Just got in this morning from the ww meeting. I was sooo excited to weigh in, as I had stayed the same last week, and this week my daughter was away for the week on a youth group trip, my son was working, and I only had to make meals for my husband and I. That was easy, as he is on this journey with me.

 

This was a week of hours each day working out, eating exactly right,  measuring and weighing everything, drinking all of my waters and green tea. I actually keep looking back at the last week, and I can not come up with one thing to do differently. I truly thought the woman weighing me in would say I was at least 3 more pounds down.

 

The meeting topic was on stress and the question asked was, “how will you handle it?” It was actually ironic, because almost everyone in that room today either gained or stayed the same, and came into the room really angry or frustrated, including me. One man even gained 4 pounds after going to the gym 4 times that week.

 

All I kept thinking, sitting there, was….do you know what I did this week? I worked out 6 days for at least an hour to 2 hours, ate all healthy foods, the only 2 snacks I had in a day were the aloha granola ww bar and my 2 point ww ice cream pop each night as a treat. That’s it….I don’t drink any alcohol, not even a diet soda….water, green tea and coffee, that’s it, unless I do a ww fruit smoothie. As I said, I couldn’t have done anything more right during this week, and 1 pound loss is just upsetting at this point.

 

So, thank God for the ww meeting, filled with others in this same struggle, and a leader who is fully in it with us. She is extraordinary! As we all waited for the meeting to begin, already spewing out all of our frustrations, anger, thoughts of feeling defeated….She not only, then, in the midst of knowing this was going to be a really really tough hour to get everyone inspired and back on target and believing in themselves,…she starts to give the greatest advice, pulling out everything she knows works… and she, again, in her beautiful way, provides a safe place and orchestrates a time of sharing where everyone shares amazing wisdom through all of their own personal struggles and successes,  so that we can all pass on something to inspire someone else….so that no matter what the scale said today, we all leave empowered and not defeated…heading into a week to do the best we can, with all we know…walking out of the room once again knowing fully that everyone there is on our side and in our heads, inspiring each next choice and challenge this new week will have.

 

And we leave the meeting, knowing, as one woman shared this morning…that we will do our best, choose to accept ourselves, and we will all come together next Saturday to help one another, again…to celebrate together, share together, inspire one another, lift one another up, and walk through it together.

 

As Elyse reminded us, there is no plan B….We are going to stay with Plan A..the plan to get healthier and more fit and lighter. She reminded us that we are still on the right path, whether the scale is up or down. She reminded us to look at our problems as challenges, and not obstacles, and I choose to keep going in this challenge, and will win it.

 

She reminded us of the word “H.A.B.I.T” –Having a Bite Involves Thinking…so we really have to think about each bite we are taking. Although I sat there thinking about all of the time and energy I put into the exercise and cooking and eating right…feeling sorry for myself, Elyse reminded us of all the time it takes to find something to wear or something to fit right, when you don’t feel good about yourself. I’m looking forward to the day I can just grab absolutely anything out of my closet and just put it on, knowing it will fit and look great. How easy it is when the day comes and you just get to throw on a pair of shorts and tuck in a cute shirt…and not worry about that “third layer” to cover up everything….that’s the dream and the challenge to still shoot for. She reminded us that choice, not chance determines our destiny. So continuing to make the right and best choices will make a difference. It is worth the time it takes now….it is hard work, and it will come off the scale. If we continue to do all the right things, it will eventually show on the scale.

 

We also all had the opportunity to share “off scale” successes….seeing that our clothes are fitting better, we are breathing better…i just got back all of my numbers from my doctor visit…I have great blood pressure, my cholesterols are all amazing numbers, my triglycerides went down 51 points! (a good triglyceride number is anything less than 150. I went from 132 to 81!!! (and as of today, I am 43 pounds down)..These are amazing accomplishments that I have to hold onto when I am busy focusing on the scale number. My arms are actually starting to show muscle definition from all of the gym classes. This is what we were reminded to look at today. One woman shared an amazing story that last year she was able to give her kidney to someone…because she was healthy enough at that point to do it, as she had just lost 40 pounds.

 

So, at around 8:30am this morning I, along with many others sat in a ww meeting stressed, angry, frustrated, soooo mad…… as we shook our heads in anger and disappointment at a number on the scale….but by making the first great choice…to be at and stay at a meeting…we left empowered once again to take on this challenge, and challenges are there so that we can choose to take them on and win!

 

At the last moments of the meeting, Elyse reminded us that…”the past is history, the future is a mystery, and today is a gift” (that’s why they call it the present). So I sit here continuing to unwrap the gift of today, thankful that I was able to spend my morning with others who know exactly what I am going through, and continue to join me in this journey and challenge…which will be won….I STILL BELIEVE!