Wendy's Journey from Obese to Fit!

Today I need to remind myself of some basics.  I need to see the bigger picture and remember that the finish line is months away and that this is not a sprint but a steady march with a strategy to get there.  So I write this to put my mind in the right place.

I weigh myself every morning.  This is a good thing for me.  When the number is a little lower than yesterday there is a mini party in my dressing room :).  If it isn't lower I don't go into a major depression or anything.  I understand that it can't go down everyday.  The line on the weight loss chart is not smooth and steady.  It is jagged, with spikes and plateaus.  But I get used to the anticipation every morning that it might be just a little lower today :).

Enter PHASE 3.  When I do phase 3, I increase my calories everyday to eliminate the calorie deficit, get my body used to 'normal' caloric intake and kick up my metabolism.  Phase 3 is the key to continued successful fat loss and ultimately successful weight maintenance.  This is wonderful and it is fun to add a little bit more to my eating plan!

The problem is in that morning weigh-in time.  Changing my mind from anticipating a possible weight loss to wanting a maintenance number or even a slight gain is difficult.  So begins my selftalk:  "It is good to maintain, it is good to maintain, it is good to maintain."

By Christmas I hope to reach my goal weight and focus on body composition (body fat % vs lean mass).  At that point I will, hopefully, be building more in muscle weight than losing in fat weight.  If the number on the scale goes up but the body fat % goes down, THAT should be cause for the mini celebrations!

I am beginning NOW to change my mindset!

"It is good to maintain, it is good to maintain, it is good to maintain."