A few words of encouragement...

StampsGirl2011

Hello my fellow FPs,

I am writing this in the hopes that it will be what it says, a word of encouragement...

I find myself committed to a pretty aggressive goal. I didn't start out right away with this particular goal in mind but just started monitoring what I was consuming. In fact, for totally other reasons than weight loss did I download the app and start tracking what was going on. Don't get me wrong I knew I was packing a lot more weight than I should have but it came down to priorities…you all know what I'm talking about - kids, school, running a business, spouses, parents…life; combined with the inevitable results of an unmonitored lifestyle.

Between May (when I started using the app) and October, this journey had all of a sudden become something more than fixing the internal. In addition to monitoring calorie/food consumption, I layered in weight tracking and then a few months later logging my measurements. This third addition would also prove to be a lifeline...the week's I held static or went backward in weight loss, I could look at my measurements to see the progress being made.

I have heard or been told by MANY, that for lasting change to take place, your whole perspective has to shift and that doesn't happen overnight, or even in the span of well, 6 months... but here I am in January and a change of paradigm has indeed occurred. I caught myself thinking yesterday – “I wonder what my reports will look like after a year?” And then, “I wonder what it will look like two years from now?” I've finally come to realize this is not a 6-month, down and dirty, let's "getter" done process, at least not for me. It took a few decades to get to where I was; turning this boat around is going to take consistent, purposeful change.

I know...don't we all love hearing that?!!! That this it’s just plain hard work (for a while) and then it is going to take discipline and commitment and constantly being aware of what you're doing...forever? (wait for it the encouraging part is coming)

I've been amazed watching my body change, feeling my body heal itself, experiencing notable shifts in strength, endurance and stability - We have a truly incredible piece of machinery that we're working with, and here are the word (s) promised…

*Be patient with yourself – find a few ways to track your progress, numbers (weight/measurements) are but one – what can/are you doing today that you weren’t/couldn’t 12 months ago?

*Be gentle and tough with yourself. We live in a culture where everything is instantaneous (or faster), and our expectations are ridiculously high. Those expectations may be just fine when they are pointed at technology but when we human beings are involved - lower your expectations. We simply don't respond that fast. Things take time. People take time to change. Weight takes time to lose.

*Be gracious with those around you. You changing, threatens the equilibrium, the status quo, and a lot of people are going to be afraid that if you change…they will have to change (and they might not want to).

I have a goal. I have a date I’d like to reach that goal. But more than anything I have a lifestyle I want to live and this “project” I’m involved in is a means to that lifestyle. It’s a beautiful, sunny day here so I leave you with this post as I go and enjoy a piece of that end destination…Good luck!