Advice today from my heart to yours!

I’m almost giddy with anticipation. Today I will weigh when I go to the chiropractor.

Later . . .

Unfortunately, they put me in a different room, one without a scale. So I ask permission to wait until the other room is empty, to weigh.

The chiropractor gets into the excitement and brings me the scale. I take a deep breath and step onto it.

My heart drops. I’m down 12 pounds. I wanted at least 15.

The chiropractor shakes his head, says I am doing great and shouldn’t expect so much so quickly.

Then I remember that I look different.

That my family could tell.

So I celebrate that 12 pounds.

But then . . .

For the first time in a long time, I eat over 1200 calories. And it isn’t even healthy stuff. It’s Wednesday, discount shopping day, and, even though there is also healthy food, I don’t resist the free junk food.

I’m disappointed in me.

Real Time Update:

Do as I say not as I do! I’m reading the above post now, about 2 months after that experience. I’m whining about losing 12 pounds in 29 days?

I fell into the trap of setting a goal that wasn’t right for my body because I compared myself to others who dropped weight faster. That comparison game will get ya every time. But now I realize my weight loss has been consistent and healthy and just right for me!

And then there’s that whole being mad at myself for blowing it. Of course it wasn’t a great idea to eat junk food, but beating myself up didn’t help anything. And the longer I’ve eaten well and taken my Life Force nutrition, the easier it is to resist the bad stuff. I didn’t know back then how much easier it would be today.

In the weight loss journey you gotta celebrate every victory! You can’t get hung up on the negatives

Here’s a fact of life. You drift toward where you focus. If you focus on your failures, you’ll fail again sooner. If you live in condemnation your ability to succeed the next time is affected. I hang onto Truth I’ve found to help me fight life’s battles. One I treasure is “there is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” (That’s  from the book of Romans in the Bible.)

For this perfectionist that’s good news. I don’t have to live in condemnation! I can live forgiving myself when I blow it instead of beating myself up. And the fresh breeze of forgiveness is life-giving!

Of course even though I know Truth; sometimes i slip into old habits. When my last plateau (which just ended this week) lasted longer than I expected, I gave into negativity. But you know, the Paula from several years ago would have stayed there longer and been harder on herself. I celebrate that I got up the next morning and went for a walk instead of lingering in bed feeling down!

So that’s my advice for today, friends. Celebrate the victories. Forgive yourself for the missteps. Live in the sweet breeze of freedom!

What About You?

How do you offer yourself grace when you’re disappointed in yourself? How do you handle disappointment when you’ve done everything right and still not met your dream goal?

Tagged: celebrating success, focus on the positives, let go of the negatives, looking forward, losing weight, no condemnation