Wednesday, August 13, 2008

A Lighter Heart


Flaming enthusiasm,
backed up by horse sense and persistence,
is the quality that most frequently makes for success.
~Dale Carnegie


My heart and I are celebrating this morning.

I dropped 3.5 pounds at last night's weigh in! That brings my five-week total to 12 pounds, which means I earned some bling (see my side bar.) All that journaling I've been doing is paying off big time. Yay me (heck no, I'm not proud of myself!)

Yesterday when I was rearranging things in one of our closets, I ran across two five-pound dumbbells. When I lifted them to move them to a different spot, I was amazed at how heavy they were. Last night, when I got home from my meeting, I picked up those dumbbells again and handed them to my hubby. I said, "This is how much less weight my legs will have to haul around on our hikes in Alaska. This is how much lighter my heart will be."

He was impressed.

For those of us who have 50, 100, 200 pounds to lose, it can feel overwhelming to think about how far we have to go. And the more you have to lose, the less significant the beginning losses can feel. So do yourself a favor next time you're at the grocery store. Pick up something that weighs the same amount you've lost: a five-pound bag of sugar; a ten-pound sack of potatoes; a 28-pound container of cat litter, etc. Pick up two of everything, if you've worked hard to lose that much! The idea is to realize how much less of a burden your body has to carry. Then put down your load and celebrate the lighter feeling. Your knees, your feet, and your heart will thank you!

Another trick I've learned is to not look too far ahead on this journey. After you celebrate how far you've come, it's easy to get discouraged when you then think how far you still have to go. So don’t do it! Set your sites on your next milestone. I've lost 12 pounds so for me, that milestone is 15 pounds. For right now, I'm not thinking any farther than that. I hope I can encourage you to do the same.

I'm going to celebrate my success this morning by going to Starbucks for a non-fat latte with one Splenda. I need some time to think about how I'm going to teach verbs to my student tonight. He's a wiz at nouns and adjectives and pronouns, but I need to find a way to teach him that verbs are all about action. Maybe I'll have him look at this sentence to pick out the verbs:

Pattie has lost 12 pounds, and she's one very happy camper!



Until next time...

28 comments:

Manuela said...

Hurray for Pattie!

You must feel so terrific especially when we remember that post you did a few weeks back.

Looks like you've got your WW mojo back Pattie and I'm so happy for you :)

Deborah said...

WooHoo!! 3.5 pounds!! You Rock!!

I know how you feel about picking up something that weighs what you lost. I buy my cat and dog food in the 50 pound bags and I can hardly drag them much less lift them. I just can't imagine how I carried all that weight around.

Chrissie said...

What a great WI. You are doing awesome. I think its awesome you have found something that is the amount you have lost.

Susie said...

So happy for you Pattie!
I know you'll continue to do well with such a positive attitude!!
xo

carla said...

and we're SO HAPPY FOR YOU!!!

Miz.

Kathy said...

Go You!!!

Party Doll link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yGrVNpFJbLI

Becky said...

Awesome!! I like your idea of lifting barbells instead of what I did. I had lost 10 lbs, and while I was at the grocery store, I decided to pile up 10lbs of hamburger - and then grossed myself out that I had been carrying that much around and still had 2 more piles that size to get rid of-LOL! your way is much more esthetically pleasing. Congrats on the weight drop!

Cammy@TippyToeDiet said...

I'm a happy camper for you! Way to go, Pattie!

Your tip on setting mini-goals will be invaluable to those who choose that route. It's so much easier to manage if you focus on the next 10 pounds, or next 10%, or whatever milestone you choose. Plus your sense of accomplishment is magnified by the knowledge that you have all those notches in your gunbelt, so to speak. :)

Betty said...

That´s great, congrats!
Keep on going strong!

RunningNan said...

I am so happy for you! 12 pounds is awesome! WHOO HOO!

jovaliquilts said...

Wow, congratulations! I love your representation of it in terms of those heavy arm weights. Really makes it seem like the huge accomplishment it is!

jillytacy said...

Yeah for you! I'm celebrating her with you! I love how you translated your weight loss into something tangible. It makes it something you can see, touch and celebrate!
Teaching verbs, huh, how about using magazine photos and having him list all of the actions that are going on in the pictures.

JC said...

YEAAAAAAA PATTIE!!!!!! This is a great post. I was happy over 1.6 Monday night.

I got to ask you. Do you have a quote book??? You always have the best quotes.

I never thought of picking up something weighing the amount I have lost. Great idea. I don't think I could (61.6) but it would make me appreciate how far I have come.

Grace and blessings to you.

Brightcetera said...

Welcome to Happy Camper Camp! :0)

grammy said...

I am thrilled for you. I have been on that journey. More than once, but I think this time is really it. Why? Because I have learned so much about food and being healthy. I use Starbucks as a reward too. Good luck!!!

new*me said...

such great advice Pattie! The big picture can be overwhelming at times ;) Right now I am at a 53 pound loss...my twins together weigh right at 50..when I hold them both and walk, it's hard to believe that much is gone. It is a daily reminder of how much I really have lost forever :) I hope the starbucks treat was wonderful!

Anna Belle said...

Hey Pattie, A friend of mind (JC)recommended I come for a visit. I'm knew to blogging and looking forward to getting to know other bloggers. You have a great site. Today's post is great. I'll have to remember about the weighs. Nice to meet you. I'll visit again.

Lora said...

Way to go Patti! I guess that journaling really does pay off! Watch out Alaska - here she comes!

ptg said...

YAY YOU!!!

And yes, if you look at the total amount needed to lose, it not only gets overwhelming but darn near impossible.

What I did was make a NY Resolution (yes, I still make those) to lose 3-5lb per month. That is it - no more, no less.

And thankfully, I've done it every month except one (and that one I lost 2.5lb, so I was close). At the end of the year, that should be anywhere between 36 and 60lbs. Both numbers make me pretty happy, though of course, the higher number makes me happiest. ;o)

Grumpy Chair said...

Pattie a great big CONGRATULATIONS on your 12 pound weight loss!!!!

Hope you enjoyed your FF SF latte.

I love coming here, always so up beat and positive.

Nonnas News said...

Congrats on your loss!!

Donna Gotlib said...

Hi Pattie,
I've left you a surprise.
Hugs,
Cookie

em's scrapbag said...

Your an inspiration! Way to go! Thanks for visiting my blog. Have fun with your scrappy quilt. And keep up the good work. Love, Em

Carole Burant said...

Oh Pattie, I'm SO proud of you!!! Losing 12 pounds is no easy feat and I can well imagine how much better you're feeling already:-) When I used to go to the gym, the trainer would always tell us to buy a 5 lb bag of sugar every time we lost 5 lbs, just to get the feel of how much weight we'd lost. Keep doing what you've been doing, my friend, and we'll be here to cheer you on:-) xoxo

tas said...

You are a very wise woman! what a great idea to encourage oneself and keep going! i appreciate your insight. guess that's why i keep coming back to visit!

Take One Stripper Pole said...

Well ... I came back to commenting just in time to say CONGRATULATIONS! Way to go lady!!!!

Sometimes It's Good said...

Fantastic way to Go!

Needled Mom said...

Way to go Pattie. It is a great idea to pick up something that weighs the same as you have lost. That keeps it all in perspective.

Have a good weekend.