Weekly Meeting Topic: Goal Setting

I will start this post by saying that I have officially changed my Weight Watchers meeting. I am no longer attending Monday nights in Brooklyn, I have moved to Tuesday evenings in Manhattan. That means my weekly meeting topic post will appear on Tuesday nights from now on. Goodbye Williamsburg, hello Park Avenue!

This week we talked about goals and goal setting. (We covered this topic back in January and I wrote about it here.) It was a good reminder of concepts that I know, but needed to hear again; especially since I've been drifting pretty aimlessly for a while now, at least in regards to food.

We talked about why goals are important and what they do for us - They keep us focused; they keep us motivated; they give us a wonderful sense of accomplishment when we achieve them, and by achieving them, we realize that if we did it once, we can do it again - which gives us the confidence to move towards our next goal. It's a great cycle, really.

That's why they recommend (and I agree with) setting small goals. This is especially helpful if you have a lot of weight to lose. Don't get overwhelmed by "I have to lose x pounds", focus on 5 pounds at a time if you're worried about the scale, and focus on all the other non-scale victories (like your clothes fitting better, being able to climb the stairs more easily, being able to bend more easily, being able to tighten your belt, behavior changes... you name it - the rewards are endless!) no matter how much you have to lose, or if you are just trying to maintain.

My new leader mentioned that she uses the 3 month WW journal to track her food, and she told us that one of her favorite features of that journal is that each week has 2 questions:

• What did I accomplish this week?
• What do I want to work towards next week?

Whether you use that journal or not, I think those are great things to think about on a weekly basis, and I will answer them here, on my weekly blog posts.

As for what I accomplished last week: I made it through that super tough class last Saturday, I tried a new recipe that a reader sent me (photographed for a future blog), and bought the heart rate monitor I have been wanting (which will also be covered in a future blog)

And as for what I want to work towards next week: I am starting with the most obvious and probably most important goal - tracking. To make my goal more specific, I am going to track at least 5 days this week in e-Tools.

I am pleased to report that I started today and I did track everything I ate and drank for the first time in a long time. (I also photographed it, so I can show you all what I am eating these days in a future blog.)

I was so much more aware of what I was eating today and it felt great. I really listened to my body and paid attention to my hunger level throughout the day, as well as keeping in mind Weight Watchers Good Health Guidelines to ensure I was getting a good balance of food groups.

It always amazes me how instantly I feel better from eating the right foods and portions. I had so much more energy today and just felt good in general. It was a pretty spectacular day, actually. I just need to do it again tomorrow. And the next day, and the next. Until it becomes second nature again.

I did it before, I can do it again.