10 Steps to success

Oh how I did not want to go to my weight watchers meeting this last Saturday morning! I was dreading it feeling like I had gained back weight & I was afraid to find out exactly how much. What was the alternative I pondered as I reluctantly drove to my meeting ? If I stayed home & tried to lose whatever I gained (& maybe a pound more) I wouldn't get this weeks journal to keep my food diary in plus I wouldn't get to hear some inspiring words from my inspiring leader to help carry me through my week. Thinking this would not be good for me as well as only perpetuate my spiral down into failure- I thought I best go. So I did. Besides those fantasy days of quick weight loss are so over for me. I never lost weight quickly & thinking I ever would is just completely unrealistic & it's not even healthy anyway. So why go there?

Of course I am glad I did go to my meeting. It wasn't the best feeling in the world when I got off of the scale & the WW woman didn't say a word as she affixed my weight onto my small booklet that shows my progress- or in my case my lack of progress. I actually regressed. I gained back 1.4 pounds.

If you remember I was away last weekend living the high life in upstate NY. So I also missed my WW meeting last weekend too. I should also mention that the week before that, I gained back .6 pounds & the week before that I gained back .8 pounds bringing my grand total of weight gain to a whopping 2.8 pounds! In fact the last time I actually lost any weight was on January 12 when I lost 1.8 pounds.

The topper of the morning meeting was that as soon as I sat down my leader said "If you do something for 21 days it is no longer a habit-it becomes an instinct so if you do not continue to do it you don't feel right."

I found myself thinking, "Hmm...wasn't my last post all about committing to a goal for 21 days ?" I find that when I keep hearing the same thing over & over in a short span of time I am being sent a special message designed for me so that I will actually hear it & perhaps act on it. Especially if it's something unusual like breaking bad habits in 21 days. I always thought it would take at least 90.

So what have I learned? I have learned to:

• Acknowledge & appreciate the positive past


• Use positive self talk


• Acknowledge & build on my strengths


• Clarify my vision & my purpose


• Set measurable goals & objectives

These are the first five of 10 steps to success my WW leader shared with us last Saturday. The first step has special meaning for me because I have found if I do not acknowledge my successes I tend to spiral down into negative thinking which doesn't help me at all. So this week my goal is to carry these first five steps around with me as I go about my business of being a success. I am also keeping an accurate food journal. I am exercising everyday & I am drinking the proper amount of water I need too. I am also taking all of my vitamins & making sure I get enough sleep. The weeks when I have followed these guidelines are the weeks when I have felt great even if I only lost .2 pounds.

A dream is a goal with a deadline- author unknown