My user i.d. is journey_7x7 and I recently joined ww again for the 2nd time in a couple of years. It's all been a learning experience for me - many ups and downs -- I can't tell you how thrilled I was to find this site. It looks like it will be a wonderful resource of support, encouragement and knowledge. I have accumulated a few inspirational writings from various sources that I thought I would share in this thread for anyone who might be interested...and hopefully, others will add some of there own findings too. The following came from a member who shared with my ww group, so I'm not sure of the 'original' source. I find many of these writings to be a source of encouragement and I hope you do too.
Don't Quit When you've eaten too much and you can't write it down,
And you feel like the biggest failure in town.
When you want to give up just because you gave in,
And forgot all about being healthy and thin.
So What! You went over your points a bit,
It's your next move that counts...So don't quit!
It's a moment of truth, it's an attitude change.
It's learning the skills to get back to your range.
It's telling yourself, "you've done great up till now.
You can take on this challenge and beat it somehow."
It's part of your journey toward reaching your goal.
You're still gonna make it, just stay in control.
To stumble and fall is not a disgrace,
If you summon the will to get back in the race.
But, often the strugglers, when losing their grip,
Just throw in the towel and continue to slip.
And learn too late when the damage is done,
That the race wasn't over and they still could have won.
Life-style change can be awkward and slow,
But facing each challenge will help you to grow.
Success is failure turned inside out,
The silver tint in the cloud of doubt.
When you're pushing to the brink, just refuse to submit.
If you bite it, you write it... But Don't You Quit!
Hello, do you know me?
If you don't, you should.
I'm a pound of fat,
And I'm the HAPPIEST
pound of fat that you would ever want to meet.
Want to know why?
It's because no one ever wants to lose me;
I'm ONLY ONE POUND, just a pound!
Everyone wants to lose three pounds,
five pounds, or fifteen pounds, but never only one.
So I just stick around and happily keep you fat.
Then I add to myself, ever so slyly,
so that you never seem to notice it.
That is, until I've grown to ten, twenty, thirty or
even more pounds in weight.
Yes, it's fun being ONLY ONE POUND OF FAT,
left to do as I please.
So, when you weigh in keep right on saying,
"Oh, I only lost one pound." (As if that were
such a terrible thing.)
For you see, if you do this,
you'll encourage others to keep me around because
they'll think I'm not worth losing.
And, I love being around you -
your arms, your legs,
your chin, your hips and
every part of you.
Happy Days!!!
After all, I'm
ONLY ONE POUND OF FAT!!!
If you've started out in pursuit of your goal and you've really tried with your heart and your soul,
but somehow things got out of control - START OVER!
When you've tried your best to do what you should and you thought this time that you surely would,
but once again you didn't do good - START OVER!
When you've worked so hard to follow a dieters way, and you fought to win a victory each day,
But one more time you went astray - START OVER!
When you've tried so hard to yourself to be true, and do the things that you know you should do,
But once again you failed to come through - START OVER!
When the road to success seemed much too long, and each temptation was oh so strong,
And once again you gave in to wrong - START OVER!
When you've told your friends what you planned to do and trusted them to help you through
But soon discovered it's up to YOU - START OVER!
When you know you must be physically fit, but your hope seems gone and you're stuck in a pit,
That's not the time for you to quit - START OVER!
When the week seems long and successes few, and at weigh in time you're feeling blue,
Remember tomorrow is just for you - START OVER!
To start AGAIN means a victory's been won, and starting over AGAIN means a race well run,
And starting over AGAIN proves it can be done, so don't just sit there -- START OVER!!
From one who's done it many, many times - if you're in a rut right now - START OVER!!
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In the battle against instant gratification, the most potent skill of
all is also the simplest: patience. Patience is the ability to wait
for an outcome, instead of insisting on having that outcome at once.
Patience is the ability to bide your time while all the forces that
you cannot control align themselves to help you accomplish what you, by yourself, cannot do. The Eastern mystics speak of this as "going with the flow". I can't think of a better way to describe patience.
Patience is simple, but it's not easy. Patience is a challenge to
master because at first it feels as if it's going against our nature.
But the opposite is closer to the truth. Patience, when mastered, is one of the skills most conducive to fulfilling our nature. Our nature as human beings is to create our way of life. There is no more powerful tool for that job than patience. Our greatest achievements are accomplished over time, with considerable dedication and perseverance. Neither of these qualities would be possible without patience. As the saying goes, "Everything comes to him who waits." The secret to waiting is patience.
It may be the world's oldest cliche, but patience really is a virtue.
Yet we are more likely to act as if impatience is a virtue. How often have you heard someone proclaim "I have no patience!", as if he were proud of it. Nothing could be more misguided than to glorify impatience. Nothing could be further from the mark. Nothing could be more destructive of happiness, fulfillment, and success.
Impatience is just another name for instant gratification, one of the greatest afflictions of human kind. More evil has been done in the name of instant gratification than almost any other human foible. In order to have what we want right now, we all too willingly sacrifice reason, good judgement, and even integrity.
We can rant and rave all we want about the scourge of instant
gratification. We can moralize about it. We can condemn it. We can swear an oath against it. But the only thing that really matters is to find a cure. Ironically, the cure is right in front of us. It's been there all along. If we really want to cure the affliction called instant gratification, all we have to do is to develop patience. But how?
Start by realizing that patience is not just a virtue, it's a skill.
Moreover, it's a learnable skill, a skill that can be mastered by
anyone. It's also one of the most fulfilling of skills, because it
allows you to relax, to regain your self-control, to restore a sense
of well-being and balance---even in the midst of chaos.
Patience allows you to rise above the chaos around you and understand that there are forces at work far beyond what you alone can muster.
If you wait for these forces---in other words, if you're patient---
they can be made to work for you, instead of against you.
So how do you learn patience? The same way you learned every other skill you now possess: through practice. But how does a body practice patience? Well, at the risk of sounding flippant, you wait. In other words, you practice waiting.
The next time you have to wait for something, don't think of it as
waiting, think of it as practice. Think of it as developing a skill
that will change your life. This of it not as a waste of time, but as
a way to use time to your maximum advantage.
The next occasion you have to wait, don't curse your luck, thank your lucky stars. Instead of fussing and fuming about why it's taking so long, embrace it as an opportunity to learn how to wait. Think of it as if you've been given a chance to master one of the great challenges we face as human beings, a challenge that, once met, can bring you the kind of joy and peace of mind that you would otherwise only dream about. Once you develop that frame of mind, delays will only encourage you; setbacks will only strengthen you; and time, perhaps for the first time in your life, will finally be on your side.
This letter may come as a shock, but I have something I need to tell
you...something I've needed to do for a long time. I am breaking
up with you. I know that we have had a lot of history together,
and this is very hard on me, but I have come to understand what
an unhealthy relationship we truly have. We have a dysfunctional
relationship. I depend on you for far more than you can give...comfort,
entertainment, peace, relaxation, company, and joy. I expect way too
much from you, considering you don't have the power to give me any
of these things. I have been asking too much, and I am sorry.
I'm also sorry for treating you like the enemy at times. I have
acted like you are the one to blame for all of my problems.
I thought that if I didn't have to deal with you, my life would
be perfect! This is not true. I realize that my problems can't
be fixed by your presence or your absence. You are not the one
to blame or to run to.
Food, the hardest part of breaking up with you is thinking back on
all the fun we've shared...the movies, the vacations, the holidays,
the birthdays, the trips to see the family, and our times with mutual
friends. You stand out in all those memories, but I am seeing how I
elevated you above others during those times. I often focused more
on you than a friend or family member. This is why we must break up.
We can still be friends. In fact, we can still go to the same parties
and be together at holidays, but you just can't be my best friend
and secret love anymore.
Food...I have met Someone else. He's been my Friend for a long time,
and has wanted to be more intimate with me, but He said we couldn't
be, not as long as you were my main love. He is very jealous, and
rightly so. He wants to be number 1 in my life. The reason I have
chosen Him over you is because He can give, and wants to give me
all the things you can't...comfort, joy, peace, rest, company and
love! I need these things, and I can share all of them with Him.
I need to be with Him. He must be my first love. Food, I want to
have a healthy relationship with you. We've been together for so
long, and I know that breaking up is hard to do, but our
relationship will be so much better when we're friends. I'll only
depend on you for what you are able to give me...nourishment.
I won't blame you for things you have no control over anymore.
My new love says its okay for us to be friends, as long as that is
all we are.
Well, I'll be seeing you around. I know it is so much better this way!
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Last edited by journey_7x7; 04-16-2003 at 09:39 PM.
I have printed Dear Food, Start Over, Only One Pound and Don't Quit to read over and over. I keep a notebook with inspirational poems, quotes and weight loss stories from WW's to inspire and motivate me so here's more to add to my notebook.
1. At least 5 people in this world love you so much they would die
for you.
2. At least 15 people in this world love you in some way.
3. The only reason anyone would ever hate you is because they want to be just like you.
4. A smile from you can bring happiness to anyone, even if they don't like you.
5. Every night, SOMEONE thinks about you before they go to sleep.
6. You mean the world to someone.
7. If not for you, someone may not be living.
8. You are special and unique.
9. Someone that you don't even know exists loves you.
10. When you make the biggest mistake ever, something good comes from it.
11. When you think the world has turned its back on you, take a look: you most likely turned your back on the world.
12. When you think you have no chance of getting what you want, you probably won't get it, but if you believe in yourself, probably, sooner or later, you will get it.
13. Always remember the compliments you received. Forget about the rude remarks.
14. Always tell someone how you feel about them; you will feel much better when they know.
15. If you have a great friend, take the time to let them know that they are great.
Live So U Will Be Missed!
"Don't judge each day by the harvest you reap, but by the seeds you plant."
--Robert Louis Stevenson
Subject: What I didn't learn in Kindergarten! (Habits)
We are rarely taught how to eat properly. So most of us are still
unknowingly eating foods that make us hungry and store fat. We work against our body's natural responses to foods. We are rarely taught about how our brains work to create habits. We often work against this incredible brain-body connection by thinking wrong things about our body and weight while we diet and exercise.
Change can be uncomfortable Lifting 50-pound weights is difficult,
and uncomfortable! So is not eating desserts, and giving up your
favorite foods, especially when all of your skinny friends are still
eating them.
If you're sitting down, cross your legs together. Notice how it
feels.
One leg slipped over the other without much thought. Now uncross your legs and cross them again, only this time, put the opposite leg on top. How does this feel? For most people, it feels different or uncomfortable. One way is no different, or no better, than the other.
When we form a habit, we make new brain-body connections. We get used to doing something a certain way, so it feels strange or uncomfortable to change. Avoiding discomfort is a strong motivator.
We can deny, suppress, and even ignore things that desperately need changing just so we can stay in our comfort zone. Like watching TV when the garage needs sorting or the oven needs cleaning. We like things the way they are!
A Really Bad Hair Day! Have you ever been devastated by a bad
haircut? Several years ago, I got a haircut that was so bad; I went out and bought a $90 wig that very same day! I needed something to make me feel comfortable while I adjusted to the change.
Even small changes will require a time of adjustment. A simple
change like drinking water instead of coffee, was a giant step for me. When I first made the change it felt strange and very uncomfortable. It seemed like my car drove automatically to the coffee shop!
When we attempt to give up what may well be a comfort food, our bodies cry out, "Wait a minute, this wasn't in the plan!" At that moment, we may decide that it's more comfortable to stay where we are. We don't want to have to let go of the comfortable habits like raiding the refrigerator at midnight. In order to get the results we want we can make new habits.
I can change my thoughts to change my size, my habits and my
lifestyle.
Change is easy and I'm ready to change!
Credit for this is given to Lorrie Medford, C.N. Author of "Why
can't I Stay Motivated?" This article was taken from that book.
Only you can measure the success and meaning of your life. Only you
can know yourself and only you can have a truly clear picture of your
unlimited value.
Don't let other people determine who you should be and how you should
live. Remember the past, but only take with you in the present, and
into the future, what is good for you. A healthy self-esteem will
give you the courage to stand up for yourself and trust yourself.
How Do You Measure Success
by Ralph Waldo Emerson
How do you measure success ?
To laugh often and much.
To win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of
children.
To earn the appreciation of honest critics, and to endure the
betrayal of false friends.
To appreciate beauty.
To find the best in others.
To leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden
patch, a redeemed social condition, or a job well done.
To know that even one other life has breathed easier because you have
lived.
This is to have succeeded.
That Man is a Success
by Robert Louis Stevenson
That Man is a Success
Who has lived well,
laughed often and loved much;
Who has gained the respect of intelligent men
and the love of children;
Who has filled his niche
and accomplished his task;
Who leaves the world better than he found it,
Whether by improved poppy, a perfect poem,
or a rescued soul;
Who never lacked appreciation of earth's beauty
or failed to express it.
Who looked for the best in others
and gave the best he had.
I am me.
I am unique. There's not another human being in the whole world like me -- I have my very own fingerprints and I have my very own thoughts. I was not stamped out of a mold like a Coca-Cola top to be the duplicate of another.
I own all of me -- my body, and I can do with it what I choose; my mind, and all of its thoughts and ideas; my feelings, whether joyful or painful.
I own my ideals, my dreams, my hopes, my fantasies, my fears.
I reserve the right to think and feel differently from others and will grant to others their right to thoughts and feelings not identical with my own.
I own all my triumphs and successes. I own also all my failures and mistakes. I am the cause of what I do and am responsible for my own behavior. I will permit myself to be imperfect. When I make mistakes or fail, I will know that I am not the failure -- I am still O.K. -- and I will discard some parts of me that were unfitting and will try new ways.
I will laugh freely and loudly at myself -- a healthy self-affirmation.
I will have fun living inside my skin.
I will remember that the door to everybody's life needs this sign:
Don't give up what you want most for what you want at the moment."
Anonymous
The person who says it cannot be done should not interrupt the person
doing it. -- Chinese proverb
The vision must be followed by the venture. It is not enough to stare
up the steps - We must step up the stairs. -- Vance Havner
OBSTACLES -- Obstacles are necessary for success because in losing
weight, as in all endeavors of importance, victory comes only after
many struggles and countless defeats. Yet each struggle, each defeat,
sharpens your skills and strengths, your courage and your endurance,
your ability and your confidence and thus each obstacle is a comrade-
in-arms forcing you to become better, or quit. Each rebuff is an
opportunity to move forward; turn away from them, avoid them, and you
throw away your future. - Og Mandino
ADVERSITY -- Trials, temptations, disappointments -- all these are
helps instead of hindrances, if one uses them rightly. They not only
test the fiber of character but strengthen it. Every conquering
temptation represents a new fund of moral energy. Every trial endured
and weathered in the right spirit makes a soul nobler and stronger
than it was before. - James Buckham
Quality is never an accident; it is always the result of high
intention, sincere effort, intelligent direction and skillful
execution; it represents the wise choice of many alternatives. -
William A. Foster
PERSISTENCE That which you persist in doing becomes easy to do - not
that the nature of the thing has changed, but your power and ability
to do has increased. - H. J. Grant
Following the path of least resistance is what makes rivers and men
crooked
A positive attitude is the one characteristic that all successful
people have in common. I am convinced that life is 10% what happens
to me and 90% how I react to it. And so it is with you...we are in
charge of our Attitudes!
The greatest discovery of my generation is that man can alter his
life simply by altering his attitude of mind. -- William James --
Meditations and Ponderances
