Pre-Thanksgiving Thoughts

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I know that with Thanksgiving rapidly approaching that it is time to start thinking about what is going on our holiday table.  Obviously I love to plan it out because I know that it helps me stay in control and on track.  However, I have other people to take into account for a holiday meal rather than just a regular week night meal.  My holiday meal will be shared with my husband, brother, nephew and dad.  I'm pretty excited about it and even more so after asking my brother what he wanted to eat.  He responded by saying that he didn't really care as long as it was healthy.  I've also checked out a new cranberry recipe that I'm definitely going to try.  

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So, our menu will look like...

Roasted Turkey and Gravy

Mashed Potatoes

Baked Sweet Potatoes

Baked Squash

Cranberry Chutney

Caramel Apple Salad

Blueberry Pie

Pumpkin Spice Muffins

I'm hoping the day will also involve a short run but that is really going to depend on the weather and this cold/sinus infection that has decided to invade my head.  I will definitely be trying to move more prior to and following the turkey!

What's your Thanksgiving plan?  Have you planned your menu and how you'll fill your plate?

A new comfort zone?

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A couple weeks ago I mentioned that as part of my new identity I am trying to embrace stepping outside my comfort zone.  I truly believe that when we do that amazing things happen and we suddenly find ourselves doing things that we didn't think possible.  This week was no exception.  When I was little I took swimming lessons.  Or at least I remember going to the pool when I was little.  It was an outdoor pool.  It always seemed cold, at least to me.  The problem is that I don't actually remember learning how to swim.  I can doggy paddle with the best of them but actual swimming is something I never really mastered.

Post Swimming Lessons photo... 

When I was originally diagnosed with a stress fracture the doctor told me that I could swim.  I spoke to Diane to find out about the gym she went to and she told me about this wonderful swim instructor, Ann.  While I was rehabbing my foot I was running in the pool and would trade "hi, how ya doing?" greetings with this very friendly woman who I'd see swimming laps and teaching kids to swim.  One day while I was running she was in the lap next to me.  As we both approached the wall I told her that she made swimming look easy!  She asked me if I knew how to swim and I said no, not really.  She told me she'd teach me.  This was Ann!

So, we set a date and a time.  I paid for lessons and then got nervous.  I wasn't really nervous about the swimming, like I said I could always doggy paddle my way back to my comfort zone which was now about 50 feet behind me.  I was afraid that I'd make a fool of myself.  Or she'd notice how I couldn't swim the length of the pool without being completely out of breath.  Or that my legs are not toned.

Turns out, none of that mattered.  I put my goggles on.  She would show me something.  I'd copy it.  I absolutely loved it.  I felt amazing.  Apparently that comfort zone will move with you.

How have you stepped out of your comfort zone?

Sharing Tips for Success

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Success isn't always blingy, but it should be!

Last week during our meetings we talked about sharing our tips for success and members at Weight Watchers were encouraged to share your tip.  I think we have to step back and determine what success means?  One thing I said last week is that through Weight Watchers I have learned that you don't have to follow the program 100% perfectly.  In fact, the program is able to be personalized so that it can fit YOUR life.  This is so important because no one program can work for everyone.  Ultimately, we have to change the way we interact with food forever.

So, if the program is able to be personalized so much then how do you define success?  Well, here's how I define it... at least today.  Ask me tomorrow and the list might change!

• Eat/drink what I want in moderation
• Feel better
• Be more active 
• Getting through a candy fueled holiday with limited temptation
• Going to one of my favorite bars and not ordering off the fantastic craft beer menu (sorry Alan, next time!)

Have you thought about how you define success?  If so, shout it out ...

Identity changes

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When I see ideas that I want to blog about I put the idea in an email because I always have access to email.  Last December I made a note that said "Do not give your past the power to define your future".  During the month of October in our Weight Watchers meetings we've been talking about the five levels of change.  We change our environment, our behaviors, our capabilities, our identities and our beliefs.  The one thing we cannot change is our past.  The thing we HAVE to change is our future.  

Used to be:  May 2011

Now I'm:  July 2014

One of the questions I hear often and one that I asked often during my weight loss journey was when does our brain catch up with the changes our body has made?  I think that the note I made back in December really plays into that.  Once we stop letting our past define who we are we can realize that our identity has changed.  

This past week in our meetings we asked the question:

I used to be _______________________________Now I'm _________________________________

I had a bunch of thoughts this week about how my identity has changed.  I used to be a couch potato, now I'm active.  I used to think that I had to follow the program perfectly, now I realize that it's about progress.  I used to be shy and embarrassed and now I try to embrace what makes me feel uncomfortable.  I used to avoid activity as much as possible so I could hide the fact that I was winded, sweating and exhausted. Now I've run 7 half marathons.

How have you changed your identity?