GOAL SETTING

How good are you at getting to your goal?  Do you actually GET to your goal?  Do you even know WHAT YOUR GOAL IS?  Come on, how are you going to get there if you don’t know where you’re going.  Let’s pretend we’re going to….say Montana….how are you going to get there?  Are you walking?  flying?  driving?  How long are you staying?  A day?  A week?  A month?  What are you going to pack?  Long Clothes?  Short clothes?  Casual clothes?  Dressy Clothes?  Where are you going to stay when you get there?  Stay with friends? Go to a hotel?  Camp out?  Go to a hostel?

Okay, you can see where I’m going.  It’s really hard to start off going some place without a plan.  With any goal setting you have to be smart – that’s S M A R T!  First off – be specific as to what you want to accomplish.  If it’s to lose weight, make it specific – I’M GOING TO LOSE WEIGHT BEFORE I GO ON VACATION on July 26.  Now, make it measurable – I’ll do it by writing down everything that I eat and staying within my calorie allotment and exercising .  Next, be sure your goal is attainable.  Trying to lose 5 pounds a week IS NOT.  Making your goal to lose between 1 1/2 and 2 pounds a week IS!  Be realistic.  Don’t say you’re going to exercise for 2 hours a day – it’s just not going to happen, but, 3 or 4 hours A WEEK is realistic.  And, last, make it traceable.  Write down each day your calories, how much you’ve exercised and SAVE YOUR RECORDS!  If you have a good week, you just might want to repeat it next week.  If your goal wasn’t met, check what you’ve written and see where the improvements can be made.  Don’t let anything stand in your way of success.  YOU CAN DO IT!  I KNOW YOU CAN!  If you need any help you can reach me through this blog or e-mail me at salleyawitz@gmail.com.  I’m here for you!

WHAT YOU RESIST…YOU’RE STUCK WITH!

What you resist, you’re stuck with!  Someone told me that long ago and it holds true with me today.  How many times have you said to yourself, “I’ve got to exercise today” or “I’m going to write down everything I eat” or “I know I should be drinking more water” and then WE DON’T!  We all KNOW what we “should” be doing (remember, “don’t should on yourself”) but we resist it.  We seem to resist the most the things that will help us the most.  Why?  Beats me, but we seem to continue in our resistance but, guess what?  If we keep resisting change, nothings going to change!  Wow – what a concept!  So, let’s do this.  Get out a peace of paper and write down a goal you want to meet, whether it be in weight loss or getting a new job or whatever.  Really – get that piece of paper and do it before we go on.

………………..I’m waiting!

Okay, did you do it?  If you didn’t you can stop reading ’cause nothing else will make sense.  After you write down your goal – sit and think and write “What I resist in getting to my goal is (now leave a blank line) and write down everything (excuses and all) that keep you from getting to your goal.  In weight loss it might be counting calories (or points) and writing it down, exercising, keeping the right food in the house, cutting down on “junk food”, drinking plenty of liquids, staying within your calories, etc. etc. etc.  Go on…..do it now!

It’s amazing to me how we set goals and then we set up roadblocks to keep us from getting there.  I don’t know about you but to me a goal is a promise to myself and I don’t break promises to others so I sure won’t break one to me.  I’m worth it and so are you!!!  So the next step to getting to your goal is go back to the top of the page where you wrote  ”What I resist in getting to my goal is…” and on that blank line write UP UNTIL NOW!!!  That’s right, there’s no better time to change your habit of resistance (it is just a habit after all) is NOW!  If you wrote lots of stuff….start working on one at a time.  Pick the one, get another sheet, write that first sentence and the “up until now” and the habit you’re going to work on……and do it!!  Mark on a calendar each day you succeed.  Remember, it takes 21 days to make a habit so GO FOR IT!!  I know you can!  I have confidence in you – the only question remaining is DO YOU BELIEVE IN YOURSELF?  If you don’t, send me an e-mail on your challenge and let’s talk.  I’m here to help.  Don’t let anything EVER stand in your way of getting what you want in your life.

With this I’ll end – it all goes back to YOU GOTTA WANT IT!!!

ORGANIZE TO EAT RIGHT!

So, are you really ready to take that weight off and eat healthy?  Yeah?  Well what is all that “junk food” doing in your cabinet?  I see it!  You’re keeping it there for an “emergency”, whatever that is.  If you’re serious now’s the time to make “out with the old and in with the new” – old junk food, new healthy food.  Take a day (or a week) and start organizing those cabinets.  Take all the food off one shelf at a time and only put back those foods that will help you on your way to goal.  Throw away those opened boxes that have been sitting there for a year.  If you haven’t used them yet you probably won’t.  Give to a food pantry anything you’ve had there and know you’re not going to eat – you know those 2 for 1’s that you bought and didn’t like but are still saving.  Make a snack shelf or drawer and only put there the things that you can grab when you’re in a “mood” but that are low calorie and won’t make you binge.  I keep popcorn, rice crackers, rice cakes, hard candy (Nips), Tootsie Pops (the tiny ones), Meringue cookies, Fiber One Bars,  I won’t binge on any but they work when I want “something”.

After you’re done with the pantry get into that freezer and donate whatever has been there that you know you won’t eat now.  Same with refrigerator!  Once everything is nice and clean and you now have room – go shopping, by yourself, and really LOOK at the shelves.  Find new and healthy alternatives for what you just got rid of.  Check out my shopping lists under FAVORITE FOODS for some new ideas.  One thing I know for sure – IF IT’S NOT THERE, YOU WON’T EAT IT!  That goes for good, healthy, low calorie foods OR for “junk”foods.

Get ready for good health!!  You’re in charge of you and I know you can do it!!!

ABC’S OF GETTING STARTED

Welcome to TO GOAL AND BEYOND with Salle.  A place for you to go to get tips in losing weight, maintaining weight, eating healthy, changing “bad” habits for healthy habits, a place to learn how to handle every challenge that you have in getting to your goal.  We’ll be covering different topics each week.  Some of the upcoming topics will be how to handle the holidays (they’re approaching rapidly), when to recognize your hunger signs (instead of letting your appetite rule you), how to work in exercise even when you’re super busy (aren’t we all?).  We’ll talk about eating out “how to’s”, menu planning, label reading and more.

To get what you need from this site I need your input so….start out and add your comments on your biggest weight loss challenges.  I’ll be sure to add them to future posts.  Or, you can e-mail me at salle@comcast.net

I’ve been on every diet imaginable (and some of them more than once), I’ve lost weight, put it on, lost it again, ad nauseam.  After being a Weight Watchers leader for over ten years talking to hundreds of people a week (I facilitated 21 meetings a week, some days I did 4 in a row!) I know that the only way to lose weight in NOT TO DIET!  You have to make it a rule that, while losing weight, don’t do anything that you’re not willing to do for the rest of your life!  You have to make eating healthy (and that means not eating too many calories) a way of life.  

If you have a lot to lose don’t even think, “oh no, I have “x” pounds to lose, I’ll never do it”.  First of all, YOU WILL, second of all, we’re going to break it down in 5 pound increments.  We’re only going to think of “going below the zero or five”.  What does that mean?  If you now weigh, let’s say, 197 your first goal in to “go below the 5″ or get to 194 AND NEVER GO ABOVE IT AGAIN!  Next concentrate only on going “below the zero”.  That one’s fun because it’s a “getting out of” in this case the 90’s!  Below the zero would be 189. Get it?  Small steps done consistently reap big rewards!

If you don’t know how many calories you should eat just search calorie charts.  Those attending my class here in Tucson were given one.  Go to today’s weight and see how many calorie you need.  To lose weight try staying closer to the bottom of the calories for your weight.  You can eat less if you want but don’t EVER go below 1200 and don’t EVER let yourself get too hungry.  We’ll talk about hunger-appetite  soon.  If you’re now doing points and enjoying it – keep it up.  I do calories because it’s on all labels and, I think, easier and everyone can do it.  After awhile you’ll JUST KNOW what foods you can eat and how much.  That’s when you’ve made it a lifestyle!

I will say that whenever I go up a pound or so I go back to basics (and this is where you should start)

1. I weight and measure everything.  Get a good food scale, measuring cups and spoons and keep them handy.

2.  I write down everything I eat BEFORE I EAT IT!  Write it BEFORE you bite it.  Just seems to me a lot easier weighing a measuring BEFORE it’s eaten!!

3.  I walk, go to the gym, go my Wii Fit (love it, love it, love it) AT LEAST 30 minutes a day and I try for 60.

Do those three things, believe in yourself and soon you’ll be at your goal!  I’ll be here to help. Make it a great week!

Your friend TO GOAL AND BEYOND,

Salle