One Perfect Day

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DreamOn145
DreamOn145 Posts: 468 Member
I just had an interesting piece of advice from someone on MFP who is not in this group. She has lost 36 lbs. Here is what she said:

Don't look at the big picture because it can be overwhelming, set a goal of one perfect day. Once you have achieved that, see how long it takes to do 3 in a row. Then tackle 5 in a week. Look at the results you have achieved from 5 in a week. She aims for 5 in a week and that gives her a ratio that has allowed her to lose 36 lbs and still have one weekend evening off for dinner with DH or a holiday meal, and one overstressed "forgiven" day during the week if she orders out or picks up dinner one time (not going totally wild here!)

I am mulling this over and aiming for one perfect day!

Replies

  • jeanmrob
    jeanmrob Posts: 634 Member
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    I have always tried to take it a day at a time...this idea of gradually building on that one perfect day is very appealing ... thanks for that idea.... I always think it is basically eat less move more .... but I do like a framework to hang that premise on to......variety of appraoch is good I think.....

    Jean
  • jeanmrob
    jeanmrob Posts: 634 Member
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    Today has been a Perfect Day!

    That's one! :love:

    Jean
  • ustillcan
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    It is a great approach;. I get up every morning and focus only on the day before me. I do not allow myself to think about long term and feel deprived. Instead I remind myself how truly fortunate I am to be at this age with good health and such a comfortable life. And in return all I need to do is be good to myself and my family by eating healthy and reasonable and get some exercise. This should be considered a privilege by anyone.

    Today was a perfect day - I got to walk in the evening before the sun went down!
  • DreamOn145
    DreamOn145 Posts: 468 Member
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    Ok here is a major confession. Starting in January, my life pretty much turned upside down and I eventually fell through the looking glass into a whole different world. During this time of quitting my job, packing up my house in NC (and I lived in that house for 15 years so the job sorting and packing and downsizing was enormous!) I developed what we thought was a respiratory infection. Two quick med visits, two ER visits, and God knows how many md visits later, an md here in FL came to the conclusion that it was asthma. It took months to get to that, and would not have if things had been stable and I was seeing my regular MD. All this to say, I have been on and off prednisone since January. Three days ago I took my last one. On the up side, the constant CRAVING for sweets if magically gone! On the downside the energy that you get from the med is also gone. I feel stiff and sore and exhausted and more than anything I feel the weight of every pound I carry and that includes the SIX POUND I gained while on prednisone.

    So I am looking at today as ground zero. Today I am planning to be my one perfect day. I had planned to do this two days ago and fate laughed at me and created a family crisis and we ended up having dinner in a restaurant and getting home late. But today I got up early, plan to spend the day at home, and plan to do EVERY mfp step correctly. That is my total plan. One perfect day.
  • grandmothercharlie
    grandmothercharlie Posts: 1,361 Member
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    Oh, prednisone. It can make you feel so good. I have an open prescription just in case I have a sudden RA flare up. I have been lucky that I don't need it, but...confession...before MFP, if I went on vacation, I would fill it, just so I could have the energy to walk and enjoy myself. But it is a false sense of strength and it is good you can go off of it. You will see better weight loss now for sure.

    I know that when I have a slow down for weight loss, I go back and look at old diaries to see what is different from when I started and was losing easily.
  • Rebamae
    Rebamae Posts: 741 Member
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    I love the idea of one day at a time then building on it.

    Just a suggestion: shall we add our perfect days to our Wednesday check-ins? It might be fun and motivating to see how everyone is doing, and to see how many perfect days we can build upon.
  • ker95texas
    ker95texas Posts: 304 Member
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    Back during a particulary difficult time in my life, I would tell myself - I can handle this for one hour. If that seemed too much to bear, I would tell myself - I can handle this for 30 minutes; if needed, I would go down to one minute, because hey, anyone can handle anything for one minute! And then I would stack the minutes until the worst had passed - a minute at a time if necessary.

    So this concept appeals to me. Thanks Dream! We may already do this without being definitive about it, but...

    Today I'm going to have a perfect day. How about you? Well, I might have to aim for a perfect four hours, then repeat :bigsmile:
    -marilyn (ker)

    edited to add: I may have to go for a perfect one hour, then repeat a LOT lol
  • whippetwomen
    whippetwomen Posts: 35 Member
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    That is exactly how I look at it! Also, every morning when I get up I say "Thank you , lord, for this day you have given me. And every night the same. Life is good.
  • whippetwomen
    whippetwomen Posts: 35 Member
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    Whoops, this was intended as a reply to "ustillcan" haven't got the hang of it yet. Or if I had, I've forgotten:)
  • mkramarz
    mkramarz Posts: 47 Member
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    This may be JUST what I need today to make it thru the day....Love the idea....Working towards ONE PERFECT Day!
  • Lyndal816
    Lyndal816 Posts: 35 Member
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    I am shooting for one perfect day -- beginning September 22, 2014 (I've already blown September 21, 2014) so I might as well go for the perfect tomorrow.
  • ireallyneedit
    ireallyneedit Posts: 104 Member
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    One day at a time sweet Jesus...love that song and try and live the spirit of it. Life is hard....Yard by Yard BUT Inch by Inch it's a cinch..............
  • jeanmrob
    jeanmrob Posts: 634 Member
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    Been a perfect day here...as long as i can get through the last hour without eating anything else....of course I can....a last perfect hour......:love:

    Jean
  • DreamOn145
    DreamOn145 Posts: 468 Member
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    The day has started well and I have been up for two whole hours! Surely I can do this! Also, this is one of those days when I have a long list of tasks but they are all here in this house! It's easier for me to stay organized and do well when I am home!
  • RLF022012
    RLF022012 Posts: 70 Member
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    One day at a time. That's the way to achieve success at anything, I agree.

    But I also like to remind myself of this: If today isn't a perfect day, I didn't fail, I only stumbled and my next day will be a perfect day.

    Rose