I'm up AGAIN this week... continuing to do "the dance" w/ the scale, but I've been fully back on track the last few weeks & that feels really great!! I didn't go crazy on Thanksgiving, so who knows what was up w/ the scale? I'm not worried about it... next WI will be good, I would think!! :o)
Keeping my chin up...
Weeks OP: 95
Weight: 192.6
Loss/Gain: +1.2
TOTAL Loss: 82.4
Pounds to Goal: 47.6
Saturday, November 27, 2004
Saturday, November 20, 2004
WEIGH-IN: 94 WEEKS OP
Feeling good... firmly back on track this week. Exercising regularly, feeling positive, making "fairly" good choices... not 100%, but that's why I'm exercising regularly!! LOL! :o)
Weeks OP: 94
Weight: 191.4
Loss/Gain: -0.6
TOTAL Loss: 83.6
Pounds to Goal: 46.4
Weeks OP: 94
Weight: 191.4
Loss/Gain: -0.6
TOTAL Loss: 83.6
Pounds to Goal: 46.4
WELL...I'M FINALLY FEELING CONFIDENT...
& firmly back on my feet after the last few months of stumbling & flailing about. I've gotten back to journaling religiously, I know that's what works & I've proven it to myself AGAIN!! :o) I also decided to go back to FlexPoints this past week. I might regress even further back & start doing Winning Points again. I LOVED CORE... really truly loved being directed towards this healthy & fulfilling list of foods, but it did something to me psychologically, being able to have my fill of MILK & FRUIT, etc... not having to COUNT IT, I don't know... I truly can't explain why, I mean, I was still journaling, for the most part, but assigning these foods w/ ZERO points did SOMETHING to me. I didn't go crazy, but I started to drift. I'm hoping to incorporate CORE into my daily life, but I definitely have to go about it differently. I don't know yet.
ANYWAYS... I think that it occurred to me this weekend that only 2 months ago I was actually less than a pound away from being only "THIRTY-SOME" pounds away from GOAL & that is completely incredible to me! So, why in the heck was I wasting so much time goofing off, stumbling around?? It was time for me to recommit & I'm doing just that.
It feels good.
I've been trying to think about what has been going on the last few months that has kept me from staying firmly committed & decided that for the most part it all stems around being TIRED!!! So, I figured that the #1 thing I could do for myself was to get enough sleep. I've been pooped lately ...but that never keeps me from staying up too late. I'm easily distracted & not committed & I think that has alot to do w/ sleep.
So, I made a list of COMMITTMENTS a few weeks ago that I'm going to work on... here they are:
Get more sleep (bed by 11pm)
Get sweets under control
Journal EVERYTHING
Move DAILY
Keep things positive
Clean my house
Commit to the challenges that I head up!
(I'm the "GoaD Challenge Cruise Director" for TWO challenges ( HERE is one of them right now & am not doing well as a challenger!)
I've not done so well on many of them... okay, MOST of them :o) ...I'm really busy & continuously distracted, but I'm getting there!! :o)
Anyways... just thought I should write a quick update to let you know that things are starting to turn around... I'm pretty confident that I'll be posting only BLACK negative numbers in the CHANGE column of my weight chart from here on out!!
Thanks for all of your support guys!!
Julie
ANYWAYS... I think that it occurred to me this weekend that only 2 months ago I was actually less than a pound away from being only "THIRTY-SOME" pounds away from GOAL & that is completely incredible to me! So, why in the heck was I wasting so much time goofing off, stumbling around?? It was time for me to recommit & I'm doing just that.
It feels good.
I've been trying to think about what has been going on the last few months that has kept me from staying firmly committed & decided that for the most part it all stems around being TIRED!!! So, I figured that the #1 thing I could do for myself was to get enough sleep. I've been pooped lately ...but that never keeps me from staying up too late. I'm easily distracted & not committed & I think that has alot to do w/ sleep.
So, I made a list of COMMITTMENTS a few weeks ago that I'm going to work on... here they are:
Get more sleep (bed by 11pm)
Get sweets under control
Journal EVERYTHING
Move DAILY
Keep things positive
Clean my house
Commit to the challenges that I head up!
(I'm the "GoaD Challenge Cruise Director" for TWO challenges ( HERE is one of them right now & am not doing well as a challenger!)
I've not done so well on many of them... okay, MOST of them :o) ...I'm really busy & continuously distracted, but I'm getting there!! :o)
Anyways... just thought I should write a quick update to let you know that things are starting to turn around... I'm pretty confident that I'll be posting only BLACK negative numbers in the CHANGE column of my weight chart from here on out!!
Thanks for all of your support guys!!
Julie
Saturday, November 6, 2004
WEIGH-IN: 92 WEEKS OP
Still danging the dance... been a little rough lately, but I'm hanging on...
Weeks OP: 92
Weight: 192
Loss/Gain: +2.2
TOTAL Loss: 83
Pounds to Goal: 47
Weeks OP: 92
Weight: 192
Loss/Gain: +2.2
TOTAL Loss: 83
Pounds to Goal: 47
Tuesday, October 26, 2004
Thinking this through...(a Julie Ramble)
Got a little time for a Julie Ramble??
Ad’s post about “Failure Panic” was pretty timely, I have to say. :o) I know that I’m not going through any anxiety as far as “failing” goes... I know I’m going to continue to move forward, I know that THIS lifestyle is MY LIFE now & I have been really satisfied w/ that, happy w/ the changes I've made... but I made a comment earlier on a thread about the scale not being my friend, which prompted a kind GoaDi to check out my weight chart on my website & try to help me make sense of my dance w/ the scale over the last 8 weeks... ( -1, +1, -4.2, +1.6, +6, -3.8, +2.6, -2.2 ) ... as I was thinking this through while I was writing my response out I came up w/ this...
...up till about 6 weeks ago I could say that I was OP 98% of the time... carefully measuring / weighing & journaling EVERYTHING! All of that & I still only dropped like 12 - 15 lbs in 9 months! It WASN'T a huge deal to me... this journey is more to me about getting healthy, forming habits that I'll hold on to forever, that I know will eventually help me get to goal, so I've not been stressing out over what the scale says. Mid-September I had 2 really BAD weeks, I just needed a break, I think, went sugar crazy... had that 6 lb gain (see previous journal entry) & have been back OP since then, but I've been "not so fabulous" over the weekends since then as well. So, the last 6 weeks or so has been a self imposed dance w/ the scale! :o)
I don't know... I'm really enjoying CORE... love that I have the freedom to eat healthy foods w/ no cost points wise (although I do still journal, knowing that I'm not going over the top w/ points on a daily basis)... CORE is encouraging me to get a nutritionally balanced diet, but I've also had this major sugar thing since after the first week doing it! I don't quite understand it.
Up till a few months ago, I don't know WHAT it was... darned plateau... but right now it's just ME. I'm a little too patient, I know that... look how much time has passed & I'm only down 12 lbs or so this YEAR, that's crazy! January is my 2 year OP anniversary, I SHOULD be so much closer to goal, if not already there. Most of the time I say "that's okay", there is more to this than losing weight... at least I'm maintaining (in a 5 lb range sort of way, LOL!), right? I guess frustration HAS crept in over the last few weeks, frustration over my lack of control these last few months... figuring that I'm rebelling a bit, needing a little break from "perfection", although I'm the first one to admit that I'm far from perfect... I'm pretty darned laid back about this whole process, actually. Too laid back for my own good, I think!! :o)
It's not a big deal (I tell myself!)... not like I'm going to quit, EVER... I'm still heading in the right direction. I think that mainly, recently I'm just seeing all of the last 9 months as "wasted time"... yeah, I know, not really "wasted", but "what if / if only" thoughts keep coming to my head... "if only I had continued to lose like I was last year, I'd be so much further along", etc. ...I came into this journey realizing that I can't have those "if only" thoughts anymore... they only held me back from moving forward in the past... I know better now.
As I'm writing this, I'm realizing that I'm doing this to myself on purpose. I hardly lost any weight w/ lots of hard work for the majority of this year, why not slack off a bit for a while & get the same results?? For the last few weeks, I’ve done well enough most of the week to make sure I can maintain, ( that last gain was a “timing’ thing ) but I'm not giving myself the chance to move forward, am I? Guess I got tired of being hopeful that the next WI will be different.
I know what to do (but wouldn’t mind a few ideas), I guess I'm just keeping myself from continuing to be disappointed @ the scale for no reason... which is why I say that the scale is no longer my friend! :o) Actually, the scale has never been my friend... I don't give it much weight this time around... you could read about that in my first RAMBLING... SLOW WEIGHT LOSS.
I think, for the most part, I try to be the "rock" that everyone has known for almost 2 years... it's hard to show that I stumble, too. :o)
As far as CORE goes... I do like it & hope to continue doing it, but I'll continue to journal to keep myself on track, too.
Any thoughts??
LOL... geez, I haven't rambled on like that in a while! :o)
Julie
... & yes, I'm super proud of how far I HAVE come... no doubt about it!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I got some great responses from this post on GoaD. This is what I posted after reading through them...
Reading through these posts, appreciating the insight, is making me have to think this through even more. I KNOW this isn't a race, I KNOW that this isn't a journey all about always doing the right thing... that it's more about stumbling & learning all along the way. I KNOW this, I've tried to convey this exact message to all of you for almost 2 years now.
I think that what this is all about, more than anything, is that all of the sudden I'm feeling the pressure of reaching a goal (reward) that I know is very much out of reach, at least in the time frame that I want it to be in. You know that my goal reward is a PT Cruiser. I was going to get one anyways, but decided that I wanted to attach it to my success of reaching goal. Well... we're going to be ready to get that Cruiser in April (the truck will be paid off, only one car payment at a time, you know?) & I really REALLY want it... but do I break that deal that I made w/ myself & get it when we planned, or do I keep this committment & truly make it a reward for reaching goal? I want to make it my reward... something that I will be so proud of... but I'm feeling the pressure & when I feel pressure like this (putting it on myself, of course), I tend to just shut down.
If this darned car wasn't in my future... at least not dangling in front of me like a bone, ready to be rewarded for a job well done, I know I'd be fine. I would continue to move forward at my own pace, not letting a huge plateau knock me off course, knowing that I WILL get there EVENTUALLY, even if it's 5 years down the road... knowing that progress is progress at any pace.
So what do I do? Do I change my goal reward to something else? A tummy tuck? :o) Reaching goal is a reward in itself, of course.
I was thinking about this time last year, when we started the first annual New Year's Challenge... I was sitting at 220... so that's actually over 30 lbs in a full year!
It's time that I took my own challenge seriously & let it help me regain focus, huh? :o)
Anyways... I know what I need to do... I just need to do it. Positive thinking, just DOING IT, etc...
Thanks again, guys. I truly appreciate knowing that you're here for me when I need you. :o)
Ad’s post about “Failure Panic” was pretty timely, I have to say. :o) I know that I’m not going through any anxiety as far as “failing” goes... I know I’m going to continue to move forward, I know that THIS lifestyle is MY LIFE now & I have been really satisfied w/ that, happy w/ the changes I've made... but I made a comment earlier on a thread about the scale not being my friend, which prompted a kind GoaDi to check out my weight chart on my website & try to help me make sense of my dance w/ the scale over the last 8 weeks... ( -1, +1, -4.2, +1.6, +6, -3.8, +2.6, -2.2 ) ... as I was thinking this through while I was writing my response out I came up w/ this...
...up till about 6 weeks ago I could say that I was OP 98% of the time... carefully measuring / weighing & journaling EVERYTHING! All of that & I still only dropped like 12 - 15 lbs in 9 months! It WASN'T a huge deal to me... this journey is more to me about getting healthy, forming habits that I'll hold on to forever, that I know will eventually help me get to goal, so I've not been stressing out over what the scale says. Mid-September I had 2 really BAD weeks, I just needed a break, I think, went sugar crazy... had that 6 lb gain (see previous journal entry) & have been back OP since then, but I've been "not so fabulous" over the weekends since then as well. So, the last 6 weeks or so has been a self imposed dance w/ the scale! :o)
I don't know... I'm really enjoying CORE... love that I have the freedom to eat healthy foods w/ no cost points wise (although I do still journal, knowing that I'm not going over the top w/ points on a daily basis)... CORE is encouraging me to get a nutritionally balanced diet, but I've also had this major sugar thing since after the first week doing it! I don't quite understand it.
Up till a few months ago, I don't know WHAT it was... darned plateau... but right now it's just ME. I'm a little too patient, I know that... look how much time has passed & I'm only down 12 lbs or so this YEAR, that's crazy! January is my 2 year OP anniversary, I SHOULD be so much closer to goal, if not already there. Most of the time I say "that's okay", there is more to this than losing weight... at least I'm maintaining (in a 5 lb range sort of way, LOL!), right? I guess frustration HAS crept in over the last few weeks, frustration over my lack of control these last few months... figuring that I'm rebelling a bit, needing a little break from "perfection", although I'm the first one to admit that I'm far from perfect... I'm pretty darned laid back about this whole process, actually. Too laid back for my own good, I think!! :o)
It's not a big deal (I tell myself!)... not like I'm going to quit, EVER... I'm still heading in the right direction. I think that mainly, recently I'm just seeing all of the last 9 months as "wasted time"... yeah, I know, not really "wasted", but "what if / if only" thoughts keep coming to my head... "if only I had continued to lose like I was last year, I'd be so much further along", etc. ...I came into this journey realizing that I can't have those "if only" thoughts anymore... they only held me back from moving forward in the past... I know better now.
As I'm writing this, I'm realizing that I'm doing this to myself on purpose. I hardly lost any weight w/ lots of hard work for the majority of this year, why not slack off a bit for a while & get the same results?? For the last few weeks, I’ve done well enough most of the week to make sure I can maintain, ( that last gain was a “timing’ thing ) but I'm not giving myself the chance to move forward, am I? Guess I got tired of being hopeful that the next WI will be different.
I know what to do (but wouldn’t mind a few ideas), I guess I'm just keeping myself from continuing to be disappointed @ the scale for no reason... which is why I say that the scale is no longer my friend! :o) Actually, the scale has never been my friend... I don't give it much weight this time around... you could read about that in my first RAMBLING... SLOW WEIGHT LOSS.
I think, for the most part, I try to be the "rock" that everyone has known for almost 2 years... it's hard to show that I stumble, too. :o)
As far as CORE goes... I do like it & hope to continue doing it, but I'll continue to journal to keep myself on track, too.
Any thoughts??
LOL... geez, I haven't rambled on like that in a while! :o)
Julie
... & yes, I'm super proud of how far I HAVE come... no doubt about it!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I got some great responses from this post on GoaD. This is what I posted after reading through them...
Reading through these posts, appreciating the insight, is making me have to think this through even more. I KNOW this isn't a race, I KNOW that this isn't a journey all about always doing the right thing... that it's more about stumbling & learning all along the way. I KNOW this, I've tried to convey this exact message to all of you for almost 2 years now.
I think that what this is all about, more than anything, is that all of the sudden I'm feeling the pressure of reaching a goal (reward) that I know is very much out of reach, at least in the time frame that I want it to be in. You know that my goal reward is a PT Cruiser. I was going to get one anyways, but decided that I wanted to attach it to my success of reaching goal. Well... we're going to be ready to get that Cruiser in April (the truck will be paid off, only one car payment at a time, you know?) & I really REALLY want it... but do I break that deal that I made w/ myself & get it when we planned, or do I keep this committment & truly make it a reward for reaching goal? I want to make it my reward... something that I will be so proud of... but I'm feeling the pressure & when I feel pressure like this (putting it on myself, of course), I tend to just shut down.
If this darned car wasn't in my future... at least not dangling in front of me like a bone, ready to be rewarded for a job well done, I know I'd be fine. I would continue to move forward at my own pace, not letting a huge plateau knock me off course, knowing that I WILL get there EVENTUALLY, even if it's 5 years down the road... knowing that progress is progress at any pace.
So what do I do? Do I change my goal reward to something else? A tummy tuck? :o) Reaching goal is a reward in itself, of course.
I was thinking about this time last year, when we started the first annual New Year's Challenge... I was sitting at 220... so that's actually over 30 lbs in a full year!
It's time that I took my own challenge seriously & let it help me regain focus, huh? :o)
Anyways... I know what I need to do... I just need to do it. Positive thinking, just DOING IT, etc...
Thanks again, guys. I truly appreciate knowing that you're here for me when I need you. :o)
Saturday, October 23, 2004
WEIGH-IN: 90 WEEKS OP
Up Down Up Down... this is driving me a little nuts! I've been playing w/ the same 5-7 lbs or so since June! That's nuts!!!
Weeks OP: 90
Weight: 189.8
Loss/Gain: -2.2
TOTAL Loss: 85.2
Pounds to Goal: 44.8
Weeks OP: 90
Weight: 189.8
Loss/Gain: -2.2
TOTAL Loss: 85.2
Pounds to Goal: 44.8
Saturday, October 16, 2004
WEIGH-IN: 89 WEEKS OP
UGH!
Weeks OP: 89
Weight: 192
Loss/Gain: +2.6
TOTAL Loss: 83
Pounds to Goal: 47
Weeks OP: 89
Weight: 192
Loss/Gain: +2.6
TOTAL Loss: 83
Pounds to Goal: 47
Saturday, October 2, 2004
WEIGH-IN: 87 WEEKS OP
Back on track!! This week went really well, obviously!
Weeks OP: 87
Weight: 189.4
Loss/Gain: -3.8
TOTAL Loss: 85.6
Pounds to Goal: 44.4
Weeks OP: 87
Weight: 189.4
Loss/Gain: -3.8
TOTAL Loss: 85.6
Pounds to Goal: 44.4
Monday, September 27, 2004
CONFESSIONS (& CONSEQUENCES) OF REBELLION!! :o)
I've been busy, tired, absent & out of control for the last 2 weeks.
I don't exactly know why, I think I needed a little break from 100% consciousness & I did just that... I shut down.
No journaling...
No exercise...
No giving a rip...
Nothing.
It worked... I gained SIX POUNDS over the last 2 weeks... PLUS 2 weeks before, for my 2nd CORE WI, I had a gain of 1.6 lbs... totally unexpected! So I'm truly up a total of 7.6 lbs from my awesome first CORE WI loss of - 4.2 lbs 4 weeks ago.
Honestly, 6 lbs wasn't as bad as I was expecting, w/ how I felt, how my jeans fit & all...
...and I also know how much damage you can do in just a few weeks!!
I literally made myself sick, way too much sugar (like a whole package of frozen cookie dough over 2 days!) ... I hadn't ever done that even before going OP, I was obviously in need of a little rebellion.
I'm proud of myself for getting on the scale & facing reality. My leader talked to me a bit @ the scale & then had me bring up my 2 week struggle w/ the group... it helped, getting it out in the open... knowing that "I" know it's only a temporary thing, that my healthy life goes on from here, but I've been tired & stressed & a bit down on myself for the last few weeks. I don't like feeling like that... it feels so much better to be doing positive things for myself, feeling good & proud of what I'm doing...
Anyways... I'm back. I went to the gym after my meeting & worked out for 2 1/2 hours (active warm-up, strength training & then some intense time on the treadmill), it felt really good to be good to myself for a change... as I had blown off the gym these past few weeks.
I'm glad to be back on track. I'm back to journaling EVERYTHING (even though I'm doing CORE... "I" know that journaling works, period)
I have my water aerobics class tonight & then I'll do some weight training & jump on the treadmill for a while before heading home... & I'm committing myself to get to the gym EVERY morning this week to take some classes I've wimped out of over the last month. & I’m going to spend a little more time here ... although I know my house is better off if I don’t! :o)
Thanks for your support & encouragement, guys... being accountable to you all has made this act of rebellion much shorter than I’m sure it would’ve been in the past!
Julie
I don't exactly know why, I think I needed a little break from 100% consciousness & I did just that... I shut down.
No journaling...
No exercise...
No giving a rip...
Nothing.
It worked... I gained SIX POUNDS over the last 2 weeks... PLUS 2 weeks before, for my 2nd CORE WI, I had a gain of 1.6 lbs... totally unexpected! So I'm truly up a total of 7.6 lbs from my awesome first CORE WI loss of - 4.2 lbs 4 weeks ago.
Honestly, 6 lbs wasn't as bad as I was expecting, w/ how I felt, how my jeans fit & all...
...and I also know how much damage you can do in just a few weeks!!
I literally made myself sick, way too much sugar (like a whole package of frozen cookie dough over 2 days!) ... I hadn't ever done that even before going OP, I was obviously in need of a little rebellion.
I'm proud of myself for getting on the scale & facing reality. My leader talked to me a bit @ the scale & then had me bring up my 2 week struggle w/ the group... it helped, getting it out in the open... knowing that "I" know it's only a temporary thing, that my healthy life goes on from here, but I've been tired & stressed & a bit down on myself for the last few weeks. I don't like feeling like that... it feels so much better to be doing positive things for myself, feeling good & proud of what I'm doing...
Anyways... I'm back. I went to the gym after my meeting & worked out for 2 1/2 hours (active warm-up, strength training & then some intense time on the treadmill), it felt really good to be good to myself for a change... as I had blown off the gym these past few weeks.
I'm glad to be back on track. I'm back to journaling EVERYTHING (even though I'm doing CORE... "I" know that journaling works, period)
I have my water aerobics class tonight & then I'll do some weight training & jump on the treadmill for a while before heading home... & I'm committing myself to get to the gym EVERY morning this week to take some classes I've wimped out of over the last month. & I’m going to spend a little more time here ... although I know my house is better off if I don’t! :o)
Thanks for your support & encouragement, guys... being accountable to you all has made this act of rebellion much shorter than I’m sure it would’ve been in the past!
Julie
Saturday, September 4, 2004
JULIE HAS LEFT THE PLATEAU!! :o)
Well... I'm HOPING that this darned plateau is officially OVER!
First week on WW's new CORE Plan... LOVED IT!!
WI today...
-4.2 lbs!!!
I've been hovering around 189 since June 12th... that's 12 weeks. (& it took me 17 weeks to go from getting into ONDERLAND in February to getting under 190) This loss is about a 1/4 of what I have lost this year. (15.4 lbs TOTAL lost in 2004... averages out to .45 lbs/week... last year's average was around 1.5 lbs/week) I'm so glad to have had this great WI... what a relief!!! I was trying so hard not to get my hopes up this week as many of my Hard-CORE GoaDi (a small number of GoaD buddies doing CORE too) buddies were having really fantastic results their first week doing CORE... I was HOPEFUL, but I know how stalled my weight loss has been these last several months. I'm not completely sold that the numbers are truly going to start moving again... gotta give me a few weeks of consistent losses (even small ones) to make me believe it.)
A total of 79.4 official WW pounds lost in 19 months! (lost my first 10 lbs the month before joining... so an "unofficial" loss of 89.4 lbs!!)
Anyways... I'm excited! (can you tell??)
I was the only one in my meeting that did CORE for the week, so my leader was very excited to have me talk about it & was thrilled w/ my loss! Lots of questions from the group about what I ate & all that... I truly was satisfied all week... I am blown away by how little it took to be so... whole foods are definitely worth looking in to, guys.
Anyways... gotta lot to do today, but know you guys were waiting to hear how it went!! Thank you for your support these last several months... plateaus STINK, but I'm living proof that if you just stick w/ it... know that no matter what, you're doing this to change your life & that it's not just about the scale... it's about living the life that is going to get you there, eventually.
Special thanks for my fellow Hard-CORE GoaDi for making this transition fun!!
Happy, happy, happy!! :o)
Julie
First week on WW's new CORE Plan... LOVED IT!!
WI today...
-4.2 lbs!!!
I've been hovering around 189 since June 12th... that's 12 weeks. (& it took me 17 weeks to go from getting into ONDERLAND in February to getting under 190) This loss is about a 1/4 of what I have lost this year. (15.4 lbs TOTAL lost in 2004... averages out to .45 lbs/week... last year's average was around 1.5 lbs/week) I'm so glad to have had this great WI... what a relief!!! I was trying so hard not to get my hopes up this week as many of my Hard-CORE GoaDi (a small number of GoaD buddies doing CORE too) buddies were having really fantastic results their first week doing CORE... I was HOPEFUL, but I know how stalled my weight loss has been these last several months. I'm not completely sold that the numbers are truly going to start moving again... gotta give me a few weeks of consistent losses (even small ones) to make me believe it.)
A total of 79.4 official WW pounds lost in 19 months! (lost my first 10 lbs the month before joining... so an "unofficial" loss of 89.4 lbs!!)
Anyways... I'm excited! (can you tell??)
I was the only one in my meeting that did CORE for the week, so my leader was very excited to have me talk about it & was thrilled w/ my loss! Lots of questions from the group about what I ate & all that... I truly was satisfied all week... I am blown away by how little it took to be so... whole foods are definitely worth looking in to, guys.
Anyways... gotta lot to do today, but know you guys were waiting to hear how it went!! Thank you for your support these last several months... plateaus STINK, but I'm living proof that if you just stick w/ it... know that no matter what, you're doing this to change your life & that it's not just about the scale... it's about living the life that is going to get you there, eventually.
Special thanks for my fellow Hard-CORE GoaDi for making this transition fun!!
Happy, happy, happy!! :o)
Julie
Wednesday, August 18, 2004
RAMBLING...GETTING YOU PAST THE FAILURES
GoaD GROUP THERAPY – WHAT ARE YOU PROUD OF?
This is going to be a group therapy session today… along the lines of the “WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO MAKE YOURSELF PROUD” rambling…
Okay... so what can you pull out of this past week (or month or summer) that you can be proud of?? You know there is SOMETHING there... even if your COMPLETELY blew it, what did you do RIGHT?
Did you journal?
Did you drink your water?
Did you jump right back on track Monday morning??
Did you forgive yourself?
Remember, it's times like these that you need to look at the BIG PICTURE... you know, your future destination! I don't let the day to day stuff get in my way. Things happen, I'm not perfect & never expect myself to be... but I know where I am heading & each step I take NEXT is going to get me there. Yeah, I might take a side step every now & then (maybe even a BIG one!).... but I make sure that the NEXT step is the right one.
I don't stress out over the weight that I have to lose NOW... if I did, it would be way too overwhelming. Instead, I look to my future...I'm getting used to it, comfortable w/ it...I know what my future looks like...feels like...& I'm shooting for that! I haven't given myself any other future than a successful one!
A while ago, my sister asked me what my secret was... why was I able to stay on track, be so positive, etc... ? Well... I told her that I don't stress out about the weight I have to lose. I'm focusing on my future & I'm doing what I need to do to get there & STAY there. It doesn't mean that I have to be perfect... I mean, I'm FAR from perfect... but I know that if I continue to move in a positive direction... even if I step to the side every once in a while... that I WILL get there, eventually. I'm here to learn about myself... to figure out how I deal w/ the physical & mental part of all of this. I'm not here to just lose the weight... if I were, why in the heck would I be doing it the slow way? Why wouldn't I just pop some pills, drink some shakes, eat a pound of bacon?? Wouldn't it make sense to do it quickly if all I cared about was getting the weight off NOW? I care about taking this weight off for the LAST TIME... figuring out how to keep it off for the rest of my life. Don't you?
I mean, holy cr@p... I look at all that I've done in the last 19 months... even if it was slow going most of the time, (& is at a complete STAND STILL at the moment) I have lost SEVENTY-FIVE pounds!!! (85 unofficially) That just blows me away! I'm so proud of myself! I look at myself next summer & realize that I will be able to look back & see even more success (even if it's just another 20 lbs...THAT is still more successful than I would've been w/out going through this process!).... WOW, that's awesome!! I'm not going to look back & say "WOW, look what I've done.... BUT I sure blew it THAT day, (THAT week, etc...) didn't I?" THAT is what I mean by not looking back(@ the bad / stupid stuff)... what good does it do us? (not much!)
Okay... so I'm talking myself in circles again... I'm not really sure why I'm going on like this in THIS thread, well yeah, I do... last week’s posts were full of BLOWING IT / Starting Over threads... I guess I just want you to think about it.... do you live only day to day, so that when you DO blow it, you've blown apart the little bubble you keep yourself in? When you keep your focus so close to home, you will have a tough time getting past the immediate failures...you know it's true. Look farther out.... KNOW THAT YOU CAN HAVE THAT FUTURE... that it IS more than just a dream of yours... that it IS a reality if you really want it!! What do you want???
So... back to the original intent of this thread... :o)
WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO MAKE YOURSELF PROUD RECENTLY?
* I really had to sit myself down this morning & think about this... I’m struggling... well... I guess most of you wouldn’t necessarily call it STRUGGLING... I’m 100% OP (well, 98%)... I’m making conscious choices, I’m exercising (weight training w/ a personal trainer), I’m liking the shape that is emerging (I found my collar bone last week!!!)... feeling feminine & sexy... I’m happy & content... but that might be the problem, I think I’m TOO CONTENT... too PATIENT these days. The scale is NOT moving. It’s hovering. Yeah, I know, because I’m weight training, I’m gaining muscle, so I’m probably losing fat too, but I’m tired of not seeing any movement on the scale.
I have lost a total of NOTHING in NINE WEEKS... a total of around 12 lbs THIS YEAR! THAT is rough. I’m not in a hurry... I know that the life I am living each day is what is important... that’s the life that is not only going to get me to goal, but more importantly, it’s the life that is going to keep me at a healthy weight for the rest of my life. THAT is HUGE... that is what is really important, but I still want to see movement on the scale!!! :o) I need to get past this “patient” phase & start getting mad, start mixing things up, right? I’ve become too comfortable... TOO PATIENT... I’m just not so sure what to do. Guess it’s time to figure it out, huh??
So, I’m proud of myself for what I’ve accomplished so far, I’m proud of myself for making this more about the lifestyle & less about the weight-loss, but I’m obviously needing to pull some of the focus back to weight-loss. So...what did you do NEXT that you're proud of? Maybe it's time for you to DO the NEXT thing, isn't it?
This is going to be a group therapy session today… along the lines of the “WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO MAKE YOURSELF PROUD” rambling…
Okay... so what can you pull out of this past week (or month or summer) that you can be proud of?? You know there is SOMETHING there... even if your COMPLETELY blew it, what did you do RIGHT?
Did you journal?
Did you drink your water?
Did you jump right back on track Monday morning??
Did you forgive yourself?
Remember, it's times like these that you need to look at the BIG PICTURE... you know, your future destination! I don't let the day to day stuff get in my way. Things happen, I'm not perfect & never expect myself to be... but I know where I am heading & each step I take NEXT is going to get me there. Yeah, I might take a side step every now & then (maybe even a BIG one!).... but I make sure that the NEXT step is the right one.
I don't stress out over the weight that I have to lose NOW... if I did, it would be way too overwhelming. Instead, I look to my future...I'm getting used to it, comfortable w/ it...I know what my future looks like...feels like...& I'm shooting for that! I haven't given myself any other future than a successful one!
A while ago, my sister asked me what my secret was... why was I able to stay on track, be so positive, etc... ? Well... I told her that I don't stress out about the weight I have to lose. I'm focusing on my future & I'm doing what I need to do to get there & STAY there. It doesn't mean that I have to be perfect... I mean, I'm FAR from perfect... but I know that if I continue to move in a positive direction... even if I step to the side every once in a while... that I WILL get there, eventually. I'm here to learn about myself... to figure out how I deal w/ the physical & mental part of all of this. I'm not here to just lose the weight... if I were, why in the heck would I be doing it the slow way? Why wouldn't I just pop some pills, drink some shakes, eat a pound of bacon?? Wouldn't it make sense to do it quickly if all I cared about was getting the weight off NOW? I care about taking this weight off for the LAST TIME... figuring out how to keep it off for the rest of my life. Don't you?
I mean, holy cr@p... I look at all that I've done in the last 19 months... even if it was slow going most of the time, (& is at a complete STAND STILL at the moment) I have lost SEVENTY-FIVE pounds!!! (85 unofficially) That just blows me away! I'm so proud of myself! I look at myself next summer & realize that I will be able to look back & see even more success (even if it's just another 20 lbs...THAT is still more successful than I would've been w/out going through this process!).... WOW, that's awesome!! I'm not going to look back & say "WOW, look what I've done.... BUT I sure blew it THAT day, (THAT week, etc...) didn't I?" THAT is what I mean by not looking back(@ the bad / stupid stuff)... what good does it do us? (not much!)
Okay... so I'm talking myself in circles again... I'm not really sure why I'm going on like this in THIS thread, well yeah, I do... last week’s posts were full of BLOWING IT / Starting Over threads... I guess I just want you to think about it.... do you live only day to day, so that when you DO blow it, you've blown apart the little bubble you keep yourself in? When you keep your focus so close to home, you will have a tough time getting past the immediate failures...you know it's true. Look farther out.... KNOW THAT YOU CAN HAVE THAT FUTURE... that it IS more than just a dream of yours... that it IS a reality if you really want it!! What do you want???
So... back to the original intent of this thread... :o)
WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO MAKE YOURSELF PROUD RECENTLY?
* I really had to sit myself down this morning & think about this... I’m struggling... well... I guess most of you wouldn’t necessarily call it STRUGGLING... I’m 100% OP (well, 98%)... I’m making conscious choices, I’m exercising (weight training w/ a personal trainer), I’m liking the shape that is emerging (I found my collar bone last week!!!)... feeling feminine & sexy... I’m happy & content... but that might be the problem, I think I’m TOO CONTENT... too PATIENT these days. The scale is NOT moving. It’s hovering. Yeah, I know, because I’m weight training, I’m gaining muscle, so I’m probably losing fat too, but I’m tired of not seeing any movement on the scale.
I have lost a total of NOTHING in NINE WEEKS... a total of around 12 lbs THIS YEAR! THAT is rough. I’m not in a hurry... I know that the life I am living each day is what is important... that’s the life that is not only going to get me to goal, but more importantly, it’s the life that is going to keep me at a healthy weight for the rest of my life. THAT is HUGE... that is what is really important, but I still want to see movement on the scale!!! :o) I need to get past this “patient” phase & start getting mad, start mixing things up, right? I’ve become too comfortable... TOO PATIENT... I’m just not so sure what to do. Guess it’s time to figure it out, huh??
So, I’m proud of myself for what I’ve accomplished so far, I’m proud of myself for making this more about the lifestyle & less about the weight-loss, but I’m obviously needing to pull some of the focus back to weight-loss. So...what did you do NEXT that you're proud of? Maybe it's time for you to DO the NEXT thing, isn't it?
THANKS FOR YOUR PATIENCE...
& thanks for thinking about me... I've been getting many inquiries into how I am doing. Between traveling in July & camping each weekend in August so far, I haven't been to a meeting to weigh-in since my last entry in my weight chart. I'll be heading to my meeting this weekend (8/21) & will update my chart accordingly! :o)
Tuesday, June 15, 2004
AWESOME Saturday WI - a big one!! :o)
You guys know how slow things have been going for me..... painfully slow this year... I've averaged a 1/2 lb loss per week since January. But it doesn't matter... I know that I'm doing what it takes to be a healthier & trimmer me... and at least the numbers are moving in the right direction, right?
Anyways... I was .8 lbs away from the big 75 lb loss last week & I wasn't so sure I would hit it this past weekend... I was even prepared for a gain because I've started weight training & figured that I might be retaining some fluid from that. It was going to be okay, no matter what the numbers were... I knew eventually the whole process was going to pay off.
Well... it's starting to pay off! :o)
Not only did I lose 1.6 lbs in a week (which is seriously unusual for me)... I have "officially" lost 75.8 lbs! (unofficially 85.8#)
I got a 75 lb magnet AND a Certificate of Accomplishment! It's funny how a silly magnet & a piece of paper can be something to cherish! (& I do!)
AND...I am now in the 180's for the first time in 15 years! This is so awesome!
I was around 170 lbs when I got married & gained around 20-25 lbs that first year. My 15th Anniversary is next week, the 24th. How awesome it would've been to be UNDER that 170 lb mark by that time (it wasn't even a thought until about a week ago), but the fact that I'm well on my way to being much healthier & about as trim as I was when I MET my DH almost 20 years ago is good enough for me!!
This is such a great time in my life guys. Know that you all play a HUGE roll in it. You know how much being here, being a part of your lives like you are a part of mine, means so much to me. I've said this so many times, but I'm saying again, LOL... I know I probably would've been OKAY if I hadn't found GOAD, I was ready to make these permanent changes in my life no matter what... but I know for a fact that I am THRIVING because of the relationships I have here. You guys keep me going & hold me accountable... help me challenge myself to do better & I truly appreciate that!
Thank you for putting up w/ my ramblings & also, thank you for understanding (or at least trying to) my good cop / bad cop personalities!!! I TRULY want nothing better than for each & every one of you to be successful THIS TIME & I know I can be intense at times. I know it’s hard NOT to take it personally if it’s directed at you... just know that as I am knocking you upside the head w/ such intensity, it’s all coming from the bottom of my heart & w/ only good intentions.
Okay... I'm done! :o)
Thanks guys!!!
Julie
Anyways... I was .8 lbs away from the big 75 lb loss last week & I wasn't so sure I would hit it this past weekend... I was even prepared for a gain because I've started weight training & figured that I might be retaining some fluid from that. It was going to be okay, no matter what the numbers were... I knew eventually the whole process was going to pay off.
Well... it's starting to pay off! :o)
Not only did I lose 1.6 lbs in a week (which is seriously unusual for me)... I have "officially" lost 75.8 lbs! (unofficially 85.8#)
I got a 75 lb magnet AND a Certificate of Accomplishment! It's funny how a silly magnet & a piece of paper can be something to cherish! (& I do!)
AND...I am now in the 180's for the first time in 15 years! This is so awesome!
I was around 170 lbs when I got married & gained around 20-25 lbs that first year. My 15th Anniversary is next week, the 24th. How awesome it would've been to be UNDER that 170 lb mark by that time (it wasn't even a thought until about a week ago), but the fact that I'm well on my way to being much healthier & about as trim as I was when I MET my DH almost 20 years ago is good enough for me!!
This is such a great time in my life guys. Know that you all play a HUGE roll in it. You know how much being here, being a part of your lives like you are a part of mine, means so much to me. I've said this so many times, but I'm saying again, LOL... I know I probably would've been OKAY if I hadn't found GOAD, I was ready to make these permanent changes in my life no matter what... but I know for a fact that I am THRIVING because of the relationships I have here. You guys keep me going & hold me accountable... help me challenge myself to do better & I truly appreciate that!
Thank you for putting up w/ my ramblings & also, thank you for understanding (or at least trying to) my good cop / bad cop personalities!!! I TRULY want nothing better than for each & every one of you to be successful THIS TIME & I know I can be intense at times. I know it’s hard NOT to take it personally if it’s directed at you... just know that as I am knocking you upside the head w/ such intensity, it’s all coming from the bottom of my heart & w/ only good intentions.
Okay... I'm done! :o)
Thanks guys!!!
Julie
Wednesday, April 28, 2004
I SAW MY DOCTOR YESTERDAY...
& we were talking about the fact that I have lost 70 lbs, I even showed her my WW book, LOL, & stated that I ONLY have less than 55 lbs to go to reach goal! She said "what do you think of that number... 55 lbs?" & I said "like it's nothing!" Really... LIKE IT'S NOTHING! (she was surprised... 55 lbs to most people isn't NOTHING... 55 lbs to alot of people is just a start & it's overwhelming... I understand that, but I'm not at the beginning of my journey, am I?) It IS nothing... all it is is time at this point. Time is passing, I'm eating healthy, exercising, striving for a better life & at some point in time I'll reach goal. I know it's going to be sooner than later... I'd like it to be by next spring (2005) just because I'm so darned ready for my PT Cruiser! LOL!! (& want to enjoy it for a while before I have to put it through its first Minnesota winter... salt, etc...) But until then (& even afterwards, of course) it's just living my life... my new life, my awesome life, my healthy life!! :o)
Anyways... I'm just blown away w/ how far I've come. :o)
Anyways... I'm just blown away w/ how far I've come. :o)
Saturday, April 24, 2004
Saturday WI - THE SCALE MOVED!! :o)
I couldn't possibly submit you guys to another one of my WI ramblings two weekends in a row, but I'm just so excited & so darned proud of myself!
Down 1.6 lbs this week for a total of 70.2 lbs gone forever!
70 pounds... that's SEVENTY POUNDS!!! OMG!
I think my dry spell has passed! This is my 3rd WI in a row w/ a loss of 1 lb or more. My average for the year was about 1/3 of a lb per week up till now!
Thank you guys, so much, for your support & encouragement! I'm such a lucky girl to have found such an awesome & comfortable group of people to share my journey with! :o) Thank you, too, my fellow challengers, for keeping me accountable & challenging me to do better... my bonus challenge this week was to get some form of APs in daily & I did that.. LOVED IT & will continue to do so! (33 APs for the week - my average is 12 or so)
xoo.. Julie
ps...did you know, that in reality, I have really lost EIGHTY pounds since Christmas '02? That was my weight (275#) at a Dr's appt just after Christmas, a month before joining WW. A few weeks before joining, I started journaling again (after 9 months or so off) & was down 10 lbs by the time I joined. I don't know why I don't count those 10 lbs. ??
AND, LOL, my doctor's office has put everything on computer in the last year & when they transferred my weight into the computer, they messed up & put my weight in at 291!! When I saw that this past summer, as the nurse was figuring out my weight loss, I just about cr@pped!! I said "NO WAY! 275 freaked me out enough to start a month later, if it had been 291, I would've started WW the next day!!" So, according to my clinic charts, I have really lost 96.2 lbs!!! LOL!! I told the nurse I didn't like seeing that number (291), but that "I" knew what the number really was & even that didn't matter, because either way, I am that much lighter now!! :o)
So much for not rambling, huh?? LOL!!
Down 1.6 lbs this week for a total of 70.2 lbs gone forever!
70 pounds... that's SEVENTY POUNDS!!! OMG!
I think my dry spell has passed! This is my 3rd WI in a row w/ a loss of 1 lb or more. My average for the year was about 1/3 of a lb per week up till now!
Thank you guys, so much, for your support & encouragement! I'm such a lucky girl to have found such an awesome & comfortable group of people to share my journey with! :o) Thank you, too, my fellow challengers, for keeping me accountable & challenging me to do better... my bonus challenge this week was to get some form of APs in daily & I did that.. LOVED IT & will continue to do so! (33 APs for the week - my average is 12 or so)
xoo.. Julie
ps...did you know, that in reality, I have really lost EIGHTY pounds since Christmas '02? That was my weight (275#) at a Dr's appt just after Christmas, a month before joining WW. A few weeks before joining, I started journaling again (after 9 months or so off) & was down 10 lbs by the time I joined. I don't know why I don't count those 10 lbs. ??
AND, LOL, my doctor's office has put everything on computer in the last year & when they transferred my weight into the computer, they messed up & put my weight in at 291!! When I saw that this past summer, as the nurse was figuring out my weight loss, I just about cr@pped!! I said "NO WAY! 275 freaked me out enough to start a month later, if it had been 291, I would've started WW the next day!!" So, according to my clinic charts, I have really lost 96.2 lbs!!! LOL!! I told the nurse I didn't like seeing that number (291), but that "I" knew what the number really was & even that didn't matter, because either way, I am that much lighter now!! :o)
So much for not rambling, huh?? LOL!!
Wednesday, April 14, 2004
It's been a while since I had a Saturday WI Ramble... :o)
Well... I can't believe I did it... I weighed in today Not my normal week to WI... I have been weighing bi-weekly for over a year now because I definitely have a bi-weekly weight loss pattern ... great one week, not so great the next week... no matter how great I was OP that week. I just didn't want to deal w/ the numbers anymore... they shouldn't matter that much, right?
Anyways... I noticed a month or so ago that I was "slacking off" the week that I knew I wasn't going to WI & I decided that I had to start going weekly again for accountability sake. Today was that first day. I almost didn't do it... this DEFINITELY wasn’t the week for it... not only is it an off week as far as weight goes, I also had a bunch of ham this week but I tried to drink a TON of water to flush all that sodium out & some other stuff going on that we can't talk about here... which DOES effect what the scale says (even if it’s temporary)... so I wasn't expecting much, if anything.
Things have been sooooooooooooo slow this year... I've lost a total of 5 pounds this YEAR. Yeah, FIVE POUNDS. (that’s an average of 1/3 lb per week) I am ALWAYS OP, always... so it's been weird. Not as frustrating as I would think it would be, just weird. I'm really proud of myself for that! Nothing is going to stop me... I have a goal & a healthy life to live from now until forever... the numbers have only a small role here... “I” am all I can count on... I KNOW that I can do this... I know how simple this can be & how easy it is for me when I’ve got it together & how happy I am when I know I am doing my best... keeping it positive as much as possible. I don’t feeling depressed, to battle w/ myself over the simplest tasks... so I don’t... I just DO... it takes the debate out of the picture.
Anyways, LOL, as far as the WI goes... I lost a pound!! I’m THRILLED w/ that! That’s a pound... THREE times what my average is! LOL! :o) I didn’t expect anything... w/ all of the stuff I mentioned above... I can just imagine that if this was my BAD week, what next week’s WI will be! :o)
So... there you go. A little ramble. :o)
Have a great weekend guys!
Julie
Well... I can't believe I did it... I weighed in today Not my normal week to WI... I have been weighing bi-weekly for over a year now because I definitely have a bi-weekly weight loss pattern ... great one week, not so great the next week... no matter how great I was OP that week. I just didn't want to deal w/ the numbers anymore... they shouldn't matter that much, right?
Anyways... I noticed a month or so ago that I was "slacking off" the week that I knew I wasn't going to WI & I decided that I had to start going weekly again for accountability sake. Today was that first day. I almost didn't do it... this DEFINITELY wasn’t the week for it... not only is it an off week as far as weight goes, I also had a bunch of ham this week but I tried to drink a TON of water to flush all that sodium out & some other stuff going on that we can't talk about here... which DOES effect what the scale says (even if it’s temporary)... so I wasn't expecting much, if anything.
Things have been sooooooooooooo slow this year... I've lost a total of 5 pounds this YEAR. Yeah, FIVE POUNDS. (that’s an average of 1/3 lb per week) I am ALWAYS OP, always... so it's been weird. Not as frustrating as I would think it would be, just weird. I'm really proud of myself for that! Nothing is going to stop me... I have a goal & a healthy life to live from now until forever... the numbers have only a small role here... “I” am all I can count on... I KNOW that I can do this... I know how simple this can be & how easy it is for me when I’ve got it together & how happy I am when I know I am doing my best... keeping it positive as much as possible. I don’t feeling depressed, to battle w/ myself over the simplest tasks... so I don’t... I just DO... it takes the debate out of the picture.
Anyways, LOL, as far as the WI goes... I lost a pound!! I’m THRILLED w/ that! That’s a pound... THREE times what my average is! LOL! :o) I didn’t expect anything... w/ all of the stuff I mentioned above... I can just imagine that if this was my BAD week, what next week’s WI will be! :o)
So... there you go. A little ramble. :o)
Have a great weekend guys!
Julie
Monday, March 1, 2004
RAMBLING...SO, YOU WANNA GIVE UP, HUH?
Bits & pieces of this has been posted to several of my WW buddies on GOAD over the last year or so
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
So... the scale isn’t being nice, huh??? You want to give up, huh?
What are you thinking? That if you just give up, all will be wonderful? That you don't have to do the work because it's not getting you anywhere positive? Hello??!! :o)
Hey, maybe all of this hard work with nothing to show for it is to teach you patience.... or maybe all of this of hard work w/ nothing to show for it is to get you ready for the rest of your life, because after you hit goal, you're still going to be doing what you're doing right now w/out all of the excitement of weekly losses, you know?
So...you have a choice here...you can get ticked off & go on a major binge…feel like crap & let things spiral out of control....
...or you can continue to work hard for your HEALTH & be on the proud end of it all when the scale decides to move in the right direction. You never know what the scale is going to do, you can’t count on it to reflect the kind of week you just had, the scale is EVIL!! LOL! But the thing you DO have a choice in is how you deal w/ this & what you get to look back on when all of this is over. It's all up to you!
You already know you're going to be living this lifestyle from now until forever... if you didn't, you may as well have not put any effort into getting this weight off in the first place, right? Live the life, be proud of yourself, don't stress out over what the scale is saying & just give your bod the chance to catch up w/ the lifestyle that you are living.
I know what I'm talking about... I’ve had those unexpected ups & downs, TWO plateaus, too...I didn't give it one thought because I knew that it just didn't matter. I expected rough patches to come my way & I knew that I wasn't going to even bat an eyelash because this was just the way my life was now...healthy, thoughtful, etc...
It doesn't matter...it just doesn't matter. Be patient...your future IS bright.
Just something to think about.
Julie
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
So... the scale isn’t being nice, huh??? You want to give up, huh?
What are you thinking? That if you just give up, all will be wonderful? That you don't have to do the work because it's not getting you anywhere positive? Hello??!! :o)
Hey, maybe all of this hard work with nothing to show for it is to teach you patience.... or maybe all of this of hard work w/ nothing to show for it is to get you ready for the rest of your life, because after you hit goal, you're still going to be doing what you're doing right now w/out all of the excitement of weekly losses, you know?
So...you have a choice here...you can get ticked off & go on a major binge…feel like crap & let things spiral out of control....
...or you can continue to work hard for your HEALTH & be on the proud end of it all when the scale decides to move in the right direction. You never know what the scale is going to do, you can’t count on it to reflect the kind of week you just had, the scale is EVIL!! LOL! But the thing you DO have a choice in is how you deal w/ this & what you get to look back on when all of this is over. It's all up to you!
You already know you're going to be living this lifestyle from now until forever... if you didn't, you may as well have not put any effort into getting this weight off in the first place, right? Live the life, be proud of yourself, don't stress out over what the scale is saying & just give your bod the chance to catch up w/ the lifestyle that you are living.
I know what I'm talking about... I’ve had those unexpected ups & downs, TWO plateaus, too...I didn't give it one thought because I knew that it just didn't matter. I expected rough patches to come my way & I knew that I wasn't going to even bat an eyelash because this was just the way my life was now...healthy, thoughtful, etc...
It doesn't matter...it just doesn't matter. Be patient...your future IS bright.
Just something to think about.
Julie
Saturday, February 28, 2004
OMG!!! I DID IT! :o)
First of all, I have to say a BIG Thank You to everyone for all of the “loser vibes”, encouragement & warm fuzzies... you guys are all really REALLY special to me... I could feel you all surrounding me as I stepped up to the scale this morning. :o)
Well… I walked into the weigh-in booth where Michelle, my leader, was weighing & I said “this is my week!” & she says “I know, I was thinking about that this morning, this is the day you are here!” & I said “No, this is MY week!!” :o) I hesitated getting on the scale… why in the world was I so nervous? It’s crazy!!! I stepped up… saying to my self “199, 199, PLEASE 199!” & there it was… 199!!! OMG! I just stood there & looked @ that number & I started to shake… put my hands up to my face & just bawled, right then & there, still on the scale!! What a girl, huh? :o) Michelle gave me a big hug & said she was so excited for me! She knew how big this was for me. She asked me if it would be okay if I shared WHY it was so big w/ the whole group… that most people wouldn’t be open about their weight, but that she knew there are members who would really be inspired by me opening up about it & I said “sure… I had been thinking about that”
It was funny… as I turned to leave the booth, Michelle says really loudly “hey guys, those are tears of joy!” LOL! I’m sure some would think I was upset, seeing me walk out w/ teary eyes & a red face. :o)
There are several ladies that I have gotten friendly w/ over the last few months, two of whom are lifetime members who both lost over 100lbs each & they are so encouraging, just like you guys are… they were waiting to hear how it went & were all smiles when I walked over to sit down. Oh, it’s just so nice to have that personal connection w/ people who know what this is all about, you know? Who realize how big this is to all of us & who are just waiting to give you a big hug or pat you on the back & tell you how proud they are of you. WOW!
There was a new girl sitting next to me & she said “I don’t know what you’ve done, but congratulations!” :o) I laughed & told her what I had done… introduced myself & chatted w/ her for a while. She said she has 110 lbs to lose & I told her that when I started out I had 125 lbs to lose & had lost 66 lbs in the last year. It feels really good to let those who have a lot of weight to lose see that it can be done… that it just take lots of patience.
Anyways… the meeting was great...Michelle had us turn to a neighbor that we didn’t know & share w/ them what we did this week that we’re proud about, so I turned to a girl I hadn’t seen before & talked to her. She has been doing WW for a month now, must be over 300 lbs & has lost 11 lbs. So, there again, I really felt the need to open up to her & let her know how far I had come, just so she could be hopeful for her future. I like making these connections. This is one reason I really feel the need to go to meetings... I mean, I get so much out of being a part of GoaD each & every day... I know I would more than likely be fine w/out going to meetings, but just making those personal connections w/ others, I feel a responsibility to being there, you know? I want to continue to be someone that those w/ a lot of weight can look at & see themselves in me. Even those w/out as much to lose, I know it’s a struggle for them, too... overwhelming, too... but those who have ALOT to lose need to see those great successes, like the 2 ladies who have lost over 100 lbs! It’s really encouraging to have them there each week.
ANYWAYS... when Michelle got to the awards, she left me till last & said “there is one person here who cried when she got on this scale today, but they were tears of joy! … Julie… do you want to share how much you’ve lost?” & I told them… “66 lbs” & Michelle said “it’s not the 66 lbs that made her cry, though... I asked her if she would be willing to share w/ you guys why” & she looked at me to share & I couldn’t even talk!! LOL! Tears were welling up again, what a surprise… but I finally choked out “this is the first time since 1990 that I’ve been under 200 lbs!” It’s funny to think about it now... hearing the Oohs & Wows & people catching their breath... but at the time, I think I was hyper focused on just breathing & not losing it completely! She asked me what I am doing differently & I said “EVERYTHING!! But mainly I just changed my HEAD! I have always been a WW failure ... it’s not hard to be one, anyone can fail w/ WW... but I think that WW is the only program out there that will also help me succeed. My 1 year WW Anniversary was last month & it’s been great! I know that this is my life & I always look for the positive. I’m not perfect, far from it, but I always know where I am going & I always make my next step a positive one.” It always blows me away when someone from behind me reaches up & rubs my shoulder to make a personal connection & to give me that silent “I’m proud of you”. Lots of congratulations as I was leaving, too... that’s just cool, huh? :o)
Anyways (I say that a lot, don’t I? LOL!!)...
OMG, I DO know how to go on (& on & on), don’t I? I don’t know... I guess just really enjoy relaying the emotion behind my BIG emotional experiences here. LOL!!
Okay... I have to be done!! :o)
AGAIN... THANK YOU guys, SO MUCH for all of the incredible support & encouragement these last several weeks... I am so SO proud to be a part of such a great support system & an awesome bunch of LOSERS!! :o) I hope you’re not tired of hearing me say this... I am pretty sure I would’ve been okay if I were doing this on my own... but I know for a fact that I am THRIVING because of all of you!! We’re changing lives here, you know??
xxoxoxooxo... Julie
Oh yeah, I bawled all the way home, too! LOL! :o)
Well… I walked into the weigh-in booth where Michelle, my leader, was weighing & I said “this is my week!” & she says “I know, I was thinking about that this morning, this is the day you are here!” & I said “No, this is MY week!!” :o) I hesitated getting on the scale… why in the world was I so nervous? It’s crazy!!! I stepped up… saying to my self “199, 199, PLEASE 199!” & there it was… 199!!! OMG! I just stood there & looked @ that number & I started to shake… put my hands up to my face & just bawled, right then & there, still on the scale!! What a girl, huh? :o) Michelle gave me a big hug & said she was so excited for me! She knew how big this was for me. She asked me if it would be okay if I shared WHY it was so big w/ the whole group… that most people wouldn’t be open about their weight, but that she knew there are members who would really be inspired by me opening up about it & I said “sure… I had been thinking about that”
It was funny… as I turned to leave the booth, Michelle says really loudly “hey guys, those are tears of joy!” LOL! I’m sure some would think I was upset, seeing me walk out w/ teary eyes & a red face. :o)
There are several ladies that I have gotten friendly w/ over the last few months, two of whom are lifetime members who both lost over 100lbs each & they are so encouraging, just like you guys are… they were waiting to hear how it went & were all smiles when I walked over to sit down. Oh, it’s just so nice to have that personal connection w/ people who know what this is all about, you know? Who realize how big this is to all of us & who are just waiting to give you a big hug or pat you on the back & tell you how proud they are of you. WOW!
There was a new girl sitting next to me & she said “I don’t know what you’ve done, but congratulations!” :o) I laughed & told her what I had done… introduced myself & chatted w/ her for a while. She said she has 110 lbs to lose & I told her that when I started out I had 125 lbs to lose & had lost 66 lbs in the last year. It feels really good to let those who have a lot of weight to lose see that it can be done… that it just take lots of patience.
Anyways… the meeting was great...Michelle had us turn to a neighbor that we didn’t know & share w/ them what we did this week that we’re proud about, so I turned to a girl I hadn’t seen before & talked to her. She has been doing WW for a month now, must be over 300 lbs & has lost 11 lbs. So, there again, I really felt the need to open up to her & let her know how far I had come, just so she could be hopeful for her future. I like making these connections. This is one reason I really feel the need to go to meetings... I mean, I get so much out of being a part of GoaD each & every day... I know I would more than likely be fine w/out going to meetings, but just making those personal connections w/ others, I feel a responsibility to being there, you know? I want to continue to be someone that those w/ a lot of weight can look at & see themselves in me. Even those w/out as much to lose, I know it’s a struggle for them, too... overwhelming, too... but those who have ALOT to lose need to see those great successes, like the 2 ladies who have lost over 100 lbs! It’s really encouraging to have them there each week.
ANYWAYS... when Michelle got to the awards, she left me till last & said “there is one person here who cried when she got on this scale today, but they were tears of joy! … Julie… do you want to share how much you’ve lost?” & I told them… “66 lbs” & Michelle said “it’s not the 66 lbs that made her cry, though... I asked her if she would be willing to share w/ you guys why” & she looked at me to share & I couldn’t even talk!! LOL! Tears were welling up again, what a surprise… but I finally choked out “this is the first time since 1990 that I’ve been under 200 lbs!” It’s funny to think about it now... hearing the Oohs & Wows & people catching their breath... but at the time, I think I was hyper focused on just breathing & not losing it completely! She asked me what I am doing differently & I said “EVERYTHING!! But mainly I just changed my HEAD! I have always been a WW failure ... it’s not hard to be one, anyone can fail w/ WW... but I think that WW is the only program out there that will also help me succeed. My 1 year WW Anniversary was last month & it’s been great! I know that this is my life & I always look for the positive. I’m not perfect, far from it, but I always know where I am going & I always make my next step a positive one.” It always blows me away when someone from behind me reaches up & rubs my shoulder to make a personal connection & to give me that silent “I’m proud of you”. Lots of congratulations as I was leaving, too... that’s just cool, huh? :o)
Anyways (I say that a lot, don’t I? LOL!!)...
OMG, I DO know how to go on (& on & on), don’t I? I don’t know... I guess just really enjoy relaying the emotion behind my BIG emotional experiences here. LOL!!
Okay... I have to be done!! :o)
AGAIN... THANK YOU guys, SO MUCH for all of the incredible support & encouragement these last several weeks... I am so SO proud to be a part of such a great support system & an awesome bunch of LOSERS!! :o) I hope you’re not tired of hearing me say this... I am pretty sure I would’ve been okay if I were doing this on my own... but I know for a fact that I am THRIVING because of all of you!! We’re changing lives here, you know??
xxoxoxooxo... Julie
Oh yeah, I bawled all the way home, too! LOL! :o)
Sunday, February 15, 2004
FEBRUARY 15th...
NOTE...this morning's weight (on my scale...knowing how it relates to WW's scales) was 199.2! LOL!! Oh well! What can I do??? :o)
Saturday, February 14, 2004
TODAY'S WI - 2 LBS DOWN... 3/10ths TO GO! ARG!!!
LOL!! :o)
So darned close I can just scream!!! :o) I weighed in today w/ my leader & there it was... 200.2... only .3 pounds away from ONDERLAND! Dang it!! :o) My leader says "run to the bathroom really quickly & then come right back"... so I did... but I knew it was a lost cause, since I had just gone before leaving home! Nope, not even a trickle. :o)
Oh well... it's okay, I guess! LOL. I had kept off my home scale since Wednesday morning, I just didn't want to know... I knew it was close, though. Darned cookies yesterday. :o)
This morning when I got up, I measured myself... I wanted to prove to myself that I was making progress, even if the scale didn't say so... & I had!!! Yeah!
Since mid December when I measured last & was 204 lbs...
1.5" off my hips (9.5" total since 1/03)
3" off my waist (10" total since 1/03)
3" off my chest
2" off my bust (can you say deflate??)
Everything else has pretty much stayed the same... but it is just cool to see those numbers, huh?
I'm wearing a size XL in regular sized shirts, rather than Women's sizes. AND I'm wearing fitted clothes, rather than baggy ones. I feel SUPER feminine & just love that!!
The size 18 jeans that were too tight on me @ Christmas are now getting baggy.
& I feel FABULOUS...healthy, confident, proud, etc...
So who gives a rip about ONDERLAND, right???
Okay, I guess I do. :o) It's such an amazing milestone to reach for me... REALLY. It's been since probably 1990 since I've seen ONDERLAND... that's a long time ago.
Anyways, guys... THANK YOU so much for all of your support & encouragement... I love being part of such an incredible group of people... you are my family & I cherish you all.
Okay... that's enough gushing... I need to save my emotional breakdown for when I actually DO reach ONDERLAND!! For now, I'll just be happy w/ having ONDERLUST! :o)
H A P P Y . V A L E N T I N E ' S . D A Y ! !
xxoxox.... Julie
So darned close I can just scream!!! :o) I weighed in today w/ my leader & there it was... 200.2... only .3 pounds away from ONDERLAND! Dang it!! :o) My leader says "run to the bathroom really quickly & then come right back"... so I did... but I knew it was a lost cause, since I had just gone before leaving home! Nope, not even a trickle. :o)
Oh well... it's okay, I guess! LOL. I had kept off my home scale since Wednesday morning, I just didn't want to know... I knew it was close, though. Darned cookies yesterday. :o)
This morning when I got up, I measured myself... I wanted to prove to myself that I was making progress, even if the scale didn't say so... & I had!!! Yeah!
Since mid December when I measured last & was 204 lbs...
1.5" off my hips (9.5" total since 1/03)
3" off my waist (10" total since 1/03)
3" off my chest
2" off my bust (can you say deflate??)
Everything else has pretty much stayed the same... but it is just cool to see those numbers, huh?
I'm wearing a size XL in regular sized shirts, rather than Women's sizes. AND I'm wearing fitted clothes, rather than baggy ones. I feel SUPER feminine & just love that!!
The size 18 jeans that were too tight on me @ Christmas are now getting baggy.
& I feel FABULOUS...healthy, confident, proud, etc...
So who gives a rip about ONDERLAND, right???
Okay, I guess I do. :o) It's such an amazing milestone to reach for me... REALLY. It's been since probably 1990 since I've seen ONDERLAND... that's a long time ago.
Anyways, guys... THANK YOU so much for all of your support & encouragement... I love being part of such an incredible group of people... you are my family & I cherish you all.
Okay... that's enough gushing... I need to save my emotional breakdown for when I actually DO reach ONDERLAND!! For now, I'll just be happy w/ having ONDERLUST! :o)
H A P P Y . V A L E N T I N E ' S . D A Y ! !
xxoxox.... Julie
Friday, January 23, 2004
RAMBLING...Wild Ramblings of a year gone by...
It was a year ago today that I joined WW for the last time.
I have the same story as many of you. I had been a WW failure since high school, when I joined w/ my Mom for the first time. WW failure… pretty harsh, huh? I have never really tried any other weight loss program… I wasn’t into fad diets, ever…. well, w/ the exception of my first diet in high school… the low carb one, where I was living on packages of Budding roast beef & a few soda crackers a day. Yeah, I lost weight (not that I had much to lose back then, I just thought I did)….but I gave that diet up when I had this little incident that scared the holy heck out of my little sister. We had company & I came downstairs to the breakfast bar where my Mom had a bowl of Doritos set out (not for breakfast, LOL!). I grabbed one, brought it to my mouth & passed out cold, flat on my back… w/ my eyes OPEN!!! Freaked Jill out… she, of course, thought I was dead!!! LOL!! I suppose I COULD blame it all on the Doritos… too many carbs! :o)
Anyways… I think at that point I realized that going the stupid (quick fix) route was, well, STUPID! So, after I gained that weight back, & then some, I tried WW for the first time. There have been MANY “attempts” @ WW I truly believed that they were the way to go… they always seemed to be about basic nutrition, common sense, etc… and I am a Common Sense kind of girl. But, w/ each attempt came failure. Except for my first try, where I lost 20 lbs, I never got past the 10 lb mark. I never understood why… I believed that I had no WILLPOWER & that I was never going to make it. That didn’t keep me from trying again… and again… just one more time!! But you know my story… I gave up “dieting” all the way back in 1991… I was tired of failing & I knew that it was the “dieting” part that just didn’t work. I needed to figure out how I could do something that I could live w/… so I just waited for that something to come my way. I waited & waited… but of course, in the meantime, I gained & gained. I had babies, I gained some more.
I am not REALLY all that sure what finally clicked for me… but in mid 2001 I decided that I was FINALLY ready to do something about my weight… I just had to figure out what. My neighbor asked me to join WW w/ her & I said okay… but then I FREAKED, cuz I had told myself for years that “diets don’t work”. I knew WW was different… I had even heard that they had made some amazing improvements to the program & knew it was worth checking out… but I was still hung up on the “dieting” issue… and for me, all along, WW = dieting. I finally gave in & joined in late September 2001 & it was GREAT!! I felt way in control of myself… something had definitely changed for me. I was able to get 20 lbs off & I was really proud of myself. I even made it through the holidays OP… that blew me away. BUT, I let life get in my way & by January 2002, I had stopped journaling & going to meetings. I hadn’t given up, I was just distracted. For the full year of 2002 I told myself that I wasn’t giving up, I hadn’t quit, I knew WW worked, I just had to find my way back.
I know now that I TRULY wasn’t ready to change my life when I joined in fall of 2001… I still had some figuring out to do. But something happened towards the end of 2002 that told me the time was right. I don’t know what it was… I had been dealing w/ mild depression over the last several years & at the end of 2002 I felt really down… much deeper than ever before & it made me a little desperate… I didn’t like it anymore. Time was passing me by & I was just getting deeper & deeper… depression, weight gain & just plain old being overwhelmed w/ LIFE. (don’t read too much into that…I have NEVER had suicidal thoughts, no matter how down I was) I had been too content to be happy w/ just getting by for way too long … waiting for things to get better, for the answers to come to me & then something just CLICKED… I had to FIND the answers myself!! I was the only one who was going to make these things happen. WOW…can you say “light bulb moment”?? Who would’ve thought that you actually had to WORK for something?? Not me. I was too lazy, I guess.
Anyways… this got me excited. I was finally ready to make some positive changes in my life. I just wasn’t so sure I knew how to go about it!! I talked to my psychiatrist who had been treating me for depression… he recommended a new psychologist who mainly worked w/ athletes… behavioral stuff. He figured she would know how to get me started… w/ diet, exercise, behavioral stuff, etc. Boy was he right. Well, sorta. :o) I had seen a few different psychologists over the last few years… it never got me anywhere good. This one seemed to be the same. She seemed to be your typical TV shrink…. you know… “So, what do YOU think about that?” “What do YOU think should be your next step?” Hello??? I came to YOU, right?? If I had the answers to those questions, I wouldn’t be here! Very sweet, but not for me. I went back to my doctor & told him that I didn’t think she would work out for me… I needed someone to kick my butt, not coddle me. He told me to go right back to her & tell her this. So I did. :o) I told her the same thing & she said “no problem, I can kick your butt!” LOL!! I guess she wasn’t too sure how to handle me that first session… was I so depressed that any push would send me over the edge?? Nope, not that depressed! :o) So, from then on, we’ve been the ultimate problem solving team. That day we made a plan. Part of that plan included joining WW. I knew that was the way to go & she completely agreed. So I did just that & I’ve never looked back!!!
I look back on this year & I see so much success, so many positive changes… almost 65 lbs later & so close to ONDERLAND, I am just blown away!!
So… why this time? How did I get past that 10 lb point this time w/out giving up? Because I knew I could!!! I realize that now. Never in my life did I really think I could succeed at this. I never thought of WW as anything other than a diet… temporary. I know better now. I know I have BECOME this LIFESTYLE. I realized that in order for me to be able to live this lifestyle forever, I needed to make it something positive. Something good & something SATISFYING. I looked at my past & figured out at what point I failed. I was too hard on myself. I was expecting myself to be perfect & I wasn’t, & that was disappointing. I also dreaded the scale. I counted on those numbers way too much, so I realized that I needed to not do that this time. It just doesn’t matter.
For me, this is about CHANGING MY LIFE. Setting myself off in a positive direction & just going with it. NOT ONCE this year have I felt any twinge of failure. I’ve never thought about giving up. Giving up? This is ME… I’d be giving up on ME! I’ve gotten through several WIs where I had an unexpected gain. (like my last one!! LOL!) I’ve even made it through a 7-week plateau! Not once did I think of anything other than just going forward. I know where I’m going… I know it’s not going to be the “perfect journey” & I know that it is up to me to make this happen.
Oh my... I have no clue how to stop this post! LOL!! I'm talking myself into circles (again) & don't know where I'm trying to get to. LOL!!
Okay... simply, to sum it up... What have I learned this year?
I CAN do this!!!
Keep it positive
Enjoy the process
Practice patience
Believe in yourself
Find SATISFACTION in each step you take
Take the time to learn about yourself, especially from your mistakes.
Be creative.
Forgive yourself
Be there for others
& make GOAD part of your daily existence :o)
THANK YOU, guys...for being here for me this past year. Being part of GoaD has been a life changing experience! I've said it many MANY times, but I have to say it again :o) ... I know I would've been OKAY if I had to have done this past year on my own... but I know that I am THRIVING because of all of you!! You have helped change my life & I am so very grateful!
AND... (I just had a thought! LOL!) because of YOU & my experience on GoaD... I know that I'm about to set the rest of my life in a completely different direction than I had ever planned. I AM going to become a WW Leader once I hit goal (which, before this year, I had never even THOUGHT about doing)... BUT, I want to do more. I want to be able to personally touch people as individuals. I don't know how yet, I'm trying to work that out, but I know that I'm going to do SOMETHING. I've been told so many times that I was going to do something great w/ my life... I always thought it was something creative... something in the Interior Design world, or maybe something else, but something creative, Artsy. I realize now that this "SOMETHING" is much more personal. I believe in myself now... I believe I can help change lives, THAT is the "something" I'm going to set off to do.
I have the same story as many of you. I had been a WW failure since high school, when I joined w/ my Mom for the first time. WW failure… pretty harsh, huh? I have never really tried any other weight loss program… I wasn’t into fad diets, ever…. well, w/ the exception of my first diet in high school… the low carb one, where I was living on packages of Budding roast beef & a few soda crackers a day. Yeah, I lost weight (not that I had much to lose back then, I just thought I did)….but I gave that diet up when I had this little incident that scared the holy heck out of my little sister. We had company & I came downstairs to the breakfast bar where my Mom had a bowl of Doritos set out (not for breakfast, LOL!). I grabbed one, brought it to my mouth & passed out cold, flat on my back… w/ my eyes OPEN!!! Freaked Jill out… she, of course, thought I was dead!!! LOL!! I suppose I COULD blame it all on the Doritos… too many carbs! :o)
Anyways… I think at that point I realized that going the stupid (quick fix) route was, well, STUPID! So, after I gained that weight back, & then some, I tried WW for the first time. There have been MANY “attempts” @ WW I truly believed that they were the way to go… they always seemed to be about basic nutrition, common sense, etc… and I am a Common Sense kind of girl. But, w/ each attempt came failure. Except for my first try, where I lost 20 lbs, I never got past the 10 lb mark. I never understood why… I believed that I had no WILLPOWER & that I was never going to make it. That didn’t keep me from trying again… and again… just one more time!! But you know my story… I gave up “dieting” all the way back in 1991… I was tired of failing & I knew that it was the “dieting” part that just didn’t work. I needed to figure out how I could do something that I could live w/… so I just waited for that something to come my way. I waited & waited… but of course, in the meantime, I gained & gained. I had babies, I gained some more.
I am not REALLY all that sure what finally clicked for me… but in mid 2001 I decided that I was FINALLY ready to do something about my weight… I just had to figure out what. My neighbor asked me to join WW w/ her & I said okay… but then I FREAKED, cuz I had told myself for years that “diets don’t work”. I knew WW was different… I had even heard that they had made some amazing improvements to the program & knew it was worth checking out… but I was still hung up on the “dieting” issue… and for me, all along, WW = dieting. I finally gave in & joined in late September 2001 & it was GREAT!! I felt way in control of myself… something had definitely changed for me. I was able to get 20 lbs off & I was really proud of myself. I even made it through the holidays OP… that blew me away. BUT, I let life get in my way & by January 2002, I had stopped journaling & going to meetings. I hadn’t given up, I was just distracted. For the full year of 2002 I told myself that I wasn’t giving up, I hadn’t quit, I knew WW worked, I just had to find my way back.
I know now that I TRULY wasn’t ready to change my life when I joined in fall of 2001… I still had some figuring out to do. But something happened towards the end of 2002 that told me the time was right. I don’t know what it was… I had been dealing w/ mild depression over the last several years & at the end of 2002 I felt really down… much deeper than ever before & it made me a little desperate… I didn’t like it anymore. Time was passing me by & I was just getting deeper & deeper… depression, weight gain & just plain old being overwhelmed w/ LIFE. (don’t read too much into that…I have NEVER had suicidal thoughts, no matter how down I was) I had been too content to be happy w/ just getting by for way too long … waiting for things to get better, for the answers to come to me & then something just CLICKED… I had to FIND the answers myself!! I was the only one who was going to make these things happen. WOW…can you say “light bulb moment”?? Who would’ve thought that you actually had to WORK for something?? Not me. I was too lazy, I guess.
Anyways… this got me excited. I was finally ready to make some positive changes in my life. I just wasn’t so sure I knew how to go about it!! I talked to my psychiatrist who had been treating me for depression… he recommended a new psychologist who mainly worked w/ athletes… behavioral stuff. He figured she would know how to get me started… w/ diet, exercise, behavioral stuff, etc. Boy was he right. Well, sorta. :o) I had seen a few different psychologists over the last few years… it never got me anywhere good. This one seemed to be the same. She seemed to be your typical TV shrink…. you know… “So, what do YOU think about that?” “What do YOU think should be your next step?” Hello??? I came to YOU, right?? If I had the answers to those questions, I wouldn’t be here! Very sweet, but not for me. I went back to my doctor & told him that I didn’t think she would work out for me… I needed someone to kick my butt, not coddle me. He told me to go right back to her & tell her this. So I did. :o) I told her the same thing & she said “no problem, I can kick your butt!” LOL!! I guess she wasn’t too sure how to handle me that first session… was I so depressed that any push would send me over the edge?? Nope, not that depressed! :o) So, from then on, we’ve been the ultimate problem solving team. That day we made a plan. Part of that plan included joining WW. I knew that was the way to go & she completely agreed. So I did just that & I’ve never looked back!!!
I look back on this year & I see so much success, so many positive changes… almost 65 lbs later & so close to ONDERLAND, I am just blown away!!
So… why this time? How did I get past that 10 lb point this time w/out giving up? Because I knew I could!!! I realize that now. Never in my life did I really think I could succeed at this. I never thought of WW as anything other than a diet… temporary. I know better now. I know I have BECOME this LIFESTYLE. I realized that in order for me to be able to live this lifestyle forever, I needed to make it something positive. Something good & something SATISFYING. I looked at my past & figured out at what point I failed. I was too hard on myself. I was expecting myself to be perfect & I wasn’t, & that was disappointing. I also dreaded the scale. I counted on those numbers way too much, so I realized that I needed to not do that this time. It just doesn’t matter.
For me, this is about CHANGING MY LIFE. Setting myself off in a positive direction & just going with it. NOT ONCE this year have I felt any twinge of failure. I’ve never thought about giving up. Giving up? This is ME… I’d be giving up on ME! I’ve gotten through several WIs where I had an unexpected gain. (like my last one!! LOL!) I’ve even made it through a 7-week plateau! Not once did I think of anything other than just going forward. I know where I’m going… I know it’s not going to be the “perfect journey” & I know that it is up to me to make this happen.
Oh my... I have no clue how to stop this post! LOL!! I'm talking myself into circles (again) & don't know where I'm trying to get to. LOL!!
Okay... simply, to sum it up... What have I learned this year?
I CAN do this!!!
Keep it positive
Enjoy the process
Practice patience
Believe in yourself
Find SATISFACTION in each step you take
Take the time to learn about yourself, especially from your mistakes.
Be creative.
Forgive yourself
Be there for others
& make GOAD part of your daily existence :o)
THANK YOU, guys...for being here for me this past year. Being part of GoaD has been a life changing experience! I've said it many MANY times, but I have to say it again :o) ... I know I would've been OKAY if I had to have done this past year on my own... but I know that I am THRIVING because of all of you!! You have helped change my life & I am so very grateful!
AND... (I just had a thought! LOL!) because of YOU & my experience on GoaD... I know that I'm about to set the rest of my life in a completely different direction than I had ever planned. I AM going to become a WW Leader once I hit goal (which, before this year, I had never even THOUGHT about doing)... BUT, I want to do more. I want to be able to personally touch people as individuals. I don't know how yet, I'm trying to work that out, but I know that I'm going to do SOMETHING. I've been told so many times that I was going to do something great w/ my life... I always thought it was something creative... something in the Interior Design world, or maybe something else, but something creative, Artsy. I realize now that this "SOMETHING" is much more personal. I believe in myself now... I believe I can help change lives, THAT is the "something" I'm going to set off to do.
Saturday, January 17, 2004
OKAY, OKAY :o) THIS MORNING'S WI... ONDERLAND...
NOT!!
I am actually UP from my unofficial New Year's weight.... 203.2. THIS is why you don't weigh on different scales!! :o)
I was SURPRISED, to say the least... but, in reality, I wasn't REALLY surprised, because I really know better than to expect the scale to do what you want WHEN you want it to, right?? This is why I usually don't get my hopes up when it comes to weigh-ins.
BUT, that IS weird... it's been a full month since I had an official WI & yes, the holidays were in the middle of all that, but I certainly expected to lose more than one pound, which is what it was... from 204.4 to 203.2.
Anyways... what counts is that I KNOW that I'm on the right track... I'm living my life like a normal / healthy person, my attitude is GREAT & I'm NOT going to let the scale guide me through this process.
But ohhhhhhhhh.... crossing over into ONDERLAND is so exciting!! I know I'll be there next time. (unless this is my SECOND round w/ a plateau!)
It was a great meeting, none the less. Lots of new people from when I was there last month. I didn't have any "awards" this time... no reason for Michelle to ask me to share what my story is... what I've changed, etc... stuff she usually tries to draw out of me. :o) Well... after she gave out awards, someone asked about figuring out points for recipes & eTools was mentioned & I said something about how great it is, the Recipe builder, for not only figuring out points for your existing recipes, but to take them & tweak them, figuring out how to make them friendlier, etc. & it was funny. She says.... "I realized earlier that this is the day you would be here" (since I only go bi-weekly) "you see, Julie is really involved in the WW online community & I want you to tell them about your website" .... I said "my website?" (thinking maybe she meant this board that I hang out on) & she said "yes".
...so I told them that I have put together a website about my journey. That I tend to ramble on & on w/ you guys & decided that I needed to have a place to put down ideas & chronicle how my life is changing, where my head is & all that. That I've put it out there in hopes that others will pick up something that they can use... that I'm an open book, etc... Anyways... she said "if you want to get her site's address, talk to her after the meeting" LOL!! So, I had several ask me for the address. One of the few regular guys we have in our meeting, Neal, asked me for it (he said I inspired him... made me smile.) & I asked him if he's ever come check this site out, specifically this board & he hadn't... so I highly recommended eTools & GoaD (can't say enough about you guys!) and hopefully he'll be popping in to say hi & join in, too.
Another lady, Linda, who I hadn't seen before, asked for my site's address & we started talking.... ended up staying around for a half hour after the meeting was over. We talked ALOT about struggles & all that... she really touched me, she has lost 60 lbs, too, but is at that stage where she's stumbling, feeling like she still has such a long way to go. So, you know me, I had to point out all of the positive stuff, let her know that she CAN do it.......etc... told her to please check out my website... that I feel totally full of myself when I do that, but that I put it there for that purpose. She started just over 300.... but she looks great & I told her so. She hasn't gotten feedback from ANYONE other than her husband... even her family that she went home & saw over the holidays. Anyways... I gave her my phone number & told her to feel free to call me & told her when I am at the meetings. She really touched me.
Anyways... guys, I think I've rambled on enough, don't you? LOL!! Thank you all for your encouragement & support throughout this entire journey of mine... especially these last few weeks, knowing that I'm SOOOOOOOO close to ONDERLAND! :o) I didn't get to have my breakdown @ my meeting today, but I know it's coming up soon! :o)
I'm so glad to be a part of something so great..... GoaD, of course!!
Have a FABULOUS weekend!!!
xoxox....Julie
I am actually UP from my unofficial New Year's weight.... 203.2. THIS is why you don't weigh on different scales!! :o)
I was SURPRISED, to say the least... but, in reality, I wasn't REALLY surprised, because I really know better than to expect the scale to do what you want WHEN you want it to, right?? This is why I usually don't get my hopes up when it comes to weigh-ins.
BUT, that IS weird... it's been a full month since I had an official WI & yes, the holidays were in the middle of all that, but I certainly expected to lose more than one pound, which is what it was... from 204.4 to 203.2.
Anyways... what counts is that I KNOW that I'm on the right track... I'm living my life like a normal / healthy person, my attitude is GREAT & I'm NOT going to let the scale guide me through this process.
But ohhhhhhhhh.... crossing over into ONDERLAND is so exciting!! I know I'll be there next time. (unless this is my SECOND round w/ a plateau!)
It was a great meeting, none the less. Lots of new people from when I was there last month. I didn't have any "awards" this time... no reason for Michelle to ask me to share what my story is... what I've changed, etc... stuff she usually tries to draw out of me. :o) Well... after she gave out awards, someone asked about figuring out points for recipes & eTools was mentioned & I said something about how great it is, the Recipe builder, for not only figuring out points for your existing recipes, but to take them & tweak them, figuring out how to make them friendlier, etc. & it was funny. She says.... "I realized earlier that this is the day you would be here" (since I only go bi-weekly) "you see, Julie is really involved in the WW online community & I want you to tell them about your website" .... I said "my website?" (thinking maybe she meant this board that I hang out on) & she said "yes".
...so I told them that I have put together a website about my journey. That I tend to ramble on & on w/ you guys & decided that I needed to have a place to put down ideas & chronicle how my life is changing, where my head is & all that. That I've put it out there in hopes that others will pick up something that they can use... that I'm an open book, etc... Anyways... she said "if you want to get her site's address, talk to her after the meeting" LOL!! So, I had several ask me for the address. One of the few regular guys we have in our meeting, Neal, asked me for it (he said I inspired him... made me smile.) & I asked him if he's ever come check this site out, specifically this board & he hadn't... so I highly recommended eTools & GoaD (can't say enough about you guys!) and hopefully he'll be popping in to say hi & join in, too.
Another lady, Linda, who I hadn't seen before, asked for my site's address & we started talking.... ended up staying around for a half hour after the meeting was over. We talked ALOT about struggles & all that... she really touched me, she has lost 60 lbs, too, but is at that stage where she's stumbling, feeling like she still has such a long way to go. So, you know me, I had to point out all of the positive stuff, let her know that she CAN do it.......etc... told her to please check out my website... that I feel totally full of myself when I do that, but that I put it there for that purpose. She started just over 300.... but she looks great & I told her so. She hasn't gotten feedback from ANYONE other than her husband... even her family that she went home & saw over the holidays. Anyways... I gave her my phone number & told her to feel free to call me & told her when I am at the meetings. She really touched me.
Anyways... guys, I think I've rambled on enough, don't you? LOL!! Thank you all for your encouragement & support throughout this entire journey of mine... especially these last few weeks, knowing that I'm SOOOOOOOO close to ONDERLAND! :o) I didn't get to have my breakdown @ my meeting today, but I know it's coming up soon! :o)
I'm so glad to be a part of something so great..... GoaD, of course!!
Have a FABULOUS weekend!!!
xoxox....Julie
Tuesday, January 6, 2004
ARTICLE...DR. PHIL ON WILLPOWER - 1 OF 3
Dr Phil: “Willpower is Overrated!” There’s a better way to keep your resolve from dissolving.
By Phillip C. McGraw, PH.D (O magazine January 2001)
Keeping Your Resolutions
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
QUESTION:
How can I stick to my resolutions?
Something must be seriously wrong w/ me. I seem to have absolutely no discipline or conviction. Every January 1, I make ten lofty resolutions. I get really excited in the beginning; I feel confident and committed to making changes, but I never – and I mean never – follow through. For once, I would like to actually eat healthily, do the exercise, change the job, get rid of this doofus I am living with, and start painting and writing again. I worry that I just need to face the ugly truth that I’m weak and have no willpower. Or is there a way I can make some real changes?
ANSWER:
Of course you can start eating well, do the exercise, change the job, dump the doofus, and paint and write to your heart’s content. You’re not some loser, so stop behaving like one. I am betting that your results are the same year after year because you stick to the same pattern: New Year’s comes, and like millions of others, you examine your life, find things are less than ideal, and begin dreaming of a better future. You’re excited by the prospect of change: You launch a fitness program, start sending out resumes, buy a set of watercolors…and then you fizzle out before actually incorporating any real changes into your daily routine. By spring or summer, I is the same old you, the same old life, and the same old doofus planted on the couch like a box of rocks.
Now, I’m not saying you are weak, but you are obviously stuck big time. You’ve fallen victim to one of the biggest myths ever – that all you need is a little more willpower. It’s a highly overrated concept and can lead to great disappointment, particularly if you are working toward long-term change. The problem with willpower is that it is defined and fueled by emotions. Think about it: When you start your program, you feel strong, committed, and confident. You’re highly motivated because emotionally you’re on a high. You can do anything, right?” But emotions tend to fade. No one can be up all the time. Soon you lose energy and become less committed. The less committed you feel, the more you find excuses not to exercise, eat right, or break it off with a less than ideal partner. How often does this happen? Not some of the time – all of the time.
That’s not to say willpower doesn’t have its purpose. It’s great in the short run. But as I said, willpower is not how you change your life in the long run. Many of us aren’t strong in the willpower department, including me. (My dad always said, “McGraw men are tough; we can handle anything – except pain and temptation.”) I’ve found the way to achieve real change can be summed up in one word: programming. Unlike emotionally fueled willpower, good solid planning will carry you toward your goals even when you don’t feel like it. Programming will get you out of bed on a cold February morning to go jog when you fell as if you’d much rather sink back into the mattress. To succeed long-term, you have to take emotions out of the equation – and to do that, I suggest you follow these five steps and reprogram your approach to your resolutions.
STEP 1: Choose a realistic goal. Resist the temptation to gloss over important details or omit them altogether. Focus on only those things you have control over, and don’t pursue outcomes that are unattainable.
STEP 2: Qualify your goal. Real goals must be measurable and observable, otherwise you’ll be bogged down trying to figure out what you’re actually aiming for. Serious goals leave no room for confusion about what is desired.
STEP 3: Define your goal in terms of small steps. Goals must be carefully broken down into manageable steps that ultimately lead to the desired outcome. Don’t try to create change in giant leaps. Be patient and let it happen over time.
STEP 4: Set up a time line for achieving your goal. You need a particular calendar date and a schedule for completion. “Someday” is not a day of the week. Be precise as to what you are going to do and when you are going to do it.
STEP 5: Create a system to monitor your progress. Without accountability, you are apt to con yourself – or fail to recognize poor performance in time to adjust your behavior. Ask a friend or a family member if you can report your progress to her on a regular basis. The thought of looking someone else in the eye and admitting failure is typically unpleasant enough to inspire you to stick with the program.
Next...Taking the First Step
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Philip C. McGraw, Ph.D., is president of Courtroom Sciences, a litigation firm in Texas. He is the author of Life Strategies and Relationship Rescue. Have a question for Dr McGraw? Send it to: Tell It Like It Is, 0, The Oprah Magazine, 1700 Broadway ,38th floor New York, NY 100I9. Or visit Oprah.com and click on 0, The Oprah Magazine.
By Phillip C. McGraw, PH.D (O magazine January 2001)
Keeping Your Resolutions
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
QUESTION:
How can I stick to my resolutions?
Something must be seriously wrong w/ me. I seem to have absolutely no discipline or conviction. Every January 1, I make ten lofty resolutions. I get really excited in the beginning; I feel confident and committed to making changes, but I never – and I mean never – follow through. For once, I would like to actually eat healthily, do the exercise, change the job, get rid of this doofus I am living with, and start painting and writing again. I worry that I just need to face the ugly truth that I’m weak and have no willpower. Or is there a way I can make some real changes?
ANSWER:
Of course you can start eating well, do the exercise, change the job, dump the doofus, and paint and write to your heart’s content. You’re not some loser, so stop behaving like one. I am betting that your results are the same year after year because you stick to the same pattern: New Year’s comes, and like millions of others, you examine your life, find things are less than ideal, and begin dreaming of a better future. You’re excited by the prospect of change: You launch a fitness program, start sending out resumes, buy a set of watercolors…and then you fizzle out before actually incorporating any real changes into your daily routine. By spring or summer, I is the same old you, the same old life, and the same old doofus planted on the couch like a box of rocks.
Now, I’m not saying you are weak, but you are obviously stuck big time. You’ve fallen victim to one of the biggest myths ever – that all you need is a little more willpower. It’s a highly overrated concept and can lead to great disappointment, particularly if you are working toward long-term change. The problem with willpower is that it is defined and fueled by emotions. Think about it: When you start your program, you feel strong, committed, and confident. You’re highly motivated because emotionally you’re on a high. You can do anything, right?” But emotions tend to fade. No one can be up all the time. Soon you lose energy and become less committed. The less committed you feel, the more you find excuses not to exercise, eat right, or break it off with a less than ideal partner. How often does this happen? Not some of the time – all of the time.
That’s not to say willpower doesn’t have its purpose. It’s great in the short run. But as I said, willpower is not how you change your life in the long run. Many of us aren’t strong in the willpower department, including me. (My dad always said, “McGraw men are tough; we can handle anything – except pain and temptation.”) I’ve found the way to achieve real change can be summed up in one word: programming. Unlike emotionally fueled willpower, good solid planning will carry you toward your goals even when you don’t feel like it. Programming will get you out of bed on a cold February morning to go jog when you fell as if you’d much rather sink back into the mattress. To succeed long-term, you have to take emotions out of the equation – and to do that, I suggest you follow these five steps and reprogram your approach to your resolutions.
STEP 1: Choose a realistic goal. Resist the temptation to gloss over important details or omit them altogether. Focus on only those things you have control over, and don’t pursue outcomes that are unattainable.
STEP 2: Qualify your goal. Real goals must be measurable and observable, otherwise you’ll be bogged down trying to figure out what you’re actually aiming for. Serious goals leave no room for confusion about what is desired.
STEP 3: Define your goal in terms of small steps. Goals must be carefully broken down into manageable steps that ultimately lead to the desired outcome. Don’t try to create change in giant leaps. Be patient and let it happen over time.
STEP 4: Set up a time line for achieving your goal. You need a particular calendar date and a schedule for completion. “Someday” is not a day of the week. Be precise as to what you are going to do and when you are going to do it.
STEP 5: Create a system to monitor your progress. Without accountability, you are apt to con yourself – or fail to recognize poor performance in time to adjust your behavior. Ask a friend or a family member if you can report your progress to her on a regular basis. The thought of looking someone else in the eye and admitting failure is typically unpleasant enough to inspire you to stick with the program.
Next...Taking the First Step
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Philip C. McGraw, Ph.D., is president of Courtroom Sciences, a litigation firm in Texas. He is the author of Life Strategies and Relationship Rescue. Have a question for Dr McGraw? Send it to: Tell It Like It Is, 0, The Oprah Magazine, 1700 Broadway ,38th floor New York, NY 100I9. Or visit Oprah.com and click on 0, The Oprah Magazine.
ARTICLE...DR. PHIL ON WILLPOWER - 2 OF 3
Dr Phil: “Willpower is Overrated!” There’s a better way to keep your resolve from dissolving.
By Phillip C. McGraw, PH.D (O magazine January 2001)
Taking the First Step
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
QUESTION:
Why am I afraid to take the first step?
I was recently at a party where everyone was talking about New Year’s resolutions. I am about 175 pounds overweight and want so badly to change my body. But when my turn came to announce a resolution, I chickened out and chose some meaningless hooey about reading more and improving my mind. I hate myself for being so overweight, but I hate myself even more for being intimidated by the idea of actually losing the weight. If I had 30 pounds to lose, or even 50, I think I could face it. But my weight has gotten so far out of hand, I’ve just given up. How can I ever find my way back to a healthy body when I am too scared to even say that I want it?
ANSWER:
I completely understand how such a huge task can be overwhelming. Where most people would be proud to lose 10 to 20 pounds, you feel losing that amount of weight is like a spit in the ocean. But that’s the wrong way to be looking at your problem. You aren’t helpless, you aren’t lost, and you don’t have the right to give up on yourself.
Your first and greatest challenge is not the struggle to lose 175 pounds, it’s to overcome the self-defeating internal dialogue that has paralyzed you. You’re telling
It’s clear that you are afraid that if you try to lose the weight you might fail. You need to stop pummeling yourself with negative thoughts for being where you are and realize that you are a failure only if you quite while you’re behind. The second you start pursuing your goal in earnest, you’re in control again!
Think about it this way: The next six, eight, or ten months are going to fly by whether you are doing something about your weight problem or not. Instead of being intimidated and afraid of failure, why don’t you focus on the math? Losing even two or three pounds per week over the next eight months can add up to 6o pounds or more. Don’t focus on dropping 175’ pounds. Think about trying to lose just a pound or two or three per week— that’s something you can tackle. You are wasting time by repeatedly berating yourself—don’t wait another day to start this journey. (To help you make a plan for those couple of pounds a week, follow the steps I outlined in my answer to the first question above.)
Next...The Buddy System...Good Idea??
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Philip C. McGraw, Ph.D., is president of Courtroom Sciences, a litigation firm in Texas. He is the author of Life Strategies and Relationship Rescue. Have a question for Dr McGraw? Send it to: Tell It Like It Is, 0, The Oprah Magazine, 1700 Broadway ,38th floor New York, NY 100I9. Or visit Oprah.com and click on 0, The Oprah Magazine.
By Phillip C. McGraw, PH.D (O magazine January 2001)
Taking the First Step
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
QUESTION:
Why am I afraid to take the first step?
I was recently at a party where everyone was talking about New Year’s resolutions. I am about 175 pounds overweight and want so badly to change my body. But when my turn came to announce a resolution, I chickened out and chose some meaningless hooey about reading more and improving my mind. I hate myself for being so overweight, but I hate myself even more for being intimidated by the idea of actually losing the weight. If I had 30 pounds to lose, or even 50, I think I could face it. But my weight has gotten so far out of hand, I’ve just given up. How can I ever find my way back to a healthy body when I am too scared to even say that I want it?
ANSWER:
I completely understand how such a huge task can be overwhelming. Where most people would be proud to lose 10 to 20 pounds, you feel losing that amount of weight is like a spit in the ocean. But that’s the wrong way to be looking at your problem. You aren’t helpless, you aren’t lost, and you don’t have the right to give up on yourself.
Your first and greatest challenge is not the struggle to lose 175 pounds, it’s to overcome the self-defeating internal dialogue that has paralyzed you. You’re telling
It’s clear that you are afraid that if you try to lose the weight you might fail. You need to stop pummeling yourself with negative thoughts for being where you are and realize that you are a failure only if you quite while you’re behind. The second you start pursuing your goal in earnest, you’re in control again!
Think about it this way: The next six, eight, or ten months are going to fly by whether you are doing something about your weight problem or not. Instead of being intimidated and afraid of failure, why don’t you focus on the math? Losing even two or three pounds per week over the next eight months can add up to 6o pounds or more. Don’t focus on dropping 175’ pounds. Think about trying to lose just a pound or two or three per week— that’s something you can tackle. You are wasting time by repeatedly berating yourself—don’t wait another day to start this journey. (To help you make a plan for those couple of pounds a week, follow the steps I outlined in my answer to the first question above.)
Next...The Buddy System...Good Idea??
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Philip C. McGraw, Ph.D., is president of Courtroom Sciences, a litigation firm in Texas. He is the author of Life Strategies and Relationship Rescue. Have a question for Dr McGraw? Send it to: Tell It Like It Is, 0, The Oprah Magazine, 1700 Broadway ,38th floor New York, NY 100I9. Or visit Oprah.com and click on 0, The Oprah Magazine.
ARTICLE...DR. PHIL ON WILLPOWER - 3 OF 3
Dr Phil: “Willpower is Overrated!” There’s a better way to keep your resolve from dissolving.
By Phillip C. McGraw, PH.D (O magazine January 2001)
The Buddy System...Good Idea?
------------------------------------------
QUESTION:
When is the buddy system a bad idea?
I have a friend who is concerned about some of the same things that are really bugging me. I want to get in shape by starting a regular plan of jogging and exercise, My friend suggests that we work out together so we can support and motivate each other. Is that a good idea, or am I better off making my own plan? I’m not at all sure if I want this to be a social process.
ANSWER:
Which approach is best for you depends on a lot of things, but the bottom line is that you are probably better off making your own plan and just going after it. Why? Because problems can arise when someone you don’t have control over (pretty much anybody else) figures into your plans.
I’m not saying mutual support is a bad thing: It can certainly be helpful, especially if your friend is as committed as you are and has an upbeat, positive attitude about working out and exercising together As I mentioned in Steps of the answer to the first question, creating a system to monitor your progress is an important part of achieving any goal. By coordinating your efforts, you and your friend could, in theory, monitor each other and chart your progress.
But if you get in the habit of relying on your friend for ‘motivation, you are vulnerable to her ups and downs. Your friend can’t be there 24-7 to influence your eating habits, and she can’t drag you out of bed in the morning to go for a jog. On the days when she’s feeling down or unmotivated, she might encourage you to play hooky, too.
So don’t allow yourself to become dependent on her level of commitment when it comes down to doing something that only you can do. I suggest that once you’ve devised your own exercise program, show it to your friend and explain that this is what you are going to do. Tell her that if she wants to come along, fine. If she doesn’t, that’s fine, too. The most important thing is to resolve from the beginning that personal health is just that: personal.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Philip C. McGraw, Ph.D., is president of Courtroom Sciences, a litigation firm in Texas. He is the author of Life Strategies and Relationship Rescue. Have a question for Dr McGraw? Send it to: Tell It Like It Is, 0, The Oprah Magazine, 1700 Broadway ,38th floor New York, NY 100I9. Or visit Oprah.com and click on 0, The Oprah Magazine.
By Phillip C. McGraw, PH.D (O magazine January 2001)
The Buddy System...Good Idea?
------------------------------------------
QUESTION:
When is the buddy system a bad idea?
I have a friend who is concerned about some of the same things that are really bugging me. I want to get in shape by starting a regular plan of jogging and exercise, My friend suggests that we work out together so we can support and motivate each other. Is that a good idea, or am I better off making my own plan? I’m not at all sure if I want this to be a social process.
ANSWER:
Which approach is best for you depends on a lot of things, but the bottom line is that you are probably better off making your own plan and just going after it. Why? Because problems can arise when someone you don’t have control over (pretty much anybody else) figures into your plans.
I’m not saying mutual support is a bad thing: It can certainly be helpful, especially if your friend is as committed as you are and has an upbeat, positive attitude about working out and exercising together As I mentioned in Steps of the answer to the first question, creating a system to monitor your progress is an important part of achieving any goal. By coordinating your efforts, you and your friend could, in theory, monitor each other and chart your progress.
But if you get in the habit of relying on your friend for ‘motivation, you are vulnerable to her ups and downs. Your friend can’t be there 24-7 to influence your eating habits, and she can’t drag you out of bed in the morning to go for a jog. On the days when she’s feeling down or unmotivated, she might encourage you to play hooky, too.
So don’t allow yourself to become dependent on her level of commitment when it comes down to doing something that only you can do. I suggest that once you’ve devised your own exercise program, show it to your friend and explain that this is what you are going to do. Tell her that if she wants to come along, fine. If she doesn’t, that’s fine, too. The most important thing is to resolve from the beginning that personal health is just that: personal.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Philip C. McGraw, Ph.D., is president of Courtroom Sciences, a litigation firm in Texas. He is the author of Life Strategies and Relationship Rescue. Have a question for Dr McGraw? Send it to: Tell It Like It Is, 0, The Oprah Magazine, 1700 Broadway ,38th floor New York, NY 100I9. Or visit Oprah.com and click on 0, The Oprah Magazine.
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