A Motivational Poster That Says It All!

Wow!   This motivational poster could not have expressed my reasons for reviving my journey better!   Every single reason speaks to me personally!  Truth be told, I have felt my energy being zapped from me lately, I am having more difficulty doing what keeps me active,  I feel my health declining,  I am no longer able to fit into too many outfits in my closet, and I so want to be there for my children and grandchildren!  I have gained way too many pounds since last year (2011) - I've gotten way back to the 200's after promising myself I would not ever do so!   I can no longer say "it's just a number" as I am also feeling the unhealthy repercussions of weight gain - which is basically the antithesis of each of the items in the above poster.   I can add one more - I am just uncomfortable at this weight!  I don't even sleep as well as I used to, and I'm usually a sound sleeper!  

Ok...so now that I've faced the situation square in the face, what am I going to do about it?   First of all, I am back to blogging!   Blogging helps me in so many ways.  As I write,  I find that I cannot hide from the truth.   Blogging gives me "lightbulb" moments when certain realizations come alive as it forces me to ponder seriously what is truly happening on this journey of mine.   For example, it just came to me a few moments ago that my journey is not a straight and narrow road - I take detours, run into obstacles, or I move several steps forward, and then, unfortunately, find myself taking as many or more steps backwards...so it's not that I got off my journey; it's more that I got caught in an emotional upheaval.  I went into a slump when I lost my Mom in September, and then regressed for weeks afterwards.  I'm not beating myself up about it as I realize that mourning a loved one affects our lives in different ways.  However, I am starting to find myself again - and I'm now more than ready to address the areas in my life that I have neglected these past few months.

I'm also returning to Weight Watchers - but this time doing it exclusively online.  My support system will be my husband who will be doing WW with me, and my children who have always been supportive of my journey.  I also have my friends, both on and offline.   I will "use" my support system as much as possible as I recognize the fact that having a support system is not only important but will also facillitate my journey.

Weight Watchers Online consists mainly of an exercise log and food tracking journal - along with advice and recipes and other resources.  I will make use of both the log and journal - and try to do so DAILY!   They both keep me accountable - and serve as a "history" and "record" of my progress, or lack thereof.   I do not see WW as a "diet" - rather I see it as a way to eat mindfully.  It's not just about counting points - in fact, that's the least important part of the program.  If one truly follows the WW way of eating (healthy oils, several servings a day of vegetables and fruits,etc) then what it really does is help us to create healthy/balanced meals as a permanent lifestyle!  It's not pefect, of course, so one does need to tweak the program so that it fits each of us individually.

My next blog entry will be a continued discussion of how I tailor WW to fit my individual needs as well as how I'm melding other resources/aids to assist me on this journey.