Definitely Will!

Summer and the chaotic days of school/work getting underway again have been tricky.  There was even one week at Weight Watchers where I went up a couple of pounds rather than down.  Demoralizing.  Immediately after came Labor Day, which meant no WW meeting that week.  And the next week I had to miss for a funeral.  So three calendar weeks went by without an official weigh-in or the support of my group.  Oooo, I felt myself slipping.  The negative thoughts were flying.  I thought it was working this time, but I guess not.  Maybe I just can't do this.  I started avoiding the smaller clothes I'd been wearing.  I didn't get on the scale at home.  Items I really didn't need started finding their way into my grocery cart.  (Hello again, Ben and Jerry.)  Finally this week's meeting arrived and all I could hope for was some encouragement to keep fighting.

I lost 1.6 pounds.

It wasn't much of a loss for three weeks, but under the circumstances I was thrilled.  Then when I got to thinking about it, I realized I'd been walking consistently.  (A hilly, three-mile loop at a speed of a little above 4mph at least four times a week.)  And I realized most of the snacks and meals I go for naturally now are good choices.  All those things were second-nature and easy but kept me on a relatively good path even when I made a few bad choices too.

At our WW meeting this week, there was a question for all of us...

How likely are you to achieve lifetime weight-loss success?
A.  Definitely will
B.  Probably can
C.  Maybe, with some luck
D.  Sure hope so
E.  It would be a shock

I realize that most of the time I'm B.  At every WW meeting I have a surge of A.  If I go too long without meetings, I fall into C and D.  My good habits are buoying me up, yet my attitude is so important.  I know from articles and books I've read that visualizing is a trick many athletes use for motivation and training.  I'm trying to remember to visualize success every day now, courting the "definitely will" mindset that will combine with my better choices to get me where I need to go.