Spring Forward

I can’t believe that it’s been four years since I began (for the umpteenth time) my weight loss journey. On March 26, 2011, I penned my first blog. It was really a blog to help me to get my head on straight and to get my feelings down and out of my system. If it helped someone along the way, that was an added bonus.

I remember the feeling of absolute desperation I had during that time. I was so fed up with myself, of the starting and stopping, of the trying and failing. I was going to WW and could not get the scale to move. It was really not the program’s problem, the program works. It was my problem- I wasn’t really (let’s be honest) doing the work. I was so disgusted and discouraged. I’m usually a self-motivator, a doer, a go-getter, a high achiever- yet I could not conquer the beast. I felt so deflated, like such a failure. I felt like giving up. Why try again when you’ve tried and tried and tried- and failed?

When I meet people who have reached their weight loss goals, I often wonder what was the spark that finally prompted them into action? Personally I find it so perplexing to have tried and failed at something so many times, only to finally succeed. That means I had it in me the entire time. What was different this time around?

There was this female fitness enthusiast on the Today Show this week and she said, loosely quoted, “there are not many things that you can control in this world, but you can control what you put in your mouth and how often you move your body.” Truth! I would add that you can also control your attitude.

As I reflect over the past four years, I want to share what I did differently in the hope that it will help you to find your way in your own wellness journey.

1- I focused on wellness and not on weight loss. This allowed me to concentrate more on putting good food in my body and physical activity and less on how quickly the scale was moving.

2- I acknowledged that this was going to be a long and permanent process. No quick fixes, no extreme measures.

3- I changed how I talked to myself both out loud and on the inside. Moving from words like can’t, trying, thinking about to can, doing and will. There is great power in your words and thoughts. Two books that have really helped me with this are:

Taming Your Gremlin by Rick Carson

Change Your Brain, Change Your Body by Daniel Amen

4- I recognized and accepted that I would have setbacks and that I would not let them define me or thwart my journey.

5- I banned all excuses- busyness, work/family stress, being an emotional eater, family history of obesity, inability to exercise/dreading exercise, lack of support, lack of resources (time or money). I took sole responsibility for my wellness.

6- I asked for help and recruited an accountability partner that would keep it real with me.

Spring is a time of rebirth, when everything is made new again. It’s a time for second (and third and umpteenth) chances.

It’s a great time for a fresh start. Notice that I didn’t say that it’s the perfect time for a fresh start. There will never be a perfect time to start. Something or someone will always be vying for your attention, and winning. You have to make the choice and the commitment to put yourself first, to carve out this time, to invest in you.

While many things in life may get in the way, I found that the biggest thing that was getting in the way was me.

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

Hugs and Friendship,

Tara