A few months back I started a group open to friends and friends of friends with the intent to help others and myself in the battle to shed ounces. We have met weekly and discussed various topics like “meal planning”, “goal setting”, “carbs are not evil” among others. Tonight’s meeting topic was one that I think is very important and one that sometimes gets overlooked, I felt as if it warranted a blog post! Tonight’s meeting topic was “Measuring Success without the Scale”.
I recently posted about my struggles where I said enough was enough (Past Blog Post). I talked about my progress or lack there of, specifically with weight and body fat percentage and how it had been stagnant for the past 5 months. I received several phone calls, text messages and emails about this post and I want to clear a few things up…
I know I am very hard on myself. I am without a doubt my biggest critic. I feel like it’s important to share both the highs and lows of this journey. I am the only one who knows what I eat every day, I know when I have my moments of weakness. The best examples are times when I over indulge because I lack the willpower to eat just one bite or have just one piece. My wife and I had this conversation the other night; I needed her to understand my perspective on impulse control and food addiction. Here is the best example I can provide:
A box of candy can sit on the counter for weeks with my wife. She might have a piece every other day and it will likely get tossed before she eats the whole thing. Me on the other hand, can’t touch it… and if I do… I will eat one, maybe two and find myself going back for more and more throughout the day until I realize that I ate the whole box. I will even go so far as to justify this in my head as a reward for what I did in the gym or because my eating has been so clean, then after half the 
box is gone comes feelings of “oh well, today is ruined! Mine as well cap it off with the rest of this box!” It’s this thought process that leads down a dark path of useless calories and hindered progress. Don’t be fooled by pictures of me and progress in the gym, this is a real problem and one that I work on daily. I must admit, this month has been much better, with the help of my mentor I have come up with some ways to mentally battle this as these moments arise. Its working and I feel great about the progress. This is far from easy, but it’s what is necessary for me to live the life I want to live, a life of love, family and good health!
Wow, what just happened? Sorry, I rambled because I was trying to get to the point of why I chose this topic, and it was because of all of you! Those phone calls, texts, emails and messages of concern were all heard and appreciated and I thought it was time I shared this with the group because I too needed to hear it again!
“Measuring Success without the Scale” is important! Your progress isn’t always going to be seen on the scale. The intent behind the meeting tonight was to ensure that each of us don’t forget where we came from. We talked a lot about things that weight loss has changed in our lives and how those little things are what matters most. For me, outside of the health improvements, its things like fitting in a booth at restaurant, sitting comfortably in an airplane seat(not needing a seatbelt extension), I still wont sit in a plastic chair… but maybe one day! Weather you have lost, 5, 10, 20, 50, 100 or 200+ pounds we all have one thing in common. WE FEEL BETTER! Even if you have lost ZERO pounds but you have made that choice to change your life for the better, I am betting you too FEEL BETTER! Lets embrace the success and continue to be proud of what we have accomplished all while continuing to have that maniacal focus on what we seek, that ultimate goal. Never let that goal drag you down, find the positive in what you are doing and when progress comes to a halt and it will, evaluate your routine and make changes until you find that magic formula that gets you going again in the direction YOU CHOOSE! We have all have a choice, everyday from the moment we wake up until the moment we fall asleep the day is filled with choices, Try your best to make the right ones and be happy about it when you do!
In tonight’s meeting I introduced the concept of NSV’s (Non-Scale-Victories) (I can’t take credit for this, its something I heard when my journey started and I wish I had shared it sooner) to the group and it felt good to see everyone’s face light up when they thought of that progress they had made. We didn’t have a large group tonight, but we collectively had lost just over 450 pounds, you don’t do that without hard work! While the group as a whole all has goals they seek around weight loss, I believe we all left feeling better about where we are with our progress and maybe even a bit more proud of what we have accomplished!
To those of you who were there tonight: Thank you SO much, you all inspire me to work hard every day on the mental battle that we collectively fight!
It’s been said that a meeting of two people is never an accident. Your blog was meant for me today and everyday. “Positivity breeds success” hit him hard. Hard in a positive way – I am also my worse critic. I do not bask in my own accomplishments. I do not allow myself to feel it and allow a scale to measure my success.
Thank you for the wake up call. SHAKE ME UP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!