and Thoughts For Motivation
There's no such thing as "only" (such as "I only lost a pound" ). All those only's add up.
It took a long time to gain all the weight. You can't expect it to go away overnight.
Nothing tastes as good as thin feels.
If you always do what you always did, you will always get what you always got.
You don't drown by falling in the water -- you drown by staying there. You have the power to get out.
Tiny steps make up a mile.
If it's not in the house, you can't eat it.
I will not be defeated by a stupid cookie!!!
All the woulda coulda shouldas ran away and hid from one little DID! (Shel Silverstein)
As Dori says, "Just keep swimming!"
It isn't what you do for one meal that causes you to gain or lose, it's what you do for 21 meals that makes a difference.
"Just because something is natural doesn't mean it's particularly healthy for you."
Sow a thought, reap an act.
Sow an act, reap a habit.
Sow a habit, reap a lifestyle.
Sow a lifestyle, reap a destiny."
I am a winner.
I am the best friend I have.
There is nothing I cannot handle.
I am capable of achieving my weight goal.
My family will benefit from my healthy changes.
I have the right to feel the way I do.
I am feeling thinner today.
I love the feeling of making progress.
I love the food that makes me thin.
Thin starts in the supermarket. If you don't buy it, you can't eat it.
Ounce by ounce, it all counts.
It's always too soon to quit and never too late to begin.
Don't stuff your face, Face your stuff.
Dance like nobody's watching; eat like somebody is!
Eating in private shows up in public.
If hunger's not the problem, food is not the answer.
You are more than a number on a scale.
The only way to fail is to fail to try.
Feedback Not Failure.
Choice, not chance, determines destiny.
Every day is an opportunity to make a new happy ending.
There are only two choices; make progress or make excuses.
Treat your body as your home. If you destroy this one, where will you
live next!
Nothing tastes as good as being in control feels.
A wish changes nothing, a decision changes everything.
Focus on progress, not perfection.
Knowledge is power only if you use it.
When you think you can, you will. When you think you can't, you
won't.
I'm feeling so thin inside, my outer is just about to catch up.
Thoughts:
Oprah Winfrey recognized her eating issues as a disease and it changed her life. When she eats as she'd like to, she gets fat. One day it occured to her that the diabetic can't just say, "Oh what the heck...I WANT that cookie" without the consequences of getting sick. She began to view her own relationship with food that same way --that she can't just have what she wants without consequence --and it changed everything.
Techniques:
Spare change reward system
Here is a great idea for those of you that need motivation. Get a jar, and some spare change. Everytime you do something good you put in money, here are some good guidelines, print them out and keep them next to your jar, and put money in for each accomplishment at the end of the day.
Stay within points (for those on WW) - $.25
Eat 5 servings of fruits and veggies - $.25
2-3 servings of low fat dairy - $.25
8 glasses of water - $.25
exercise (at lest 30 minutes) - $.25
Bonus
each pound lost - $.50
each pound gained, remove $.50 cents from the jar
If you don't have spare change you can always keep track of your money on paper and then on payday just put the whole amount in your jar. You can use this money for a manicure, pedicure, facial, massage, new wardrobe when you hit goal, or if you have lots to lose you can save up for at least part of the amount of some exercise equipment or a gym membership.
String trick
Put a jar or bowl on your dresser and get some string. Measure the string around your waist and cut it to length. Every so often, wrap the string around and cut off the overlapping bits. As you lose, put the trimmed bits in the bowl to show you the inches you're losing. You can use different colored strings for different parts of your body too...hips, waist, bust, etc.
Chart it!
Draw a graph with your start weight and then going down in small increments to your goal weight. Each week or weigh-in mark off on your chart where you're at. It feels great to actually see the loss progression and can also help you understand your losing patterns (plateaus, how your body is affected by Aunt Flo, etc.).
Feel it!
As you lose, pick up enough bags of flour or pounds of margarine to equal what you've shed. Or you can load a bag with enough items to equal what you've lost. Feeling that weight can be quite an eye opener!
Picture It!
Take a picture of yourself in the same clothes on the same day each month. You may not feel like you're losing enough, but seeing the changes happen may help to keep you going!
You can hang a photo of you at your desired weight in a location you'll see when feeling weak...like on your mirror or on the fridge...to help you keep going!