Thinking Positive

When I was doing my morning exercises I could see muscle where I had not noticed it before. Now, I have always had muscle but my theory is that maybe some of the fat covering it up is gone now, and I can see it better. Whatever the reason it was nice to notice that instead of the flab and fat that is still there. I am twenty pounds thinner than a year ago. There has to be a difference. And there is. I want to celebrate that today instead of moping about what I haven't lost. It makes a difference. I have been prone to moping the past week or so and today I am making a conscious effort to look at the good things.

Since I have been at this twenty pound lower weight for a few months, I am getting used to it, and taking it for granted. And, naturally I am getting a little frustrated that I have not lost more. But the great news is that I am keeping weight off, and that is what I had not been able to do in years. Keeping it off and learning to maintain is as important as losing for someone like me. Instead of extremes, quick losses and fast gains, I am settling into a pattern of taking notice of how my eating is impacting my weight and when I catch myself creeping back up, I take immediate and effective action. I am learning to regulate myself. So maybe losing, then maintaining and then losing some more and maintaining that is actually the key to my long term success. And patience, not giving up when I have a gain or eat something silly. These things are the difference between the me who was stuck in despair and the me today.

I have been tracking my food, and I have identified my slip into evening eating. I have proven methods to deal with that. They are: getting active in the evening, out of the house and away from the food; having an accessible supply of low calorie raw veggies on hand to satisfy the urge to munch; doing a small but effective workout to transition from the workday to the evening at home; drinking lots of water; reading positive literature; finding any activity I enjoy and doing it; going to a support group meeting; going to the gym. There are many alternatives. It is easy to slip into eating when I am tired, so taking a short rest is not a bad idea either.

I want to move ahead, and I believe I will this month, so long as I keep doing simple things each day toward my goal. And, I also believe that my thinking impacts my actions, so I am going to make it a point to think about the positive results I have achieved, and how I got there. If I have a negative moment, I can certainly express it, but I need to put a time limit on it, get it out, respond to it in a positive manner, and then move on.

It is all about moving on today. And a positive outlook. Cheers!!