Keep Your Eyes on the Prize!

During this time of year when we can become so consumed with our surroundings, the events taking place and the temptations that seem to lurk behind every corner, there is only one thing to do...keep your eyes on the prize!

What exactly do I mean by this? Simple! If you keep your attention on your goals, you will be more apt to stay focused on the task at hand. When your mind is constantly thinking about what you are working to achieve, it becomes easier to pass on the extra treats or get off the couch when tempted to turn into a potato!

Here are just a few suggestions on ways to help you stay focused. Please feel free to add your own suggestions. (As a matter of fact, I would love to hear what yours are. You can share by making a comment to this blog.)

• Write your goals on note cards and place in areas where you will see them such as on your bathroom mirror, your refrigerator or on the steering wheel of your car.
• Cut out pictures from magazines or catalogs of things you would like to do, wear or go when you reach your weight loss goals and post them around your home.
• Write one short phrase or single words on cards and post them around if you do not want it to be obvious to others on what your specific goals are.
• Make it obvious! Tell your close friends and family what you are working to achieve so they can help hold you accountable.
• Personalize your screen saver on your computer or on your desk top to remind you of your goals.
  Find pictures of you when you were at your target size or cut out a picture of your face and place it on a picture of a body (that is similar to what you will look like when you reach your goal) from a clothing catalog.

Hopefully, these will give you some ideas. The main thing you do not want to do at this time is use "I'll start after the New Year" as an excuse to pig out now. Enjoy the goodies in moderation - it is important that you do not deprive yourself. However, using 'later' as an excuse will only make you discouraged when 'later' comes and you have even more weight to shed!

Instead, keep your eyes on the prize and when January 1st comes around you will feel accomplishment rather than regret!

Reserve and Splurge!

Reserve and splurge! Just what exactly does that mean?

One way I have found to be very helpful in the journey of weight loss is to allow yourself a time to splurge once a week but in order to have the splurge, you must operate on reserve the other six days.

With the holidays upon us and all the goodies and special treats that accompany them, the last thing you want to do is deprive yourself. You do not want to feel as if you are on a 'diet' during this time of year yet you also do not want to have to start the New Year with a resolution of losing weight that you gained in the month of December! In order to create a lifestyle, you can not deprive yourself of anything that you enjoy but instead you must learn how to live in moderation.

One definition of the word reserve is "to retain or hold over until a future time or place." By reserving what you eat during the week, you can splurge one day of the weekend without doing harm. Now, when I talk about reserving, that does not mean that you skip meals or starve yourself. You must eat something every 3-4 hours to keep your metabolism operating to it's fullest potential thus burning the maximum number of calories. However, if you count your calories, points or whatever else you may do and discipline yourself to the utmost level, then reward yourself by allowing yourself the special treats one day a week. This not only helps in keeping you on track for weight loss but it also gives you something to look forward to and therefore helps to motivate you during the week.

Most of us live by our calendars and on a plan. Your 'splurge day' does not have to be the same day each week but you do want to make sure there are no less than 5 days in between. For example, you have a Christmas party to a attend on Saturday and the following Friday, you have dinner plans with friends. Make these days your 'splurge days' and live on reserve the rest of the time leading up to those special treats.

Give it a try and see if this plan helps you to create a new lifestyle of eating for weight loss. Remember...reserve and splurge!