Turning Disappointment Into Success

Well, Monday was weigh-in day and after all my planning and counting points and avoiding all the foods I absolutely love, I was UP .2lbs. UP!! Not even, not down which I really expected, but UP!! I know it was only .2lbs, that’s not much, but down .2 would have been huge. I had stepped up on that scale with such confidence; I just knew that I was going to see 1-2lbs down. I mean, I only had turkey, ham and a little broccoli casserole for Thanksgiving. I didn’t eat anything that I dearly loved. The stuffing, the noodles, the deviled eggs—the chocolate cake, I walked away from it all!! I was committed to losing this weight and I was going to be the example that if you eat smart and work hard that you can actually lose weight during the holidays. I failed. I was so disappointed in myself, I was humiliated that I had been so confident in this process and my confidence flew right out the window. It took all I had to fight the tears. I could hardly speak the rest of the night. I had decided that I was not ever going to lose weight and that it was the last time I was going to Weight Watchers.

Well, I got home, ate dinner (yes, I counted the points) and went upstairs and took a hot bath. As I lay there, I started thinking about all the times I had let my disappointment get the best of me. How I allowed disappointment to always strip a little bit of my confidence away, like I wasn’t worth whatever it was I was trying to obtain (relationships, jobs, weight, etc.). I allowed an emotion to control me and what I wanted to obtain. I allowed it. And right then I realized I was not going to ever allow an emotion to control me ever again. For me, sharing (blogging) about my weight-loss journey is therapeutic. I mean, what use would I be to anyone that reads my blog, if I gave up after gaining weight? How could I maybe help that one person that is struggling with the same thing? How would I ever be an example to my son if I gave up after every disappointment?

When Quinn strikes out one day, I will not tell him to quit the team because he was disappointed in the way he played. When Quinn doesn’t score that A that he studied so hard for, I won’t tell him to give up on learning. When Quinn’s heart is broken by his first love, I won’t tell him to ever give up on love. What I will tell him is that life is full of disappointment. That what we do with that disappointment is what makes us successful. Practice more, study more and love more. That is what I will tell him. Never give up. One of my favorite quotes is from Michael Jordan “I've missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I've lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I've been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I've failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.” Success comes from never giving into your emotions”.

So I gained a little weight. The good thing is I didn’t gain a lot of weight. If I had of eaten all the foods that I dearly loved, I would have most definitely gained a lot more!! According to www.well.blogs.nytimes.com the average overweight person gains apx.5lbs during the holidays. If you take Thanksgiving week to New Years week, that is about 1lb per week. So, being up .2lbs is actually really amazing!! I am an overweight person, actually, I am considered obese, so not gaining that 1lb during Thanksgiving is really good. In the big scheme of things I was actually very successful. My overall weight-loss in 3 weeks is still 8.8lbs!!

So as we approach these upcoming holiday weeks and the holiday treats starting popping up at work and the cookies start being baked at home, I will allow myself to have a treat every now and then but I will continue to focus on a cleaner, healthier food intake. I will start focusing more on my daily activity and I will continue to log and blog. I encourage you to do the same. Focus on what you’re eating and what you’re doing. Replace that candybar with an apple and take a quick walk around the block, or head the mall and walk around. Every little bit will help. Here are a few suggestions that I will use these next few weeks and maybe they will help you too.

• Put your disappointment behind you and use what you learned to try to reach your goal next time.

• Recognize the things you accomplished during the experience, even if you see it as a failure. Remind yourself that your hard work paid off, even if it was not in the way you were expecting.

• Acknowledge your mistakes. Consider the reasons why you didn’t reach your goal, and make an effort to avoid the same mistakes in the future.

• Eliminate unrealistic goals. Sit down and reevaluate your wants and abilities, and formulate a goal that is challenging, rewarding, and attainable.

Just remember, you can’t be disappointed if you didn’t try.

And if you tried that means that you took an action to better yourself.

If you took an action that means that you have it in you

And if you have it in you then you can do it again

And if you do it again, you will succeed!!

Turkey and Broccoli and Pie....OH MY!!!

Well the holidays are upon us and for those of use that are really trying to watch what we eat and lose the weight, this time of year is a tough one. Let’s admit it, we can say that were going to only get a little taste of everything, but after that first bite your taste buds go into overdrive and it’s all you can do to to get back in line and start filling your plate with your favorite foods; broccoli casserole, stuffing (the real thing), oyster casserole, green bean casserole, pumpkin pie, caramel cake!! So many good foods end in casserole have you ever realized that that? I just did. *sigh* Anyway, I have been preplanning my Thanksgiving plate in my head for a week now. That may sound crazy, but the only way I am going to continue my weight loss is to be prepared. I prepare my foods daily; for breakfast, lunch and dinner. I know what I am going to eat for every meal of the day. So why should Thanksgiving be any different.

First and foremost, let me say I am so blessed and thankful this holiday season. I will be spending the holidays with a loving husband, an amazing little boy, my mom, stepdad, sisters, brother’s-in-law and my nieces and nephews. I will get to hug my aunts, uncles, cousins and even my grandmother. This day is truly so much more than food. It is a day to be thankful for all the prayers that have been answered, the memories made and to remember those that are no longer with us. It is about being thankful. It is about family. Now, with that said, you should know, when my family gathers, there will be food—LOTS OF FOOD!!!

For me, I know the main foods that will be in my Grannys kitchen this Thursday. For that matter, I already pretty much know who is making what. We plan. We assign foods and paper goods and drinks. We want to make sure we have plenty for the numerous people that will be around our Thanksgiving table, and trust me, we always have plenty!! So I am already calculating points. I am already envisioning my plate and what will be on it. If you struggle with something, you have to preplan, you have to think it out, and you have to know what your weaknesses are and what you need to do to overcome that weakness. I know my weaknesses. I know the foods that I will want to pile on my plate. And I do mean pile. I love the broccoli casserole, I love the REAL mashed potatoes, the real mac and cheese, I love the dressing and the caramel cake. There are so many things that will be in my Granny’s kitchen this Thursday afternoon that my mouth is salivating right now just thinking about it. So, knowing these weaknesses, I have preplanned my plate.

I am also being responsible for bringing foods that have 0 points. The healthy food if you will. I am bringing a veggie tray with a fat free veggie dip (1 point per serving) and a fruit tray with a very low calorie yet very tasty cheesecake fruit dip (1 point per serving). This is what I plan to munch on. This is what I plan to eat when I want to go back for seconds. I have compiled a few points below for some of our favorite things on Thanksgiving. Keep in mind, a person at a healthy weight would have like 26 points per day to eat. If your over weight, you obviously get more, but just look at these points and decide yourself, is it really worth eating if you’re really trying to lose the weight?

Turkey: white meat, no skin, 4 points

Green Bean casserole, ¾ cup, 5 points

Mashed potatoes, 1 cup, 8 points

Cranberry sauce, 1/3 cup, 8 points

Stuffing, 1 cup, 9 points

Broccoli Casserole, 1 cup, 6 points

Pecan Pie, 1 slice, 14 points

Pumpkin pie, 1 slice (no whip), 8 points

Know your portions. (WeightWatchers.com)

Use your hand to measure the actual amount of food on your plate. Here's how:

•Your fist is equal to one medium fruit or one measured cup

•Your palm minus the fingers is a 3 ounce portion of cooked meat

•Your thumb (whole thumb, from tip to base) is equal to one ounce of meat or cheese

•Your thumb from the tip to the first joint is about 1 tablespoon

•Your index finger from the tip to the first joint is about 1 teaspoon

These are just a few things I could find. My plan this year is to eat more veggies (cooked and raw) and less of the “good” stuff. I will have a “taste” of the broccoli, and the stuffing and the mashed potatoes, but I am looking forward to proving to myself that I can make smarter choices. I have the power over what I eat and what I don’t. I have the will and the desire to lose this weight that has taken me 25+ years to gain. I will get healthy and I hope that you will join me.

Weight loss update: I lost 5.4lbs last week so my grand total weight loss is 9lbs in 2 weeks. This has not been an easy 2 weeks, I won’t lie. But it has been two of the most rewarding in regard to my confidence and will power. I only worked out 1 day during this 2 week stint, so I wonder where I would be with activity?? My focus, however, is getting my head right. Making myself realize that I don’t need all the junk and that I actually like the good!! I will get back to the gym very soon. I actually miss going. I have a great workout partner that makes working out fun. But until then, I will log my food. ALL my food!! It’s the only way to stay on track!!
Thank you for reading Eat.Drink.Play and I hope you and your family have a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday!!