I'd rather have a motivating list

I brought it!  I brought it!

Before I go a step further, I've got to say a big thank you for all of the comments I received on last week's post.  I gathered so much motivation from you all!  Some of them made me scared, some of them made me look inward, and they all re-energized me.  If you skip the rest of this post (and, I really wouldn't blame you because, holy hannah am I long winded) then just read this list.  It is some of the suggestions you all gave me to get out of my rut, and get motivated.  (I repeat, these are not my suggestions - they are that of my Mamavation Sista's.)  Save them to use in your "weight loss tool kit."

• Read your old posts, or a journal if you're a non-blogger.  Read the ones when you are sad to see what you want to avoid, read the ones when you had tons of motivation to channel that energy.
• Think about your kids.  If you can't do it for you, do it for them - so that they see a good healthy role model.  (Twenty years from now I don't want my kids to feel like I sometimes do.)
• Have someone give you a pep talk.  Sometimes you just have to be told "you CAN."
• Figure out what drives you - what is the end result you want or don't want.  Will you be okay with staying in this rut forever?
• Find someone who is in the same place and urge each other forward.  (See below for the contest results with my hubby.)
• Try something new - new workout, new workout clothes, new foods.
• Suck it up.  Push your self forward.  Shove the "I can't" monster in the closet and just fake it til you make it.
• Act like who you want to be (like your future healthy self) or emulate a healthy role model.
• Get threatened with wearing a cheese bra topless.  (Yikes!)

So, thats the list.  What follows is my progress for the week.  Seriously, feel free to skip it - I know there are a lot of posts to read, and my feelings won't be hurt. ;)

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This week, the competition with my husband saved me.  If you didn't see it last week, we had a contest to gain the most "healthy habits" points.  Points were gained by working out and taken away for eating out or even suggesting we eat out.  It worked so well for both of us (working out 5 times this week!) that we decided to keep it going.  So no clear cut winner right now.  BUT, I am one point up as a write this post. ;)

I decided to pull back on weight watchers a bit.  Well, truthfully, I have been out of it for a while, but I decided to take a new approach to my eating in general.  I was getting really tired of counting points and measuring, so I decided to put my years of WW knowledge to the test - to see if I could do it with out all the scales, and cups, and trackers.

Surprisingly, it has gone pretty well.  Every time I'm hungry, I go first for something that is nutritious in some way: fruits, veggies, high protein, fiber.  I still allow myself a bit of chocolate from time to time but I'm finding I am craving things less.  I didn't really "need" that evening snack as much this week.  Several times I thought, "well self, there's nothing in this house that is worth it, so fa-get-a-bout-it."  I'm still making progress, and of course this helps:

It has saved me a few times when rummaging in the pantry looking for "I'm bored so I might as well eat" food.  I see it, I get irritated, I silently kick myself for doing something so annoyingly useful, then I allow it to work.

All of this combined is doing good things - I'm down 2 pounds.  I brought it.  Did you?