parents house, but not so much at the party. What I think did me in was the drinks! Jello shots, punch with vodka, beer, wine. It was a party and a damn good one! So am I gonna beat myself up? Sure for a couple hours, but then I refocus and I know even though I went up in weight I would not take back the good times I had. That is why it's so important to realize this is your life. It will be a struggle and you should expect to fall, but you just get right back up. I'm in it to win it and I'm here for the long haul.

I have said a lot of time that this is a journey and you need to enjoy that journey.  If it's about the destination you are gonna hate every minute. So should I view this gain as a failure?  I used to, but now I see it as an opportunity to learn and grow. I also look at all the things I had done right and now dwell on the scale. The way I see it, this is a success! I planned and made decisions I never would have before!  I bought the light buns and hot dogs and made my salads fat free- I never would have done that before.  A change in behavior is actually better than a change on the scale. It's through every little change in our behavior we build our way to living that healthy lifestyle.

So always keep in mind: Sometimes failure is success in disguise!

More Progress!

I had my weigh in today and lost 2.6 pounds for a total of 57.2 pounds! YES! I am sooooo damn excited, never thought I would come this far!  It is the most amazing feeling, I know if I can do this, I really can do anything I set my mind to!

Just a few weeks ago I was struggling with a plateau up and down the same 1-2 pounds. I am in this for the long haul and I am committed, but the same enthusiasm wasn't there. I hit a wall. I confronted the situation head on and talked to my WW leader. If I did not so this I would not have been able to get past this wall. While sometimes this problem can be physical, for me it was mental. 

I realized I was afraid to lose the weight. Frightened of the unknown, my life being thin.  You would think this is a welcome change, but for me my bodily transformation had not caught up with my psychological transformation.

When you lose weight, people's perception and reactions to you change. I was already getting more attention and it was making me uncomfortable. I started to question myself, am I ready for this? What if all of a sudden men are hitting on me? I'm married to a great guy and this point especially bothered me. So next I spoke directly with my husband about this fears and he comforted me and gave me some great advice. While there may be other men that hit on me, they will never be able to compete with our bond. All we have been through together and all of our shared interests, also knowing I was loved just as much 57.2 pounds heavier.

With this baggage released I was ready to continue with my weight loss journey. Now you can see the effect your own mind can have on you!  Good or bad! Plus as seen in my previous post, I went wine tasting and out to eat twice and STILL lost the weight!  Indulgence  in moderation can lead to success!

Enjoying the Journey

Losing weight is a lifestyle change, not a diet.  People ALWAYS say this, but I didn't get it until I starting living it. Yes you cannot eat the way you have been, obviously this has not turned out well, but this journey never ends. So if you are going on a lifelong journey, you MUST enjoy the ride! While before joining WW I would drink and eat and not monitor it at all. Now I reserve wine or cocktails for once a week or every couple of weeks. I will also make better decisions for lunch, if I know I will be doing out wine tasting or for cocktails. All things in moderation! I live life to the fullest and I am not perfect (I didn't track anything that day) but I made better choices for food and I would have NEVER done that 1.5 years ago! These small behavior changes occur slowly and as time goes on, you won't even remember how you used to eat!

The moral to the story: you must indulge from time to time, this is a long journey and if you don't enjoy it you won't keep it up! Salute!