Month: July 2021

Do One Thing Different

On By TerriIn Inspiration, Mindset, UncategorizedLeave a comment

“If you always do what you’ve always done, then you’ll always get what you always got”

That mantra has been rolling around in my head for a couple of weeks now.  I first heard it when I was in the middle of my 5th journey with Weight Watchers, the journey that finally resulted in my reaching my weight goal and achieving Lifetime status.  That was a long time ago, now.

This quote is so accurate.  And it is one of the keys to success.  Doing something different….making changes, the kind of changes that become habit, is key to success.  And necessary.

I have been on a rollercoaster journey the past few years… up… down…. topsy-turvey……. It has been a difficult journey at times. 

A couple of months ago, a group of ladies and I started meeting virtually each week and in person once a month, to support each other on this journey and to discuss various topics.  Our own support group and accountability group.  Boy have I missed them and meeting as a group.

Through this group and our discussions I realized my why, and how to keep it close (more on that soon) and I revisited “the basics” that help on this journey.  You know, ALL those things I used to do and the things I KNOW work for me.

But I was still stuck.  Up and down and all around…… I just wasn’t getting anywhere.

And then my husband and I went on vacation.  A 3 week roadtrip…. 4100 miles driven….. 6 states…… lots of family and long-time friends visited….. and GREAT food (especially in San Francisco!). 

Yes, on vacation.  I told myself that I was NOT going to gain.  I had a plan.  I packed healthy snacks.  I prepped the cooler and loaded drinks and fruit.  I was ready.  But I had been on vacation before.  And I knew what happens…. 

Vacation mode.

Well…. something was different this time.  The long hours on the road led to long discussions with my husband.  And my desire to reach my goals and my reminder of my why were strong…. Very strong.  So….

I did not deprive myself because saying no and deprivation would only backfire.  So, I had a few cookies over the days in San Francisco…. Amazing cookies my son made for us.  I had sourdough bread, and pastries and pasta and croissants and so much more.  I had dessert in WA.  I had burgers, fish and chips, wine and beer. 

And I maintained.

How?

I go back to the quote at the beginning of this post— I did not do what I always did.  I stopped telling myself that tomorrow was another day, so what I was eating today wouldn’t matter (because tomorrow NEVER comes and it DOES matter).  I shared meals with my husband.  I ate half of my meal.  I listened to my body instead of my head and that made a HUGE difference.  When I was full I turned down dessert.  After dinner I stopped eating.  I didn’t buy soda and chips and candy bars for nighttime snacking in the hotel rooms. 

I DID something DIFFERENT. 

In order to get a different outcome, we have to stop doing the same things we have always done.  And that is HARD!!  Very HARD!! 

Doing what we have always done, doing the same thing is comfortable.  It keeps us in our comfort zone and then we end up with the same result. 

In order to get that different result we HAVE to do something different- just ONE thing will make a difference.  Something outside that comfort zone. 

That is what helped me maintain on my trip and what has helped me to lose 3.4 lbs in the week after returning home.  I am just doing things different.  Getting out of my comfort zone. 

What are you doing that you have always done, but it is holding you back and keeping you stuck?  What is one thing you could do different today?  Just one thing! 

Advertisement

Finding My “Tribe”

On By TerriIn Inspiration, Uncategorized1 Comment

Support is so important on this journey of losing weight and becoming the healthiest version we can be.  But I am not just talking about the support from our family and close friends, which is very important. 

I am talking about the support and the accountability that is found in a group.  A group of individuals who are all on a similar journey.  A group of individuals who “get it”.  They have been there.  They understand.  And there is NO judgement.

Finding that kind of group is priceless.  And if we are lucky enough to find a group where we can find support and understanding and accountability, where we can nod and think, “yes, I too have felt that way” or “yes, I have been there too”, then we really need to hold on to that group, cultivating relationships that will last.  Relationships built on shared experiences, and a shared journey.

That group experience is what drew me to Weight Watchers in the first place. 

And Weight Watchers is where I found a group like that in 2005 when I joined for the 5th time.  The members in that meeting were my “tribe”.  We celebrated together, lifted each other up when we were down, shared ideas, shared tips, shared our journeys.  We laughed together and sometimes cried together.  We were all on this weight loss journey, a similar journey, yet an individual journey, too.

That group helped me to reach so many aha’s…. those lightbulb moments.  That group and the leader helped me to believe in me and helped me to reach my goals. 

And then I had to leave. 

I have found other groups here and there in the many places I have lived over the years.  And as a coach for WW, I met many individuals who inspired me to continue to work on being the best version of me that I could be.  I found people I connected with in those groups I lead.  They were a part of my tribe, but leading was not the same as being a member, a part of the group where we all shared our struggles, challenges and successes. For 12 years I have struggled to find my “tribe”, that group where I could just be a member, contributing and connecting with others, who are on this shared journey.

Until now.

2 months ago, a group of my friends and ladies I had met through WW workshops, and those who had become my walking partners and 5k partners, decided we all would like and needed more accountability and support. 

So, we started meeting every Monday night via zoom.  And we met in person, once a month.  This has become MY tribe.  The tribe I had been missing.  The tribe that is helping me reach the goals I am setting for myself.  When I am struggling, they “get it”.  They just “get it”.   NO judgement. 

Oh, how I have needed this.

These ladies inspire me so much!  We support each other throughout the week and check in to see how we are all doing with the commitments we make to each other.  We discuss topics that are of interest to us, our challenges and our successes.  We celebrate each others success and we understand each persons challenges.  We ALL “get it”!  We are friends.  We are a tribe!

Yes, I have needed this.

Our group has grown a little and each new face is welcomed as if they are an old friend.  THAT is what a tribe is like.  THAT is what I have been looking for.  And THAT is what I have found with these ladies, my friends. 

Do you have a support group for your journey?  A group outside your family?  Maybe you found your tribe in a WW Workshop?  Or through another friend who attends a group? 

This journey is HARD!  Really HARD!  But doing this journey with a tribe of others who are also somewhere on that same journey, well, it makes it just a little bit easier.  

My tribe has made this perfectly imperfect journey easier for me!  And that makes it perfect for me!