Considering Commitment

OK, so I (Captain Mom) have been on the lookout for some motivation this week in my weight loss journey. At my Weight Watchers meeting tonight, our leader, Dale said something that really clicked for me. He said, "If you are looking at losing weight as your goal, you will go all out and quickly meet the goal and then go out and celebrate...probably with a hot fudge sundae. If you are looking at this as a lifestyle change, it really doesn't matter how long it takes." You have your entire life to get it right.

I will admit, on one hand (the one in which my commitment-phobia apparently resides), committing to something for the rest of my life is incredibly daunting. But, on the other hand, it sounds incredibly inviting to me. It takes the pressure off of having to get it all right. The beauty of it is that even though I am not getting it all right...I am not getting it all wrong. I am losing weight, fraction by fraction and slowly beginning to assimilate healthier habits into my daily life. I have the time to make the changes as best as I can. I can grace myself on the days that I emotionally eat because my life feels overwhelming. There is no weight loss disclaimer that states, "Diet over, December 10, 2007. Any and all weight not lost by this date will have to be carried into Eternity."

So, I am sure I will continue to have my moments of discouragement. I am sure I will continue to feel as though it is taking a long time to lose the weight. But for now, I stand tall and declare that I have lost .4 pounds in the last 3 weeks. I have lost 10.8 pounds in the 13 weeks since I began. At this current rate, without making any more changes, I could potentially meet my goal in about 9 months. SO WHAT if it takes that long...I'm going to be living my life anyway. If I wasn't doing this, I would probably have gained 10 pounds in the same amount of time. In order to maintain the weight loss, I am going to have to continue these same lifestyle choices anyway. So, why would it matter if I am losing or maintaining 9 months from now? What matters is that I am practicing a healthy lifestyle that my daughter can begin to model.

Most importantly, I feel free. Free to be myself. Free to make mistakes. Free to learn from my mistakes and do better next time. Free from self-imposed timetables. Free to know that I can make even healthier choices down the road. Free to make the changes I want to make today.

Thank you Dale for the motivation!

This weeks babystep: Drink more water (and free drinks that count as water).