Learning and Re-learning, Always, And Tracking!

I have some new conviction. It has come from all angles (or maybe it is all angels!). It is nothing new, but for some reason it has new meaning.

A few days ago I had a texting conversation with my two sisters about tracking. We have all been long time Weight Watcher members of varying degrees. One sister joined somewhere between 10 and 15 years ago and promptly got to goal and had remained there, is a receptionist, and encourages us immensely, even though at times she does not find it easy. Who does??? The other sister has remained (I think) a meeting going member for many years but has not found herself at goal (sounds familiar) and right now has gained noticeable pounds back. I have been an off and on-er for 40 years, found myself near goal (several different goals) but have never quite gotten there. In this conversation, we all mentioned the need for tracking. The most successful sister tracks daily, on paper. However, she usually abandons the paper while on vacation, then has h*** to pay when she gets home. The other sister has done away with consistent tracking this summer. Hmmmm, the need for tracking is obvious.

I, on the other hand, have not toooottttaaallllyy abandoned tracking, just on the days I don't want to track. In other words, I only have been tracking on the days when I "eat right". And thus, I still weight what I did a year ago. Well, what do I expect????

Then came the messages and posts from online friends showing their weigh in charts, at goal, and very consistently at goal, and their testimonies to tracking. Am I yet getting the message???

That very same day I ran across an article on another site altogether about the benefits of a food journal. Okay! Okay! Okay! I get it!

Then I recalled:
1) When I was first losing (this round) I was diligent with tracking and I remembered that if I didn't want to track it I wasn't going to eat it. How had that morphed into if I didn't want to track it I wouldn't???
2) I remembered the week, a few weeks after my husband's funeral when my sister came back from half way across the country to support me. She had been here for the funeral and she came back, just to be with me. It brings tears to my eyes just to write it. And during that week we tried tons of new recipes, we ate well, and we tracked it all. We had our calculators out figuring points down to the wire, and I lost over 4 pounds! That got me back on the tracking path for a while at least. As an aside, my other sister, had come from half way across the country in the other direction a couple of weeks before my husband passed away. She will never know how much she helped me get ready. I am a lucky lady to have two sisters like those two!
3) My weigh in chart put up next to my tracker, if we could do that on the WW site, would tell the story of how the two relate.

And so . . .
1) I have now had three days in a row with my tracker active and showing the right numbers.
2) My tracker is honest. After all, what good does it do to eat something and not write it down!?!? Who am I kidding?!?! Good grief! Talk about futile!
3) My sisters and I have continued the discussion and at least two of us have recommitted to up our game.

Stay tuned! I am planning for results!

And since yesterday was the first day back to school for teachers in my daughter and son-in-laws district and since their boys start back to day care next week, I got a couple of days with the grandboys! And I ate well, and I tracked, but snuggles, play dough, and pushing the swing don't get many Activity Points. I will get a good walk today. Here they are, my favorite guys . . .


Have a great weekend! I know I will as I am getting the calculator out and I'm pretracking my day. It will be updated and verified as the day goes on.