Committing to a Change

Probably one of the hardest steps on your weight loss journey is one of the very first ones you have to take.  You have to want to make a change.  And I mean really want it.  You have to be willing to change your habits and make sacrifices in order to see it through.  You have to commit to making a change.

It should be fairly obvious.  If you could continue living the way you currently are then you'd be at your goal weight already.  Obviously something is going to have to change in order to get you to that point.

I talked before about the moment I knew I needed to make a change.  That was the moment I committed.  It was not easy to do.  I knew that if I was serious about loosing weight I had to make some drastic changes to how I ate.

When I first started on Weight Watchers I started eating a lot of salads.  I cut out almost all junk food.  I did the typical "diet" things.  I knew I was not going to be able to live like that forever, but the reason I did it was to start to push myself in the right direction.  I knew where my weaknesses were.  I needed to get away from them for a time and then eventually find a way to work the back in.  I'm not saying that's the right way to do it or that I will work for anyone, but it helped me prove to myself I could make drastic changes if I needed to.

I've heard a lot of people say, "I want to loose weight, but I can't..."  The exception could be anything from exercising to cutting out a favorite food or beverage.  I don't believe you ever have to completely deny yourself the things you like, but if you say you can't do something you're throwing up a roadblock and hurting yourself.

Think about it.  You're giving yourself an out.  The moment you have to decide between your weight loss journey and the thing you can't live without you're most likely going to stray off your path.

My can't live without item would have been chocolate.  I could have said I'm just not giving it up.  Instead I realized that I needed to find a better way to enjoy it.  I didn't need to give it up I needed to change how I used it.  It should be the special treat it's meant to be and not the crutch I had turned it into.

I appreciate chocolate so much more now.  I often have a little bit of chocolate daily.  I don't have to have a big old candy bar anymore because I've realized that just a small taste is enough.  I would never have gotten to this point though had I not been willing to change.

Tomorrow I'm going to talk about dealing with setbacks.  I've had a few during my year of weight loss and you will too during your journey.  Tomorrow is also my weigh in day.  Based on my last few weigh ins I'm due for an off week this week, so I wouldn't be surprised if it's a small loss or even a small gain.  We'll see.

On the menu today:  (nutritional information) [POINTS Plus value]


Breakfast:
1 1/2 Cup Multi-Grain Cheerios [4]

Lunch:
4 slices Sara Lee Delightful 100% Multi-Grain Bread [5]
4 slices Fat Free Cheese [3]
1/4 cup Sliced Banana Peppers
2 Cups Progresso Tomato Basil Soup  [8]
2 Skinny Cow Low Fat Fudge Pop Minis [3]

Dinner:
Genghis Grill Bowl - Teriyaki Shrimp Bowl
Shrimp, Dragon Salt, Black Pepper, Classic Stir Fry Mix (Carrots, Green Beans, Onions), Mongo Mix (Red and Green Peppers and Onions), Green Onions, Pineapples, Island Teriyaki Sauce, Brown Rice (374 cal / 1 fat / 60.5 carb / 8.5 fiber / 16.3 prot) [8]
1 Skinny Cow Chocolate Ice Cream Sandwich [4]

Snacks: (I was kinda snacking today)
1 Large Banana [0]
1 Cup Grapes [0]
20 Baby Carrots [0]
Kashi Chewy Granola Bar Cherry Dark Chcolate [3]
1 Babybel Light Cheese [1]
2 Cups Silk Pure Almond Dark Chocolate Almondmilk [7]

#gghealthkwest