Recognizing our Weaknesses is a Strength

Hi Spark Friends

I hope you all had a nice July 4th holiday. I know sometimes we can worry about the holidays because of all the food that surrounds them. This holiday is known for all the barbecues that are had on this day. I am hoping that it wasn't to stressful or difficult for you to stay focused on what your goals for your life are. I think once we recognize our weaknesses we can work on them not being such a struggle for us. We can plan on getting around them successfully.

Since reaching my goal weight I have discovered that I still have some weak areas that I need to work on as well. I was out of town for a couple days last week and had to eat my meals out. Well, I have been eating mostly all of my meals in the safety of my home. When I say safety I mean I prepare them so I know how they are cooked and with what. Therefore, I know what calories I am taking in.

I did very well until the last day. When it hit me that I was feeling some old feelings surface while eating breakfast in a restaurant. I had ordered a veggie omelet and then I responded yes to the hash browns that came with it. Knowing they are most likely cooked in grease and I would be eating them with ketchup. Ugggggh!! Then as if that was not bad enough, the old "clean plate syndrome" hit me. I felt I had to finish everything on my plate. (As I was always asked to do as a kid) So I ate it all.

I actually felt sick and had all these really disturbing feelings over doing that. I soon realized and got scared about how easily we can fall back in to old patterns if we are not careful. It really scared me because I have come so far and NEVER want to go backwards but only move forward in my new lifestyle. So, I began thinking about how I can head off those old feelings next time.

Well, I went back to the beginning and remembered what first brought me to make the changes I have made. That helped me a lot. A good deterrent is a clear reminder of where we started from. Then there was the smaller clothes I get to wear now. I looked at my smaller jeans and said to myself I remember being so thrilled the first time I got in a smaller size. Wow what a feeling that was!! Then I thought about the ability to move around better and the new found energy I have and all the health benefits I gained in making my changes. It soon became clear to me that NOTHING tastes as good as THIN feels!!!!

So, I guess what I am trying to share with you is that when you are like me and have reached your goal weight NEVER drop your guard and stay focused on where you are vs where you've been.

If you are still on your path to reach your goal, Stay FOCUSED! Remember WHY you are making the lifestyle changes. If you trip, GET UP!!! Do NOT give in or give up. REACH YOUR GOAL!! You CAN do it!!

I think what I have learned by being forced to eat out is that once I have discovered this weakness of mine I have decided to make it a strength now. You see, once we can know what our weaknesses are then we can plan a way around them successfully. Being able to realize that we are not perfect and we do and will have weak areas or moments in our paths will help us plan to successfully navigate around them.

Now that I know what happens to me in a restaurant I will plan to be mentally stronger before I enter one now and know it will be a challenge for me. But, I will not veer off track in that situation anymore because I now realize in advance what I need to do versus what my old thinking would have me do. Lets face it our old thinking got us all in bad situations before. So, I will NOT allow it to have a say so in my new lifestyle!

Same for all of you, if your in a situation where you feel out of control or weak, recognize that, deal with it as you would any bad habit and learn from it! Do NOT allow it to take over your thinking and dictate your actions!!

I think that recognizing our weaknesses and learning to work around them becomes a strength for us. So, stay STRONG and be and stay in charge of your lifestyle friends. WE are in the drivers seat here and the challenges we have can be turned in to learning tools for us. That is what I have chosen to do with mine and I want you to do the same.

I am rooting for all of you to succeed and continue to cheer you on. So continue to BE IN CHARGE!!! When you feel a weakness coming on, TAKE BACK YOUR POWER!!!

I wish you all a FANTASTIC week!