A new week, a new start, and yes, another do-over

How many do-overs do I get in regards to my weight?  An endless supply.  And thank goodness for that! 

Today is Thursday, so it's my weigh in day.  If you read my post yesterday, you know I have not been eating well for several weeks and it's caught up to me.  Up 2.6 pounds since last Thursday. 

Today is a new day.  A new chance, yet again, to start over and start fresh.  Which is what I tell myself everyday.  I need to tell myself this everyday, because one of these days things will fall into place and I will have a good day.  Today could be that day.  But I won't know unless I try.  And if I fail, then tomorrow I start again. 

I really considered not going to the meeting this morning.  I knew I was going to be up and I didn't want to face the scale.  Also, this was the first meeting since Barb, my friend and Weight Watcher leader, has relinquished the meeting to Linda (also my friend and WW leader).  I wasn't sure I wanted to go because Barb has been such a great support as I muddle through weight loss journey and it hurts knowing she is no longer there for my weekly support.  The meeting wasn't the same, but I'm glad I went. 

As I was driving to the meeting, I considered not weighing in.  WW gives you the option of "NWI" (no weigh in), so I could go, ignore the scale, and stay for the meeting.  I couldn't ignore the scale.  I never can.  Because I know that whether I step on the scale or not, my weight is going to be what it is.  Not stepping on the scale doesn't erase what I did or did not do during the week.  It doesn't make me any lighter by not stepping on the scale.  Whether I stand on that contraption or not, my weight will be the same.  So, I took a deep breathe, stepped on and accepted the number for what it was.  It was confirmation that I need to get back on track.  I need to stop eating the junk, get back in a routine of running and working out, and I need to quit feeling sorry for myself.  Most of all, I need to stop the negative self talk, find the positive and focus on that.

As said, I stayed for the WW meeting this morning.  I love the meetings because it seems like whenever I am struggling the most, the topic for the week is exactly what I need to hear.  This week was no exception.  WW is preparing members for the upcoming holidays.  This week we worked on staying on track for the holidays (or in my case, get back on track before the holidays). 

There were four steps for doing this:

1 - Set a goal.  As always, I have three choices for the holiday season, I can lose weight, maintain my current weight, or gain weight.  I am not in the position to overindulge and gain weight, so my one and only goal is to NOT gain weight.  If I lose, great... but at this point, I will be happy to maintain and not see any more gains at the scale.

2 - Identify where you'll be focusing on your goal.  A great example would be the meetings for support and accountability.  But for me, I need to focus on my personal spaces such as home and work.  I need to set them up for success (having the right type of foods for me on hand) and for potential challenges (like goodies in the office and friends or family bringing food into our home).  Also, I need to dust off the treadmill and my DVD's.  I need to get more active during the holidays so I can have the occasional treat.

3 - Count the risky days.  Okay, this was a new one (after 10+ years of meetings, most of the stuff is the same year after year).  But this I liked.  Instead of looking at the whole season as one big challenge, identify the days that you will have the most challenges.  Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's Eve, office Christmas Party, Neighborhood party, etc.  Everyone will have there own count of risky days, but it will probably be between 3 to 9 days that may be challenging.  For me, I counted 6 days as challenging.  I will have 6 days I will need to be extra prepared, vigilant, and plan for.  That was reassuring to me.  6 days is better than thinking of two months as challenging and unmanageable!

4 - Take Action.  Now comes the part where I decide what I'm going to do to keep from gaining weight over the holidays.  My plan at the moment is to... well... plan!  Plan meals, plan exercise, plan ahead, plan for challenges.  Part of my exercise plan is to get back in the routine of running three days a week and working out (even if it's just a 10 to 15 minute exercise video) 3 days a week.  I also plan on visualizing the challenges (my 6 risky days) and how I am going to handle them.  And I may get back to tracking, even if it's just jotting down what I'm eating during the day.  I want to have some idea what is going in my mouth so I won't be surprised if I do gain weight.

Now I've written down my goal, my plan, and how I am going to do it, guess that means I will have to follow through, right?