Keys_to_Success

Keys to My Success
These are a few of the things that I have learned along the way that have helped me progress towards goal.

Follow the Program EVERYDAY: Make this your lifestyle, find the balance that works for you, and allow for no "Off Program" days. This doesn't mean that you can't go out of your range. What I mean is that it is best to not allow yourself to get into the mindset of "On Program" and "Off Program". When you allow for this to occur, the plan becomes more of a diet. Many times, once you go off, you most likely will not get back on.

Journal HONESTLY: Journalling is so important to achieving weight loss. Journalling allows for you to track your food intake throughout each day and each week. The more you know about your food style, the more you will know where you can make improvements to your plan.
Being honest in your journal is very important to being successful as well. If you have eaten 6 cookies, journal all 6. Make a promise to yourself to be honest in your journal. If you have documentation of a binge, high day or under POINTS day, you can better learn from your slip. So many times, I have wanted to write less in my journal, but who would I be kidding... only myself. I suggest exchanging journals with a friend once in a while to keep you honest. :)

Plan your day: Planning your day means that you have a means of action. I try to plan at least my breakfast and lunch and leave dinner to what I may feel like during the day. I have heard others plan their day around what they will prepare for dinner so that they can enjoy the same meal with their family. Find what works best for you.
Also, plan your activity for the day. I work out in the morning and/or evening depending on my mood and convenience. If you know that you will be busy during your normal time, add your activity to another part of the day. You will be amazed at how many opportunities you will discover throughout your day.

Exercise (Activity): I started my workout program after I felt confident with the food portion of my plan. (I think WW has the right idea of adding activity information at week four.) I did not want to overwhelm myself with too many changes. I now work out a minimum of 5 days a week. I have found that exercise has helped me shape my body, lose weight as well as make my weight loss journey more fun. It gives you more motivation when you make progress in your workouts such as lifting more weight, running faster, or adding a few minutes to your workout session.
I also make sure to try new activities and add them to my workout regimen if I like it. This helps with boredom and allows for a new focus.

Know Hunger: If you are eating for emotional reasons, you might want to sit down and distinguish true hunger from emotional hunger. At the time that I began WW, I had forgotten what it felt like to be truly hungry. I was feeding my face in such a constant manner that I never allowed myself to feel hungry. One of the first thing that I did when I started the program was to make myself feel what true hunger was and wait at least 10 minutes before eating again. This helped to know when I wanted to eat to satisfy an emotion or true hunger. If I wanted to eat out of emotional reasons, I started to work through these. (I now know that I eat mostly out of boredom, so I have to occupy myself better.)

Mini-goals: Make sure to set mini-goals and reward yourself for achieving your goal. This has become so important to me as my weight loss has slowed. You can make your mini-goal a number of pounds lost, drinking your water, number of the scale, anything that you may be struggling with on the plan, etc. You can reward yourself with anything: shoes, jewelry, books, candles, a trip to a spa, WW materials, to name a few. (I have quite a shoe collection now! :D) Pick something that will motivate you to strive towards your goal. This was especially important to me as the scale was not reflecting my hard work OP.

Take pictures (LOTS of them!): Take lots of pictures along the way.It is a nice way to remember where you started and where you are in your weight loss effort. Sometimes, it was the only way that I saw progress because I didn't see it in the mirror.

Take your measurements: Again, like pictures, it may be the only way you can get an idea of how you are progressing. Be consistent about taking them.

THE SCALE: AKA "The Metal Monster" There is so much to be said about the scale. What I must share if nothing else is don't judge your progress solely by what the scale reads. I have Don't judge how well your week was by what the scale says. If you were strictly OP during the week and the scale doesn't show it, do not allow yourself to feel as if it was "all a waste." You should reward yourself (even a pat on the back) for staying OP. I remember during my most frustrated period OP, I had a "perfect" week; I stayed within my POINTS, exercised daily, checked off ALL the boxes in my journal and even took my multivitamin. I ended up gaining .2! I know, it's really nothing, but when I had worked so diligently and got a result like that it can devastating. Well, I cried at my meeting and got what I needed, support and encouragement.

"Red Light" Foods: Proceed with caution, but remember nothing is off limits! I limited my exposure to certain foods that I could not control. I had a "Doritos Infatuation" and knew that I could not safely allow myself to eat them without getting out of control. I did not eat any until I felt that I could better managed them. It took a few attempts, but I finally got it down. Now, I don't even buy them because they don't taste the same to me. If need be limit/eliminate your "red light" foods from your house. If they are for someone else in your household, they probably don't need them either. If it is a must-have, ask the owner to keep it somewhere that you don't know about to keep yourself in control. "If you see it, you eat it.:

Don't judge your week on a single meal or even a day: Sometimes, when we are asked at the scale how our week was, we can only describe the one bad meal/day of poor choices and let the other good choices go unnoticed. It is important to think about your entire week and the successes that made up your week.