Hello!! I am back from the "missing" list.
Three weeks of the Biggest Loser contest are in the bag. My goal remains 5 pounds per week. At this point I am down 13.
The past two weeks have not gone according to my plans. Ever have a week like that? I'm sure you have. Things take longer than you expect, others come out of nowhere. And with them, lessons.
From a nutritional/diet perspective, the importance of water is abundantly clear. My food choices have not been significantly different in any of the 3 weeks. The difference between 8 pounds lost the first week, 2 pounds the second week, 3 pounds in week 3 ? Daily exercise and water. Simple, huh?
In the first week, I was diligent: weight / 2 = ounces of water per day, daily exercising with alternating workouts to keep my body from falling in to a routine.
Then life happened, as it always does. My zeal in establishing new habits was somewhat tempered. But that's fine...and here's why. It reminded me quickly and abruptly that unless I am Oprah or an actor preparing for a movie role, making good food choices, drinking enough water, making time to exercise, doing anything which leads to a healthy mind/body/spirit must be strategically incorporated into life. No one is going to put food in front of me or monitor my exercise. No one will come do household chores or run errands.
I have made that mistake in the past...focusing unrealistically on weight loss/exercise. And it might work for a period of time, but is also too much like a "diet" and not enough like a lifestyle change. Focus on the exercise, lose the weight, then get consumed again by everyday life...and POOF, it's all back on because while my pants size changed, my life didn't really follow suit. So what will make the difference this time?
My friend JoniBeth asked a question recently that helped me tremendously. She asked if I was focused on a certain number of pounds lost or on a goal weight. Are you thinking, as I did, that this is the same question? JoniBeth said, "it's not the same thing" and I nodded, but disagreed.
A few days later, while exercising, I suddenly understood that it is NOT the same question. My Wii trainer (ooo, she is nasty sometimes ) suggested I visualize the body I want - and the difference dawned on me. Each week I want to lose 5 pounds. That is a great metric to help me on a daily basis. But in certain moments, I can see the figure I want...can see that person swimming, golfing, buying clothes and not being disgusted by it!
Do you see the difference? Have you seen the steps at the Temple of Kukulkan in Chichen-Itza? For me, every 5 pounds represents a step, with the castle at the top being the equivalent to my ideal body image. Some days I need to focus only on the next step, sometimes I need to look to the top for motivation.
Same end, very different perspective in reaching it. Thanks JB! Very helpful.
So in the midst of life, in spite of the distraction and unexpected events, we press on. We understand that permanent improvements cannot happen outside the boundaries of a normal day.
This is not bad news. When we can incorporate changes we choose, it also makes us know we can surely adjust to the changes we don't choose. And Heaven knows we each encounter those.
See you tomorrow...Beth
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