A Challenge for You

Happy Monday!  I hope you had a wonderful weekend and are ready for a great, on-plan week!

Yesterday I wrote about the friend I had lunch with on Saturday.  Another thing about her really impressed me, so I thought I'd share that today.

Because my friend has very low vision due to a progressive eye condition, there are certain things that make a big difference for her.  For one, she needs really good lighting to help her see.  When we got to the restaurant, the waitress initially led us to a table in a rather dark area of the room.  My friend noticed another area that was better lighted, explained that she had low vision and requested that we be seated at a booth with a light.  After ordering our salads, she requested that the chef cut up everything into bite-size pieces, telling the waitress that her low vision made it difficult to use a knife.

Those are just a couple of small examples, but I'm sharing this because I was impressed with how comfortable my friend was in politely letting people know what she needed.  So many of us are reluctant to clearly communicate what we need, and we hold back to our own detriment. 

I see this all the time as I read blogs and other on-line posts, and as I talk to people that I work with.  So often we're afraid of what others will think, or we don't want to potentially inconvenience someone.  So instead of letting people know what we can and can't eat, we go off plan.  Instead of clearly communicating the kind of support we need, we allow people to sabotage us. 

Most of us were raised to put other people first and tend to feel selfish if we put our own needs out there.  There's certainly a time and place to put others first, but there is also a time to make sure that others are aware of what we need, too.  Getting to a healthy weight is important - it's critical, in fact.  We shouldn't feel apologetic for making this a priority in our lives, nor should we hesitate to let those around us know what we need from them in order to be successful.  What our families eat for dinner may need to change from casseroles to lean protein and a healthy vegetable and salad, but that's OK - and it's healthier for the rest of the family, too :-).  Taking care of ourselves ultimately helps us take better care of others.

Today I'm encouraging you to make sure that you get what you need to reach your weight loss goal.  Structure your environment for success and make sure the people around you know how they can best support you.  This may be a paradigm shift for you, but doing so will better position you for success.

Go for it!