four weeks of change

7:37 AM
I bet you could do something for someone today, Faustina,
who'd remember it for the rest of their life.
In a good way.
On your mark, get set...
The Universe

Very nice way to start the day!
Of course, I didn't actually read this until I cam home from my Weight Watchers meeting, about thirty minutes ago.
(smile)
My weight was up just a little, but I still received an medal today!
How did I manage to do that?
Well, I have completed my fourth week on the program.
Why should that deserve a medal?
Well, scientific studies have proved repeatedly that it takes one month of performing an action to create a new habit.
1 month = 4 weeks, approximately.
I have now spent twenty-eight days relearning the game of Eating For Life.
Those four weeks have shown me that I can - no, wait, that's not the correct word...
My first month has shown me that I SHOULD still eat my favorite foods.
If I want to have chips and salsa for dinner, then that's exactly what I should do.
If I want to throw some cheese in there too, then I should do so!
The difference is this: I now count those chips and track the points as being on my plan.
I now measure out the quantity of cheese and track the points as being on my plan.
I am more mindful about portion sizes of my favorites...
but I am still eating them.
THAT is the whole point of Freestyle.
Continue to eat the foods that bring delight... but be mindful of quantity.
I should never feel deprived.
I will have different favorites on my Freestyle plan.
The game plan is unique for each player.
After all, this game of Eating For Life is to be played for always, not just for one month.
For sharing my story, I received a "BRAVO" sticker!
I also received helpful meal ideas from others at the meeting.
Making those connections was wonderful!

One more little note before I go.
When I was given my Week 4 award, the little medal was inscribed with the value "16".
I asked Andrea, the meeting leader, if that number represented a calculation in some new kind of math.
After all, shouldn't the medal have a "4" on it?
"Why, yes, it should!", she told me.
That meant the people in the national office had packed the wrong medal inside at least one Week 4 card.
Oops!
Andrea was delighted that I had caught the error. That gave the local office something to report to national for quality control.
Maybe she'll give me another "BRAVO" next week!
(smile)