1/4 of will power that you do!!!!

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This morning, I woke up aching all over from days of packing to move to our new home, followed by a VERY HARD day of unpacking yesterday. It didn't matter how I felt, I knew that I had to get my sore body out of bed and get to the scale. I needed to see, if I had made it to a landmark weight.

I said a little prayer, before I stepped onto the scale, because I knew that I was close to reaching that big goal for me. I have been trying to break through the 160 pound mark for months. Well...Hallelujah!!! I did it. I am officially 159.8 pounds. That feels so good.

After posting my new weight on MFP, one of my friends made the following comment, "I wish I had a 1/4 of will power that you do!!!!"

That comment got me thinking about the words...WILL POWER. Do I really have will power? NO. It is something else. noway

I don't think that I have ever had what most folks call 'will power'. Basically, I am JUST PLAIN STUBBORN. I am too stubborn to quit, until I reach my goal. That can be just about any goal. I am especially stubborn, when someone says, "You can't do that." When folks try to limit me, I can be extremely determined to prove them wrong. Suddenly, I get the attitude of..."Just watch WHAT I CAN DO!" angry

My hubbie Ed is like that too. If I say, "No, you can't do that.", he will move mountains to prove me wrong. I have learned to be careful of what I say to him about 'what he can and cannot do'. He could hurt himself, while trying to make a point.

When I came to MFP, I knew that my initial goal was to lose 70 pounds, and that was going to be very hard. I even tried to convince myself that the whole idea of losing that much weight was impossible. I am sure that I said something like, "You CAN'T DO THAT. You're too old. You know that you're going to fail. Why bother? You've been fat all of your life; so, why start worrying about getting healthy now?"

At some point, STUBBORN Sue jumping into that pity party of a conversation. Once engaged in the fight, Stubborn Sue would be almost unstoppable. She would have set goals and fought for every one of them, and that is what I did.

From the beginning of my weight loss journey on Thanksgiving Day 2012, I have set goals...small goals all along the way; and once I set a goal, that is all I think about...getting to that goal...no matter how tough it may get. Rarely, do I just give up on a goal.

Some days, I may talk myself into eating a bit more than I planned in my food diary. That usually results in regret; and I end up paying for it; but I don't quit...just because I have a slip up. That's, when Stubborn Sue gets angry, because the weaker side of me made a stupid mistake that cost us some progress toward our goal. She feels even more motivated to try harder and be more strict with the food plan. At that point, I have no time for a pity party. All I can do is FIX IT...do what must be done to get moving again in the right direction.

Is will power anything like stubbornness? Is Stubborn Sue just showing will power, or is she just too stubborn to give up?

Either way...today, I have lost 120 pounds and a little bit more...just enough to finally cross over into the 150's. That goal has been reached. Now, I am ready for the next mini goal. Come on 140's!!! happy

Replies

  • gratitudelife
    gratitudelife Posts: 17 Member
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    I have a lot of weight to lose and I like the idea of setting mini goals instead of focusing on that massively huge number. This morning I was 283 point something... I'd like to see the 140's ultimately (I was 140 when I graduated high school and I felt healthy and strong at that weight), but that's literally HALF my current body weight... I'm going to take a page out of your book and focus on getting into the 270's... I can lose 3 lbs... easy peasy! I'm a stubborn son of a you know who too... Tapping into that could be the key to my success too... Congrats on hitting 120 lbs lost, and hope you enjoy your new home. :)
  • Hanfordrose
    Hanfordrose Posts: 688 Member
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    I have a lot of weight to lose and I like the idea of setting mini goals instead of focusing on that massively huge number. This morning I was 283 point something... I'd like to see the 140's ultimately (I was 140 when I graduated high school and I felt healthy and strong at that weight), but that's literally HALF my current body weight... I'm going to take a page out of your book and focus on getting into the 270's... I can lose 3 lbs... easy peasy! I'm a stubborn son of a you know who too... Tapping into that could be the key to my success too... Congrats on hitting 120 lbs lost, and hope you enjoy your new home. :)

    You are in the same place that I was in 2012, except I was way more than 140 in high school. I was a real chubbette. I was 185 pounds at age 15. As for 3 pounds, you can do that and another 10 in no time at all. Just fill out your food diary ahead of time and make a commitment to stick to it.
  • SheFitWalks
    SheFitWalks Posts: 29 Member
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    Congratulations on hitting your 150's!!!!! That is so awesome and I've been looking forward to seeing you hit it! I appreciate your idea of just being stubborn. I probably could use a little more stubborness. :D I am trying to lose about 3 or 4 pounds (Love small goals. They work well for me. I've lost 20 pounds that way.) These last 3 or so pounds are being stubborn. I need to be more stubborn than they are! Thanks for the encouragement and idea!
  • Territravel
    Territravel Posts: 165 Member
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    Angry, willpower, what ever you want to call it, I call it AWESOME!
  • La5Vega5Girl
    La5Vega5Girl Posts: 709 Member
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    you know that's funny - i was a little down a few days ago and my husband sent me an email that said,
    "if i had half the drive you do, i would have hit my goal weight years ago!"

    i guess we have more strength than we realize :smile:
  • dlr165
    dlr165 Posts: 118 Member
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    Way to go!
  • iwantodance
    iwantodance Posts: 28 Member
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    Weightogo Stubborn Sue! You must be walking on air. Better not turn sideways, we won't be able to see you! Also, you better put some weights in your shoes or you'll blow away with the next big gust of wind that comes along!
  • gratitudelife
    gratitudelife Posts: 17 Member
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    You are in the same place that I was in 2012, except I was way more than 140 in high school. I was a real chubbette. I was 185 pounds at age 15. As for 3 pounds, you can do that and another 10 in no time at all. Just fill out your food diary ahead of time and make a commitment to stick to it.

    Yes, I definitely do a lot better when I plan ahead... Great tip!