Perfect Storm

I made it through the difficult week following a weight gain.  So many times I wanted to throw my hands up in the air and eat something fantastically unhealthy.  But no.  I stuck to my guns (what does that even mean?) and made it through the week successfully.  I lost 6.6 pounds.  The moral of the story is moderation in all things is important, even when I have the points available.

Okay, I am a nerd and looked up what it means to "stick to my guns".  It means to remain firm in one's convictions; to stand up for one's rights. (on a soldier remaining in place to fire a gun even when all appears to be lost.)  This is exactly what I was doing last week.  I think it is easy to look at small setbacks as loss of all hope.  Yesterday at my WW meeting we talked about why we are losing weight.  At first I thought, "Don't worry, I got this covered."  I was prepared to tune out, and then my meeting leader told us not to write down why we didn't want to lose the weight.  I thought she was being dumb.  Why would I think about something negative? I gave in and played along.  I don't want to lose the weight because I don't want to make meal plans, or worry about what is being served at social gatherings, and I definitely want to eat all the junk I haven't been eating - in the amounts that I want.  Then she asked us to write down why we wanted to lose the weight. I wrote down about wanting to be able to have a family, having more energy, and shopping at cute clothing stores.  Of course the list goes on, but what I realized is that the reasons to not lose weight have to do with the here and now.  The reasons to lose weight have to do with a better tomorrow.  Mind Blown!

This week is the week of the perfect storm.  Today is my sweet hubby's birthday.  Tomorrow is my birthday. Thursday is Thanksgiving and my mother in law's birthday.  That means three days of birthday cake, birthday celebrations, birthday dinners, and Thanksgiving.  If you have been reading my blog for awhile you already know that I have been worried about Thanksgiving.  So I have come to a conclusion.  I have two options.  I can give in and eat, a lot.  Or, I can make this week count.  I have chosen the latter option.  I am monitoring my points, and I will be enjoying each day with caution before putting anything on my plate.  I cannot afford to lose momentum.  The truth is there will be another turkey, birthday cake, and double bacon cheeseburger. This week is only going to happen once.  I can enjoy these happy times with friends and family without gaining weight.  I can also enjoy eating yummy food without over indulging.  I already know what we are having for Dinner two of the three days (my birthday is still up in the air), so I am going to plan what I am going to eat, and then I am going to relax and have fun.  It is just food.

I am off work this week.  I am enjoying having the time off to relax and decompress.  Yesterday I spent the day cleaning.  It was amazingly therapeutic.  I even cleaned out the fridge.  The feeling of accomplishment is so nice.  I am sitting here in my living room now appreciating getting things picked up.  There is much I still want to do, but I have decided that I am going to hold off until after we have moved.  I am pinning up a storm on how to organize everything (well I pinned them before and am actually preparing to use those great ideas).  The truth is I am immensely blessed.  I have so much to be thankful for.  I can see that when I realize the reason I need to organize is because I have things that need to be organized: food storage, linens, movies and music, clothing, dishes, small appliances, and so on.  Honestly I need to remember how much I have. Even when things seem hard, I still have so much to be thankful for.

I hope everyone has a happy and safe Thanksgiving.  Enjoy spending time with family and friends.