Measuring Success

Have you ever noticed how great you feel at check in time when you've been doing well? That feeling is important! It takes you back to the days of getting a gold star from the teacher, a pat on the back from a co-worker, or kudos from the boss.  Feeling good about working hard and making progress is a big deal.

So in the world of a healthy lifestyle of eating well and moving more, what does a successful check in look like?  What does it consist of? Everyone's benchmarks will look completely different and that's A-okay.  It's important that you identify what a successful, week/day/hour looks like for you. If you aren't sure how to measure your success, here are a couple ideas.

• Your head is happy with your choices for food.
• Your body is happy with your movement choices.
• Your stomach is content - not too full, not hungry, just comfy and satisfied.
• If you are following a plan you know you stuck to the plan at least 90% of the time. Don't beat yourself up over the % - there is room for interpretation there depending on your history.
• The scale has dropped.
• Your clothes fit better, are getting loose, need to be down-sized.
• You stuck to your plan for the whole week/day/hour. (Again this all depends on your history.)
• Your hair is shinier.
• Your skin is glowing.
• Your finger nails are strong.
• Your self confidence is growing.
• You planned the meals for the week.  Then shopped, prepared and enjoyed them. 

What does success look like for you?  Remember if you're just starting - baby steps are key.  You can't change everything all at once.  One thing at a time and when that feels comfortable, then change another thing - before you know it you'll have made many healthy changes!  

Don't forget to watch for success and give yourself a pat on the back or that gold star!

My check in report after three days of renewing my focus?  So far terrific!  Happy with food choices, movement not too bad, tummy is satisfied, percent on plan is high.  It's too early to tell on the scale or in the fit of my clothes, but the confidence is growing. 

How are you doing?  What other ways do you use to measure success?   

Greetings friends after a VERY long hiatus!
I have been slowly traveling a slippery slope.  To be transparent and honest with you, I've been able to stay at/under/near goal for 8 years. Last year I was 5 pounds over and this year I'm 10 over.  It's time to pay serious attention!   So went back to review my old posts to help propel me to a good frame of mind regarding healthy eating.  I came upon this post from 2008 and thought it was a good place to start. After revisiting this post I've prepared a shopping list and am heading to the grocery store this afternoon with renewed purpose. 

Anyone want to join me?  
We can do this together!
Hugs,
Patti
    

Sunday, October 19, 2008
They said the day would come...
They said the day would come that staying at goal weight would become a challenge. I am sad to say my friends that after 2 years at goal that day has come. I am officially 2.4 pounds over my goal. I am 10 pounds heavier than I was a year ago. This is not good and does not make me feel good.

I was thinking about it this afternoon and I came to the conclusion that I can do as I've done in the past and just ignore it and see what happens OR I can set my mind to doing something to make a change.

Option #1 - Ignore it and see what happens - hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm experience has proven time and again that when I just ignore it, "IT" does not go away. The problem gets worse and I become very unhappy with myself.

Option #2 - Set my mind to doing something to make a change - Not the easy route by any means; but the best route nonetheless. This has to be my choice. In fact, there is no choice in my mind. I also listened when they said to give away all my larger clothes. I cannot change size or I'll have nothing to wear.

The tough part...how to put my plan into action. Here's what I decided to do:
Get back to following the CORE food plan with a fervor.
Go grocery shopping and buy healthy food that supports my efforts. I allowed NOTHING in my cart that would compromise my efforts. (Ask Thorsten, he tried really hard and even tried "pouting" but I would not give in!)
Cook up a big pot of beef barley and veggie soup. This will give me plenty of easy, healthy lunches or fast suppers this week so I don't fall into the "I'm tired, hurried, etc. trap"
Cook up a pot of homemade chili. (reference above)
Prep veggies - clean and cut them for easy munching.
Make sure I get my water in each day.
I decided these were the items I will focus on this week. I will exercise, but it won't be in the written plan until next week.

As a friend/family how can you best support me in my efforts?
Ask me how it's going - it's okay to acknowledge this is a time of struggle for me.
Don't suggest or ask if I'd like to have a cookie, ice cream or pizza. I'm weak right now and if I give in I will regret it later. Trust me.
Ask if I'd like to go for a walk or do something that gets me out and moving.
Ask if I'd like to see a movie.
Celebrate with me when I succeed! Without food :)

They told me this day would come.

The Teal Pumpkin Project

What a great idea!  I just read about The Teal Pumpkin Project and what a great idea!

It's all about raising awareness during Halloween around food allergies and promoting safety, inclusiveness and empathy for those who have a food allergy. A non food treat option benefits children with food allergies, as well as those with diabetes and other conditions.

It easy to join in.

• Display the sign or a teal pumpkin on your porch, door or easy to see spot letting trick or treaters know that a non-food treat is available at your home.  
• Purchase a non-food option (need ideas?  click here for suggestions) and be sure to keep your bowl of non-food treats separate from any candy, to ensure that the non-food items stay safe.  
• When the little ghosts and goblins come knocking simply ask which they would prefer. The non food items are very popular with everyone! 

If you only offer non food treats, it's a win-win.  The kids get a non food treat and you don't end up tempted with a ton of sugary candy around the house.  No evil leftovers staring you in the face causing you to implement tough love.    What a great idea!  Happy Trick or Treat friends!

A New Day

Today is a new day.

It doesn't matter that in June I told myself, "It's time for a new start.  I can do this."  .... and then I did very little.  I guess I wasn't ready to make the changes necessary.

Today is a new day.

Yesterday I decided it was time to make necessary changes.  Yesterday went very well.  Today has been going really well.

I don't have to change everything at once.  Just one thing at a time.  My bad habits didn't all come back at once.  They edged back into my life slowly...one at a time.

Today is a new day.  Are you ready? 

Post Halloween Tough Love

November 1st.  The day after Halloween. The Trick or Treating goodness is sitting there in the orange plastic pumpkins staring you in the face.  It was lots of fun and the kids made a haul.  The bowl of candy for callers is still sitting next to the front door, the leftovers calling your name as loud as they can.  "Come and eat me!"  Oh my, what to do, what to do!?

TAKE ACTION!

1. Dispose of the leftover candy.  Send it to work with your husband or throw it in the garbage and dump something gross, wet or goopy on top.  I can hear the dialogue in your head, "What? Throw away perfectly good candy?  But, but, but there are starving children in Africa!"  Yes!  Throw. It. Away.  You were okay with giving it away last night, so pretend it was all handed out and there are no leftovers.  It is gone.  (And do you really think starving children in Africa are going to benefit from YOU overeating on candy?)
2. Your kids made a haul and it's in the house.  That is THEIR candy - not yours and this is not a time to teach them about sharing.  You wouldn't take their allowance or their money so why would you think it's okay to take their candy?  Its not.  The candy is theirs.  Leave. It. Alone.
3. Start fresh with determination!  It's only 21 days until Thanksgiving and we all know that's another whole challenge to be dealt with separately.  Get back on track today!
4. Make something really healthy and yummy for dinner.  Try a new recipe.  Make it appealing so its easy to stay on track. 
5. Get outside and move.  Rake leaves, go for a brisk walk or bike ride, clean house like the in-laws are coming in an hour, whatever you do get your body moving more than you usually do.  

Halloween is only a day and even though it is laden with candy, its really not about candy.  Its about dressing up and having fun with others.  Relish that part and enjoy the laughter.  It's November now and Halloween is over.  Forget the candy.

Let's Start At The Very Beginning....

 As I type I can hear Julie Andrew's voice starting the famous song from the Sound of Music.  "Let's start at the very beginning.  It's a very good place to start."  Oh my, how very true those words are when it comes to healthy eating and weight loss as well!  If you haven't been living a particularly healthy lifestyle and want to make some changes to get on track it can be a very daunting and scary task.  So let's look at a couple small changes that will make a big difference in the long run.

Step One
Figure out what you are currently eating.  Are you eating junk?  Are you eating fruits and vegetables?  Are you eating items loaded with sugar?  High in calorie content?  High in fat?  Take a look at the labels and find out what you are putting in your body.  You won't know if you don't look.

Know what a
serving size looks like.

Read the labels!

Step Two
Look at the PORTION size for those items.  To keep it simple, if it's fresh fruits or vegetables use a piece (ie: a banana, an apple, a potato) as a single portion or use 1 cup for leafy items and a 1/2 cup for the others as good guideline.  If it's a packaged food it will say on the label what the portion size is and you'll be quite surprised to find out what a single serving of cereal or chips actually looks like when it's measured out.  Some items will pleasantly surprise you and others will NOT bring a smile to your face.  Trust me on this.

Step Three
Keep track and write it all down.  All. Of. It.  Every bite, lick and taste.   The only way to really do that is to write it down or track it using an online tool.  (There are a couple online trackers I've used and was pleased with both for different reasons.  One is Weight Watcher's online tracker (which has a fee involved) and the other is a free product from Livestrong.)  Weight Watchers tracks using the Points Plus Values and Livestrong tracks calories.  Both are good tools for our current purpose.

Knowledge is power and right now our goal is to get educated on WHAT and HOW MUCH we are eating.  Being aware, learning portions and journaling is a great place to start.

Do, rey, mi.  The first three notes just happen to be....

Change - between the waiting and the doing

Between the waiting and the doing is the place where change takes place.

It is both passive and passionate

We can't rush it

Tigger and Isabelle are in cahoots with God!

This past week or so I've had a really difficult week making good choices about what I'm eating.  I've eaten enough sugar to choke a horse!  It takes a really LONG time to unwrap and eat 25 Hershey Kisses, but I'll bet I ate that many one afternoon.  Mindlessly...one after the other.

So I was having a little chat with God about needing his help getting my eating choices back under control.  My prayer in the past has been, "Dear Lord, please  impress upon my heart the desire for healthy food, water and exercise.  Help me to make good choices."  So I lifted up that prayer once again while I was upstairs getting ready for work.  The inner dialogue in my head went something like this:

"Patti, get that leftover stromboli OUT of your lunch sack and throw it in the garbage!"
"No!  It's paid for!"
"Patti, you don't need it.  It doesn't support your desire to eat healthy."
"No!  There are starving children living down the road from Kari."
"Patti, you give others the permission to throw food away.  It's okay.  Just do it."
"But it tastes good!"

And then I prayed about it.  "Dear Lord, PLEASE help me to get back on track!"

I went downstairs and there on the kitchen counter sat Tigger and Isabelle, the cats, EATING MY STROMBOLI!  They had unzipped my lunch bag, removed the styrofoam container, and started munching away.  It didn't take long until I was laughing and realized that indeed God had answered my prayer.  He had used Tigger and Isabelle and they were of course glad to oblige.  It was all I needed to help get my head back into the healthy game and I packed another lunch this time with fruit, protein and veggies.

Thanks for watching my back Tig and Isabelle!    

Acknowledge the GOOD things within you!

A couple years ago when my self-esteem was at a low point, I read somewhere that you should  re-affirm daily positive things.  I created the following list, posted it on the bathroom mirror and read it daily.  I came across this list yesterday and realized how much it helped at the time, so thought I'd share the idea with you.  Here's my list:

I am God's child
I was created to honor and cherish him
I am a person of destiny
I am creative
I am strong
I am smart
I am blessed
I am a good parent
I am a good leader
I eat healthy and exercise because my body is a temple
I have the favor of God

Our faith is effective when we believe in ourselves!

The Bellin Run 2010

Tomorrow is the Bellin 10k run/walk.  I'm excited because I have family coming to town to visit and participate in the big event.  Pete and Carla with their littles, Lindsay my soon-to-be-wed daughter, my cousin and aunt are planning to come, my soon-to-depart-for-2-years-in-the-Peace-Corp daughter is here, Harry is home (yay!),  my son & his wife who I thankfully get to see on a regular basis are going to be in it,  lots of friends from the running club and church, you get the idea.  A very "social" event for this social butterfly.

I think what has me the most pumped though is my friend from church, Amy and my daughter Lindsay.

Amy started  walking in January with a goal of finishing the Bellin.  I know she's had "life" challenge her training regimen (dad undergoing chemo, challenges at work, 2 littles & a hubby to care for) but she is registered and plans to walk it.  I promised that after I finish running it, I'm going to find her and finish with her.

Lindsay signed up to walk the Bellin last year and ended up running the whole thing including a little puking at the end (of which she is very proud.)  She's been working out, biking, running, dancing this past year and has improved her fitness level and her time incredibly.  I'm excited for her and hope she has a great run tomorrow.  She's going to rock the Bellin!

They both inspire me and I am so very proud of them.    

Go Amy!  Go Lindsay!  You can do it!

Biggest Loser comments and thoughts

I am tuned in to week 18 of the Biggest Loser.  They have sent the final four home to their families and are recapping their original weigh ins in front of their friends and families.  As I see their emotions as they went from pre-weight to current weight it brings tears to my eyes.  I can relate to much of what they are feeling.  My pre-weight and subsequent loss was not as dramatic as theirs, but the emotions of success and having a new life are still very real and fresh for me.

They have to run a marathon as their final challenge.  They are learning how to eat in their "at home" world.  Healthy food, healthy recipes, portion control.

"This is about you, it's not about them.  Let's get out of here and get an early day in the gym."
"Once you decide you're worth it, you can do it."
"Once you ask for help you'll get everything you need."

One of the contestants struggles with eating at night because he is stressed out or worried about something.  He realizes what he's doing but has a hard time stopping nonetheless.

My life is very different than it was five years ago in many ways.  Healthy food and exercise are priorities now.  Today I walked for an hour in the morning with a friend and then rode my bike over 13 miles in the afternoon on the way home from work.  But I also sit here and fight eating because I'm bored, lonely, tired.  Like the contestant, I recognize what I'm doing, but still fight it.  For a long time it had gotten much easier, it is a tough period the past 5 months.  Why?  I don't know, but I'm fighting it and I'm not giving in, because I've worked too hard to get here, and I enjoy my new lifestyle, body and healthy choices.

Nothing tastes as good as thin feels.

Bacher out.

1/2 Full or 1/2 Empty?

There is much discussion and theorizing about our view on life according to how we rate what is left in our glass.  Is it half full or is it half empty?  Well I tend to be a half full kind of gal when it comes to how I view life, but when I was trying to decide if I should run a 1/2 marathon instead of the full... well let's just say I really struggled.  My glass was half empty when it came to running the half instead of the full.

I've been struggling with achilles tendon problems for at least 4 or 5 months now and it hurts.  A lot.  It hurts a lot, much of the time.  I thought maybe I wasn't tough enough and I just needed to push through it.  For some reason it just seemed like running only 13.1 miles wasn't good enough!  The glass was half empty, after all I did a full 26.2 last October and I should be able to do it again, darn it!

Well yesterday during our training run I made the decision that I would do the 1/2 Marathon rather than the full.  I know I can do it.  I won't feel like crap when I'm done.  In fact a couple weeks ago after running 16 miles I felt down right chipper.  After the 20 miler however, I felt dead tired for a whole week.  13.1 is the right decision.  The half is good and I'm at peace with my decision.

13.1 is half full, not half empty and life is good once again.

Bacher out.

Sufficiently buzzed on caffeine...accountable to others

I had a breakfast meeting at a local coffee shop this morning.  After we finished I stuck around drinking coffee and enjoying working away from the office.  It's fun the number of laptops that are in action here as people work, chat, meet and do business in an alternate setting.

I've been here long enough that the cookies started calling to me across the dining room, however I promised Amy that I'd email her my food diary this week.  So, I started a draft of my food journal and not wanting to add a coffee house cookie to the list, resisted the temptation.  There is definitely something to be said for holding yourself accountable to others at various points in time.

My daughter, Lindsay, had a great post on her blog recently that I found to be just what I needed to help re-charge my resolve.  I like the reference to fuzzy mind when she doesn't work out.  I also get very antsy if I don't exercise.

Well, I think I am sufficiently buzzed on caffeine now that I am ready to attack the rest of the day.

Find someone to hold you accountable.  It works wonders, I promise.

Biggest Loser comments and thoughts

Comments on tonight's Biggest Loser that I liked.

"I'm tired of being emotional about my weight.  It's time to do something about it."

"It's the gym!  Wow it's the gym.  Oh, dear Lord... it's the gym"

"26.2 miles!  Are you kidding me?"

"Being one of the two teams that goes home is not an option."

Stand up and finish what you started.

If you don't do what you need to do....

Don't let things get the best of you right now.



A drive thru diet at Taco Bell?  This was a commercial that was on during the show...get real!

I don't know about you, but I cannot imagine losing 30 pounds in ONE week!  Keep it in perspective my friends that this is their full-time job while they are there.  That's all they do is live and breathe what they are telling them to.  In real life it comes off slower and that's okay.  Just make sure you have realistic expectations for yourself.  Then stick to it and persevere!

Let's do it!

Tromping through the snow

This afternoon Harry and I bundled up in warm clothes, mittens and sorel boots and went out to Barkhausen to walk the snow covered trails.

Several observations:
Encountered a lady who appeared to be playing out a New Year's resolution as she tackled the cross country ski trails for the first time ever.  She was alone and plugging away at it.  Saw her again in the parking lot and with glowing cheeks she was very happy with her accomplishment.  Yay for her!

The trails are very peaceful and quite enjoyable during the winter despite the brisk, cold wind.

It's easier for men to take a leak in the woods than it is for women.  Good thing it was Harry that had to go and not me.

My fingers got chilly even though I had on a heavy pair of gloves over top of my cheapies.

I didn't let my runny nose get in the way of fun.

I am resolved to check out the Fox River Trail one day this next week and see if it's walkable in this weather.

Harry said it was very enjoyable outside even though this is the time of year we tend to disparage the most.

January 1 is a great day to look forward and not back.

Overall, a crackerjack New Year's day.  We both totally enjoyed it.  

YOUR IMPORTANCE

I like this! You just never know....


If only you could sense how important you are to the lives of those you meet; how important you can be to people you may never even dream of. There is something of yourself that you leave at every meeting with another person.

-- Fred Rogers, Mr. Roger's Neighborhood

tasting touching hearing seeing breathing

MY DAUGHTER GAVE ME A POSTER FOR CHRISTMAS WITH THIS POEM BY ee cummings ON IT. IT HANGS IN FRONT OF MY ELLIPTICAL AND I'VE READ IT OFTEN THIS PAST WINTER. I REALLY LIKE IT AND IT SPEAKS TO ME IN THE PROCESS OF EMBRACING LIFE AND REMOVING THE CONTROL FOOD HAS OVER ME. I WANTED TO SHARE IT WITH YOU.... ENJOY -


i thank You God for most this amazing
day:for the leaping greenly spirits of trees
and a blue true dream of sky;and for everything
which is natural which is infinite which is yes

(i who have died am alive again today,
and this is the sun's birthday;this is the birth
day of life and love and wings:and of the gay
great happening illimitably earth)

how should tasting touching hearing seeing
breathing any--lifted from the no
of all nothing--human merely being
doubt unimaginable You?

(now the ears of my ears awake and
now the eyes of my eyes are opened)

-ee cummings

Acts 17:28

"In God we live and move and have our being." Acts 17:28

Isn't this a great bible verse? I just happened upon it and I really like it!

In GOD
We LIVE
We MOVE
We have our BEING

I like it!

Is it going to be easy?

As we are learning a new way of eating - a new lifestyle - we could smile and say, "it's easy" but we'd be lying to ourselves and to everyone else. It will be easy at times.... but there will be times that it will feel downright hard! For inspiration, let me share the story of Admiral Jim Stockdale.

Jim Stockdale was the highest-ranking officer in the "Hanoi Hilton" POW camp from 1965 to 1973. He was deprived of his rights under the Geneva Convention, tortured over twenty times, and often wondered if he would ever see his family again. In his book Good to Great, Jim Collins quotes Admiral Stockdale as saying, "I never lost faith in the end of the story." And when Collins asked "Who didn't make it out?" Stockdale replied, "Oh, that's easy. The optimists." "The optimists," Collins said, "I don't understand." To which the Admiral replied, "The optimists were the ones who said, 'We're going to be out by Christmas.' And Christmas would come, and Christmas would go. Then they'd say, 'We're going to be out by Easter.' And Easter would come, and Easter would go. And then Thanksgiving, and then it would be Christmas again. And they died of a broken heart. This is a very important lesson. You must never confuse faith that you will prevail in the end with the discipline to confront the most brutal facts of your current reality, whatever they may be."

I think his story is a really powerful one and fits many hardships in life... including our weight loss journey. It won't always be easy, but if we are convinced that:
1) This is not the last chapter in our life (basic optimism) and
2) That we are honest with ourselves that yes, we will suffer, however it will get better.

Thank God everyday you didn't have to live this concept the way he did.

In all struggles in life hold tight to the fact that next chapter is an awesome one!

Faith vs Fear....Positive vs Negative

Great conversations this week on positive thought versus negative thought. Think you can or think you can't....either way you're right! (thanks Henry Ford) It's one of those head things that is crucial to your success on many levels. Weight Watchers considers it a Helpful Habit and I consider it key to my mental well being! I saw the following and really like it so thought I'd share....


THE CHOICE IS YOURS

Do you know what Fear and Faith have in common? A future that hasn’t happened yet. Fear believes in a negative future. Faith believes in a positive future. Both believe in something that has not yet happened. So I ask you, if neither the positive or negative future has happened yet then why not choose to believe in the positive future? What do you have to lose but the fear that is sabotaging your joy and success?

I believe during these challenging times we have a choice between two roads. The positive road and the negative road. And our bus can’t be on two roads at the same time. So we have to make a choice and this choice determines our belief about the future and the attitude and actions we bring to the present…

Your faith and belief in a positive future leads to powerful actions today. The future has not happened yet and you have a say in what it looks like by the way you think and act. Fear or Faith. The choice is yours. - Jon Gordon


Another thing in life that is a choice.....