I'm Curious

We've got our mood enhancers on board and our motivation at the Top Of Our Mind, so we're ready to keep traveling through the winter of 2014! It was exciting to see all the tickets in the exercise drawing buckets. EXERCISE, the miracle drug, is going to see us through this long, cold winter...and beyond.

We used one of my favorite motivational tools yesterday, a year at a glance calendar.  I've used this tool for years to map out and stay focused on the events and the important things that motivate me to eat well and keep myself at goal weight. I invited all the participants of the Team Challenge to write their names on the date they'll be reaching their goal! Based on a 2.0 pound weight loss, it's powerful to claim that day and then work towards it.

As much as we've set the stage for this team challenge with the food, exercise and the motivational parts of the program, I'm convinced that our problems with food, and the reason we struggle to reach goal weight and keep it off for life, is more about what's eating us, than what we're eating.

I spent time Thursday encouraging my Healthy Weigh friends to "face their stuff instead of stuffing their face." Facing your stuff is difficult, but spending a lifetime overweight, feeling shame and guilt, feeling powerless over food, is worse. When we don't use proper coping skills, we get stuck in the cycle of using food to numb the "pain," then feeling guilt and shame about it.  We lose faith in ourselves and give up. Then we begin again.

What if, instead of judgment about you behavior, you started to become curious about yourself. Judgment is a narrow and dead end kind of place, curiosity is the skill to step back and observe what's going on.  Being curious is how we learn and grow. What if you ask yourself enough questions and become curious about the root cause of why you're eating, then decide to do something about that? Facing your stuff is difficult, but life changing. That's what we're after at The Healthy Weigh.

Our winning teams of the week got a big "WOW" when they were introduced this week!

NOON: Team  "No Names" Joe and Tobey, won with a 2.42 % of weight loss! Great going guys! Now you just need to come up with a team name! :-)

5:30: Team "Baby Got Fat" Tricia and Angie, took the win with a 3.65% of weight loss! These two are currently in first place for the challenge. Great job girls!

7:00: Team "Tiny Hiny's" Janie and Becky, won for the week with a 2.03% of weight loss! Exciting week for you two!

Congratulations to all of you who had such great weight loss this week. There's no question in my mind that this is going to be a record breaking Team Challenge!

Your Challenge for the week:

• Download week # 4 "Coping skills ~ Feeling Your Way Through Life" and do the homework provided.
• Meet us on Saturday at the Kline Line trail for a 9:00 AM walk.(kids an dogs welcome)
• Do 5 indoor/outdoor activities this week.

On this 3rd week of this winter Team Challenge, I am excited to think that curiosity will take over, that our challengers will start asking themselves the hard questions, and they will begin to face their stuff, do the work and build up an arsenal of great coping skills.  They will not only lose a ton of weight, but they'll change their lives for the better...forever.

Until next week, be curious, ask yourself the hard questions and do the work to process the answers.

GO SEAHAWKS!
Always encouraging you,
Letha