Shifting Focus

Today is going to be a fun day, because I'm going to meet one of my Facebook friends (and her husband) for the first time! She is also on Medifast, so we'll have lots to talk about and I'm sure we'll be comparing notes :-)

Today is Day 5 on 5&1 and I'm definitely back in the groove. Now that I'm back to having things under control, I must admit that I'm more than a bit frustrated at myself for letting things slide on vacation to the point that the scale went up and my jeans got snug. I certainly know better - but last week was a real study in how to NOT walk the talk - ugh!

Most of you have been there, and maybe you're there right now. I really want to encourage you to not dwell on the past - it is a waste of time and energy, and dwelling on past mistakes and failures doesn't do a thing except suck the joy out of today. This is really all about embracing the attitude that it doesn't matter how many times you fall down, it only matters how many times you get up.

In my past life (before Take Shape for Life/Medifast), seeing a weight gain and snug clothes would have set me into a tailspin, filled with negative self-talk and lots and LOTS of self-recrimination. That cycle would almost invariably lead to reaching for comfort food, which, of course, only made a bad situation worse!

What's different this time is that I am choosing to focus on what I want, which is a healthy body and comfortably-fitting size 6's. I refuse to waste time beating myself up and choose to focus my attention and my energy on doing what I need to do right now. It feels great to know that I stopped the slide almost right away, before I outgrew my clothes.

So if you're in a bit of a funk today about where you are in comparison to where you want to be, take heart! Shift your focus from the past to today, and then envision a healthy, thin future. And that future starts today, one on-plan meal at a time!