Everyday Systems

Hi all! Hope everyone is well. Starting again! Story of my life!

Welcome home. It is absolutely worth it to surrender to the process. Others have made the shift and had it stick even after failures. In fact, many many eventual long term loser/maintainers failed several times before they really settled in for the REAL long haul. I affirm this will be YOU.

Thank you for your inspiring words. I sincerely hope that you are right.

I am having a usual S Sunday today and tomorrow will be on plan and the difference will be to use the HabitCal and keeping a daily Blog to make myself accountable to ME! lol.

Hope that you are well.

Anne

Hi welcome back to the fold: "If at first you don't succeed, try, try, try again."- William Hickson

I know you didn't ask but I have a kindly meant suggestion. It might be helpful for you to stop looking at it as though you've stopped. For example, I've had a million-kajillion times when I've temporarily stopped activly working on a goal. But, I alwaysidentify myself as someone who does that goal. I always say, "I don't drink during the week" or "I don't eat sugar" even though I often miss my goal. I don't know why but it makes me look at myself differently.

So, if you find yourself "off the wagon" so to speak. It isn't so much that you have to come back as it is that you are walking along beside it for awhile.

good luck in February.

Just to remind you, having S Sundays IS being on plan.

In addition to the blog, I highly recommend coming up with some stock things to say to yourself when the thoughts and urges to deviate come up. Also, a list of the reasons you think this is such a good way to live and why you want to give up overeating. Read them daily and then reflect in the blog how it went. Those two practices were essential for me. I still use them some times.

And have a plan for little rewards. THAT is being accountable as much as anything. One member on another site lights a candle or changes emoticons or other very simple things daily. She even let herself pop bubble wrap for a few minutes a day because it was such a guilty pleasure. It worked for a few weeks. Then she found other things, and had a few bigger rewards for longer times on plan. She was mostly working on not bingeing. I think she has binged only three or four times in three years! She's got me beat.

Where is that bubble wrap?

My bubble wrap is that when I reach my goal weight my husband wants me to get my wedding dress out, get it cleaned and marry him again! We had a civil ceremony the first time round and I would love to renew my vows in the church I grew up attending weekly with my parents and grandparents. I hope that this goal keeps me focused because I really want it!

Thanks for all the advice and inspiration, I am like a sponge with it and soak it all up, relishing each drop.

No, the bubble wrap is a daily reward, something small.


With all due respect, thinking I had to get to my wedding weight to merit renewing my vows might not get my motor running... but that's me. Also, I weigh now what I weighed when I graduated from high school, but I have a feeling I couldn't fit in a pair of pants from then.

However, if you are jazzed by the idea, the renewed vows in the dress goes on your motivation list.

I would think a daily reward could be looking at a picture of you in the dress, but only if you are compliant. That way, it becomes a reward and a reminder that you moving toward such a pleasant event, and not a hammer you beat yourself up with when you don't make it.

And/or a picture of the church. But don't keep the pics lying around. It's been shown that we get habituated to items in our sight all the time.

Hey, do you know anyone who is adept with something like photoshop? I'm so out of it, I don't even know if anyone uses that anymore, but wouldn't it be cool if someone could superimpose your present face in the dress and have you standing outside or inside the church?

Oooo! I'm looking forward to your renewal pics!