Thursday Themes

My last week's weigh-in showed just a .2 pound decrease, nothing to write home about. It must have been one of those days where I was carrying some extra weight in fluid or energy storage, because I weighed myself this morning and was down a full 3.3 pounds. It's possible that next week will be a small loss (or even a small gain) because THE SCALE LIES SOMETIMES. That's one of the reasons why the experts at SP tell us not to weigh ourselves every day. You'll get discouraged if you see the scale go up and down on a daily basis. It's better to see your progress after a week or two, and know in between weigh-ins that you're still following the program.

So I thought today I'd offer some of my tips for being successful. I've read a number of posts on the message boards and blogs where folks talk about some of the challenges they've been facing. Yep, we've all been there! Maybe these tips will help others get on track, like they've helped me.

DON'T WEIGH YOURSELF - WEIGH YOUR FOOD. I've gotten pretty obsessed with making sure my portions are accurate and under control. If a serving of dried pasta is 2 ounces, then I want to make sure that I'm pouring out EXACTLY TWO OUNCES. My kitchen scale is digital. I can put any vessel on the scale and then press the button to reset to 0, so I'm measuring the food, not the container. I do not rely on my eyeballs, which are notorious for being bigger than my stomach! If you don't have a kitchen scale, I strongly encourage you to buy one. They cost about $10, and the digital ones are great. TIP: if something you eat often is measured by a cup rather than the number of ounces, then measure out the correct portion in the measuring cup, and then weigh the food. That will tell you what the scale should be, and you don't have to use the measuring cup every time. (The one thing my scale doesn't do is weigh in grams, which are on many packages. If you can find a scale that will switch between grams, ounces, and pounds, you've got a winner!)

SWEAT. You've probably heard the quotation "Don't sweat the small stuff." Well, when it comes to your workouts, sweating is a good thing. If you aren't breaking a sweat in your workouts, then it's time to kick it up a notch. You aren't going to get as good a workout walking at 1 mile per hour if your body can handle 2 mph. I've really tried to push myself on every workout, not to the point of exhaustion, but to the point where my breathing gets heavier and the sweat is dripping off my face. Just remember to please check with your doctor to make sure you are ready for a higher level of intensity in your activity.

BELIEVE IN YOURSELF. All of us are in the shape we're in because of the choices we've made. We chose to have that second helping, or supersized our fast food order, or sat on the couch and watched TV instead of getting up and moving. Just for today, BELIEVE. Believe that you can control your portions. Believe that you can be active for at least 10 minutes today. Believe that your clothes are going to get looser on you and that you'll be able to tighten your belt to the next notch. Maybe not tomorrow, but soon. It starts with YOU believing in YOU.

Six months ago, the doctor told me that I could get out of the wheelchair and use a walker, cane, or crutches. Well, the crutches didn't work because of my shoulder, but I figured out how to use the cane and walker and pushed myself to the limit to make sure I never became dependent on them. Yesterday I walked for nearly 4 miles in just 75 minutes, head held high and absolutely nothing but my legs to hold me up.

I hope these tips help to motivate you, like they've helped me. I need these reminders every once in a while too. And remember that small changes can yield BIG results!

Have a great Thursday, everyone!