I can identify with you in several ways.
I don’t look too bad. Especially for my age
In groups of people, I’m often on the smaller side. I can find clothing that fits.
I have so many crafts on the go or half finished. My staircase would be lovely if someone finished painting it. J
In light of all of that, it’s very easy for weight to NOT be my focus. I can get to be a bit slimmer any time, right?
Right now, my coffee is a bit bitter. I could put some French vanilla creamer in it. That would help. I’d like it right now. I can always skimp on my salad dressing or skip a snack later. Maybe I’ll just do a few extra minutes on the elliptical later.
And in the next three weeks, we have two important functions to attend. They will (of course) revolve around food.
Later this evening, Dh wants to go pick up some things he needs for a weekend project. I might get to the elliptical before we go. I might do it after we get home.
This weekend I work two 12 hr shifts. I usually work eights. I’ll probably use enough energy to have one doughnut. I’ll certainly get enough exercise that I could skip the elliptical.
That baby blanket I’m knitting needs to be done by the 15th of August. If I worked on that for a few hours today …
And I should clear out some stuff to make DH’s weekend project easier and cleaner.
I’d better get some groceries today too. I’m not sure what we’re doing for supper tonight. It’d really be easier to go out on our way to Home Depot.
In the grand scheme of things, a few busy weeks in the summer are not going to make that much difference. At some point in the future I’ll have that magic combination of a lightening strike of readiness, a clear time span in which to schedule all the things I need to do, a sudden personality change to “organized and focused” ….
However … I want to be slim in the grand scheme of things. In the long run, I’d rather be slim … soon.
The term “ever mindful” has had a huge impact on me. And if that means filling my life with reminders … then so be it. The elliptical is in front of the TV. There is weight equipment on my back porch. There are dumbbells at my bedside. I come to 3FC every morning. I subscribe to two fitness magazines. I keep fruit and vegetables on the kitchen counter in a basket. The food scale is in the center of my kitchen workspace. My bathroom scale is sooo obvious sitting where it does.
For me, it’s a matter of being ever mindful and being ‘good’ more often than I am not on plan. If I cannot remain focused, my environment certainly can. If I do at least a few things right each day, I’m never off plan, just backslidden. I’ll never forget everything I know to be true about weight loss. Sometimes I just have to dredge it closer to the surface … into focus.
I’m pretty longwinded this morning but I have one more point. Because I am so “scatter attentioned” variety is very important. We’re lucky in that fitness can be approached from so many angles. There’s a huge variety of foods out there. There’s a huge variety of exercises and activities. There’s a huge variety of motivational cues too.
We don’t have to do Jetta’s Joga tapes every day for the rest of our lives. We can walk or jog or mountain climb or dance …
We can watch sports figures (slim, fit sports figures) on TV. We can read the goal threads or maintainers on 3FC. We can flip through fitness mags.
We can eat an egg white omelet or chicken breast or broccoli or salad or a veggies burger or an apple or grapes or pork tenderloin …
In combination, the possibilities are endless. So if our attention wanes in a couple of weeks, it’s not difficult to “change it up”.
Relax and practice being “in it” more than you are “out of it”.