I read a really interesting article this past weekend in Good Housekeeping.
Yes, I subscribe to Good Housekeeping. NO, I AM NOT 50.
It was Dr. Oz (yeah, I’m not usually a fan of his, either) chatting about losing weight & one thing that stuck with me – Renew your vows daily.
Start each morning anew, & recommit to sticking to the plan one day at a time, day after day. That helps you keep the energy & motivation that you always bring to a new project…& that can fizzle out once you see how challenging your undertaking is. As you get out of bed, repeat this mantra: ”I am going to follow my plan for the next 24 hours” — & remind yourself of the reasons (Your health? That gorgeous little black dress you bought on sale?). ~Dr. Oz, Good Housekeeping April 2011
The rest of the article had some pretty good tips, a diet I could NEVER follow, but this paragraph really stuck with me. I’m really love the idea of keeping “the end” in sight – aka the end of the day. If I pop out of bed each morning & say, “Okay, I’m going to do this today. I’m going to exercise today & drink 100 oz of water today. I can do anything for 24 hours.” If I do that each morning, then one day quickly becomes seven days…& a few months…until my lifestyle is changed without me having to groan about the long road ahead.
Which was funny to read yesterday because it was THE DAY OF INSATIABLE HUNGER. I tried everything. Protein, fruit, veggies, more coffee, over 100 oz of water…nothing worked. I nommed on turkey & strawberries as a snack. Stole half of Harrison’s peanut butter & jelly sandwich AFTER I ate my own lunch of chili with a spinach salad. Which is strange because it’s not like I ran a marathon that morning & I certainly have not been starving myself this past week. But at 8:30pm, I could not stand the gnawing hunger & finally whipped up a bowl of cream of wheat. I was desperate. & I’m not one of those people that can go to bed hungry.
Maybe it’s because my special lady time is approaching? ::shrugs::
I’m down another pound this week, which puts me at 3 lbs down since really starting to focus on getting healthy. I’m really excited about it because it’s coming off slowly, which means I’m doing it right & in-step with the rest of my life, rather than an OH MY GOD, WEIGHT LOSS!!!!!! mentality. Which includes walks with the kiddo, feeding the entire family fruits & veggies, but enjoying my Nutrisystem at breakfast & lunch to keep the calories in check. & now it’s about waking up each morning as if that day was the first day of me being healthy, to keep that fire going.
p.s. there’s a new picture of me & Harrison walking. There’s not a noticeable difference yet, of course. It’s also to show why I never participate in Steppin’ Out Saturday, considering I’m wearing Carolina scrub pants, a thermal, & my North Face. With unwashed hair, no less.
How did your week go? What do you think of the idea of recommitting yourself every day?
I love that quote! I’m absolutely going to adopt this for the next few weeks. I’m attempting to get back into running and every day I have to make the choice.
I will be a runner for the next 24 hours (at least!).
Excellent post. Congratulations on another pound down. You’re an inspiration!
Love this post & this mentality. Like you said, we can do anything for 24 hours! My week went great until this weekend but today is a new day.. a rainy, yucky day .. but a new day none the less. I’m gonna start this week off right.
Congrats on the weight loss!
I love that quote! I read something similar to that recently where it pretty much said to take it one day at a time and not let one bad day make you quit.
Congrats on the weight loss, it always feels great to get back on track.
I LOVE that mentality, and I am going to make that my mantra every morning. I’m at the point where it is getting slower and harder, and I need something to help me stay on track! I thank you for your Good Housekeeping subscription
So with you on STARVING yesterday! I just could NOT stop eating! and then i was STILL hungry when I woke up even though I ate plenty!
wth!?
Way to go on another one down! I love the day-at-a-time approach. I have to think about that when I’m running sometimes, only it’s more of “a block at a time…” I can always run for just one more block.
The one day at a time thing is crucial to me as well. Every night I make out my To Do list for the next day, it helps me stay sane with the little one.
As for the eating, I’ve been there. A few weeks ago I had about a 5 day stretch where I couldn’t eat enough. I was eating every 30 minutes it seemed. On the plus side, for some reason I didn’t gain any weight, so maybe our bodies are just in a demanding mood sometimes.
I think you’re right about that mentality — I do the same thing – trying to focus each day on waking up thinking HOW FAR I am from my goal. rather i should be waking up focused on my goal for that day. It’s one day at a time. Any more = failure for me. Thanks for a great perspective to start the week!
The week before my period I am STARVING. Cannot ever get satisfied. Don’t know what that’s about but I have noticed it more since I had my daughter almost 2 years ago.
I totally agree that health is about the day to day choices! (like anything in life really) I also always remind myself that one choice doesn’t ruin a pattern. Just because you totally binged on something or skipped a workout doesn’t mean you’ve ruined your diet/exercise regime and should give up. If you keep making good choices despite the occasional imperfect choice, you’ll stay on track!
glad you’re losing and it seems to be working!
I eat like the beast of the east before my period.
Please throw those pants out immediately. I would normally never say this to someone, but I feel like you’ll appreciate my honesty-they make you look fat. They really are so unattractive. They’ve got to go. Make them into a pillowcase or a ribbon wand (LMAO!) or something, but please, never put them on your wonderful little body again. Ever.
What a great attitude to have! I love the quote…. when put like that it makes you think you can do anything. I’m going to start saying that each morning.
Go you for losing another lb!! Thanks for the great perceptive to get this week started.
Oh, that’s a great philosophy and definitely something I need to do. Especially after the AWFUL Saturday night I had {well, awful for the ol’ diet, that is…}
Today is a new day.
You don’t know how perfect this post was for me to read today. I really REALLY need to go at it one day at a time.
Thank you!
Okay, so I’m not trying to lose weight. But I am doing something that I think I could finally link up and share my progress to being a healthier individual. YAY!
If it’s any consolation, I am always ravenous before my “special lady time.” For a few days before I start, I find myself waltzing between the fridge and pantry incessantly.
I totally love the idea of recommitting every morning. I think it would make this weight loss journey a lot more bearable. Just thinking of making it to the end of the day is hard enough, let alone thinking about the end of the week or the month. I think I’ll give it a try!
Thats a great idea!
Way to go on 3lbs total. Like I tell all my freinds a loss is a loss even if it takes a while. I have to focus on the weight loss because if I don’t I will slack.. and there is no way after hitting my 20lbs lost mark, just yesterday (patting self on back) that I am going to let my self slack now. But thinking of it about getting yourself and your family healthy is definatly better. In my journey I have been definatly pushing the rest of my family in eating healthy foods and snacks.
Congrats on the weight loss..I HATE that hunger that won’t go away..gotta say for me its PMS that does it..screws up my diet every time and yet I am surprised everytime, and I am like why the hell am I soooooo hungry. Great Mentality though!
Ahh, I am with Bonzer (above)!! I wasn’t going to say anything since I am not a regular commenter and therefore felt like it would be out of line, but since we love ya – I agree BURN THOSE PANTS!!! I have a Mama style blog if you ever want to chat about clothes/style/etc
Andrea
omg too funny. I don’t check in with this blog often anymore, for various reasons, but when I was scanning through and saw the long flowery ode to frosting-slathered sweet rolls and the fried chicken video, my first thought was, “I bet there will be a Re-commitment to My Diet screed within the next couple of days.” Called it.
Hey, Sara. How about you “re-commit” yourself to stop following & commenting? You know, like you have several times in the past couple of months?
Show us how it’s really done.
I love that you and Harrison have the same foot placement in your photo. Too cute!
I love the idea of being able to commit to something for 24 hours. For me it’s drinking water. I had an actual medical doctor tell me it was VITAL I start drinking more water or I was going to continue to be ill…and yet I still struggle to drink more than a glass or two a day. Tomorrow I will focus on it for just one day. Thanks for the reminder.
p.s. Comfy pants on a weekend are my favorite part of Saturdays. The end.
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I love this idea ~ it sounds absolutely perfect for me with my short attention span and easy distract-ability {is that even a word?}. Thanks so much for sharing Blair! ^ u ^
xox,
bonita of Depict This!
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Thanks for sharing this! I feel so much more excited about doing something for 24 hours than a long time period, it also give me the positive attitude to know that I can/will be able to bounce back if I do “fall off the wagon.”