Good morning all!
We talked about how a successful healthy lifestyle includes planning for the week ahead but what about the big picture? Taking the time to prepare for the long haul will greatly increase your chance of success.
And luckily, there is a sparkpeople.com article about that.
7 things to help you build a foundation for permanent weight loss
1. Create your personal wellness vision.
What does success look like for you? Imagine what your life will look like and feel like when you have accomplished your weight loss goal.
Dont let it depend on a number on the scale. What will be different and better? What will you be doing on a daily basis? What new habits concerning food and exercise will you be practicing daily? All behavioral change leads to a shift in who we are. Who will you be in your new strong, trim body?
What will you be capable of that you might not be now?
2. Solidify your commitment.
Writing a statement of what you are committing to will help strengthen your resolve. Putting pen to paper, taking the ideas out of your head and into a written agreement with yourself will help concretize your plan. Reading it out loud to others, or even just to yourself, is a powerful exercise.
3. Increase your confidence.
No matter how committed and motivated you are, there still might be a tiny voice in the back of your head whispering that you'll probably fail, especially if youve tried to lose weight before. Dont focus on the big picture or on that number you're trying to reach.
Identify small steps you can take that are realistic and actionable. For instance, if youve been skipping breakfast only to end up overeating at lunch, work on adding a healthy breakfastinto your day. Start with three days a week (not being perfect every day). When that feels easy, add a fourth. Not exercising on a regular basis? Begin with one 10-minute workout, such as a walk, a day.
By creating a plan of small, manageable changes that youll work on one step at a time, and acknowledging each success, your confidence will grow.
4. Anticipate obstacles and create strategies to overcome them.
What barriers to weight loss have you experienced in the past, or do you fear will trip you up in the future?
Anticipate problems before they occur and create strategies to avoid them. Do you travel long hours in the car for work and find yourself at road stops buying anything available to ward off hunger? Brainstorm a list of non-perishable and portable snacks you can bring with you. Do your friends meet for happy hour every Friday after work, only to end up drinking and eating more calories than you'd like? Perhaps you can convince one or two of them to join you at the gym instead, and then head out for a healthy dinner together.
5. Build a support team.
You must recognize that the job of weight loss is your responsibility and no one elses. But that doesnt mean you have to go at it alone. Who will support your journey along the way? Sharing your vision with family and friends andtelling them how they can help you can be wonderfully useful. Perhaps using SparkPeople's online Community features is a good fit for you. Having the camaraderie of others who are working on weight loss, too, can give you a place to swap ideas, help keep you motivated and make the journey more fun. You can also build a team of professionals to help you with different aspects of your weight loss journey: your doctor, to monitor your health along the way; a personal trainer, to help you learn new exercises; or a psychologist, to help you overcome emotional eating issues.
6. Set up your environment for success.
Its time to start thinking about what needs to be in place so that once you jump into action, the landmines have been removed. Are your fridge and cabinets filled with junk food and unhealthy choices? Give it away or throw it out! Stock your shelves with lots of healthy choices so that when hunger strikes or its time to prepare meals, youve got what you need on hand. Same goes for your office. Clear out the candy and chips from your desk drawers. Keep good choices on hand. If you dont have access to a fridge, you might want to purchase a small one or at least get a cooler to keep the right types of snacks available. If youre thinking of joining a gym, make sure its convenient to your home or office. Ask for a trial membership and make sure you feel comfortable with the atmosphere.
7. Create your plan of action.
Now that youve done the cognitive work, its time to build your plan. Heres where you get to decide what steps feel like the right ones for you to take. Will you follow a structured food plan, or just slowly work healthier foods into your daily intake? Will you begin a walking program in the park near your home, join a gym or sign up to take dance classes? Will you decide to start brown bagging lunches rather than eating out every day? The beauty in the system is you choose what will fit your unique life.
Dont attempt to follow rules that feel uncomfortable for you. There is no perfect diet plan that works for everyone. When it comes to losing weight, one size (or diet) definitely does not fit all.
Here is a link to the entire article if you are interested
http://www.sparkpeople.com/resource/motivation_articles.asp?id=1849
QOTD Monday, May 19, 2014: Do you feel like you have a good foundation for your healthy lifestyle success? Is there an a part of your foundation that needs a little shoring up? Or does your strong foundation have something not listed?
BBL with replies and my own answer -- I have training this morning for my cloud based storage at the office.
And that's after having had dinner at Fuddrucker's last night. (I didn't go over the top, though. I split a Buffalo burger and fries with my mom.) 
) let's talk about fitness rules meant to be broken with a little help from my friends at sparkpeople.com.
Are your week-ends filled with fun times or are they an endless whirlwind of activity trying to put a dent in your to do list? And healthy living activities . . . who has time? 
for a great loss this week, Connie! And nice way to make the dining out thing work for both you and your mom! 
Poor kiddo has been dealing with constipation issues for two years, and she's had a few of these. Every time I think we've turned a corner, it sneaks back. Today our doctor recommended that we get an ultrasound of her bladder and kidneys to make sure there aren't any trouble spots. She's back on a different antibiotic for this infection, and hopefully this time it won't come back.
but at least we had some time together as a family. Dinner was good and it was so nice to just be TOGETHER....the 4 of us, with nothing to rush off to or to worry too much about. 
I like the idea of having meals done ahead of time. DH and I consistently have a conversation about lunch at the office just about every day -- you'd would think after more than 20 years it would be easier. 
