Measuring Success

When people find out you're losing weight, the first thing they tend to ask is "How much weight have you lost so far?"

When you first start losing weight, this can be an exciting question to be able to answer. Feeling proud of the fact you've lost 10 pounds in a month or so, you're more than happy to tell people. But then the weight loss slows, and you might start thinking "Why am I only losing one pound a month?"

No, I'm not going to preach about hitting a plateau (yet), I'm going to talk about different ways to measure your weight loss success so that way you still feel confident along every step, even if the scale isn't showing it.

First thing's first- Pick a set day and time in the week and weigh yourself then and only then. The reason you don't want to hop on the scale every day is because your body weight tends to fluctuate based on what you're eating and how much water you're drinking. If you go out to eat, no matter how healthy you think the meal is, the food is usually packed with sodium and other preservatives, so your body will retain water and cause you to gain the next day. Or, on the flip side if you exercise one day and don't get enough water in to rehydrate your body, then again, it will hang on to whatever water you have and cause you to gain again. So, find one day of the week and stick to it. That will help to keep you motivated because you won't see your weight fluctuating by a number of pounds in a week.

Next, remember that the scale isn't the only way to measure your progress!

Take measurements of your body at the start of your weight loss and each month update those measurements. Everyone has different areas they want to measure, but I recommend your neck, chest, bra band (for the ladies), natural waist, hips, bicep, thigh, and quad. This gives you a look at where you are losing the most fat all over your body. Some areas lose it slower than others, but when you see that you've only lost three pounds, but 11 inches in a month that shows that you're still kicking ass. I suggest making sure you are the one taking the measurements, because you will be more consistent with where exactly you measure. Other people might not measure the same places, so they may not be as close to where you were and that will throw off your measurements.

Your clothes will also tell you that you're successful. Sometimes it's the step from elastic band pants into pants with a button and zipper that you celebrate, other times it's the fact you went from a 20 to an 18. These are HUGE steps and should always be celebrated! You'll know when your pants get saggy in the butt, or when you no longer have to unbutton or unzip them to go to the bathroom. You'll be able to grab a handful of fabric at your thigh and pull, and when you walk they fall off. This means that you're losing weight and it shows.

Your exercise routine is another way to measure. The first is if it actually becomes a routine versus an "I guess I'll try to walk this week." I consider myself a success because I went from sitting on the couch in my spare time typing away on the computer for hours a day to making the gym a priority. I make sure I go to the gym at least 4 times a week for 2 hours a day, which is huge considering that last year I was only willing to commit to a 30 minute walk each week and it was unfathomable to me how people could go to the gym for hours at a time. Now I'm the one who goes to the gym for hours at a time. I can also tell a difference when I'm walking up the stairs and I'm able to run without getting winded, or I can climb the stairs faster than my skinny friends who are walking with me. Getting into an exercise routine and noticing your body's endurance changes is amazing, and a huge motivation to keep going.

Watch your cravings and food. As you lose weight and get into an exercise routine, what your body wants changes. You will find yourself still wanting a bowl of ice cream for dinner, but instead of pigging out every chance you get, you'll find that you do it every once in awhile. You'll start craving salads where before your snack was chocolate, fruit when you would have chips, etc. Choices and how much you eat at restaurants will change as well. Instead of eating the entire bowl of Fettuccine Alfredo, you'll  order something with a lighter sauce, more vegetables, and take most of it home. These are not little changes, they represent a lesson that has stuck in your mind. These lifestyle changes are what will keep the weight off.

Those are just scratching the surface of how to measure the successes of your journey.

How do you measure success?

Problem Areas

I was asked last night by a well meaning individual "What part do you hate?" When I gave her a blank stare, complete with slow blink, she continued, "You know, what part of your body do you hate? Like if you could change any one part of your body what would you change?"

I shook my head no and told her, "I don't hate my body."

She reiterated and said, "Well, you know, everyone has a body part they wish was thinner or firmer or something, what's that part for you? Like when you finish losing weight, what part are you hoping to look amazing?"

I smiled kindly and shook my head no and explained "I love my body." I got a skeptical look from her and continued, "It took me a long time to even look at my body in the mirror without wanting to cry. I was raised to be ashamed of my body, to hate everything about it, but now I can honestly say I love my body."

It's true. I love my body. That doesn't stop me from wanting to be healthier, though. You see, you can want to get healthy, you can want to get fit, you can want to tone up, all without hating the body you live in.

If you hate the body you live in, then I promise that you will never be happy with what you see, because it will never be good enough. You will always be five pounds away from happy, you will always feel like you aren't muscular enough, etc, and you will never like what you see in the mirror.

Do me a favor. Go to the closest full length mirror, and in your underwear, look at yourself. Don't look at yourself to tear yourself down, don't look for the negatives, don't look for what you would change. Instead, look for what you like. Look for the areas that make you feel confident. Look for the areas that don't need improvement in your eyes.

It will take awhile, but I can promise you that eventually the list of things you like will grow, and eventually you will be happy with your entire body.

Don't let society tell you that you have to hate your body. Society has been doing that all your life, and that is why the diet and beauty industries are the top industries in the US. When you hate your body and are desperate to change it, they have won. Be stronger than that. Embrace your curves, because guess what: You are the only one with those curves!

You are unique, you are powerful, you are strong!

There is NOTHING that says you can't love your body but want to live a healthier lifestyle.

Accountability

I know accountability is a major diet buzzword, but it is so vital to success. Sometimes it's the only thing that can keep you going when you have lost sight of your motivation, or if your motivation has disappeared completely.

It can be really tough asking people for help along this weight loss journey, but you would be surprised who will be willing to help if you simply talk to them about your desires. Friends helping friends looks different to everyone. Some people need a gym partner- someone they can set up weekly (or more) dates to meet at the gym, so they actually have someone to talk to while they're working out. Others need a walking group to keep them going when the weather is bad. Still others simply need someone to text them and ask how they are doing with their plan for the week.

Accountability will look different for you than it does for every one else, it's just important to make sure that you have someone holding your feet to the fire.

Think about it: Accountability is why companies like Weight Watchers and Jenny Craig stay in business- they know that people are more successful if they are held accountable to weigh ins and meetings. In fact, if you join a company like Jenny Craig, they will often call you in the middle of the week to see how your diet is going, and the reason is twofold: One to be a cheerleader and help with any challenges that have arisen that you didn't know about in your last meeting, and two in order to hold you accountable and remind you of your meeting coming up.

I encourage you to learn what accountability will be most beneficial to you, and find a few people to help you. Why a few? In case the one person you ask forgets to hold you accountable, then you have a couple backups.

Accountability in my life looks like this:

• A co-worker joined my gym, so we text each other pretty much daily to say "Hey, I'll be at the gym at this time, you coming?" Sometimes it's a yes, but often times it's a no because we have such different schedules, but at least we are telling someone our intentions.
• I encouraged another co-worker to download a tracking app that lets you keep track of food, exercise, water, etc. For the last few weeks we've been liking each other's exercise updates, and last night she came to work and first words out of her mouth were "What's up with you, you haven't been exercising?" I explained that I had been, I just hadn't been very good about updating that app. I continued to tell her what I had been doing to which she encouraged me to keep up the good work.
• My trainer, Paul, keeps me accountable, not because he calls me when I don't show up (he doesn't, and I don't expect him to), but because setting up my classes with him gives me something to look forward to, and if he doesn't see me for a few days for any reason, when he does see me again he asks me what's been happening, where I've been, and how things are looking. He encourages me to push myself, and for the first time in my life I actually know what I'm doing in a gym by myself.
• Apps. Yes, I'm one of THOSE people that has an app (or three) on my phone to help with my weight loss. My favorites are "Myfitnesspal", "Map my walk", "Water your body" and the Planet Fitness app. Water your body is a reminder for how much water and how often you should be drinking it, so if you struggle with drinking water, I highly encourage this one. Myfitnesspal is great because you can keep track of your food, exercise, measurements, weight, and now water all in one spot. It also lets you know when you haven't logged in for a few days, plus there are challenges always going on to encourage you to keep logging in. Map my walk is fantastic for if you are an outside walker and like to keep track of your walks, how far and how long you walked, how many calories you burned, and what your times were so you can keep track of your improvement. The Planet Fitness app is just a nice add on for my gym membership because it lets me snap pictures of the cardio machines I work on and it keeps track of my work outs for me, plus it has my membership card in it so if I ever go and don't have my keys then I am still all set to go inside.
• Self Accountability: Yes, you can keep yourself accountable, but when you've lost your motivation it's hard to do. Self accountability can be keeping track of your weight each week, your food each day, your measurements each month, and more importantly how your clothes fit. A lot of traditional diets will call this "Self monitoring" and it is a secret to success for a lot of people when they get to their goal weight. The clothes part is really important because if I stop paying attention to my diet and exercise then I have a tendency to feel it in my clothes within a couple weeks- they get tighter and uncomfortable- just like when I'm paying attention I notice my clothes getting loose and baggy. It's always a good feeling when you realize you need to buy new pants that actually fit because you're too small for your usual pairs!
• I have a Facebook group that I can post that I need accountability and I know any one of the members on there will message me to keep me on track.
• Speaking of Facebook, a lot of my friends are watching my journey and cheering me on. I will also get messages from some asking me to message them to see how they're doing with water, exercise, etc, and they do the same for me.

You never realize how many people out there genuinely want to help you until you ask.

Dreams, Motivations and Goals

Dreams, Motivations, and Goals

When you start trying to lose weight, the first thing people often ask is "Well, what's your motivation?"

That can truly be a difficult question to answer, though. Some people have a short-term motivation, such as losing weight for a trip in a month or two. Others have long-term goals of raising their kids with a healthy understanding of food and exercise. Others still have no motivation, or their motivation changes often.

I'm one of those people.

My motivation for losing weight seems to always change, and I'm always struggling with what makes me want to keep going TODAY. I recently found a journal I kept ten years ago, and my motivation back then is drastically different than why I want to lose weight today.

In fact, if I thought real hard I could probably remember my motivation for every diet I've ever started on, because when I started it was very important to me. But when I stopped trying, stopped seeing results, stopped whatever (as most of us do at some point on a diet), and I was forced to "revisit why I started, revisit my motivation", I had nothing. No fire reignited that said "Oh, yeah, I want to keep going because..."

But I eventually kept going.

You see, I know the difference between motivation, dreams, and goals.

Motivation is usually what sparks you. Dreams are what you eventually envision your skinny self doing. Goals are measurable, both in weight and time, and achievable.

So, let me break down my motivation, dream, and goal:

Current Motivation:My current motivation is simply to learn a healthier relationship with food. I don't have any trips in a few months, I don't have any bets with a trainer, I don't have any big events that I'm like "I want to wear this special dress..." Though, I have told myself that by Jan. 1, 2017, I no longer want to fit into Lane Bryant clothes.
Current Dreams:
I dream of being able to go on an island get away and wear nothing but bikini's the entire trip, and not have any nagging feelings in the back of my mind of "Is anyone talking about me behind my back?" I dream of walking down the aisle at my wedding, slim and confident, excited to see the look in my wife's eyes when she sees me in my dress.
Current Goals:
My goal is to reach 150 pounds. I last weighed that in high school, and I feel like it's an achievable, maintainable weight. Do I have a time line? Nope, but that's ok.

Do you see how each of those is drastically different, but each spurs me on? And they can all change at any time, that's part of being human- our minds change, what drives us changes, but we still keep pushing forward.

And that's what matters.

Until next time, always move forward.