Weekly Meeting Topic: Strategies for Staying Motivated through the Holidays

While it's true that the 'big holiday season' will soon be upon us, it's obviously important to be motivated all the time. So while the holidays may present an extra challenge, keep these things in mind year round because they always apply:

1- Set realistic goals. This is so important because if you set unrealistic goals, you set yourself up to be disappointed, and that often leads to quitting. This is why my weekly goals are never number related. They're activity and behavior related - because those are things that are completely within my control. I like to remind you as often as possible that other than your final weight goal, do not focus on weekly weight goals. You CANNOT control the scale. Focus on your behaviors. You CAN control those, and reaching those goals is completely attainable and so personally satisfying. In time, those behaviors will make a difference that you see on the scale. (My leader said something great tonight regarding the number on the scale - she said be LOGICAL and not EMOTIONAL about that number. Kudos, Karen!)

2- Keep it in perspective. If you do something you are less than proud of, or that you didn't intend to do, don't beat yourself down with negative self talking. Stop and think about the situation, think about how you would have reacted in that situation *before* your journey, think about the incident in the scheme of your whole day or whole week; keep it in perspective and you will likely realize it is insignificant. But the trick is to recognize all of that as soon as possible, put it behind you and move on making healthy choices again.

3- Continue Tracking. Great advice for everyday and this can definitely help keep you on track during the holidays!

4- Attend Weekly Meetings (or whatever you rely on for support - friends, blogs, etc). I have said this before too - I know meetings are not for everyone, but I love them. I know I would not have been this successful without them and I genuinely look forward to them. In the 3+ years I have been going to WW now continuously, I've missed very few meetings.

5- Be Patient. Remember that you didn't gain the weight overnight and you didn't develop terrible habits overnight, so you are not going to lose it overnight or undo all of those habits that quickly. It's not a race. Give yourself time to change.

6- Remind yourself of your motivations daily. I love this idea. I think it's so important to remember all the reasons why you want to lose weight and get healthier. You might be motivated by your old clothing you outgrew, or a specific event, or to be able to do something physical you haven't done in a while. At this point in my journey, I am motivated by the idea of being healthier, stronger, faster and yes, looking great :)


Now for my weekly questions-

What did I accomplish this week?

Unfortunately not much. I was sick for most of last week and still tend to throw a pity party for myself and treat myself with food when I'm in that condition. I realize I'm doing it, and I psychologically I know why, but I still do it - I know my body wants to feel "good" so it looks for pleasurable foods to make me feel "good", even though that's not the "good" I want to feel. All I wanted was to feel well and I'm so thankful I finally do!

• I managed to not eat a single piece of Halloween Candy. Granted, since cutting out artificial ingredients earlier this year and being on my way to Vegan, it rules a lot of candy out but this is still such a huge accomplishment for me considering what a significant role candy played in my life and in me getting to 208 pounds.
  
• I purchased the Wii Fit Plus! Thank you all so much for your help with that! (Especially Screw Destiny. You are a patient woman!) It has not arrived yet, but I'm looking forward to it!
  
• And tonight, with a rebate I received from my contact lenses, I treated myself to a gorgeous new pair of Nike + sneakers which are great for running *and* will work with my iPod!
  

What do I want to work towards next week?

• I will get back on track food wise and journal again - at least 4 days.
• TWIET (Tweet What I Eat Tuesday!)
• Set up and RUN in my new sneakers (I can hardly wait!)
• Incorporate more iron rich green leafy vegetables (I tried to give blood last night but my hemoglobin was just shy of the 12.5 minimum again. It was 12.4!)
• Starting on Monday, get back to the gym with William (we haven't been there in two weeks due to work being crazy and me being sick). We will go Mon, Thurs & Fri.
  
• As for the rest of my workouts, I want to get back on track with them too: Tuesday I will do the stairs, Weds is Punk Rope, Sat is Total Body Conditioning and Pilates.
• I will make an appointment with my general doctor for a physical. I want to get all my blood work done. It's been over 2 years since I did that.
  

Note: I am working crazy hours the next few days through Sunday so I may not be able to blog again until Monday.

Have a great week everyone!