Weight loss HAS to be deliberate...

Weigh in this morning... Lost 1.2 lbs!!

So all total, I've lost 104.0 lbs!!!

(Technically, though, I've lost 114 lbs because I lost 10 lbs on NutriSystems the year before I started Weight Watchers.)

And another big milestone is coming up this week. As of May 12th, I will have been enrolled in Weight Watchers for 3 full years without missing one single meeting in all three years! Perfect attendance. That was always my forte in school. I may not have gotten straight A's but I always got perfect attendance awards. :)

This past week I've been thinking alot about how deliberate weight loss has to be. Its not something that I can do just haphazardly or willy-nilly. Its not something I can "kinda" "sort" do. It's something that I have to give my full attention and full effort.

Its something that requires focus and determination. It can be exhausting, you know? Of course you know!

My personality type is one where I have a tenancy to obsess over things. In the mid-90s we bought a Nintendo console and Sonic the Hedge Hog. I got so addicted to that game, I would never shut it off. That was back with there were no memory cards so if you shut the game off, you lost where you were. There were like 29 levels and I couldn't stop playing the game. Every waking moment. Was bad. But that's how I am. Once I find something that captures my attention, I'm hooked and almost blinded by it. Blinded to everything around it so all I see is just it.

That's how this weight loss thing gets at times. I've heard my husband and daughter say so many times "that's all you ever talk about". Now, mind you, they are SO incredibly loving and supportive of my weight loss efforts and are behind me 1000%. But I know it's gotta get old after a while. I know they get tired of me talking about how many points I have left for the day or how many points a particular food item has, etc. I mean, I've been at this non-stop for the past 3 years. That's 1,095 days... 156.5 weeks... 156 weigh ins... I'm sure they get tired of me talking about it ALL the time.

But my point is, that we have to talk about it all the time. If we don't, we're likely to push it to 2nd priority and then there goes our hard earned efforts. Everyone around us has to know that weight loss is a priority in our lives. We have to know that too. We have to keep it at the top of our to do list constantly. We have to put ourselves at the top of that list, too. Because without putting ourselves at the top, nothing we do--weight loss wise--will make a difference.

Its hard, though. You know? Its so hard to put ourselves first rather than our family or children. We've been so trained to "put everyone else first". I mean, heck, even Jesus put himself first. He knew that he needed rest to be fresh and alive for the mission ahead of him so he took a nap on the boat with the fishermen. Even when the storms raged, he slept. He knew he needed to put himself first and that the fishermen/disciples could take care of themselves.

From the outside, it could look like Jesus was being selfish and cold hearted to totally ignore those closest tho him, those who were like family to him, and some of them were family. But he knew that if he didn't put himself first and get the rest that his body needed, he would be worth nothing the next day and no good to anyone.

That's a good lesson for us. We have to put ourselves first and our weight loss efforts at the top of our to do list every day. Its not selfish. If we don't lose weight where will we be. We're not going to get healthier... We're not going to live longer... we're not going to be happier as long as we're over weight.

So lets keep our eye on the prize and keep focused on our weight loss efforts this week. Don't be afraid to tell someone no (even if it's your own child), if it means that you're going to have to compromise your weight loss efforts or sacrifice your own well being and health. It's not worth it. It's not worth it to them either. They might not realize it. They might see you as being selfish or obsessed but you're doing it for them, too. So that you'll be around longer to take care of them and to be in their life.

You first.

Weight loss efforts at the top of your to do list.

Without fail.

What do you think?

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