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Getting Back on Track

Hi. This morning's email from the "YOU on a Diet" doctors had the following good advice for me and for those of you who may have eaten stuff you shouldn't have recently.

The Keys to Sticking With It -- For Good

"A person who has committed a mistake and doesn't correct it is committing another mistake." --Confucius

Week #3: Slipped? Stuck? Snap Back On Track
Took a detour off your program? No worries. Life happens, and one of the keys to long-term victory is learning how to recover from missteps. Here are the secrets:

1. Pretend it never happened (sort of).Get right back on the program. The YOU Docs -- RealAge experts Michael Roizen, MD, and Mehmet Oz, MD -- point out that when you make a wrong turn on a highway trip, your GPS doesn't let you get 50 miles off course; it alerts you right away. Make a YOU-turn as quickly as possible.

2. Don't beat yourself up.Missteps are not signs of failure. They're speed bumps that help regulate your journey. Don't judge what happened; instead, use the lapse for useful info on what gets you into danger and how to keep moving forward.

3. Look at the big picture. Check your tracker(s) to see how far you've come. Focus on more than the numbers; think about whether you've had more energy, self-esteem, and passion for life. Pay more attention to your overall progress than to the individual days.

4. Have a backup plan. People who have a backup tend to meet their goals more quickly than people who see themselves either on or off the program. Figure out what you'll do when, say, your walking buddy is on vacation or flight delays leave you stuck eating airport pizza.

5. Revisit your program. [refers to the "My Goals, New Year New You" weight loss helps available for free online]

Slow and Steady

This morning The Knight announced his 8-pound weight loss (since New Year’s Eve). Yesterday he nearly killed himself playing racquetball with Jen—and this after slaving to clear the driveway of snow! They also plan on playing again on Friday.

My dieting and exercising efforts look puny in comparison. My excuse is I have been battling with a bronchial affliction since before New Year’s. And I’m old. And my body keeps rolling its eyes and muttering “Here we go again—the Yo-yo Dieter is at it again! Time to shut down the metabolism!”

I also know that “slow and steady wins the race”—doing my reasonable best, one day at a time. Oh, I have zero expectation of being the “biggest loser.” I am just happy to have my children as comrades in arms in this Battle of the Bulge. I am in a contest against myself not against them.

I may come in last on April 5, but I won’t be throwing in the towel between now and then. My plan is to keep eating healthfully, and exercising to the best of my ability. Everyone who “finishes” (keeps on keeping on) is a winner in my book!

Starting Off on the Right Foot

The Knight and I just returned from walking for half an hour at the Orem Fitness Center. We walked verrrrryyy ssslllooowwwly: because we are sooooo out of shape! We only walked 10 laps (about a mile and a half). BUT! I have faith that if we keep at it, maybe by June or July we will each weigh thirty pounds less and will then be able to walk … oh, maybe, semi-fast! LOL

I found a diet soup recipe online today which I made for our supper tonight. It was yummy, full of vegetables, and only about 50 calories per cup. The recipe was from Good Housekeeping.com. and recommended by the YOU on a Diet Doctors. The whole recipe makes 28 cups of soup. (I made about a third of a recipe to see if I liked it.) The reason the recipe is so big is so that you can eat it every day all week.

Thanks to whoever it was who suggested that we have a family “Biggest Loser” contest. It’s easier to stay motivated when others are in the same boat with you. The way I look at it, we will all be winners, if we stick to it!