Goals, achievements and keeping up the battle

One of the tricks I learned in previous battles with weight is to be constantly setting goals for yourself. Try not to get too bogged down by the big picture of your overall weight loss. It can be so disheartening. Look at the people on The Biggest Loser, how daunting is it for them to think, I have to lose 100, 200, 300 lbs. You lose 5 lbs,  and think, I still have to lose 95, 195, 295? No... You've lost 5lbs! That's an achievement!

5lbs, relate it to something tangible. 5lbs is a bag of oranges. Would you want to carry around a bag of oranges all day? I don't. That gets heavy after a while. Well, you've lost that 5lbs, one less bag of oranges you're carrying. 10lbs? now you aren't carrying around a sack of potatoes. Starts to feel pretty good doesn't it? Before you know it, these 5 and 10 lbs add up, and you're getting closer and closer to your goal.

Since Dec 29th I have lost 6lbs. Not a bad start. Sure I still have a long way to go, but I can't get to my 2011 goal of 50lb without losing that first 6. That 260lb guy in the future is getting closer, can't wait to see the last of him.

Six pounds is a good start, and it wasn't easy. I had some tough days in there. Yesterday was one of them. We're in the middle of moving, and our house is in turmoil as a result. It's hard to plan for healthy options when you are trying to empty the fridge. Days are packed with, well, packing, and suddenly you can find yourself making excuses for a easy snack or meal. Yesterday saw me eating a couple of lindt chocolates, some of my kids french fries, an one or two other indulgences. In the past I would have said forget it, I'll start again tomorrow. But rather than get down on myself over that little lapse, I picked myself up, ate healthy the rest of the day, and planned healthy choices for today.

When you fall down in your journey, whatever that is, don't sit there feeling sorry for yourself, don't kneel there mad that you fell, and ready to quit. Pick yourself up, look forward at your goal, not back at your stumble and keep moving towards that goal. We all fall down, we all take that little side trail off our journey. What separates successful people from those by the wayside is how fast you get back on track. How quickly you can recover from that challenge.

This move will be over in a few more days, then I can start on phase two, which involves dramatically increasing my exercise routine. I hope you'll keep following along.

Feel free to share with me your own journey, your own goals, and your own challenges. And if you can think of people that would benefit from reading this, feel free to share it with them. Let's all move forward toward who we want to be, let's do it together my friends!