Practice = Progress = New Habits

Yesterday morning I attended my 4-year old granddaughter's preschool graduation, and it was precious to see her and her other classmates sing their songs and recite their poems. After the program there was a small reception in the church basement (she attends a private Christian school) and I had a chance to look over a notebook containing all of her school projects for the year. Kayla was just past 3-1/2 when started preschool last fall (she turned 4 in late January), and it was wonderful to see the progress she made over the course of just a few months. Her printing went from large block letters that were clearly drawn with much effort to her later projects where the upper and lower case printing was much neater and more legible. I'm so glad that her teacher had a notebook of her progress (obviously each child had their own notebook), because without that notebook the progress wouldn't have been as evident - we quickly forget!

After the ceremony and reception, we celebrated at McDonalds where all of the adults had salads and my two granddaughters had, well, something else :-). They usually get apples slices with their Happy Meals, but this time my daughter let them have fries. Eating French fires is a rare things for the girls, so they were excited at the "treat." What was nice is that this former fry-aholic (that would be me!) wasn't even tempted :-). Honestly, the smell of the grease in the fryer was a real turnoff and I was very happy with my salad and iced coffee with sugar-free syrup. It wasn't that I couldn't have had something else, but that what I really wanted was exactly what I had - a healthier option!

Progress, whether it's a preschooler learning how to print or an adult learning how to make healthier choices, takes time. At first, learning something new takes a lot of effort and it feels (and it can even look) awkward. Changing how we've always done something isn't easy, and it can be tempting to quit sometimes because we don't think it's worth the effort, or we don't think that we really CAN learn something new.

I remember helping my own children learn to write, putting my hand over theirs and encouraging them to keep trying. The pencil felt clumsy in their hands, but as they received guidance and practiced, they all learned and soon became proficient.

That's how I lost my weight, and how you'll lose yours, too :-). What feels clumsy and awkward and the most unnatural thing in the world really WILL become second nature - in time and with practice. Others who are succeeding on Take Shape for Life/Medifast, or who have reached their goal, are available to place their hands over yours and provide gentle guidance so that you will succeed, too. All you have to do is practice making those healthy choices, one on-plan day at a time.

If you could use some help on your own journey, please contact me!