This last week was very stressful for me. I’ve started at a new school with new people. It is always hard to figure out who you can trust, who to keep an eye on and where the faculty bathroom is. Due to this stress, I was not expecting to lose any weight this week. My body sometimes responds to stress by holding on to weight. Other times it will drop weight like crazy. So I went in to this week not expecting to lose my usual half to full pound.
For most of the week this happened. I couldn’t figure out if I wasn’t eating enough or at the right times. So I just kept doing what I’d usually done and knew my body would eventually get it together. I was especially bummed after going to an extra grueling workout at the gym and waking up to the same weight the next morning. I even went up for a day or two. This is when I have to remember my little successes:
What had I done, health wise, already this week to be proud of, even if it didn’t result in weight loss?
1. At Green Day with my fellow arts teachers, we were given catered box lunches. It had a huge cookie inside that was 370 calories. I could have eaten it. I had worked out that day. Instead I brought it home to my hubby. I felt even better about this decision after he told me it wasn’t even that great.
2. I had the opportunity to eat grilled cheeseburgers at Back to School night. Since I’m not much of a burger girl to begin with, this one wasn’t too hard. Instead I had a meal I’d already planned for: lunch meat, cheese, baked chips and applesauce. Then because of this decision it lead to a conversation at my table where I could share a little bit of my story with my new coworkers.
3. I decided I didn’t care if I didn’t lose weight this week. It’s enough just to get back in the swing of things.
Each one of these things made me proud this week! I could have used my first week back at work as an excuse to eat horribly and blame the stress if I saw a weight gain. But I stayed true! The result was seeing the lowest weight on the scale I’ve seen to date at my weigh in on Saturday. I think the comfort of knowing I could fail or not lose this week helped take the pressure off!
I can’t explain the high of being told how good you look. One time during the middle of my weight loss, my best friend Bree said “I feel like you’re skinnier every time I see you!” It filled my heart with joy to be able to say, “That’s because I am!” The small successes everyday is what keeps me going. Small choices like no cookie today makes me one step closer. I’m dying to see that magical number on the scale that means I’ve made it! I have now been dieting for 15 full months and I have no idea what it’s going to feel like to know I did it. I know that when I see the number it will be a relief, but at the same time I’m ready to eat this way the rest of my life. When I see that number, the sense of accomplishment will stay with me forever. Along the way I’ve set small goals, monthly goals or even sometimes just daily goals. The success of these small goals has lead me to facing down my biggest obstacle. Small things add up to big things. It is literally day by day! Celebrate the small things and eventually you’ll get there. If you don’t count the small successes along the way, the big goal at the end will always seem out of reach.