What does everyone use as their WW anchor?

I've been having a hard time with this one, can't seem to find one for myself. Might get a charm bracelet or something and then get a new charm for significant events, etc. but I'm not sure..

Would love to hear what others use!

TY in advance for any replies!

Also, I'm newish to WW and I don't entirely grasp the concept of the anchor.. Is it a goal or what?

TY!

Welcome to the forum, and congrats on your success so far!

Since I do WW at home, I've never heard of the anchor. But I'll assume it's something used to keep a person steady? If that isn't right, maybe someone will come along and correct me.

What I think about most is how much better I feel when I'm at a lower weight. In 2004, I went to Walt Disney World with the kids and grandkids, and having lost 85 pounds, I ran around like a kid, and felt great. I'm in the process of getting back to that weight now.

So one of my anchors/motivators is to feel energetic again. I have more, but that's the biggie.

How about some of you others?

If you go to WW meeting week 5 book is called tools for living. Anchoring is one of the tools. To paraphrase, anchoring is learning to access a resource you have within yourself whenever you need it. You remind yourself of a feeling or goal, like feeling confident or losing 10% or whatever, while you are looking at or touching an object, "anchoring" the feeling or goal to the object so that when you look at the object it reminds you of the feeling or goal.

So, say Jane wanted to remind herself of her goal to get back to how she felt when she was at Disney to get her through a time when she might need a boost. She might have a keychain from Disney and each time she looked at the keychain she would picture a memory from that trip and think I can be that energetic again. Eventually, seeing the keychain would automatically conjure up that feeling of being able to make her goal.

In the book a guy that lost 120 lbs. says that when he goes out to eat he puts his 10% keychain on the table and it makes him really think about what he's eating.

We all have inner resources that get us through hard times, this is supposed to help you access those resources whenever you need them.

Hope that helps!

p.s. I use my 10% keychain for an anchor, it reminds me of the strength and willpower I used to get that 10% off and makes me confident I can get off the rest.

Excellent description!!

My anchor was a straw, that I cut into thirds. I put one bit into my wallet, taped one bit to my fridge, and taped the final one to the TV remote control. ( It wasnt close enough to remind me on the TV. )

The straw was a physical representation of the feelings I had that led me to change my lifestyle. aka...

" This is the last straw! "

or...

" The straw that broke the camel's back. "

More importantly the straw that broke me. That moment that brought me to tears and recognitioning of what I had done and where I was. I will never forget that moment or THAT particular feeling.

I've been at this for awhile now. As I have grown or shrunk evolved works. So has my anchor. I'm notorious for out-thinking myself. Trying to cover all my bases and plan for any and all eventualities... real or imagined. There were times I had gotten so caught up in the thought process, that I had failed to realize I hadnt actually done anything. But I felt productive because I had a plan. I needed to simplify! So I came up with the acronym... Kiss.

Keep
It
Simple
Sassy

A cheap easy reminder, lipstick and a postie, and viola!

Water. Portions. Move. <~~ And for me, that's about as simple as it gets.

Thank you, Kelli! I do have Disney stuff - keychains, magnets on the fridge, etc. We'll be going back March 2, so I'm highly motivated right now.

The last meeting I went to was about anchoring. I mentioned my 10% keychain (hasn't helped me much over the holidays though!). I thought about my favorite jeans that I had the last time I lost weight. They're size 12's and while that's not everyone's ideal size, I was so happy there and would be happy to settle there again.

But we also discussed things like concepts. Think about a goal you've attained in your life, related to weight loss or not. I finished my PhD. What did it take to accomplish that? Perseverance, hard work, a focus on the goal. Did I sacrifice anything to get there? You bet! Was it worth it? Absolutely!

Can I translate this into weight loss? Sure...I just need to realize my weight loss goals aren't that different from other goals I've achieved in my life. And a physical representation of this could be the diploma, or my business cards with PhD after my name.

I was in Idaho last New Years and at my top weight. I couldn't even find ski pants to fit- I had to leave the zipper open and use ribbon to tie the the band together and keep them on. It was the first time skiing since I was a skinny teenager and my sister accidentally took me up an intermediate slope. I fell within the first minute and twisted my knee. Slowly with baby steps and patience she got me to "ski" down. It took an hour and a half and I was exhausted. BUT I saw that I could do it, I wanted to be healthier and active.It spurred me to find a new eating and exercise lifestyle that is working for me. I keep the little plastic scanner tag from the local market where we stayed on my key chain and it is my anchor to that experience. Coincidentally it has fruits and veggies on it which is a bit part of my plan.

what a great thread! You're living up to your name, LittleMissMotivation!! I love reading these...thanks for sharing, everybody.

I joined WW a number of years ago and had trouble getting the concept of the anchor. Then we played a little game at one meeting where we each drew a slip of paper that looked like a fortune cookie paper. Mine said 'I deserve to be fit'. We could trade slips with other members to get one more meaningful but I hung onto mine. That became my anchor, my mantra. While I haven't done as well with the food plan I have been stellar for years in the exercise department. I jog, bike, hike, showshoe, take yoga and most importantly lift weights. And I lift like a man. Lifting heavy weights has changed my shape incredibly. I can run 4 miles, bike 30 miles and hike a 4,000 foot mountain. I have never looked or felt better. I have the 'you deserve to be fit' anchor in my mind, any time, any place to bring me back to what really counts. I deserve to be fit and I am. Now to keep chipping away at the weight.

We also had a meeting on anchoring recently. I needed my anchor that is always with me. Anyway I was shopping for my mom and was at a bible bookstore and they had a simple bracelet that said believe. It is just a blue string with really small beads. Obviously, they meant it to mean believe in God but for me it is believing in myself and that I can do it.

My anchor is a bracelet constructed of little interlocking hearts. It was given to me by a person who is very dear in my life. I look to that to be inspired by the person who believes in me even when there's no apparent reason to do so. His support encourages me to believe anything is possible!

My anchor is an Italian charm bracelet. Each charm represents something that reflects my personality, a hobby or an interest that makes me who I am.

Ie. Airplane for my love of travel, Chef's hat because I love to cook, a dance charm because I bellydance, 2 flags for my heritage, one that says spirit etc. Each charm was bought as a gift to myself whenever I reached a mini-goal or overcame a hurdle etc. on my way to my goal.

I wear it to remind myself of how far I have come, of my accomplishments, and to stay on track.

Awesome idea!! I do WW at home, so I never heard of the anchor before!! I've got to think of something good, maybe I will keep motivated then!