The hi's and the low's

Three weeks. Is that really all it's been is three weeks? Sometimes I feel like I'm in a weird warp zone where time is sped up to the equivalent of a chipmunk on an energy drink or slowed down to the speed to turtles trudging through peanut butter. Part of me can't believe that it has only been three weeks because of the progress I have made in such a short time. The other part of me can't believe that it has only been three weeks because it feels like and eternity since I have tasted a pastry. Anyhow, Today I weighed in at........wait for it..........drum roll please. 231.4!!!!!! Seriously! I broke down and cried right there in my bathroom by my scale. I have accomplished in three weeks progress what I have dreamed, cried, and fought for over the last 10+ years. There are three things that I know have helped me get to this point. The first being that I had to have the right mind set. You may laugh but this is really crucial. If you go in with the attitude that this is just one more time that you are going to yo-yo your weight loss, guess what? That is exactly what you will do. I had to 100% commit to this. I knew that with my health this very well way be the last chance that I would be able to give a 110% effort. I also couldn't afford to gain anymore weight knowing that I was already to a place that my journey was going to be a pretty difficult one. The second is my support group. I know that my husband and kids stand behind me in this. They are my biggest cheer section. They help me make healthy food choices for our meals and they eat them with me. My kids get excited when they see me put my exercise clothes on and are always asking if I feel amazing when I'm through. I text DAILY with my sisters. This has been wonderful for me! Not only do I love these two women fiercely but I know that they will be honest with me and give me both the tough love and the support that I need. I have amazing friends who (as of right now) don't get sick of me having success with my weight loss and sharing my excitement with them. You have to have good people around you that will build you up. I have found that no matter how much you are positive in your own thinking you have to surround yourself with others who will be positive with you in your journey. The final thing that I know that has helped me is itWorks! I started taking their greens to help with my stomach issues and fell in love. I decided that I would try another product that helps you with your metabolism as well. I know that taking this combined with the other healthy things that I am doing has been the key to why THIS time I am finally having success. So now that we have talked about the Hi's lets talk about some of the low's. I made a crucial mistake that I think a lot of people make when they are losing weight. I made some unrealistic goals. I thought that I could easily drop 10 lbs a week, no sweat. I was making all the right food choices, getting my mandatory water in, and making sure that I exercised 10-30 minutes everyday. Today when I stepped on the scale I honestly had a moment of disappointment. Why? Because I had set a goal to be in the 220's this week. Seeing the 231.4 on my scale was upsetting..... at least for a moment. I had to give my self an internal shake. 231 is AMAZING!! In three weeks I have lost a little over 25 lbs. How dare I be disappointed about that!?! For just a moment I told myself if I would just eat less, if I would just push myself a little more. See what was starting to happen there? I was venturing into an unhealthy place because I was obsessing about unrealistic weight loss goals. What was I going to eat less of? I have been eating healthy and only putting good things into my body. If I eat less I will be starving myself which is completely counterproductive to weight loss. Skipping meals or going hungry is a BIG NO NO when you are trying to lose weight. How was I going to push myself harder with out hurting myself? I'm already getting in a good amount of cardio and strength training for what my skill level is at. I had to give my brain a good jolt and recognize that the problem here wasn't the amount of work I was putting in. The problem was my unrealistic expectations of what my results should be. I know that if I'm going to be successful in this I have to keep a realistic perspective. A 25 lb weight loss in 3 weeks is phenomenal! It is most certainly not a number to be disappointed in. So with my mind back to where it should be and the eating healthy and keeping active getting easier I'm ready to set a new goal for next week. I know that setting a reachable goal and making it or exceeding it is going to be far healthier then setting an outrageous one and being disappointed when I don't get there; but I don't want to low ball it too much because it is important to have something to work hard for. The stress of finding the perfect medium! UGH!!!!! OK so for this next week I'm going to work on toning and losing 4 lbs. That will put me in the 220's which is a good happy working place. Cheer me on and I will promise to work my hardest and post for next week. Good luck to anyone else who is also starting or maybe continuing a weight loss journey! I know that we can all rock this if we just do it the right way!!