Yes, you read that correctly. I lost nearly 3 pounds this last week!! I am super excited about it, too! Even more than the amount of weight that I lost, though, I am excited that I continued with my exercising and healthy eating even after gaining a bit of weight the previous week. I did get upset with my weight gain, but kept thinking that I needed to continue and it would all even out. And it did!! This is so different for me because I would normally give up after a weight gain. I have chosen to persevere this time and that has made a huge difference!
1- Accountability: I have friends expecting me at Zumba class, a friend and I signed up for a 5K in June, and I share my weight loss with a couple of friends each week as well as on this blog.
2- Pictures: I have taken pictures along the journey to show my progression and have even posted them for you all to see. Taking pictures makes it a lot easier to see the changes.
3- Measurements: I have taken more measurements than just my weight this time around. I have always put all my progress (and happiness) in what the scale says. I have learned to see it as it is...just one form of measurement. You may have seen the word "peace" is taped to my scale right below the number. I am trying to find peace with my journey even when I am not happy with the number that is revealed on that scale. It IS just a number after all! It can not tell me all the other victories I may have had that week. These Non Scale Victories (NSV) are very important to recognize and not just the measurements I take either, but also things like clothes getting loser or moving up to the next level in my workout.
4- Blogs: I read through some really good blogs with some significant weight loss success stories. A few that I have read and would recommend are: FatChick2FitChick, Journey to a New Me, Real Fat, Simply Healthy Mama, Skinny Meg, and Mama Laughlin -This is what really got me motivated and than eventually got me to start my own blog.
5- Journaling: Starting my own blog to journal out this journey has also been a huge help! Being able to write it all out and having something to look back on (even if you don't choose to share it like I have) can be a good first step to change.
6- Breaking it down: Instead of looking at it as almost 50 pounds to lose, I have broken it down into very small and doable weekly losses of 1.5 pounds. 1.5 pounds seems very easy and not so overwhelming like 50 pounds! I have also taken the weight that I want to see on Friday and posted it around my house so that I can see it and be reminded. For example, this week I have the number 177.1 on a post-it on my fridge and written on my bathroom mirror.
7- Rewards: As well as breaking it down into 1.5 pounds per week, I have also broken it down to reward myself for every 5 pounds lost. This week, I hit another reward mark and get to treat myself to a massage!
So if you are looking to start your own journey or looking for motivation to keep you going on your journey, why not try one of the things I listed above or something else that is different than anything you have ever tried before. After all, insanity is doing the same thing and expecting a different outcome! I guess I just decided to try something different this time around so that I would see a different outcome. I guess you could say that I was tired of all the insanity! ;)
Happy Memorial Day!