Ladies of 3FC, we can be pretty hard on ourselves. It saddens me to see so many threads filled with self-punishing things like, "ate too much at dinner Friday night, then binged for three days because I felt so guilty." Sometimes our shame at being less than perfect eaters and exercisers prompts us to sabotage ourselves, either because "what the heck, I already 'ruined my diet' for the day and there is a WHOLE bag of barbecue chips in that cupboard," or because we find comfort from our problems with food in eating still more food.

Even though we feel like we deserve to feel shame for our bad behavior, science shows that people who can forgive themselves for slipping up at a willpower challenge are a lot LESS, not more, likely to do so in the future.

So, today, I want you to think instead of something you're proud of, something you've done well on this difficult journey you're making. Did you resist a particularly difficult temptation? Cross a fitness milestone you never thought you would? Are you proud of what you've lost, and in doing so, what you've gained?

What are you proud of?

I'm proud that I bought a pair of pants at Target for the first time in 10 years... and I'm proud that I can go up the stairs in the parking garage at work with my co-worker and not be out of breath when I get to the second level.

I'm pretty much coming off having massive amounts of sugar and carbs every day to having more normal, balanced meals (like, meat and veg and carbs for dinner, and not just rice and ice cream! god...). So today I am proud that I treated my withdrawal with 2 teaspoons of jam, and not an entire ginger crunch! And then had carbs from POTATO not CAKE.

Im proud that its been 9months and Im still doing this.

Im proud that I have a collarbone again.


Thank you for this thread. God knows I forget to look at my accomplisments sometimes!

I'm proud I lost 10 lbs this month.

I'm proud that even though I've showed a gain the past few days I don't use that as a reason to binge or eat bad things, I know it's only temporary and will go away.

I'm proud that I've stayed on plan, and when my in laws changed what they were making for dinner last minute I made the best of it and had no potatos or corn, just stuck to the meat and healthier low gi veggies.

I'm proud that I'm so strong and want this so badly I won't give up for anything.

You are so right! I love reading responses to these threads.

I am proud that I've kept it healthy, more or less, since the end of the summer. Sure, I've had slip ups, but I haven't beaten the heck out of myself for them and have been able to get back on track. I'm proud that even though I lose weight super slowly, I'm still trying and I love that I've been a morning exerciser for officially a year now!

I know exactly what you mean. Sometimes I get so mired in all that's left to do that I forget to consider the progress I've already made.

I'm proud that I went to the gym Sunday despite missing my Spin class for a doctor's appointment. I was feeling low, really didn't want to go the gym, but I told myself I'd go anyway to at least do my lifts. After lifting, I felt so much better that I ran a mile and then attended an hour-long yoga class!

I'm proud that, even though it's two days before my period and my body is craving calories and I forgot my lunch and went to the Mediterranean place downstairs with every intention of ordering something dripping with grease and salt, I ended up with a grilled chicken salad. Like a BAWS (bad a** woman, suckas).

I'm proud that, when I went to the doctor on Sunday to have my medication re-prescribed, he told me I'd lost seven pounds since my last visit a month earlier.

YEAHHHH. I feel way more pumped now.

I'm proud that I have resisted all the chocolate that has been offered to me by various friends over the past few weeks even though I've been really stressed with college work. I'm proud that I've gotten into better eating habits and haven't just given up at the end of week 1.

I'm proud that I haven't eaten any junk food in over 2 weeks (since I started) because I honestly didn't think I could do it.

I'm proud of the 1 pound I've lost so far because it's the first time in a long time that the scale showed less and not more.

this is a wonderful idea!! I'm proud that I've been faithfully tracking my calories for 3 weeks now- the longest ever! I'm also proud that I am slowly changing my thinking patterns-not getting down on myself when I fall short of my expectations, but picking up where I left off and moving forward. Healthy living feels so much more different this time. :-)

I am proud that I'm still losing weight after ten months. I am proud that after every single time I went off plan in some way I came back, instead of giving up on myself like I have done multiple times in the past.
I am proud that my BMI is now on the overweight range and that I'm the lightest I've been in six years.
I am proud that the 'too small to fit me' section of my closet, which was half of it a year ago, is now two pairs of pants and will cease to exist 5 to 10 lbs from now.
I am proud I was able to get this far despite everyone around me who was about as overweight as I was thinking the only solution was having gastric bypass. I am proud that I am now healthier than the ones who did have the procedure.
I am proud that people come to me asking how I did it. I am proud that I'm an inspiration for people around me.
I am proud that I'm at the end of the first week of Insanity and that I didn't miss or skip one single workout. I am proud that I kept at it despite being sore all over.
I am proud that I'm now able to recognize my binging as the self-harm mechanism that it is and to stop myself from indulging in it.

Great idea. I know for me moving past any eating "mistakes" (shoot, and even calling them mistakes is something I don't do anymore) has absolutely been key. When you have a large amount of weight to lose it's part of understanding that sometimes we over eat so the best thing is to just not do that the next day and get right back on plan. At this point in my journey we go out to eat about once per week and I've just come to except that, plan ahead as best as possible and not beat myself up afterwards. Let go the guilt was the best thing I did!

As for me, I'm proud that I'm seeing the end of my journey soon

I'm proud that I already go in two workouts this week and hope to get in some more.

I'm proud that even though DH brought some amazing Japanese food home the other night I ate until I was full and then stopped (even though it was SO good!).

I'm proud that I've started going to the gym on a daily basis and I do the elliptical for an hour when I'm there. I wasn't going as much because I've been losing the fun in running, but the elliptical is great!

Ladies, I am so proud of you! I don't know about you, but I'm feeling significantly more positive, ready, and rarin' to go, just thinking about what we've done so far!

Do you feel any differently since we started talking about our successes instead of our perceived failures?

***

I'm proud that I FINALLY reached my first mini-goal today!! 168.7lbs marked my loss of 10% of my body fat, and even though it's about to be my TOM, I weighed in this morning at 168.4lbs.

Love this...