It's the small victories that add up to great things
 

For a lot of us - at least for me - the number on the scale is what pulls us into this. I didn't want to weigh 200 pounds, so I made a change. I didn't want to weigh more than my husband. I wanted to be comfortable enough to say my weight out loud in front of people.

But I realized this weekend that it's not the number that's making the difference for me.

It was laying in bed last night, thinking You could totally eat a pudding. You haven't had a treat today. and realizing, holy crap, I didn't want/"need" one. (You don't know me well yet, but I'm the type of person who NEVER turns down chocolate - until now, that is! :))

It was taking my husband to his favorite restaurant today - a restaurant whose main dishes (forget sides) add up to 1,200 - and only eating 1/3 of my meal. I seriously walked into that restaurant thinking There's no way you'll be able to resist finishing your meal. Might as well chalk this one up as a loss and start again tomorrow. This was the first and only time I can remember leaving this restaurant without feeling miserable because I was so full.

Anyone else have any small, seemingly insignificant, victories lately? I just love when these things happen, and I realize that maybe, just maybe, I am changing for the better and I can make this work.

Absolutely! This time around, I feel completely different about my weight loss than I did in previous attempts. I've finally realized that this is for life. So, I won't give up. I had a small victory this week that reinforced my committment to moderation. I was aiming for approximately 1400 calories per day or under. But I've been really hungry this week, and a couple of nights ago, I was so hungry, I felt I could chew my arm off. I finally decided that I would have a small bowl of granola, even though that would bring me 300 calories above what my ideal calorie range. Now, in the past, I would view that as a failure of willpower. I would probably use it as an excuse to eat the tortilla chips in my cupboard and otherwise pig out. This time, I recorded the calories in my tracker app, and moved on. I realized that those 300 extra calories will not make any bit of difference in the long run but a negative mindset and giving up will. That was a real victory for me.

Way to go, lin43! And that small bowl of granola was a much better choice than a bowl of chocolate (my weakness) or a handful of tortilla chips. :) It's funny how much weight loss is all about what's going on in our heads. Keep up the great work and positive attitude (which I think makes all the difference!).

I had the most interesting conversation last week where someone said that not eating right, being an unhealthy weight and not taking care of yourself is almost synonomous with being irresponsible and immature. This is so true. It's like being a kid in a candy store without parents...that sounds about right when I think about the way I have eaten in the past....

In the last 2 months I have had several inspirational quotes or stories that have kept me on track.

My favorite: Everyone has to suffer 1 of 2 things, the pain of discipline or the pain of regret and disappointment I have choosen to suffer the pain of discipline and I think about that everytime I began to stray...I really do not want to suffer the pain of disappointment....

The other idea that has significantly helped is avoiding the "all or nothing" mentality of a healthy lifestyle and immediately getting back on track

Also, the fact that you can modify your favorite dishes when you go out and still satisfy your cravings...it even helps to know what that modified dish is and avoid the menu all together

Healthy living does take planning and thought! :-) Taking pride in making healthy choices carries more weight than the guilt of unhealthy eating

LGW