Once again I thank my family, friends and teammates for cheering me on though another week of dieting. At the last weigh-in, along with some of my teammates, I encountered one of those ghastly plateaus that often follow the first few weeks of weight loss. It’s hard to believe that a week of perseverance could go unrewarded, but even with several attempts of stepping on and off the scale, re-adjusting my glasses, and finally giving the scales a vigorous foot nudge, the numbers remained steadfast.

It’s easy to get discouraged when the scales are stubborn. A wise teammate offered encouragement by reminding us plateauers that weight loss is only part of our goals, that our lifestyle change has brought other benefits that are just as rewarding. So the good news is – even though the poundage loss this week was small, we as a team have more energy, our clothes are fitting better, and we all feel healthier.

Even with those positive benefits being waved in my face I felt the need for additional help to keep me going and stay focused during the times I get discouraged and realize this “Challenge” is harder than anticipated. The following inspirational quote, from Maxine, helped me put it all in perspective. I’ve posted it in a prominent location, a place I can’t ignore.

“WOULD YOU LIKE SOME CHEESE TO GO WITH THAT WHINE????”

Of course the answer is, YES, because I love cheese, with crackers, in lasagna and especially on pizza. But, more importantly I want to remind myself that whining isn’t enough. From personal experience I know that whining doesn’t burn calories, or else I would be nearly invisible. In fact I’m beginning to wonder if whining has some of those hidden calories we hear so much about. I know I can make a whole bag of M&M’s magically disappear, and not even remember chewing, when involved in a good gripe session. Instead of whining over small pitfalls I will attempt to focus on the bigger picture. Somewhere I’ve read that it takes 60 days of repeated behavior to form a habit. I have an eagle eye zeroed in on April 1st to see if this healthy living becomes routine. In the meantime I will continue to struggle through one day and one weigh-in at a time.

Have a great week! As for me, I’m going to try and eliminate all “whine” calories from my diet, at least for this week.

GO ENFORCERS!!