I can't express how proud I was of myself tonight. I'm sick, and feeling awful, but I pushed myself to do the treadmill. I did a mile in 25 minutes and 36 seconds. I even jogged for some of that! Me jogging willingly is unheard of. I've also never done a mile that fast before. I know, it's a rather slow mile, but it's a lot faster than I used to do in gym class.

After my work-out, I went to get a shower, and I looked in the mirror...Pure disgust. I felt like crying. I tried to tell myself that the mile that I just did, just took me one step closer to reaching my goal, but it didn't work. My feelings of disgust completely overpowered my victory.

I feel so bummed. I had to vent.

Don't be so hard on yourself. We're all in this process.

Is this a full length mirror in there? If the bathroom mirror bugs you there, take it out! Put it on the back of some other door that is used less often.

A.

I agree with Astrophe and also would like to add:

Wow you did a whole mile while you were sick! BRAVO! I would have just stayed in bed. Like you said, that mile will help you achieve your goal. You pushed yourself get what you wanted done done even though you felt like crud! Even more you JOGGED which more than I can do. lol Good job and keep it up! <3

Astrophe: It's not a full length mirror. It's basically from the tummy up, and it's installed above the sink. It can't really be removed. I guess I could just not look in it, unless I absolutely need to. It's just so discouraging.


MistyCrow: Thank you for the encouraging words. It felt good to push myself, because usually I do wimp out, and I never end up getting going on exercise.

Thank you both for your support. <3

Hugs to you, lost. Just keep plodding away and one day you will look in the mirror and like what you see. I hope you already like the parts of you that don't show up in the mirror. If the mirror is in a place you have to see it, why not put some happy stuff on there, or motivational cqrds or great self-talk things that make you smile when you look. like how prety your eyes are or your hair or what a geeat new lipstick. How healthy you are looking since you're eating right. The glow on your face from exercise. You get the idea.

Feel better! (P.S. I hope it's okay for 40-something me to post here and give support!)
Barb

hugs...

change doesn't happen overnight. i wish it did too. but keep thinking of that great feeling you had for finishing your workout. let the motivate you to keep on. we're all in the process. also, i like to look at this website when i'm not feeling super beautiful-

http://operationbeautiful.com/

I had the same kind of moment today during my workout. I looked into the mirror in the room and shook my belly. I just felt so angry that the belly fat was there. Tired of seeing my body like this. So, I went on and finished my workout.

I would encourage everyone who is trying to lose weight to try and engage in "eyes off the prize" thinking. The prize is actual weight loss, but what you need to see as the goal is not the prize, but the "training" that you do to attain it. An Olympic athlete doesn't think only about winning a gold medal but looks at his or her daily performance and doing his or her best every time as well as refining the training technique because she knows she can't control the outcome beyond doing the work. Losing weight is much the same.

Rather than look at the scale or mirror, make your goal the behaviors that will naturally lead to the results rather than the results themselves. If your goal is to do X amount of exercise, eat Y number of calories, etc., you won't be disheartened by the lack of immediate reward for the recently completed effort. If the goal is carrying out the desired behavior, you will always be rewarded immediately, and eventually in the long term.

Framing your thoughts in this way won't change how or how much you lose weight, but it will help you feel better about yourself everyday and feel more gratified about what you are doing.

Does it bug you? You can always cover some of the edges up with contact paper or those decorative cling things.

Or get some dry erase pens and draw on yourself -- crack you up rather than bring you down. Give yourself star freckles, butterfly antennae... whatever.

You have to make peace with your changing body one way or another.

GL!

A.

When I look in the mirror and tears well up in my eyes I force myself to keep looking and to identify at least 2 things that I like about what Im seeing. Usually that takes my focus off of the negative and Im able to find something positive.

Running a mile is amazing! Im envious because I want to take up running but Im deathly afraid of running on a treadmill. GOOD JOB on them mile!

Keep doing what you're doing and soon enough your body is going to change.

You are amazing and crazy to be down on yourself. You were sick, you pushed yourself and trust me I know the feeling of you feel light and awsome after a workout...then bam you look in the mirror. You might not be where you want to be right now, but you are one step closer and you probably only felt that way because you were sick (and probably sweaty off the treadmill) and sometimes we don't look as awsome as we do when were not sick!

Keep it up, and maybe stay away from mirrors for a little bit :P

Everybody, thank you so very much for the support. I can't express how nice it is to be involved in a group that is in the same place that I am, and can actually relate to. You guys are so supportive, and have some wonderful encouraging ideas that I'm definitely going to try.

Thank you all.



Today was exhausting. I had an 8 hour shift at work. I work at a clothing store, and we're doing a major re-arrangement of the store. It's taking place over a few days. Today, I did a lot of moving of heavy fixtures, and building up the fixtures on walls, etc, etc.

I'm still sick, and feel gross, but I feel proud.

I did a mile once again tonight. It was a little tougher. I did it in a shorter amount of time. (Not sure how that happened. I felt as if I was doing the same speed.) At first I was discouraged that it was hard. But, I told myself that I'm not used to this kind of exercise, and then I reminded myself of my day, and my gross cold/cough/plain grossness. And I felt good again. The fact that I've pushed through workouts under these conditions (something I never would have done before. EVER.) makes me feel good.

*HUG*
Don't be so hard on yourself! I've definitely been there though, most days I'll look in the mirror and think "okay, getting there Kelly!" and then I start to focus on my problem areas and if I look in the mirror too long I start to obsess.
When I first started my journey I read one article that still stays with me. It said that during weight loss a lot of people become discouraged by not seeing a difference. The reason we don't see a difference is because we compare ourselves to the last mental image. This image could be from 30 minutes ago before you got on the treadmill or the day before when you got into the shower. Not much changes in this short amount of time but humans can't compare to what we looked like 2 weeks or 3 months ago.
When I'm having a rough day I just remember that if I keep pushing hard it can only get better from here! I envision my ideal figure and remember that I wouldnt trade this "flawed" figure for my old figure anyday.

I work retail too! Love floorsets! haha we get paid to do some strength training.

You have come a long way already and it sounds like you are doing a fantastic job of developing healthy new habits. Change will come, sometimes it just takes us a little longer to see it because we are so used to seeing ourselves. Keep up the great work, you will get there!