Reality Check

CNN posted a very scary article this morning that said if the current obesity trends in our country continue, one in three adults will have Diabetes by the year 2050.  That's 33% of all Americans having a disease that is (for the most part) avoidable through proper eating and exercise.  How scary is that?  (click here for the full CNN article).

I had a breakthrough success this week that made me remember the BIGGEST thing you need to know to lose weight.....losing weight is 100% mental because you are always given a choice.  You can choose to eat healthier, you can choose to workout, you can choose when you go to bed and how much sleep you are going to get, you can choose to take some time for yourself, you can choose to live life to the fullest, and you can choose whether or not you live your life regretting each day or looking forward to it!

Just like any decision in life, choosing the "right" decision for yourself is not easy. Picture yourself sitting behind your desk around 2:30 on a Wednesday afternoon.  It's gloomy outside, and that mid-afternoon craving begins.  You know there is a candy bowl sitting at the front desk of your office (yes, the candy bowl in my office tortures me daily) for the ENTIRE month of October.  So you think (or sometimes don't even think) about that piece of chocolate....

Now you have a choice to make.....If that piece of chocolate will truly make you feel better, and help you because you are not depriving yourself, go for it.  However, if you are eating that piece of chocolate out of habit, frustration, or stress, perhaps you can make a better decision than eating it like going for a walk to get a glass of water

Here's the secret though.....

You DON'T need to be perfect every time to be successful. We all indulge once in a while, and that's okay.  Not only is it okay, but it's preferable.  Perfection does not equal success.  Hard work, determination, motivation, and the right decision 95-99% of the times equals success.  You always have a decision make, and just keep this in mind whenever that candy bar keeps calling your name.

So, what was my breakthrough?  This past weekend was my Alumni reunion from college, which consisted of AWESOME parties with great friends, alcohol, and food that's bad for you.  Before this weekend, I had resigned myself to the fact that I will be up this week.  I'm ALWAYS up in weight the week after my friends are in town.  That's how my body works.....I go crazy while they are here, throw everything away, and gain back more of those pounds that I worked soooo hard to get off.  Since it always happens that way, that's what was supposed to happen this year......but, it didn't.

I made a choice.  I decided that I would indulge on certain things....for example, I wasn't going to limit myself to how many beers I drank at the party.  Instead, I made sure to watch what I was eating throughout the rest of the day to compensate.  My friends and I went for a mid-afternoon walk to enjoy the beautiful weather outside.  I also split a garbage plate (I have a blog post about this gluttonous dish coming soon) with my friend at 4:30 a.m.  Not only did we split it, but we didn't even finish it!!!

What was the result of my choice to be healthier this weekend?  I lost 0.4 this week.  YES!  DOWN 0.4.  I couldn't believe the scale when I weighed in. This was the week I knew I was going to be up.  No matter how hard I tried, the number on that scale was going to be up.....but my choices said otherwise.

The point is, we always have a choice to make.  Choose wisely *most* of the time, and you will be successful plain and simple.  Don't become part of that statistic with the obesity rate.  You have a choice now, so get on with it.

By the way, as an aside.....I have 6 more pounds to lose to be at 50 pound weight loss on weight watchers! Stay posted to see when I reach that!