The Power of Positive Thinking

First things first, I weighed in today at 192.4! That's down 1.4 pounds from last week, and 9.0 pounds total in the past 5 weeks! Yippee!!! I promised to write about what I was changing for Fitness Friday a couple weeks ago, but I forgot... I started taking a multi-vitamin. I know I don't get enough of the nutrients I need, so I started taking a supplement that is formulated for women my age. Added bonus- it helps hair & nails grow, too! Anyway, I haven't noticed much of a difference yet. That could be because I take it at night so I remember. But, I do know it's important to weight loss as well as overall health, so I am sticking with it!

Now let me say, I have no idea how it's happening. I have not been tracking my points like I am supposed to, I have been eating out a TON, and I really haven't increased my activity enough to count for anything. I have to believe that the one thing I have going for me is thinking positively. I set myself a goal (lose 50 pounds in 1 year) and I broke down that goal into something I could do (1 pound per week). Every time I step onto my scale, I imagine in my head what I want to see on that scale. Wouldn't you know? I am within a half pound of that goal every time! Sometimes, the scale agrees with me exactly!

I am not saying that thoughts alone can make you lose weight. But I think there is some relevance to the fact that I think about my goal all the time. I shop for groceries with my goal in mind. I think about how my meal might effect my goal when I order at restaurants. I imagine myself in new, smaller clothes. I tell others about my accomplishments and my goals. Thinking about my goal consciously changes my habits subconsciously. So, without even realizing it, I am changing behavior to help accomplish my goal.

This does not excuse me from being deliberate with my efforts. I can only imagine what I could lose every week if I really tried hard! However, it does comfort me to know that staying focused doesn't have to be as much work as I sometimes make it out to be. I'm not failing, I am falling forward. Every week I learn more about myself, and I grow while shrinking ;)

I almost forgot...

Last Wednesday I did weigh in at work: 193.8! Down another 1.2 pounds. Hallelujah!

I'll check in again this Wednesday!

Surprise, Surprise

Yesterday was my weekly weigh-in for Weight Watchers at work. I was convinced that I had gained, hoping with every ounce of hope that I had merely maintained. Why? We celebrated hybby's birthday on Sunday with In-N-Out Burger for lunch and Margaritaville fare for dinner. (Side note: we had an absolute blast with our friends! We really do have the best group of friends in the world.) Anyway, I made sure to go in to the meeting room early, before anyone else would be there to ask me how it went. I was so early, in fact, our group leader wasn't even set up yet! I explained to her that it wasn't going to be pretty as I stepped on to the scale... 195.0! That's down another 1.4 pounds from last week, 6.4 total! Needless to say, I was pleasantly surprised. One thing is for sure, I simply have to cut down on eating out. Although, I will say I have already cut down tremendously. If I eat out at work, it's a Turkey Breast on Wheat from Subway (7 POINTS with cheese). And I am trying new recipes instead of suggesting eating out for every little occasion. For instance, Monday was hubby's real birthday and I made Slow Cooker Lasagna and invited his best friend over instead of suggesting another birthday dinner out. Hey, it's one small step.

Also, an update on my goal of 10 minutes of movement every day: I accomplished this most days. There were a few lazy days, but some things I did to increase my activity overall were: cleaning (dusting, mirrors, sweeping), walking up & down the stairs a few times, and dancing around my apartment by myself. I'm going to keep that goal this week. Once I have that down, I will increase the time of it. The big hurdle for next week will be not gaining very much since it is my special week again. We'll see how that goes.

Weigh-in Wednesday

This week's results: 196.4 (down 1 pound from last week & 5 pounds total). Honestly, I was a little nervous this week, and I'm just happy I didn't gain any. I was admittedly, well, a wreck this week as far as eating well and exercising goes. It didn't help to have Super Bowl Sunday right smack-dab in the middle of my weigh ins, but really the problem was all me.



I didn't feel well most of the week (just a cold and a little sore-ness), and that made me want comfort food. Unfortunately, the worst possible foods tend to comfort me. I was awful at writing down my food, too. And I ate lots of stuff that I couldn't actually verify the nutrition stats on. Last week we talked about goals in our WW meeting. The challenge was to set a small and attainable goal to work on throughout the week. Well, I may be a week late, but that's what I will do this week. My goal is to get off my behind and be active for 10 minutes every day. (Yes, I realize that should be 30, but right now 10 minutes is more attainable for me.)



Also, I am participating in a blog "event" called Fitness Friday, hosted by this great lady named Brenda. She gives an assignment every week for any woman who wants to participate. It's Christ-centered and encouraging. So look for my Fitness Friday posts coming up. This week our challenge is to change it up! I'm not sure what to change since I just started this, but I'm sure I can do something!