Weight Loss Episode 13

I used to title my blog posts with quotes, but then one day I stopped. I think I want to go back to that, and there is no time like the present.

I chose this quote because today I want to talk about goals. As many of you know, I am a goal setter. I like to make a list of 28 things I want to accomplish before turning 28 or 50 things to accomplish in 500 days. But one thing I've hardly ever set goals for is my weight loss. Sure, I'd like to lose a certain amount of weight by a certain time, but I don't like setting that goal. Sometimes when I get on the scale on Mondays I will think up a goal in my mind, but I never commit to it as a real-life-work-for-it-and-do-my-absolute-best goal.

Why, you ask, Internet? Simple. Because I'm afraid that I might not achieve the goal. I'm not a big fan of failure. (Shocking, I know.) The easiest way to not fail, is to just not give yourself anything in which to fail. If I don't set goals, I have no chance of not making those goals. It's one thing to fail at "Figuring out how to solve a Rubix Cube," but it's another thing to fail at reaching something real-life; something that I really want to accomplish.

Weight loss is a bit of an enigma. I can do the work and make the right choices, but I can't guarantee that the scale will reflect that. Eventually it all pays off, but week to week it can seem like a Vegas Casino game. Some weeks I do everything right and gain; some weeks I forget that I'm even on this journey, yet I still lose weight. Because of that, specific goals don't seem to fit. However weight loss isn't all about weight loss. The heart of the matter is health. As much as I'd love to fit in that pair of jeans hanging on my closet door, it's much more important that I'm healthy, and that I treat my body with respect. It's about learning a different life style from the one I've lived for years.

Therefore I'm going to start setting goals. They won't be about losing a set amount of weight in a set amount of time. They won't be to hit a certain size by a certain date. They will be about healthy habits and little changes that will make me better. It'll be good.

First goal: To write down everything I eat this week. Studies say that people trying to lose weight should keep a log of what they are eating. It's something that I've never been good about. Actually I hate "Tracking," "Food Diaries," or "Lunch Logs." (I think I made up that last one.) Regardless, I'm going to try it this week, and I'll let you know how it goes. Wish me luck.

:j