We’re coming up on a new year and you’re probably thinking about what you’d want it to look like. But are you just thinking about it or do you have a plan of action? I’ve been concerned about my weight for a while. I started gaining weight when I got a car and a full-time desk job. And over the years since moving, especially this last year, emotional eating coupled with an injury packed on the pounds. I didn’t notice a lot until my clothes got tight and some I just outgrew. It hasn’t been fun.
I’ve been feeling like I let myself down because once upon a time I worked very hard to lose weight and keep it off. I’ve never been thin, but I had gotten down to a weight where I liked how I looked and how I felt. I’d become a relatively active person and had dropped some bad eating habits. But when life turned into one challenge after another, I turned to food to provide solace. And now I’m paying the price. One day, I’d had enough.
I looked at myself in the mirror and decided something had to be done. My emotional eating had gotten out of control. I had to admit that I needed help. Though I’d lost a good amount of weight previously on my own, this time I knew I couldn’t do it alone. I needed a plan and support. Due to my injury I wasn’t able to workout like I had before. I’d been having trouble with just walking. So I decided that tackling the food issue was the way to go. I’d been contemplating joining Weight Watchers for a long time. Over a year ago I talked with some women leaving a WW meeting to get some information. I finally decided to take the plunge.
I’ve been on the program for two weeks. At my first weigh-in I’d lost 3.4 pounds in one week. That was very promising and I’m hoping my next step on the scale with show more progress. Sticking to the plan has been challenging. It’s a lot of planning your meals, keeping “zero point” foods in mind” and tracking your food intake on the app. But for me, it’s worth it. I finally found something that’s working and that feels like I can stick to. It’s a lot of work, but no matter what the method, losing weight is a lot of work. Most goals we set and most things we want out of life require a great deal of effort. But this weight loss journey isn’t just about the weight, it’s about reconnecting with that person who took better care of herself, who honored herself and was strong enough to make a commitment to her health and wellbeing.
I used to be that person. I’m becoming her again. And with this journey of reconnection to a former self, there also needs to be forgiveness and self-compassion.
I’ve forgiven myself for leaning on food in hard times and recognize that I have been injured and not capable of being as physical as I used to be. Part of committing to a plan of action and taking responsibility to create change may be giving yourself the space to grant yourself forgiveness for however you may have contributed to the problem or held yourself back. Self-compassion is one of the greatest gifts we can give ourselves.
Fortunately I didn’t wait until I hit rock bottom to take action. And for me bottom would have meant gaining all the weight back . But I waited long enough. I think I honestly just didn’t want to stop eating the way I was. I was really tired from life and didn’t feel like working any harder. But I finally snapped out of it and found a plan that included a level of support.
Physically I’ve felt so much better, even in the short time I’ve been on Weight Watchers. But mentally I feel really proud of myself for making the decision and working hard for results. Sometimes we do have to hit bottom to make a change, but hopefully we can avoid that degree of despair by getting honest with ourselves and becoming more conscious of our circumstances and possibly contributing behavior.
Making a decision to take action to change aspects of your life can be very hard. It takes admitting hard truths, creating a plan and possibly recognizing that you need help. It also takes really wanting change. I really want to lose weight. I’ve finally gotten to the point where wanting to drop some pounds and the benefits of that outweigh the perceived sacrifices.
So what’s it going to take for you to take action? What’s it going to take for you to:
Lose the weight?
Write the book?
Start the business?
Get out of unsatisfactory relationship
Find a better job?
Start saving money?
The list goes on….
I had to make this goal a priority. I had to consider the stakes if I didn’t. Even if you take small steps, some energy toward your goals (because typically the momentum will build) is much better than letting them sit on the shelf forever.
Social Menu