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!!