It’s Thursday.  The day I choose as my weigh-in day.  The day I choose to restart my week. 

I thought for extra accountability, that I would share here, each Thursday, how the week went and how my weigh-in went.  I also will share what I have learned, what worked and what didn’t.

Here goes for this week-

I stepped on the scale this morning before attending a virtual workshop and I was down 1.4 lbs! 

Happy Dance!!  Woohoo!!

I have to admit that I do like seeing the scale go down, yet I know it won’t always go down.  The scale just doesn’t always match the whole picture.  But this week, I was down!!  I will take that!

So, what was different this week?  What did I do differently?  What did I learn? 

–This week I tracked!  Yes, I tracked!  EVERY DAY!  EVERYTHING I ate!  Last weeks workshop inspired me to track.  And that is what I did different this week!  7 days!  (and today is day 8 of my streak!  How long can I keep this going?)

–I learned that I do NOT have to be perfect in my food choices.  As long as I am aware and I am mindful, there is no deprivation.  If I track it, then I am aware.  This week was not a perfect week—but I did not feel deprived, and I made choices for myself (vs the Saboteur on my shoulder pushing my choices).  THAT is empowering.  I tracked the low point and 0 point items and I tracked the high point choices like the Apple Fritter (well worth the 23 points!), pizza night (2 slices and a bread stick) and Raising Canes (2 chicken fingers, ½ serving of fries and a piece of bread).  I got to choose!  I was in control! 

–I learned there is no guilt when I track the food and own the choice.  How empowering is that?

–Tracking keeps me aware and awareness keeps me on track.  It also makes me eat more mindfully.  Mindless eating is my downfall.

–The Saboteur on my shoulder whispers every day, multiple times and I don’t have to listen.  Much easier to make the choices I want to make for me when the Saboteur on my shoulder is not so loud.

My scale success this week encourages me and gives me a boost.  It feels good to be back in control!  Will I always be in control?  No.  (that is just the reality of things)  But that is okay, because I can get right back to it, with the support and inspiration I get through workshops, my friends, my tribe and my family.  I got this! 

But even if the scale had not gone down, I would still be proud of myself and proud of the week I had.  I tracked this week!  And that is something to be very proud of and to celebrate.  This journey isn’t just about the scale, it is also about establishing healthy habits that will be there for the rest of my life. It is about changing my mindset and my thoughts to more helpful and healthy ones.  It is about living my life my way and making this healthier lifestyle fit into my life, rather than me fitting into some program. 

I may not be perfect.  And that is okay.  A journey that is perfectly imperfect is the right one for me! 

What are you celebrating this week?  What are you proud of?  What did you learn?