Setting a new goal....dreaming a new dream...

I love reading motivational quotes. A few inspiring words can shift a thought pattern, change a mindset, encourage, and give direction. I also get inspiration from those around me, and from all of the wonderful women writing about their triumphs, struggles, ideas, and thoughts in the blogs that I follow. Here's a good quote that I came upon recently.

“You are never too old

to set another goal or

dream a new dream.”

~ C.S. Lewis

I am feeling strong and motivated today. I lost almost a pound from last week. I actually think I lost more, but I weighed myself a few times and took the number that came up the most. I used to pick the lowest number, but if you read my post, "I've been duped", from a few weeks back, I think it's best to err on taking highest number that comes up as my weekly weight. I really want to lose a pound a week. I am so far off that goal, but I keep setting it every week. If I give up, there is nowhere to go but gain, and I refuse to do that. I have to take what the scale gives me and realize it tells the truth more often than not. But I can keep setting a new goal each week and dreaming a new dream.

The enemy....peanut M&M's

 I had some slip ups over the holiday weekend. Some I thought I would never have again. Just when you think you have things all under control, a mistake can happen and it sets you back. I had sweets in the house. I made a cheesecake for the boys and put out my candy jars, as I always do at Christmas. I always do that but  why did I think I could do that now and get away with it? Will the boys miss my tradition? Was I afraid to disappoint them? My husband asked me to put the jar of peanut M&M's away after the boys left. He is slim, but still found himself grabbing a handful as he passed by. I haven't had even one, I stated. I've got this sugar thing under control.  He asked if they tempted me, and I replied, no, they really don't.  And they didn't, they really didn't......until Sunday night. The jar was  tucked away in the closet, and for some reason, some unknown reason, I found myself going in the cabinet and sneaking a couple of handfuls. Maybe it was my way to release tension from the weekend. Maybe subconsiously I was rewarding myself for having been so good to resist them all weekend. It's the mystery that if solved,  would give us the solution to losing weight and keeping it off. Why when all is going well, do we do something to sabotage it?

That being said, it happened, and it may happen again. How we deal with it is the most important thing. One of the toughest concepts for me is to realize that you can recover from eating something not planned, just start again right away. Right away! We all have said this over and over. We've said it to each other, we've said it to ourselves. But sometimes I don't think we really believe it. Yes, these little set backs will set back my weight loss. Maybe I won't lose as fast. I'm proof of that. But losing is what's important. Not how fast you lose, but that you lose and learn something while doing it.

My gang. Home for the holiday weekend.

So whatever happened to you this week, or last, set a new goal. Even if you ate all the wrong things, in huge quantities, over the holiday weekend, set a new goal. Even if everyone around you is losing and you're not, set a new goal. If we don't continually set these goals, we'll have nothing to pull us up, when we slip. Set those goals. Dream those dreams!

Thought for the day: " There are no perfect tomorrows" - quote taken from my friend Cat's blog www.catsbellyfatacure.blogspot.com