Cue Aerosmith and strains of ‘Back in the Saddle Again’ come floating through the room. I know, I know…a familiar tune seen ’round here on the blog…
The on again, off again yo-yo of sticking with a ‘good for us’ eating and exercise plan. One that competes with the actuality of life with 3 crazy kids, one insane cat, and two stressed to the max parents!
This past year’s attempt was a complete doozy for us. We were…how do you put this nicely…completely unsuccessful.
I told you about several of our roadblocks, but I think more than anything, said roadblocks were just excuses to not really be committed to the changes we were “attempting” to embrace. It was easier for us to just eat convenience food.
Whatever choices we were making food wise, it was not healthy by any stretch of the imagination. And we suffered for it in ways that I can’t even begin to describe. We let stress dictate every aspect of our lives. From what went into our mouth, to how we interacted with each other, to how we treated our kids…stress ruled it all
And lemme tell ya, it wasn’t all sunshine and roses!
Kicking Stress OUT!
But now, it’s a New Year and time to wrest back control from that all-encompassing stress monster! After letting ourselves go for so long, we not only gained back everything we lost, but then some. Since this same time last year, I’ve managed to pack on an additional 23 lbs over and above my original starting point!
OUCH!
That’s quite a blow to an already damaged psyche: knowing what I have facing me and then adding even more to it.
A Choice to Make
1. I can choose to let it defeat me before I even get started. I can climb back in the bed, hide under the covers, and go back to eating the bad-for-me food that got me in this situation in the first place.
{There’s that stress monster waiting in the wings again!}
{Ready to pounce the moment my defenses are down!}
OR
2. I can choose to tackle it head on. I can accept that I made less than stellar choices in 2013 and I can vow, here and now, that 2014 is going to be better.
(It’s obvious there’s only 1 real choice here!)
So, decision made. I’ll be doing things a bit differently this time around. I’m still going to utilize Weight Watchers and their Points+ system, because I think it is absolutely the most liveable eating plan out there. I’m still writing my menus and working in some ‘cheat days’ because we can’t all be 100%, 100% of the time.
But I’m not going to concentrate so much on the numbers on the scale this time.
Doing it Differently This Time
I think I have a tendency to get inside my own head too much when trying to change my whole approach to food. Unfortunately, if I don’t see the numbers dropping rapidly enough, I give up too easily.
This time, I want to concentrate on the things I do notice rapidly and regularly- like how I have more energy, or how much better I am sleeping. The fact that I can take a shower without being out of breath.
{Not there yet, but hopefully soon!}
So, while my actual weigh-ins may be sporadic, my #weighinwednesdays will focus more on how I’m feeling and changes I’m noticing. I’ll pay attention to how I feel physically, emotionally, mentally, spiritually, etc., instead of only concentrating on those blasted digital numbers!
More than anything though, I am going to do everything in my power to eradicate the stress monster that seems to control my life. As my ‘notable quotable’ for this week says, ‘happiness means learning to say no to people and things that stress you out‘.
I’ve never found it easy to say no- to anyone or anything- and consequently, I pay the price for it on a regular basis. I’ve decided that this year, I HAVE to put myself first.
As much as I love my family and friends, I am no good to them unhealthy, out of shape, overtired, irritable, or sick. And this is how I find myself too often due to my weight and stress level.
So, it’s time to start saying NO to STRESS and YES to ME!
Rest assured, I’ll divulge my new stress busting tips and tricks soon.
FYI- they’ll work for EVERYONE…
not just plump/stay@home/homeschooling moms!
Stay tuned!
Here’s hoping that 2014 is a stellar one for us all!
Happy {late} New Year!!
Til next time…
@weightwatchers #weightwatchers #stressmonster #stress
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