MARCHers and goals!
"The secret to productive goal setting is in establishing clearly defined goals, writing them down and then focusing on them several times a day with words, pictures and emotions as if we've already achieved them."
-- Denis Waitley
Remember before we had WLS how determined we were to get there? Did we not focus on that goal several times a day - or rather almost every waking minute of the day? We had clearly defined goals on what we had to do to be able to have the surgery. Some surgeons required a specific amount of weight to be lost, we all had to meet with dieticians, we most all had to have psychological reviews...we had things to start practicing - not drinking with meals, liquid diets, exercise, protein, vitamins...remember how focused we all were? How many of us looked through all the before and after pictures on here just imagining how we might look? I used to look each day to see if any more had been added!
Well, perhaps we need to focus a little bit like that now. Write down our goals today...I want to lose "xxxx" more pounds...I want to get to size "xxxx"....I want to look like my body size at my high school graduation picture! Just stop and write down a few personal goals today...if you are at goal...just write down how you want to stay there and not gain anything back. Picture yourself where you want to be and stay. Get that old zest back you had pre WLS and go towards success. And while you are writing down these goals, picturing these goals, getting fired up again...remember to take your vitamins, drink your water, exercise and up your protein!!!
I have started the 5 day pouch test today. It may be a little harder because I am working from home today rather than the office - due to a great snow storm blanketing our area. So it is easier to see food and think about it and more easily accesible at home rather than at work..but I am determined to do it! I am drinking my first bottle of water as I type this! So get with it today MARCHers...tell me one small goal you have for the immediate future! Hugs to all...Barbara
Barbara,
You are so right about us being clear with our goals when we first started this process. Now it seems we (I) are not as focused on the goals as we should be. I immediate goal is to remain within a 5 pound range of my loweste weight. To be honest it has been a struggle the last couple of months. I seem to go up and down the same 4 pounds every week. That is too much of a swing and I need to watch things more carefully.
On a side note, I had a new drivers license photo taken a few weeks ago. I was afraid they wouldn't let me on an airplane because I didn't look at all like the old photo. I must say that I'm not comfortable with the picture I see on the photo. It doesn't match at all how I see myself in my head. I guess that will come in time.
Good luck on the pouch test. I hope you have some sugar free pudding or jell-o to have with your shakes today. It made a real difference for me getting through those first two days of the pouch test.
Have a great day, Rick
You're so right Barb. For me now, i try to focus on fitness goals. i find it helps me more than fixating on the scale or counting calories. it's working well for me so far. i feel it shifted my focus from fanatically focusing on every bite I ate after I hit goal, to a healthier more balanced perspective of the whole picture.
my one small goal is to try and eat fish once a week and also to work on strengthening my "core" to help my back.
Hi Barb,
Great post. The goals, the plans, the rules we need to follow are important. That is what is going to keep us successful, help us to maintain, and help us get to goal. My best thoughts on this is the old "making a plan" thought that I try to live by. I don't always live it straight, but it keeps me in line pretty much. I still find weekends tough. I can't follow my plan as well during the weekend. I don't over eat, I just don't get in enough water or my protein shakes. I'm just running too much. So that is something I need to work on as a goal. To stick better to a plan through the weekend. I have been doing great since the holidays with not touching a cookie or anything of the sweets nature. I did realize yesterday too that I haven't gotten anything other than regular coffee from Starbucks which is good. For awhile there I would a few times a week buy a donut type thing, or a cookie and split it with DH. I sometimes look and feel tempted but say to myself it isn't worth it and I pass it by.
I was at the grocery store tonight and had a revelation. Not that it wasn't something I hadn't known. DH even said kiddingly when I made the upcoming comment, "And you didn't know this already?" As we walked through the store ( we had stopped for some orange roughy that was on sale ) we looked for some other healthy things to buy, if anything struck us as needed. I commented to him about all the crap they sale in stores. Have you ever looked at the foods on the shelves? The end caps? Junk, all junk! All kinds of sugary treats, fattening, high fat foods. The pickings are slim. Trying to find things that are low fat, low sugar, high protein is like finding a needle in a hay stack. And people eat this stuff. It's a normal grocery store, this is what is pushed on society. No wonder we are so obese. The array of 100 calorie snacks out there now is phenomenal. I guess they are ok for the occaisonal treat, if you really want something. But they are not really that good of a choice. But they are everywhere now, convincing people this is the way to go. It's just window decoration if you think about it. Ok, off my rant. LOL Just, today it hit me how bad the grocery stores really are and the junk that is out there for us to eat. It's kind of sad. It makes it hard to make good choices.
I hope your pouch test goes well. I'm sure it will be tough. But you can do it. Remember why you are doing it, remember how as you said early out we had things we knew we had to do and we didn't question it. We just did it because we knew it would get us where we wanted to go, and would make us healthier.
Good luck and take care. 
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