Weekend Want Power

Happy Saturday from another rainy, cold, dark and gloomy morning in Mississauga.  It is after 9:00 now and looking out my front window it looks more like 7 a.m.  Fall has arrived!!!

Thanks to Candace over at Believing in C - C is me for solving the 29th follower mystery! I was following her for a while so I guess I didn't recognize her face as "new" on my list. She is a very funny, down to earth blogger, go check her out :)

Today's thought:

“It's not that I'm so smart , it's just that I stay with problems longer .”

Albert Einstein quotes (German born American Physicist who developed the special and general theories of relativity. Nobel Prize for Physics in 1921. 1879-1955)


Isn't that so true about this whole weight loss/healthy lifestyle thing.  Those who are successful are the ones who keep at it, day after day after day. Those who keep at it long after the excitement of learning about nutrition and exercise and new programs, finding new blogs, seeing initial weight loss or fitness goals met - those who keep at it when its no longer fun and exciting, those who keep at it when its truly hard for them or through personal challenges - THOSE ARE THE ONES WHO FIND SUCCESS!

The first time I lost 100lbs I started in 1995 when my first son wasn't even a year old.  I did Weight Watcher meetings with my best friend and since we commuted to work together we would alternate weeks and take turns packing lunches for each other.  This was great because one week I didn't need to worry about healthy lunches and snacks and the next week I had to do it because Lisa was counting on me.  We went to meetings together every Wednesday night and we walked almost every night with my son in a wagon or stroller and on weekends we did longer walks with my husband joining us.  Lisa got to goal in 1997. She lost 120lbs.  In 1996 I found myself pregnant with my second son, 22lbs from my goal.  I was so happy to be pregnant but so worried about gaining weight.

I stayed on Weight Watchers pregnancy plan (they don't offer it any more) and with my Ob/Gyn's supervision, I only gained 35lbs during my pregnancy and the morning after Liam was born I was exactly my pre pregnancy weight. I was overjoyed.  Then the problems started....but that's another story for another day.

The point of the story is that Lisa and I stuck with it. Day in, day out. Some days I didn't want to make lunch for two people, but I did because I wanted to stick with my committment more than I wanted to go to bed early. Some nights I didn't want to walk, but I did because I wanted to lose weight more than I wanted to sit in front of the TV. Sometimes I didn't want to go to meetings, but I did because I wanted to lose weight more than I was afraid of a "bad" weigh in.  It was all about want power. Not will power.

Over the years, I've started and stopped weight loss efforts. Usually I get through the honeymoon phase and give up.

Why bother if it's not working?

Why bother if I have to work so hard for so little results?

This time around has been almost 9 months and my attitude starting out and continuing through is different this time. There is no stopping. There is no quitting.  If I fall down, or stumble, or have a bad day or week, I will just start over with my very next meal. Every day I will do the best I can. I will accept that some days my best is better than others. 

Quitting means gaining more weight, getting sicker and living not only a shorter time period but in a less productive and meaningful way.    I don't WANT any of those things, therefore I can't quit.

Anyway, it seems to be working for me so far and although every day is not easy, I do the best I can with what I have to work with that day.

This morning for breakfast I made the Hungry Girl Carrot Cake-Pumpkin Pancakes.  I thinned the batter out with some more milk so they wouldn't be as dense and they came out thinner and crispier but still really delicious. I didn't bother with the glaze this time and just used some maple syrup.  Fall on a plate, I tell you!

Plans for today include cleaning up my house, grocery shopping and baking for a girls' get together at a friends house tomorrow. There will be about 6 of us I think and there are always lots of yummy, decadent treats so my WANT challenge for tomorrow is enjoy the visit with some amazing women I haven't seen in quite a while, focus on the conversation, enjoy moderate portions of the yumminess and make sure I eat a balance of foods so I don't end up with high or low blood sugar over the course of the day. 

If I consciously and deliberately think of how a certain food or portion size will affect my blood sugar BEFORE I take that first bite, it is so much easier to stay in control because the blood sugar reaction is an immediate concern that I feel very quickly. If I think of the food in terms of weight loss, I am the master of convincing myself that I can make up for it later, eat less tomorrow, walk longer later etc.  I want to feel better now, I don't want to do more work later.

Anyway, if you've read this far -thanks!!!  Have a great Saturday!! I'll check in later.