MUSU

A few years back when my family and I went on a missions trip to Guatemala, a Watson family phrase was coined- MUSU- or as we know it “man up- suck it up.” It started when one of us would whine about something during the trip. Most days we were bone tired from physical labor, the showers were cold, the food was less than desirable and the beds were hard as a rock. And so, like the spoiled rotten Americans we were, we whined. Given the fact that we were on this trip to build a home for a family in need, a family that lived in a sugar cane hut with a tin roof the size of a garden shed with no windows or doors, no electric or running water- our attitudes were truly pathetic. So our kids coined the phrase MUSU and whenever someone started to complain, one of us would say “MUSU”! It was a great reminder to bring us back to reality.

When was the last time you manned up to a fear? Looked it in the eyes and stared it down? MUSUing (if I may take the liberty to turn this imaginary word into verb form) is easier said than done.

Isn’t it much easier to remain complacent, to bury stuff, to take the easy path, to maybe not even try?

I’ve been at this weight loss gig for 17 years and I still find one thing very difficult, to MUSU on the scale. For years, the mighty scale has had this relentless power over me. When I went to weigh-in and I lost weight, I was giddy with excitement. Look at me!!! Ya-freakin-hoo!!! I’m dabomb.com diggity! Nothing could bring me down. And when I gained weight, well, let’s just say I was a “tad” bitchy for the rest of the day [understatement of the year]. Up until only a few years ago, when I gained, I completely derailed. My wellness train jumped the tracks and headed to Hostess Town or Tastycake Station.  My frame of mind? Well- since I already gained I might as well do it up good, REAL good. I’ll go ahead and eat whatever I want for the rest of the day. I’ll get back on track tomorrow. Sound familiar?

It’s a vicious cycle because often times, tomorrow never comes. One day of indulgence leads to the next and then we say we’ll get back to it next week, yet often times next week never comes. So we rationalize and tell ourselves that we’ll be back in the saddle next season, when life is less busy, overloaded, chaotic [insert your adjective here]. The scary part is, that seasons fly by, and as fast as we can blink we’ve suddenly gained 25, 50, 75 pounds and have no idea how it happened.

It happened because we weren’t willing to MUSU. Instead of acknowledgement we chose avoidance. Instead of acceptance we chose denial. Instead of accountability we chose recklessness. We weren’t willing to man up and face the scale.

This week, I experienced just how this could happen. I had a wretched week of eating and I knew it. While I ate very poorly, the good news is that I tracked every item. I KNEW just how badly I did; the results on the scale weren’t going to be a shocker. If I can take a moment to share how this parallels with Dave Ramsay’s teachings in Financial Peace University. Mr. Ramsay recommends that folks purchase items using cash, so that they can feel the pain of the purchase. It makes them think twice about spending. Tracking, or food journaling, even when we’ve had a bad week allows us to feel the pain of the gain. Every item I wrote down that was an indulgence, or an unwise choice, I felt it. This gave me pause and I slowed down to really consider the choices I was making. I kept going (with the poor choices) but they weren’t as bad as the old days. In addition, as an offset, I made sure that I exercised every day. Alas, I still posted a gain.

Since I’m a WW lifetime member and a leader, I only have to weigh in once a month. I could have skipped this weigh in and told myself I’ll get back on track next week. Yet I know, I’m in the middle of a struggle and the best thing I can do is to MUSU and face the scale- every single week- acknowledging, accepting and being accountable for the good, the bad and the downright ugly choices and results.

I truly believe that this change in mindset is how I’ve been able to maintain my 40+ pound weight loss over the past few years. It not that I like food any less I just like being healthy and fit more.  I know that to be healthy and fit, I must remain in this frame of mind where an occasional gain is OK. This means letting go of perfectionism, black and white thinking and acknowledging, accepting and being accountable for my actions- knowing that I have the power to change them at all times.

Man up! Make the choice. Commit to the choice. Ask for help. Continue with courage.  

Hugs and Friendship,

Tara