It is apparent to me now that I must have some clear motivation to get to my goal weight. When I started this journey four years ago my motivation was skydiving. There was a weight limit and I exceeded it. I thought I'd have to prove that I was under the limit in front of a crowd. Looking back that was a silly notion, but it worked so I don't care. Since that time, I've had various reasons to lose weight and they've worked for at least the short term.
At two points along this journey, I've been 20 pounds away from goal. I sit here today 60 pounds away. I'm tired of that. I've got to find a way out that will be for good. As resolute as I am and as adamantly as I shout I will never regain those pounds again, I know I need something more than determination.
I also know that a goal to be healthy just won't work for me. That is just to nebulous and hard to measure. I can't go get a blood chemistry every week to see if my cholesterol is in the right range. I really don't trust my feelings as to how to determine if I feel better today than I did last week. Besides there are too many outside factors that determine how I feel about my fitness. Not all of which I can control.
Right now, I have a good motivator in that I have a wedding coming up on May 12. That is great! I'll be spot on with my plan between now and then. That is the 'easy' part. My problem is May 13. I have to have something beyond that. Something bigger than a date on the calendar. I know from experience that I need more. I just haven't put my finger on it yet.
For now, I'm enjoying the motivation that the wedding brings and maybe by the time May 13 arrives, I'll have hit upon something else that is more far reaching and sustainable than a date on a calendar. I'm open to suggestion.
BTW, since I made the change that Sharon suggested, I haven't had any more of those spam comments. I hope the changes don't make it to difficult for me to get the comments I really want. Please let me know if anyone is having trouble. I don't want that.
Lessons Learned
4 years ago
From the book, "Made To Crave" (which I highly recommend), I learned that the secret is in discovering what we want MORE than we want food. For the Christian, as I know we both are, that craving is meant to be filled by loving God and doing his work. IRL, I find that a bit simplistic and seek to find ways to live out those goals in very practical ways. For me, when I am in the woods hiking, I find that passion. Thoughts of food are as far from my mind as they can be and eating simply becomes what one has to do in order to not pass out!! I also believe that it pleases God and is a part of loving God when I live out that love of nature which he has planted in my soul. But I can't hike all day every day. And that's where it becomes tough. Finding that "thing" which I crave more than food on a moment-by-moment basis is the ongoing challenge which will never be completely fulfilled this side of Heaven, yet all we can do is keep trying. I also believe that pleases God.
ReplyDeletei'mwith you on needing goals april 13 i have my 1st 5k so that it til then , not sure whatafter that. i KNOW we'll both figure it out though! xoxoxo
ReplyDeleteAny family reunions, anniversaries, birthdays coming up? Could you buy a new dress or outfit that you hope to fit into and work towards losing to get into that? Plan a physical activity adventure of some kind for late summer/early fall and work towards that? Good idea! Best of luck finding the new motivator after the wedding bells. :)
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