Weight Loss Journey Week 1

A week ago I shared my goal/desire to lose weight starting on my birthday.  Week One: I lost 3 pounds.   Not a lot by Biggest Loser standards, but I'm not living on a ranch exercising 7 hours a day.. I'll take it.  

Good Things:  I walked 2 miles every day mostly with my Walk Away the Pounds DVDs.  Rather than just sitting and talking at home school gym or Upwards basketball practice, I walked around the second story track at a 4 MPH clip.  Karate class started this week and let me tell you that's a calorie burn.  I participated in the first hour of class and when my stamina improves I may join my son in the second hour advanced class.  I know my limits though, last year I tried to do two hours but my legs were too tired.  I fell on a traveling jump kick and hyper extended my knee.

A few weeks ago I told my husband I could eat a chocolate chip cookie the size of my head.  He didn't forget so one of my birthday presents was just that.  I broke the cookie into pieces, shared some and saved some.  I didn't deny myself entirely because that's the quickest route to self pity and falling off the diet wagon.

Things that Need Improvement:  I need to drink more water.  Drinking water can help suppress appetite and reduce calorie intake. A twelve-week study at Virginia Tech revealed that dieters consuming two cups of water before meals lost five pounds more than those who did not drink additional water. Drinking ice-cold water rather than water at room temperature can also increase your calorie burn. Researchers estimate that consuming four to eight cups of ice-cold water a day can burn between 50 and 100 calories, according to Prevention.com.Of course I recognize that weight loss is a multifaceted journey.  It's not just the will power to say no to snarfing down cookies, the motivation to get off the couch, or the gathering of knowledge.  I'm sure in the coming weeks I'll face emotional and perhaps spiritual battles.  To help me stay the course, I'm turning to one of my favorite authors and speakers--the late Zig Ziglar.  In his book, See You at the Top I learned four characteristics of goals.

1. They must be big: In order for goals to be effective they need to be big.  It takes a big goal to create the excitement necessary for accomplishment.  There's no excitement in mediocrity.

2. They must be long range:  Without long-range goals, you are likely to be overcome by short-range frustrations or obstacles.

3. They must be daily:  If you don't have daily objectives, you qualify as a dreamer.  Dreamers are fine, provided they build a foundation under their dreams by working daily towards realizing them.

4. They must be specific:  It doesn't matter how much power, brilliance, or energy you have, if you don't harness it and focus it on a specific target and hold it there, you're never going to accomplish as much as your ability warrants.  The hunter who brings back the birds doesn't shoot at the covey, he selects one quail as a specific target.

I also learned that less than 3%  of Americans write down their goal.  I received a free copy of the Performance Planner when I ordered Zig Ziglar's How to Stay Motivated set.  (I listen while I walk).  So now I've written down my weight loss goal, the benefits of reaching the goal, major obstacles, skills or knowledge needed to reach the goal, individuals & groups to work with to reach the goal, and my plan of action.  The only thing missing is the completion date--and that's coming!  You can find an article by Zig Ziglar on Goal Setting and a link to your own worksheet download by clicking here.