February Blues

This time of year, we get sick of a lot of things - the cold, the dark, icy walkways and the work we need to do to stay on our Weight Watchers plan. Even getting on the scale is more difficult, since we are wearing so many clothes! Every aggravation is magnified, since we are not distracted by birds singing and leaves on the trees.

The results on the scale seem painfully slow, because we don't have enough sunlight and other warm weather things to be thankful for in the cold days of February. So my meeting discussions this week moved towards the direction of slow weight loss and plateaus. That's because we are focusing on the weight loss and not the behavior changes.

See, it's not the weight loss that makes us change our behavior, it the behavior (and mental) changes that create weight loss. The ultimate goal is not to get to a certain weight, though that is part of our success. The goal is to change our thoughts, behaviors, and habits in a way the fits into our life that is enjoyable, AND fits in the guidelines of the Weight Watchers plan. We need to realize following the WW good health guidelines is the right way to eat and that sitting on the couch and eating processed foods is not. We need to understand that going out to eat is not a reason to celebrate and that making healthy decision no matter where we are is the right plan of action. So if the checklist of success is longer, we are not putting all our eggs in the pounds lost basket.

My most successful members step back and think how can they can live their best life and know that being active, eating healthy foods and getting to healthy weight are all worth working towards and they never stop taking the actions to do so. So getting on the scale is only one part of a successful week. If you ate healthy meals, got to your Points target, moved more and consistently chose lower point, filling foods, you were a success. If you lost .5 to 2 pounds this week, you are on course. If you did not, did your goals change? NO! Keep working. Be honest with yourself and make the appropriate changes.

I don't DO mothering. I don't DO running. I don't DO WW Leadering. I AM a mother. I AM a runner. I AM a WW Leader. Am I always good at it? No. Do I give up? No. You don't DO Weight Watchers. You ARE a Weight Watcher! Did you act like one this week? Coming to the meeting is one action you can take to be a success this week. I'll be waiting!