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!!! :)