Keep Calm and Keep Tracking
In January, as a group we started the Simple Start program, which is a great program for people just starting Weight Watchers. During your first two weeks, you are given a ton of meal options (that you cook yourself) and you eat all power foods. Oh yeah, you don't have to track points plus values for the first two weeks. Great for a newbie... not so much for someone like me. I needed to get a handle on tracking.
After a couple weeks of seeing small results and then a gain, I was feeling kind of defeated. That was last Saturday. Then my WW leader Noelle said to me, "We need a challenge. What can we do? Let's do a 7-day tracking challenge". That was it for me. I was on board. I love a challenge. I knew that if I had Noelle counting on me to hold up my end of the challenge, I had to do it. It also helped to know that she was doing it with me because she was having the same struggle. It's easy to think that your WW leader has it all under control all the time and that she doesn't struggle. But what's great about Noelle that she's totally one of us. She struggles and hates tracking. But she knows that if she doesn't do it, she won't do well. I also love that she knows the points plus values of anything you can think of. I can't do that, but I can guess them from a food label.
What I know for sure is that I can be self motivated in some areas, but when it comes to WW, exercise, and health, I am much more externally motivated. When other people are involved or need me to "show up", I can be extremely motivated and present in the situation. If I am needed, I'm all in. I recognize the benefits and drawbacks of that mentality. But for right now, I operate on a "whatever gets the job done" frame of mind. This is a journey and I haven't reached the "completely self-motivated" stop on the journey yet. But I can see it in the distance. I will get there one day.
So this week, I knew that I had verbally declared that I would track 7 days in a row and plan to be active the next day every day of the week. I was active 5 of out 7 days and I tracked all 7 days... and today, at the weigh-in, I was down more than I have been in over a month. I am officially 6 lbs from goal. When I got on the scale, I felt like I had taken the first step towards something tangible. I felt like reaching my goal weight and subsequently lifetime was something doable. And to add icing on the cake, Noelle had also tracked 7 days and she had also had a great weigh-in. So Noelle and I decided to up the stakes. 7 days was good, but 30 days is even better. Also, losing the last 6 lbs in the next 6 weeks would be awesome. This week showed me that I can do it even with a nightmare of a week. I just have to decide to do it.
So that's what I'm going to do... or should I say, I have done! All I need to do is "Keep Calm and Keep Tracking".
