Focus and Motivation

Weigh-in on Friday was FANTASTIC! I saw the biggest loss I have ever had except for the first week. When the number finally stopped, my leader said, "Whoa!" and I yelled, "YES!" I was down 4.2 lbs, bringing me to 173.4, just 3.4 lbs from my goal!

I was very happy, very excited, and I'm feeling so motivated by that success! I earned another five pound star and was recognized at the meeting. And what do you know? I cried again. No surprise there!

You should have heard the applause though... it was awesome. I feel so inspired by my meeting, so grateful to the other people who come each week, and have been so touched by my leader who is caring and compassionate! If I had to rank the reasons for my success, attending my weekly meeting would be #1 on the list. It has made the biggest difference for me... I'm so grateful!

On Friday night, I took the kids to Burger King to eat and play at the playground. I had weighed my options for eating that night, and I went ahead and splurged on a Whopper and fries. It was a lot of points, but man! that whopper was tasty!

Waking up this morning, I had a few moments of regret over that Whopper, especially given that it's Easter weekend and I knew I would be assaulted with candy. We also had a church picnic today... usually a recipe for disaster for me.

Big picnics, parties, and barbecues are a total battleground for me, and usually a fight I end up losing! I generally go hungry, spend a lot of time around the food, eat my weight in fatty salads and desserts, and end up feeling like stuffed turkey. I just can't resist the abundance of free food!

I was worried about the party today... with the added pressure of taking care of the kids by myself, I knew it would be stressful and that I could end up on my knees at the end of the dessert table shoveling cookies into my open mouth.

I thought about it several times while we got ready. What was I going to do? I knew I needed a plan.

So, I packed a sack lunch. I figured everyone already knows I do Weight Watchers, so it wouldn't be too weird to see me pull out my yogurt and carrots... and even then, it's MY health we're talking about, right? So even if someone does think it's weird, or even stupid, that I packed my own lunch... who cares? I care much more about how I will feel afterward than whether someone is thinking that I'm a dork.

But, when we got to the party, I noticed that there were a few good options. There were four or more huge trays of vegetables with dip, some baked beans, and lots of water. I ended up with 1/2 a hot dog, about 1/2 cup of baked beans and a plate full of raw veggies and dip. It turned out great. I stayed away from the dessert table and drank a lot of water.

And actually, the stress of taking care of the kids took my attention off of the food, so that helped as well.

I don't think I've ever felt so in control or made such wise decisions in a situation like that before. I felt so empowered! I was so happy that I could be around all that food and consciously decide that I wasn't going to have any of it. It was a really great moment for me.

I cannot adequately describe how it feels to be in control of food and not the other way around. For so long I felt helpless in situations like the above... like I was helpless to control myself, like if I didn't eat until I was stuffed, I would not be truly satisfied.

It is wonderful, and freeing, and HIGHLY motivating to focus on a goal, plan ahead, and then follow through. Three stepping stones to success.

Yay, me! I feel SO proud.