When the end goal seems too hard

A friend of mine sent me this devotion to me this morning and we thought it would be perfect to share with you!!! Hope you are encouraged by it as much as I was!!

When The End Goal Seems Too Hard
29 Dec 2011
December 29, 2011
Lysa TerKeurst


“…make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance…” 2 Peter 1:5a-6a (NIV)

No matter what your struggle has been, victory is possible today. Sadly, most of us don’t think that’s true. The problem is we tend to measure long term success while downplaying the absolute victory found in small successes.

Yesterday a friend of mine called to say she’d read my blog and, as a result, she walked away from indulging in a bag of M&Ms. That’s a victorious small success. Now, I can’t say that her scale will stand up and clap and reward her with much lower numbers today. But, if she builds upon this small success – choice by choice, day by day – she will see positive changes.

As the New Year approaches, many of us make some kind of healthy eating commitment. But even if that’s not your resolution, this principle applies to other struggles as well.

If I choose not to snap at my child and instead respond with tenderness, that’s a victorious small success.

If I choose to pause before responding to the rude sales clerk, thus giving her a smile instead of perpetuating her smirk, that’s a victorious small success.

If I choose to give my husband the benefit of the doubt rather than jumping to the conclusion he meant to hurt my feelings, that’s a victorious small success.

I like the way our key verse puts it. In 2 Peter 1:5-6, we are reminded to “add” some things to our faith. Two of those additions are self-control and perseverance. For me, I have to decide to practice the self-control and perseverance that is mine since God’s Spirit lives in me.

Think of it like a muscle. We have muscles as a part of our body. But we must add activity to those muscles to make them effective and strong. Our muscles will work for us if we exercise them. Self-control and perseverance will work for us as we practice these over and over. Start with the small victories and bigger victories will come.

Sometimes victory seems so far away because we measure it by the end goal. And end goals can seem overwhelmingly huge, daunting and just plain hard to reach. Instead, if we start measuring our victories by the smaller choices we make each day, victory won’t seem so impossible.

Big things are built one brick at a time.

Victories are achieved one choice at a time.

A life well lived is chosen one day at a time.

Dear Lord, I know that with You, victory is indeed possible. Day by day and choice by choice. Help me to believe this truth today. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Ready, Set, Go!!

Well, it's that time of the year!! Many New Years Resolutions will be made, goals will be set and mindsets will be set! Do you have your goals set for 2012? I prefer setting goals vs. New Years Resolution. For me, it's much easier to reach a small goal than have to work at accomplishing those big New Years resolutions! I have some goals set and I've set some small goals to help me get there and not get too overwhelmed. I do love New Years though, because it feels like a new beginning. I look back at 2011 and I have accomplished some great things on my weight loss journey but I want 2012 to be even better. I plan on reaching my weight loss goal (which is only about 15 pounds away!!! Whoo hooo!!) I plan on running a 5K and by the end of summer I hope to be running 10 miles straight with no stopping. I have a long term goal of running a marathon, but that's something I have to take small steps to get too. I was thinking, in order to reach these new goals, and hopefully you have new goals to reach, we have to make sure we set ourselves up for a win! First thing I will do, I said this already but I feel like it's so important, is to set some small goals to get me to that big goal I want to meet. I'm trying to see it a month at a time, "How much would I like to weigh at the end of January?" "How far do I want to be able to run by the end of March?" goals like that. I think it's a good idea to take a look back at how far you've come (no matter what your journey is this is always a good thing to do) Even if you didn't accomplish as much as you wanted to, you still made some accomplishments! Don't beat yourself up over the things you "didn't do" rather be proud of yourself for the things you "did do!" Something else I have to do is get my house and kitchen ready for myself. I have to get all the junk out from Christmas and make sure I have lots of healthy options. If I don't do that I'll continue to sneak little bites here and there and I really don't want my kids eating all the junk, so I'll just throw it away. Surround yourself with some cheerleaders!! Maybe some people that have similar goals as you or people that will just stand by your side and cheer you on! Have a plan on some type of activity or exercise you'd like to try. I know come January first, you'll be able to find good deals on exercise videos and equipment, so if you are able to, invest into some of those! Stay focused! This can very well be your year of reaching those goals!! Don't quit when it gets tough, don't give up if you "mess up", just push yourself to do something you never thought was possible!! I am ready to reach my goal and I hope you are too!!! I'd LOVE to hear some of your goals you have set (even if they aren't weight loss goals) so please share!!! I'm rooting for you!!!!

Thanks for reading :)

What's my secret, you ask?

I've been asked this question many times, "Hey Mel! What's your secret?!" and sometimes I know the person really wants to know how to do this "getting healthy" thing but sometimes I think people want a quick fix. Unfortunately there is no quick fix, well at least not one that is meant to stick forever. There are lots and lots of fad diets out there, ways to lose weight quickly, and obviously I've seen some of those work. But those aren't meant to become a lifestyle. I believe 100% that to be healthy and live a healthy lifestyle FOREVER you have to do something you can do for the rest of your life. When it comes down to it, it's pretty basic. I wanted to give you a few tips that have helped me and these are things that are a part of my daily life. One thing I do everyday is I journal what I eat (this is something I've learned from Weight Watchers). This helps me be accountable and helps me remember what I'm actually eating. I try my best to write everything down. I exercise for 45- 60 minutes a day, at least 5 days a week. There are days I work out a little more and days a little less. The key is to move! I choose the healthier food, most of the time ;) It has now become a habit to eat more vegetables and fruits, it has definitely taken some time for that to become something that's just natural for me. I don't cut any food out of my diet. I still eat cake and cookies. In my opinion, if you cut out foods then how will you ever learn to be able to control yourself with them? Now there are certain foods I don't keep in my house ONLY because I know I have the potential to overindulge in certain foods. But I still eat them. I make sure I have people around me that support me. I have my family, my husband, friends and my Weight Watcher group! You have to surround yourself with people that are positive with what you're doing and distance those that might try and bring you down (believe it or not, you will have people that won't support you... boo them!) The last thing I want to mention is that I try my best to pay it forward. I share my journey with others in hopes that I can help them! That is a great accountability and it's also nice to help others and also fun to do life with others! I'm sure there are MANY MANY more tips on how to be successful in becoming healthy... you are more than welcome to share!!! I would love to read some of your tips that you have adopted!!
Thanks for reading!!!! :)

Sometimes it just doesn't work!! Grrrrrr

You work really hard, exercise, follow all the "good eating" rules.. you even pass up the cookies and drink extra water and you step on that scale, of course only expecting a big weight loss and ta dah... NOTHING!! Or even worse.. a weight gain!! RAWR!!! It happens to the best of us!!! I am not a fan of those moments! Moments like these can make us or break us. I've had moments like this and I've responded in different ways. Most of the time, I use it as a motivator to work harder or to just stay on track (given I'm already working hard). Although, I have had my moments of just saying, "Oh forget it!!!! I'm so frustrated I'm going to set the scale on fire and go eat a cake!!!" I've never done those things but have wanted too!! :) This is one of those weeks for me. I've worked really hard this week, followed all of my WW rules, exercised.. blah blah and my scale says I'm up 2 pounds. WHAT IN THE WORLD?! I say, read between the lines scale!! READ BETWEEN THE LINES!! ;) You know what I'm really going to do? I'm going to keep working.. keep moving forward.. and I won't let this get me down. You see, anything can cause a little weight gain and it very well might not have anything to do with how hard you've worked. When I first joined WW I would get soooo upset if I gained a little weight, now don't get me wrong I still get a little upset, but I don't let it control my actions. What I do now is I look at my entire month and judge my results based on that. Or I'll try on a pair of jeans to see how well they fit, ummm.. or how well they don't fit. The key is to stay consistent! Don't base your commitment on the result you see today! If you work hard and are doing what you set out to do, you'll achieve your goals!! I have no doubt in that!! Don't ever let the scale dictate your level of dedication!! You dictate your level of dedication! When it comes down to it, it's up to you how much you'll invest in yourself and how far you'll go. I say go all the way!! Giving up is not an option!! :)

Thanks for reading (and letting me vent for a bit :)
:) Mel

Being Aware Of What You Eat...

Before joining Weight Watchers, I would sometimes wonder why I was overweight. Have you ever wondered that? I mean I didn't eat ALL day long and I wouldn't eat 2 or 3 cheeseburgers when we would go out to eat. I ate a few meals a day and had a few snacks but that was about it. I also NEVER paid attention to nutrition labels and I let the whole "huge portion sizes" slip my mind.  After joining Weight Watchers and adopting a new healthy way of living, I started to pay attention to what I was eating. I started to look at labels and made myself aware of what I was eating.  You know what I discovered... I discovered that when we would go out to eat, I just naturally chose the most unhealthy thing on the menu. Not cool! I also learned that just because it's one can of soup or a small bag of chips, it's not necessarily one serving. I learned that a salad can have just as many calories as a sandwich and how bad pop really is for you! I knew I had to make some changes if I wanted to change my life and be healthy. Here's some things that have helped me and hopefully it will help you too! Weigh and measure your food. Don't just guess or assume. Also, pay attention to labels. Know exactly what you're eating. Know how many servings is in whatever you're eating. I don't think there's anything wrong with eating a whole can of soup, but KNOW you're eating 2 servings not just one. I eat soup for lunch sometimes and I always eat the whole can, but I count it as what it is and not what I think it it. Know what you're eating when you go out to eat. Look up menu items and their nutrition information. I think it's fine to become a "food snob" ;) Meaning, don't eat something just to eat it, eat it only because it taste good. The other day we were in Chicago and I used my free Starbucks birthday gift (from Starbucks) and I ordered a skinny peppermint mocha, I was so disappointed it didn't taste good at all so I threw most of it away. Now my old self would've drank it, just because! I now think, why would I eat something or drink something that doesn't taste good? I have learned to slow down and enjoy my food. Before I didn't really slow down and taste the food, I just ate it. Does that make sense? I hope so. I've also learned that I don't have to clean my plate. It's okay if I leave food on my plate. I would always wonder how my husband can leave a few bites of food left on his plate and I would ask, "Rob why don't you just finish that?! It's only 3 bites left!!" He would tell me, "Cause I'm not hungry anymore, I'm done." WHAT?! Well now I can do that too :) There really is no "clean plate club" that our moms would tell us about!! So I encourage you, be a food snob! Pay attention and don't let food control you!

Thanks for reading!!! :)

My Birthday blog :)

Today is my 36th birthday!! If you know me, you know that I LOVE birthdays!! Not only mine, but everyone's birthday!! I know the whole "getting older" thing can be a pain in the butt... but I see it as, at least I'm alive to get older!! I have learned so much this past year and I wanted to share those things with you & hopefully encourage you at the same time! This past year I have learned that one of the best gifts I can give myself is time. Invest a little bit of time into myself and then in turn that helps me invest a better "ME" into others. I give myself time to exercise and to eat well. I used to think that I had to take care of everyone else first and then take care of myself last, but I cannot take care of anyone the best I can unless I'm taking care of myself. I've learned to push through and keep going, that when the "I can't do it" thoughts come, I push harder! I've learned that you really can overcome those "impossible" things in your life. I remember at one point I just figured I would always be an overweight person. I never imagined being able to conquer that in my life. I had settled for that type of lifestyle. I now know, I never have to settle for anything... I know with God's help I can do anything! I have learned that I really am stronger then I thought I was! I can now run, I can now control myself with food, I can now influence others to change their lives. I can now raise my kids to be healthy kids/teenagers/ and adults! I've learned that even if there are obstacles in your way, that doesn't mean time to quit, it just means time to find an alternate route! There's never a good enough reason to quit on yourself or the dreams you have! I want to encourage you to keep going!! Nothing is too big to stand in your way!! If things don't look like you imagined them too, stay consistent!! Never ever ever ever quit!!! I have no doubt you will accomplish your goals!!

I have no doubt, we can get better with age :) I know I have!!
Thanks for reading!!!!

Pick, Pick Pickin' away...

Okay, so I had to get rid of a lot of the Halloween candy!! I have found myself picking at it over the last several days. The first week I was fine, it's just recently it's been getting to me. I put it out of sight,you know the whole out of sight out of mind trick, yeah it wasn't working anymore, so I had to take drastic measures!! RAWR!! I know there are times I find myself picking at food and I wonder why in the world am I doing this?! My kids are still pretty little so they rarely finish their own food, even if it's McDonald's they will leave lots of it behind. If you think about it, even if it's just picking at it, those calories can really add up! Did you know that if you eat 2 of your kids chicken nuggets, you've just eaten an extra 100 calories and just a handfull of fries out of a small McDonald's fries can add up to another 100 calories. A small candy bar can have up to 280 calories in it! I have learned to be conscious of what I'm "picking" at to eat. I put a lot of thought into this Halloween candy, and come up with some options if you, like me, are having a hard time with it. So here's my suggestions :)
1. Have your kids pick out their favorite treats and have the "Candy Fairy" come and pick up the rest and swap a small prize for the candy.
2. When they are sleeping go through it and toss out the stuff you have a weakness towards.
3. Donate it to the troops!
4. Donate it to a shelter or food pantry!
5. Send most of it to work with your spouse. (that's what I did!! Rob left this morning with lots of candy for the guys at work!!)
6. Take it to work with you to share! Just make sure the candy bowl isn't on your desk!!

One option I had was to hurry up and eat what I really wanted so it will be out of the house!! That's terrible advice!!! Don't do that!! I'm just saying it did cross my mind ;)

Stay strong my friends!! We are about to move into a season where food is one of the highlights! I have no doubt that we can go through this holiday season and still lose weight! Thanks for reading!!

Gettin' Physical

I don't meet too many people that LOVE to exercise. It's one of those things that we know we should do but find just about any excuse not too. Before starting Weight Watchers, I never exercised. Once in a while I would take a walk with the mindset of "yes, I'm working out!" but I wasn't consistent. After starting Weight Watchers I now see exercise in a whole new light. I remember taking those few pre Weight Watcher walks and thinking, "Wow I walked around the block a few times!! I can now eat a gallon of ice cream!" It doesn't work that way, boo!! There definitely MUST be a change in your eating to see a change in your weight and health. BUT... exercise is still very very important and necessary for a healthy lifestyle. When you compare someone that has lost weight by only changing their food vs. someone that has lost weight by changing what and how they eat and have also included exercise, you can tell a huge difference in the way they look. The person that exercises looks better, more slim, they are more active and have tons more energy! Plus, you can eat a little more when you work out :) that's always a bonus! When I first started losing weight, I didn't include exercise until after the first month. My first type of exercise was a 15 minute walking video that included resistance bands. I honestly was so wiped out after doing the 15 min. video. I would challenge myself to keep going by never getting comfortable. Once I conquered an exercise or exercise video I would move on to a more challenging one. I do believe that by challenging myself and setting new exercise goals will play a role in me keeping the weight off. I really do love to run. Now, let me  explain something though, usually I don't enjoy the few min. building up to running.. it's once I start running and when I finish are the parts that I really love. You feel so accomplished when you do something you never thought you could do! Exercise makes you feel so strong! I believe one of the MOST important things when it comes to exercise is consistency. I don't necessarily believe it's who can run the farthest, fastest or who can lift the most weights.. it's the one that can stay consistent with exercising. That, in my experience, has shown to have the most impact. There have been times I would push myself so hard I would be in so much pain that I wouldn't be able to workout for several days afterward and I would lose my momentum a bit. I have altered my exercise routine to include something I enjoy doing and I try to switch up what I do so I don't get bored with it. I do continue to challenge myself physically and I believe that's very important, but when it comes to my daily activity I try to do something I can stick with and enjoy. I want to really encourage you, start exercising! If you already exercise, continue to push yourself! Find things that you never thought you could physically do and work at accomplishing those things. You'll not only feel strong on the outside but you'll also feel strong emotionally and mentally!
I love this quote I found in my Weight Watcher journal;
Dieting makes you look good in your clothes, exercise makes you look good naked.

Thanks for reading!!!

Bored, Tired, Stressed, Emotional...

I should add excited, happy, celebrating, nervous, frustrated.. so on and so on. Sometimes these are reasons why we eat and we're not even hungry! I've been thinking about the cold weather headed our way and the winter season usually brings cabin fever with it. I have no doubt I will encounter days where I'll want to sit and eat just out of boredom. Have you ever stopped yourself while eating and thought, "Oh my gosh, I'm not even hungry! And this food doesn't even taste that good! I'm just eating to eat!" I know I have.. several times. And I don't even have to be bored to do that. There have been plenty of times I would hear good news and start eating just to celebrate... I know it sounds ridiculous, but it's true! If you think about it, eating doesn't really help the situation. Sometimes food can just become our thing we run to. Just like alcohol is to others, that's what food can be to some. I feel like I blog mainly about food and it's because I believe the way I handled food is the main reason I was overweight. Exercise is very important.. but the food part of it is even more important. I'll blog about exercise soon, so don't get me wrong.. I think exercise should be a part of a healthy lifestyle, but when it comes to someone that has struggled with being overweight most of their lives.. food is the main reason (well really ourselves, but it's because of the food we eat and how much we eat) So what will I do to keep my hands out of the cookie jar this season? Paint! Amongst many other activities! During the spring time, I was going through a very emotional time and I started painting, EVERYTHING! I'd go and buy a can of paint and paint furniture, rooms.. whatever I could get my hands on! I'd switch the way I had my furniture around. Clean out the cabinets, organize the kids drawers... I just kept myself busy! I would use that time to try some new exercise DVD's.. and make sure I kept play'doh and coloring books and crayons in reach. I just stayed busy!! When I would feel bored or down I would start a project. I actually got a lot done!! So this year, I will do the same :) I'm pretty sure a few rooms in my house will get a face lift this winter! I just want to encourage you to keep going! Stay focused! You really are worth the effort and you don't want to let your emotions get the best of you. And let's say you do have an emotional eating moment.. well that's ok, just pick yourself back up and keep going. It happens to us all! So go out and buy yourself some paintbrushes! Thanks for reading :)

Set Yourself Up For a Win!

You know how the old saying goes, "Failing to prepare is preparing to fail." There is so much truth in that! This got me thinking about a key thing I've learned this past year when it comes to weight loss. Obviously, there are things in life that surprise us maybe an unplanned event or even a weak moment or two (or a million weak moments in my case) but the majority of things we do, we usually plan for them to happen or at least know it's probably going to happen. Like holidays, birthday parties, eating out at restaurants.. etc. These can be pretty tricky if you don't go into it with a plan! With Halloween right around the corner, we've talked a bit about all the candy that's going to be flowing through most of our homes here in a week or so. We already know it's going to happen, Halloween is always on October 31st, there's always candy involved, so why not try and be prepared! I try to plan for MOST things, yes even sometimes I plan to be very bad, but nevertheless, I still plan ;) One of the big lessons I was taught as a young teenager was to already have a plan on what I was going to allow happen when I was with a boy. My mom was a strict one (THANK GOD!!) She would tell me to decide what I will allow to happen, like will I allow myself to be alone in a room with a boy (yes) will I kiss a boy (umm yes) will I .... so on and so on.. but I needed to know what I would do before the situation happened. It's tough to make a plan when you're already past the point of making a plan. Honestly this lesson kept me out of a lot of trouble growing up. This lesson can totally apply to situations with food! These are some things that I do that really help me.. When I'm going out for dinner I try to find out where we are going before we go. I look up the menu online and then pick out a few things that I would like to eat and then I figure out the points (or calories). I like to have a few options so I can change my mind if I want too. Of course there are times I have no idea where I'm going and in those cases I just do my best to try and pick the thing that I think is the healthiest. And just so you know, there are times I pick out something that I really want and it might be "bad" but I usually try to only eat half of it, still preparing though. When it comes to parties, in my opinion these can be the toughest situations, I will try and see if I can find out what the person is serving and then plan once I know. This isn't always the case though, in most cases you don't know what's being served. Sometimes I'll put a piece of fruit in my purse or something that I know I can snack on. I try and pick the best things to eat at a party and try my hardest to leave the unhealthier things behind. Those little finger foods can be dangerous and the calories/points add up quickly! I try and tell myself, "Self, this is not the last meal you're going to eat, so chill out!" Here are some tips I've learned for Halloween ( I have 3 little ones, I'm sure I'll have delicious Halloween candy in my house for at least 6 months! grrrr ;) but here's some suggestions we've talked about in my WW class; not to buy any candy until the day before or day of Halloween, to buy something you do not like (ummm I like everything though!! ;), to keep it out of sight and to try and get rid of it all on Halloween, don't keep any extra laying around. For me, it's going to have to be mind over matter, my kids will trick or treat and bring home 3 bags of candy, but I will be telling myself, is eating 10 mini candy bars in one sitting worth it? No, probably not. But one mini candy bar might be ;) Hope I didn't blab.. I know what I wanted my point to be, I hope it came across clear. Thanks for reading!!!

I small goaled my way here!!

So I was at a store the other day and just for the fun of it, I grabbed 2 different pairs of size 7/8 jeans.. you know, just to see how much longer until they fit. Guess what! They fit!!!! I almost threw up!! I was so excited!! I know, some might say, "Duh Mel!! You know you're going to fit in smaller jeans!! But come on! A size 7/8! I've NEVER worn a size 7/8 (yep, I keep repeating size 7/8 cause it's awesome! hehehe) Honestly, I don't think I ever imagined myself wearing that small of a size. So it's just as much shocking as it is exciting. I think if I said to myself, "Ok self, let's focus on getting to a size 7/8"  I would've given up... it was way too far away. So I am a big pusher of setting small goals. If you know me, you've heard me say this before and probably have heard me say it many many times before. Setting small goals sets you up for a win! Obviously I knew what my long term goal was.. to lose a bunch of weight and be healthier, but that is not what my focus was. My focus was accomplishing the "next small goal." In Weight Watchers, the first goal is to lose 5% of your total weight. So that is what I set as my first goal. The next goals are to lose 10%, be a Weight Watcher for 16 weeks, and so on. We also celebrate every 5 pound weight loss with a star sticker (yes we are grown people excited to get stickers!!) So I followed all of the Weight Watcher goals, but I also set some for myself. My first personal goal, I can celebrate on FB with my friends once I hit -30 pounds. I'm a FB lover so this worked for me! I set my exercise goals as well. (now that I'm writing this.. I think I've written about this before!! Oh well, we need to hear it again ;) This morning when I woke up, my goal was to have a perfect DAY, not a perfect week or month.. but just today! Perfect for me means to journal everything I eat, to not take little bites of my kids food throughout the day, and to get some exercise in. As you set these small goals and meet them and then set more small goals (then repeat :) before you know it you'll be right where you want to be! It's amazing to see that I've small goaled my way to lose over 100 pounds and now able to wear a size 7/8 ;) Small goaled my way to be able to run 5 miles and workout for an hour straight without dying! So that's my little challenge to you. Set some small goals. Set a small goal you'd like to reach by the end of Oct. and then the end of the year. I set my end of the year goal, I want to lose 16 more pounds by the end of the year. Once I hit that then I will be only 10 pounds from my final goal! I made a chart yesterday with the remainder of the year broken down in weeks (yes I'm a chart making dork) I bet by then I can even be down to a size 5/6! Thanks for reading!! Now set your goals!! :)

I Don't Wanna!!!

I'm warning you, this is a whiny blog! Sometimes I just don't wanna!! Sometimes I don't feel like it! I hope I'm not alone in thinking these thoughts. These thoughts aren't nearly as often as they used to be, but they still come and there are times I just let myself be whiny and allow myself to fall a little weak. This past weekend I had a few days of what I like to call "tired of doing this whole healthy lifestyle thing" this thinking happens and I guess I have to expect it. It's not a "I'm giving up" type of thinking, just tired. Sometimes I get tired of the process, tired of writing what I eat down, tired of exercising, tired of thinking about it and working towards goals. I remember the first time this happened, I thought, "Oh my gosh, I'm such a failure! Why am I thinking this way?!" but then I realized this is life. This is normal thinking! (well at least for me it's normal) I now realize life happens. You see, schedules get busy, our families demand more of us, tragedy strikes, changes happen... you get the picture. Heck sometimes we just get plain ol' tired. I used to think feeling anything negative was bad, but it's not.  I know that the changes I've made and am currently making is my lifestyle, and the fact is life does happen. There will be times that "I don't wanna" for the rest of my life. I can't imagine ALWAYS wanting to exercise or ALWAYS wanting to eat right or NEVER getting tired of "being good" so since these feelings come I've just learned what to do when they do come. I allow myself to feel these things without feeling guilty. No need for feeling bad about having feelings. I believe it's good when those feelings come because then you will learn your weaknesses and you'll learn how to cope with those feelings. I think the BEST thing I've learned from those feelings is that I am stronger and in control and that I don't have to throw in the towel and give up just because I'm tired. I can skip a few days without exercising or skip writing in my food journal. I may have some extra treats I normally wouldn't have (like 2 pumpkin doughnuts ;) and still be okay. These feelings come and go, we deal with them, and then move on. Hope this helps :)

Never ever give up!

Mental Issues!

"Mental Issues" is a perfect title for this blog! I think this is one of the biggest if not THE biggest hurdle to get past when losing weight and adopting a new-healthy lifestyle! Have you ever attempted to do something and figured you can't do it before you even try? (probably, right?!) I remember when I first joined Weight Watchers I told myself, "Ok, I'm not going to tell anyone I'm doing this (besides a few very close friends and family of mine) until I've lost 30 pounds." I pretty much knew I was going to fail at it because this was not the first time I've tried losing weight. I didn't want to tell anyone that I was doing this and then fail at it and let myself and others down. I knew I had to try though, because I wanted to do this for my health and for my family.. so I tried. The first few weeks after joining were pretty easy, I didn't have to talk myself into working hard at it, because it was so new and fresh. It wasn't always so easy, though. Here are different mental issues I've fought through and gotten past. "I can't do this!"  "I've failed at this before what's going to make this time different?" "My friends and family have watched me attempt to lose weight and they know that I've failed over and over, why would they believe in me?" "I don't think I can control myself with the food!" "I will NEVER be able to run a mile!" "I can't exercise for that long!! I'll die!!" and more.... I'm sure you can add more to this list. I just stopped believing the lies and doubts inside myself. That's it! The fact is we can overcome this way of thinking! If you can move past the thoughts and lies you tell yourself, you've just won the battle! Think about it, if you tell yourself, "I can do this!" "I don't need to eat that whole cake!" "I can run/exercise and I can push myself farther than I ever thought I could go!" "Even if NO ONE believes in me, I can still do this, because when it comes down to it.. it's up to me!" If we continue to believe the negative thoughts then we will never become more than what we are right now! You are in control of what you think...and you can change that at anytime. So here's my challenge to you... think of something you never thought was possible. Maybe it's running a mile or going a whole week without having pop or sweets. Maybe it's walking around the block or even fitting in to a pair of smaller jeans. I want you to start working on hitting that goal. Don't start tomorrow or next week, start right now! First, by telling yourself, "I can do this!!" I am not asking you to do something I haven't done already and haven't seen success in already. I know without a doubt that if you change your thinking and see yourself as the strong person you really are, you can do it! I hope this encourages you and you can hear me cheering and waving my pom-poms for you!!

Thanks for reading... now change your thinking!! :)

FOOOOOOOOOOD!!!!! Yum!

Man oh man, do I love food!! I feel like I need to give it a "shout out", it's that delicious! It seems like every event involves some sort of food or drink; concerts, sporting events, family parties, movies, hanging out times.. heck even our Weight Watcher open house had food at it! It's almost as if we cannot do something without food being included. So being on a "diet" or "lifestyle change" can be quite difficult, especially when food is so available to us. I remember thinking, man if I was addicted to drugs that would be so much easier because it costs a lot more and not as convenient to find. (no I do not support being addicted to drugs) During my weight loss journey I have stumbled with food several times. I have found some ways, though, that help me in a great way when it comes to food. Have you ever tried cutting something off totally! Like going cold turkey?! I have, several times. Many times I would "give up" something.. pop was always my first thing I would quit. But then that's all I would think about. Pop this and pop that.. when my kids would ask for help with homework, I would think "PEPSI" when a friend called, I would think "Cherry Pepsi" and when my husband would try and flirt with me, I would think "MMMM yummy!! Homemade Cherry Coke!!" That's all I wanted and focused on and as soon as I would cave in to the craving, I'd be a goner! This is something I LOVE about the Weight Watcher program, you can eat anything you want! Nothing is off limits! You just take the points (or calories if you're counting calories) for it. So that's the first thing I did, I didn't cut off any foods that I wanted. If I want ice cream I have ice cream. Something else I have learned is that I know what foods are my weaknesses. I love ice cream, but I know that if I have it in my house, often, I will more than likely go to the freezer over and over and eat it until it's gone. So what I do is buy smaller containers of ice cream or go out for a special ice cream treat. I know chips can be a weakness, so I suggest to buy the individual bags of chips. I am the only one that knows what I can handle. I am the only one that knows what I can sneak into when everyone else is in bed. So I have to hold myself accountable and I have to know my limits and not set myself up for a fall. I think that if you allow yourself those special treats that you like then you are less likely to fall into the trap of overeating. Something I've heard is "When I lose all my weight I'm going to treat myself too... (fill in the blank with your favorite food that you don't allow yourself to eat)" if you allow yourself those favorite foods then they don't have to be a "prize" and I don't believe food should be a "prize" I think clothes or money or jewelry or trips should be ;) I hope this helps.. I know applying some of these small tips to my life has helped in a tremendous way! Thanks for reading!!!
Mel

HEY!!! Where's the finish line?!

The other day while I was finishing up a run (still crazy to hear myself say that!) I started thinking "When will I be done running?" and I didn't mean not running for the day, but running overall. I don't think I'll ever stop until my body says I can't do it anymore. It started me thinking about my weight loss journey and this lifestyle I've taken on. I don't believe there is really ever a "finish" line. I believe that there are check points where you take a break at, celebrate that you made it that far, evaluate how far you've come and where the next check point is.. etc. I believe realizing this will help in the maintenance time. If we can see this as an ongoing race or run, then we will see this as a lifestyle we have to keep. When we hit a "finish" line we just stop. We go back to what we were doing. If we can see it as a check point, then we know that we aren't finished, that there is still more running to do and more goals to set and meet. It might sound exhausting, like.. "I will never be finished?!" but it's the truth. I know for me, I will never be finished. I can't be. I know how easy it would be to go back to my old ways.. and I don't want to go back. Ever! So here are some ways I think will help me never be "finished"... To always set goals, at some point I won't be able to set weight loss goals but I will set physical goals. To continue to impact people's lives through the change that's happened in mine. To share my story with others. To stay connected to Weight Watchers and/or people that I can be accountable too. I'm sure there are more ways, but these are the first things that came to mind. I do believe that the longer you do something the more habit it becomes, but I don't believe that one can never go back to the way they were. So this was just a personal challenge for me and I thought I'd share it with you :)
Thanks for reading!!!
Mel

My first blog EVER!!

Hello!! This is my very first blog! Exciting and nervous at the same time! I wanted to start a blog about the journey I've been on this past year and am going to continue the blog throughout my maintenance time.
    A year ago this past July, I joined Weight Watchers and since then have lost "almost" 100 pounds! To be exact currently I am -99.4 pounds! Unbelievable! I have about 30 or so pounds to go and I'm looking forward to getting there and then maintaining my weight. Let me back up and explain why I joined Weight Watchers in the first place. One Friday evening I was on my hands and knees scrubbing my kitchen floor and the next day (and 6 weeks following that awful floor scrubbing moment) I was in so much pain, coughing was even a challenge! The day after I had scrubbed my floor my little girl, Kennedy, said to me, as I was laid out on the couch barely able to move, "Mom, what are we gonnna do now? We don't have a modder (mother)" I said, "Yes you do! I'm right here!" Those words played over and over in my head.. "we don't have a modder" and it hit me. I don't want my children to one day say they don't have a mother because of the choices their mother made. I decided that if I was going to be taken out, it would not be by my doing! God would have to take me out! So the following Wednesday I walked into my first WW meeting and never looked back. It has been an amazing journey! I haven't loved every moment but I have loved most moments. My hope is to inspire others to set goals and reach them, to never give up on their dreams and to realize that you really can do it!!! We have the ability to get past the roadblocks in our minds to reach the goals that we have set! I know this without a doubt! I hope you follow me on the rest of this weight loss journey and then on through my maintenance time. If you ever have any questions, please feel free to email me!! Thanks for reading!!