A little help from my friends

I could not do this weight loss journey without the support of friends.  I think of my friend, Megan, who was working with me a while back at a church breakfast, serving trays and trays of donuts.... I was putting those things on trays...smelling them...and thinking...what if I just have a half?  

I shouldn't do it.  I don't need one. 

Do I even want one? Well....no...maybe?

Megan said to me, "You aren't going to eat one, are you?" The way she said it told me she was already convinced that I was not going to have even one bite of one of those darn donuts...she knew how hard I was working, and it seemed that she knew I had the strength to walk away from them.

Here's the deal, though; that little comment gave me the extra boost that I really needed at that moment.  She had confidence in me...maybe more than I had in myself.  It made it easier to walk away from those donuts.

She was completely genuine...she believed in me...she was just caring...just because it's who she is. 

I have heard her words in my head a number of times since then...at times when I needed to hear them.  Her effortless words have made such a difference to me!  (Thanks, Megan!)

What kind words have you heard today to boost your spirit or give you strength?  What support have you offered to a friend?

Persistence

My sister-in-law has been a source of inspiration lately.  Around the same time I began this journey, she began one, too.  She has walked for close to an hour every day for the past 33 days!  It's a great reminder the importance of getting exercise and remaining persistent.  

I tend to exercise pretty regularly...nearly every day.  I am so thankful to have an elliptical machine here at home so there's no excuse for not using it regularly.  Then again, exercise isn't where I have trouble being consistent and persistent...eating well is where I get into trouble.  Today was one of those days where I seemed to be hungry even after having a good lunch.  The chocolate on my secretary's desk kept calling my name...all those Reese's Peanut Butter Cups...Hershey Kisses...Mr. Goodbar...I kept saying, "No!" even though I stopped there more than once and even touched the shiny wrapped morsels.  Thankfully, today, I was able to ask myself, "Will this help you reach your goal?"  NO!  Much better results for me than listening to the voices that were saying Just one...it's a small piece.  I know for me, one piece leads to two, then three, and I stop counting.  I count passing it up a victory!

What have your recent victories been?  Be persistent!

Getting Past Fear of Failure

Whew! It has been a while since I have taken time to write!  Life gets in the way of blogging sometimes.  It sure does feel good to sit down to write tonight. :)

Last week I read a blog that I regularly follow called Presentation Zen.  Garr Reynolds wrote: 

We fear mistakes and failure more than just about anything. We fear mistakes to the point where we don't even begin to make the changes we know we need to make, or give up when we meet resistance long before the goal has been achieved. 

Wow!  If that doesn't describe me before mid-January, I don't know what does.  I find it amazing how paralyzing fear can be...especially fear of failure.  Fear of failure kept me from beginning this "get healthy" journey.  If I didn't start working on taking better care of myself, I couldn't fail at it.  Right?  

Wrong. What I had to realize was that not starting was failing myself and those who love me.  I certainly wasn't feeling successful, limping through my days.

Taking care of myself is not just about my physical body but my spiritual and emotional well-being, too.  I need to remind myself to keep this in mind.  It's sometimes easy to lose sight of this when I focus so much energy on eating well and exercising.  There's always something to work on! :)

Buddha-- There are only two mistakes one can make along the road to truth; not going all the way, and not starting.  

What fear do you need to overcome to get started?  
Have courage. Begin. Keep going.

Numbers

I feel pretty good about my eating lately.  Weighing and measuring has become part of my routine at home.  Some people think it's a pain, but it is part of what helps make eating more conscious for me.  Once I get more accurate with my estimations, I will be able to stop the actual measuring.  (A "math" person should be able to estimate, right??)  A little more practice should do it.

Yesterday I was reading an article in the Des Moines Register about a weight-management program at Iowa Health.  The part that caught my attention was a comment about having health targets rather than weight loss goals.  It's a good reminder of what I really am working toward.  Becoming healthier is my goal...measuring my weight right now is only one way for me to measure progress.  I am going to try not to get too hung up on my weight--those numbers.   But there are some other numbers I am interested in---blood pressure and cholesterol. 

I celebrated a birthday this week, and my best present was from myself: something I lost rather than something I received-- 11 pounds.   This number is important to me only in that as this weight loss number increases, the other numbers I am watching will decrease.  (Another math relationship! I can't help myself tonight!!)  It is a good start toward becoming a healthier me!  

I know many of you are working on health-related goals, too.  Feel free to share your progress and successes.  Let's celebrate together!