Accept Success and a Thank you :)

I have been reading the blogs I follow and it seems like quite a few of us were having some less than stellar days.  Quit waiting around for a day to start doing right, just do it now.  If you want to use today as the day, do it - it's Sunday, fresh new week.  Go from there that's fine if it makes you feel better.  But, even if you screw up big time at lunch and have a Big Mac, you can still have a grilled chicken salad for supper - you don't have to go get a Whopper just because your day is already shot.  I have been guilty of this so many times.  We know that this journey isn't one huge decision and everything changes right freakin' now because that's the only way to success - no carbs, no fat, work out 3 hours a day, no soda, etc..  It's small gradual changes; a drastic disrupt to the norm is actually a set-up for a train wreck.  We're going to totally 'screw up' some days - I had two craptastic days this week because I let myself get into that old mentality that 'well, today is already a wash so I'm just going to sit right here on this couch and do nothing then eat some fried chicken strips, fried cream cheese jalapeno poppers, and a strawberry cake'.  It's pointless and very self-defeating.  That's what our old gravy covered minds what us to think and do; stop the BS!  Quit setting yourself up for failure, stop accepting the fear of change, discomfort, failure, ridicule or other negative thoughts.  Accept every small change and good decision as a step towards absolute achievement of your goals.  I always write on people's blogs "You are worth it, never forget that"; as you're reading this you can probably remember me saying that to you at some point.  It's something I have been hammering into my own brain for months now and it's FINALLY starting to sink in. Our fears hold us back by keeping our failures close and our belief in success distant.

I have been working a lot on sorting out the processes of my mind, changing my mind's schematic is how I define it.  I am learning that food is fuel, not a friend.  Practicing the fact that this isn't about 1 big overhaul, it's a ton of small changes and good decisions.  I have to become comfortable doing what is uncomfortable - exercise, sweat, squats, bird-dogs, etc..  Trying to remember that this ice cream will never taste as good as 3 pounds down will feel.  I am working on the inside right now and its ten times harder than the physical workouts.

I want to tell you that that's where many of you come in.  I can set my mind right, but the truth is I haven't done a lot of the research that you all have.  I don't even know how to set realistic goals for losing during a week.  I didn't even know how to count calories and I sucked at remembering every little thing I ate - I've been introduced to so many new ideas, articles, links, quotes, evidence, etc. from reading your blogs.  I need to spend some of my own time doing research into these things, but so far - your articles, progress posts, and notes have been a big part of my success thus far and I want to thank you!  So many of you have already come so far and when I take a glance at your blog, at your weight loss tickers - I am just amazed.  I get the confidence that "I can do this too!", based on your personal stories and the strategies & links you add to your posts.  Kudos to you all for that.  It's a great feeling to know you're not alone.