Biggest Successes This Month:

My biggest success this month has been not gaining weight - even though I have been very stressed and busy.  In the past I would eat and not exercise, letting the stress consume me and my health.  I realized that forward movement can also be maintaining during challenging times.

I also found myself shifting in how I think about exercise; I still want to look better but am now thinking more about the health aspects of exercise and wanting to be healthy.  Looking at exercise and my weight from a health aspect rather than just on physical appearance has opened up a great deal for me.  I am also feeling stronger and can see noticeable differences in the exercises I’m doing; In addition, I have been trying new forms of exercise to maintain variety and to keep it interesting.

Another success pertains to my intellectual growth.  I’ve been thinking a lot lately about my professional and educational development and was greatly struggling with what I want to do.  Through the process of asking questions, doing research, and really getting clear about what is most important to me, I feel like I’ve finally found clarity in what I want to do and what direction I do not to go.

Biggest Challenges This Month:

I was not as motivated this month as I hoped I would be.  I thought I’d take charge in April and lose all this weight, but didn’t happen.  However, I’m doing better with this and am less down about it than I would have been 3 months ago. I’m very motivated by goals, but this can sometimes be my downfall.  It’s a shift for me to give myself a break in light of being sick earlier this month and having lots going on.

Insights or Major “A-Ha” Moments:

After working more on really being present and asking questions to get clear about what I want most, I realized that I eat to escape.  I find eating pleasurable, so when I’m unhappy or stressed, I look for a way to escape – which is usually food.  Realizing this has been significant; I now see that I need to find other forms of escaping when I’m not happy.  Lately, I have been reading fun books more often to escape rather than eating.

I also realized that having a nice environment is very important to me and impacts many other areas of my life.  Having a neat, organized environment both at home and at work makes a difference in how I move around.  I feel lighter and happier when my environment is tidy.  Therefore, I realize that keeping up on organization and de-cluttering is very important for me; if I don’t, multiple areas of my life are impacted.

Differences I’ve Noticed in Other Areas of My Life:

I have improved my financial situation.  I increased my retirement contribution and spent time looking at my finances this month; I’m being deliberate about my finances and planning for the future.

My Goals/Plans for the Month of the Program:

I am trying not to be so goal-oriented.  It’s a very fine line between wanting to achieve something and make progress and not getting so caught up in it that it slides me backwards.  Goal setting is sometimes a hindrance and moves me backwards.  I tend to make goals that I think I should and then get frustrated when I don’t achieve them exactly as I planned.  Perhaps my goals are not smart goals for me.  Rosie and I have been working on making more intrinsic goals that are truly what is most important to me.   I also want to work on having more fun and enjoyment in my life.

I am also thinking about the time after this program is done.  I know Rosie will be following up with me in 3 months and again in 6 months to see how I’m doing and if I’ve sustained my changes and/or continued to improve.  I would love to come to her 6 months from now having a huge weight loss success and having continued to move forward.  I know that it is very important for me to be able to do my own self-coaching once this program is done and build this as a life skill that I’m able to draw upon throughout my life.