Do what I say and not what I do.....no need for a melt down!

Well yesterday was the last day of the latest session of the Lighten Up For Life program I've been working with to lose weight and to get healthy and fit.  I lost a lot of weight on the first session I attended from August 2011 to November 2011.  (35.4 pounds).....
And not so much this session (only about 8 pounds)....but adding that43.4 poungd to what I lost between May and August....I've lost 57 pounds.  And I've lost 13" on my waist and 10" on my hips.  So I should be pleased and proud and on top of the world.  I've done well enough for the fitness center to ask me to give short motivational speeches at the program meetings. 

So I tell everyone what motivates me, what scares me, why I struggle (and have struggled all my life) with weight gain. One thing I tell them (and that supposedly I've learned) is that you can not beat yourself up if the weigh-in doesn't show the weight loss you hoped for in that week; that you have to celebrate your effort, regroup, plan a new strategy and move forward and not give up.  That's what I tell them.  That's what I believe!  But yesterday morning I got on my home scale and it showed I had gained 3 pounds since my last weigh in........and I just lost it....had a mini-melt down....boo hoo'd like a baby.  And tried to explain the tears to John.  How important it was to have a good weigh in for the last "weigh in" of the program.  How you can't possibly understand if you've never been overweight and had that battle all your life.....blah, blah, blah, blah!

He wasn't buying it and neither was my trainer when I told him what had happened.  And they both told me pretty much the same thing......the same thing I've been telling other people who are trying to lose weight.  To look at how far I've come--to look at how much healthier and fit I am....to look back and see what I looked like and felt like before.....to quit beating myself up and be proud of my accomplishments.  As it turned out when I got weighed in at the meeting (on the scales I'd been weighed on for the last 12 weeks) I had only gained 1.6 pounds.  And Lord knows that could just be extra water or that I hadn't been eating enough calories and my metabolism (and other functions!) had slowed down.......

I was still feeling down when a lady that had also been coming to the meetings walked up to me and said "I want you to know that you are such an inspiration to me.....and you said something in your motivation speech last week that really struck home"..... I had said "I'm not training for a 5K. I'm not preparing for a competition.  I'm not trying to set a new record or impress anyone.  I'M SAVING MY LIFE.....I'm preparing to be fit at 99."  What she heard was I'M SAVING MY LIFE.   And her telling me how much I imspired her.......inspired me to turn the corners of my mouth up and get over my pity party.  It made me think about how far I have come and how well I've done.

My trainer, Shepherd Green, keeps telling me (and it's high time I listened) that I have the rest of my life to lose the 15 more pounds I want to lose and that today is the first day of the rest of my life.  My goal is to get healthy and fit and stay that way as I age.....and as my blog name says TO BE FIT AT 99!

Weight will fluctuate. From time to time we will eat something not necessarily healthy or non-fattening. Occassionally we won't make it to our fitness classes.  Sometimes we'll have to give ourselves a break and not weigh ourselves every day (or even once a week) and even though I've said it's important when you first start on a lifestyle chance (so you can get use to how many calories you are taking in and adjust your exercise accordingly) you don't necessarily need to count every calorie that goes in our mouth for the rest of your life.  This is a lifestyle change.  This is not a DIET.

So if you are joining me on this blog....I will try to give you sound advice and encouragment.  I will try to keep you motivated.  The goal is to get healthy and fit.....So read what I offer....and don't do what I did yesterday!

Eat something healthy...keep moving and I'll see you tomorrow.

Ciao

Oh and laugh....it does a body good!
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