My Promise to Myself

This is a blog about scrapbooking and photography, yes, but today I am going to go WAAAYYYY off topic and talk about a more personal issue.  Losing weight.  Not that I have been doing much of that lately!  But I need to.


I have been focused on the number on the scale in some way or another my entire life.  Either I was trying  to make it go down with some new diet or exercise regimen, or I was watching it carefully to make sure the weight I had just lost did not sneakily try to come back.  Blame it on my poor metabolism, unhealthy eating habits, poor genes, stress, depression, blah, blah, blah.  But what it comes down to is that I am not healthy.  Period.  So I can accept that as my fate, or I can try to make a change.


Well starting today I decided to take control.  For me, so I feel better.  For my husband, so I can go on hikes with him and stop snoring at night.  And for my daughter, so I can be a positive role model for her and stick around to watch her grow and have babies of her own someday.  These are all the reasons why I quit smoking, which was a pretty difficult task.  So I should be able to handle this, right?!


My inspiration, my aha moment, came from a member of our military base's wight loss support group named Kate.  I don't know Kate, but she posted a photo and called it "a bit of visual motivation."  It looked a bit like this:

Suddenly the fact that I needed to lose weight went from a HUGE INSURMOUNTABLE OBSTACLE to a matter of one marble at a time.  I don't need to lose a hundred pounds.  I need to lose one pound.  Then I get to pick up one shiny, blue marble and go "plink" and put it in the other jar.  

And to make it even less stressful on myself, I chose one small goal...35 pounds.  That is how many marbles are in the first jar.  And win that jar is empty, I get to buy a new lens for my camera!  The new clothes I will need to buy, they are a bonus!  

There is an additional component to my plan involving accountability.   It is a food journal.  I am not on a "diet" and I am not restricting any food group from my life.  But I AM requiring myself to write down every thing that I put in my mouth.  This will make me sllloooowwww down and think twice before I munch.  


So, wish me luck!  And thank you Kate for the inspiration.  I hope I have inspired someone else to make their own jars, and don't forget to reward yourself!  Feel free to leave a comment and share your story.  Thanks for stopping by!