Okay, Liz, here comes the motivation! YOU CAN DO THIS!
I know when I lose my way, I will check out the boards as there are some great success stories. As well, there are lots of people going through the same thing at the moment. I know when I lose track, especially if I am on a designed program (i.e. WW, Jenny Craig) I re read all of the material that I received when I first joined. Sort of place my mind set back to when I first joined up. I find when I do that, I can re capture the excitement I started out with. Remember, we all have bad days, and it is life change, and you will definately have the ups and downs. Everyone has made great suggestions, take it one meal at a time, and you will find you will get back into the good habits again. I copied this small article about forming good habits. I actually think this applied to studying
, but I think it could be applied here as well:
Article
Ever begin doing something that you do for a few days, and then simply stop doing it?
For example, let's say you promised yourself that you were going to file papers immediately before they got out of hand, but then something else came up, and the next thing you knew, you had another pile of papers that needed to be filed.
Or perhaps, on January 1 you made a vow to yourself to exercise for 20 minutes every day. You exercised for a few days. But then, by January 5, you gave up.
This happens to everyone on one occasion or another. But, you really can start getting things done!
Next time you really want to do something, and you want to actually start and continue doing it, realize that doing it for one, two, or even three days in a row is usually not enough.
It takes at least 21 days to form a habit. This means that you have to do something at least 21 times before it begins to become part of your everyday routine. So . . .
Decide exactly what you want to do. Write it down and post it where you can see it every day, like your bathroom mirror. Be as specific as possible.
Schedule time to do what you want to do. Again, it takes 21 days to form a habit, so schedule at least 21 days on your calendar and don't let anything get in the way of your schedule. If you miss one of your scheduled days, it's best to start over and schedule another 21 days. You must be consistent and dedicated to doing what you want to do.
Once you reach your 21 days, congratulations! Don't stop now though, schedule another 21 days, and then another and so on, until you do those things you want to do, without even thinking about them . . . like brushing your teeth.
I like the idea of scheduling 21 days, I may take that approach to deal with the Christmas season.