RE: how do I get back on the bandwagon?

[Guest guest]

,

I can hear the pain in your post and I'm sorry you've struggled so with WW.

It really is a good program. But the " light bulb " has to go on in the mind

of each of us, and no one else can make that happen. The main thing I'd

suggest is this: Try to play a new tape in your head and get rid of these

words that you wrote:

" it just seems so hopeless ... like there's so much weight to lose, and I'll

never get to my goal. "

Replace those words with these, if you will: " It IS possible. Others have

done it and I CAN do it. I will NOT look at a far-off goal, but rather I

will take one day -- one MEAL -- at a time. "

In other words, change all the " I can'ts " and " I'll nevers " to I CAN and I

WILL. If you keep telling yourself this, you'll begin to believe it --

trust me on this!

You know how the program works, so work the program! Measure and count and

WRITE DOWN every single bite, lick and taste. Don't wait until " later " to

write it down, because " later " has a way of not ever arriving! Make

yourself STOP when you reach your target points, just as if you ran out of

money in your bank account and had to wait until the next day, when you're

paid again.

, when I began this program I had SO MUCH weight to lose and I just

HAD to force myself to move my eyes off of that faraway weight goal.

Instead I had to CHOOSE to focus on each day, then each week's weigh-in,

then each month. Amazingly, the weight came off -- regularly. And I

believe it will happen for you too. Now YOU need to believe in yourself.

You CAN and you WILL do this....if you choose to!

Hugs to you and warm wishes for a great WW day tomorrow, followed by a great

week and more!

Bette in CA

278/177/175 or maybe even 160 !!

[Guest guest]

First of all , lose the shame. There is no shame in being

overweight. It is a situation that happens to the best of us, and you ARE

one of the best of us. I truly believe that until you love yourself and

respect yourself and ACCEPT yourself as a valid and valuable person, exactly

as you are, you will struggle.

Why? Because it is too easy when we do not find value in ourselves to just

say " Oh, it's not important. "

But it IS! It is SO important that we take care of our beautiful bodies that

God has given us.

Think about it this way. If you were your own daughter, would you treat

yourself the way you treat you now? For example, if your daughter wanted to

sit in front of the TV and eat an entire box of cookies, and let's face

it...we've all done something similar, what would you say? Would you allow

it? No. Why? Because you're evil and mean? No, because you love her and you

want what's best for her, including nutritionally. Would you intentionally

feed her junk food? No. You feed her vegetables and fruits because you love

her and you want her to feel good and be healthy. Would you ever look at her

and say " You are ugly. I am ashamed of you. I hate you and I hate the way

you look! " OF COURSE NOT! You know that that would be cruel, demeaning, and

completely counter-productive.

Yet we do this same thing to ourselves. We do not give ourselves the respect

we would give a stranger on the street. We certainly don't love and value

ourselves the way we deserve.

So in one arm, arm yourself with all of the tools that weight watchers

provides for you. Those are important. But in the other arm, arm yourself

with love, self respect, and determination. Vow to NEVER allow yourself to

fall into negative self talk. When you do STOP, rephrase the negative into

positive. For example when you look in the mirror and immediately, out of

habit, say " I am so ashamed that I look this way... " yell " STOP! " (Well, in

your head at least. Don't want to scare the dog.) Rephrase, " I am going to

do the best today with what I have and I'm going to make positive choices

because Hottie, you are WORTH IT! " Don't worry if at first it feels

artificial. You're so used to hearing negative self talk that positive self

talk will feel kind of strange. Just keep it up!

On top of that, I don't care how small, seemingly unimportant, or

insignificant something seems, celebrate every single accomplishment you

make. If you pass up a donut at a meeting, reward yourself with some

self-congratulations. If you are on program for an entire day and you had to

overcome struggle to do that, let us all know and we'll cheer you on. I

believe with all my heart that it is important that we are proud of the work

we put into making a difference in our lives. Even if all you do is take

pause in your day and say, " , that was awesome! I am so proud of you

for passing by Mcs! " Do it!

You can do this, but it not only takes the practical tools of Weight

Watchers, good food, and planning. It also takes the emotional tools of self

respect, self worth, and determination. With that arsenal of tools, you

can't lose!

> how do I get back on the bandwagon?

>

>

> I joined Weight Watchers a few months ago, and then left for a few

> months, because I transferred jobs and there were MUCH fewer meeting

> times in my new area. Once I settled in, I re-joined a local

> group, but with my new job, a lot of my after-work meetings are on

> Monday nights and when I know that I will be missing a meeting, I

> get into the mindset where I think " it's okay if I mess up today,

> because I'm not going to be weighing in for another 2 weeks " . Then

> when it's time to go, I find excuses not to, because I know I

> haven't done well and I'm afraid and ashamed to step on the scales.

>

> When I rejoined a few months, I thought for sure I would be able

> successful, because I really wanted this to work this time. I was

> dedicated, and I am so ashamed of the way I look. Plus everything

> else was going so right in my life and it seemed like this was the

> perfect time to take control of the situation. But then it just

> seems so hopeless ... like there's so much weight to lose, and I'll

> never get to my goal. The Weight Watchers plan really is sensible,

> and not that tricky to follow, yet I still struggle. Where can I

> find my will? I know it has to come from inside, but I just can't

> seem to find it in me.

>

> Any suggestions, tips, feedback? I'd welcome any help at this point!

>

>

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Aleah,

I started my WW journey on June 1 of 2003, 14 1/2 months ago. When I

started, I didn't want to even SET a goal, much less consider how long it

might take to get to it. It was too overwhelming; it seemed too

unreachable. They require you to choose a goal for WW, so I did; but I made

myself focus on the first 10 pounds, and then on the first 10% goal instead.

As Tory said, every time I made a wise choice or got through a good week on

program, I found a way to congratulate myself. She's right -- it's so

important to believe in yourself and to think positively (for a change?)

about yourself! We are SO worth it!!!!

I almost hate to tell people how long it has taken me to get this much

weight off, because NO one should compare themselves with another. Each

body loses weight at its own pace -- and every loss is a GREAT one, no

matter how small!!

When I set that original goal, I didn't think I'd get there, so I set it

fairly high for my height. Now that I'm close to that number, and now that

I know how doable this program is, I'm just going to take it one day at a

time, one week at a time, and see where my body wants to land -- PERMANENTLY

!!

Best wishes to you for WW successes!!

Bette in CA

278/177/175 or ???