's motd Wed Sept 24, 2008

[Guest guest]

OVERWHELMING!

Wednesday, 24 September 2008

I talked to a lady yesterday named Liz who had put herself on the back burner for a very long time. She had a husband who didn't like to work and two children who did like to spend money.Well, Liz finally had to get rid of the husband and then had to work a couple of jobs to be able be able to put her kids through school. Thanks to all of her hard work, both her children graduated with honors. But, I'm sorry to say, Liz graduated, too but with lots of extra pounds!

When I called Liz and she answered the phone, I could tell she had been crying. ", I am 310 pounds and that's not easy for me to admit. I wouldn't trade anything for the sacrifices I made to raise my children but, if I could change anything, I'd certainly change the way I've taken care of myself."I could tell Liz was desperate to lose weight. But I could hear something else in her voice. I could hear that Liz was overwhelmed by the task before her. She needed to lose 170 pounds and, let's face it, that's quite a bit of weight to have to lose.And because of that number, Liz was frightened...even to get started. She was frightened that she would not only fail again but get even larger. I say to all of you as I said to Liz, you cannot concentrate on the amount of weight you have to lose. Don't get me wrong, it's important to weigh yourself, look at the height/weight charts and do the subtraction to find out how much weight you need to lose to reach your goal. That's how you'll get the exact number of pounds you need to lose.

But you can't stare at that big number everyday and allow it to overwhelm you. That can be very discouraging. So what you have to look at is the amount of weight you lose each month that will eventually get you to your goal.When I was working to lose my own weight, I set mini-goals for myself. I took my weight-loss five pounds at a time. That means I would say to myself, "I have five pounds to lose and here's how I'm going to do it." And when I lost those five pounds, I'd then say to myself, "I have another five pounds to lose now." And five pounds at a time, in time, can add up to a big weight-loss. Even, say, 170 pounds, just like in Liz's case. And so, what about yours?

Other people choose to use this same formula but in 10-pound increments. Others, who may have a great deal of weight to lose do it in 25-pound increments. And this is the perfect formula for you to use so that you don't get overwhelmed by the job that lies ahead of you.Just know this, I believe very much in you and in what you can do. And that's why I write you a brand new message everyday, to help keep you motivated. I know you can lose whatever amount of weight you need to lose. But you'll have to calm down, be patient and love yourself a little more in order to do it.And always remember, I'm always here for you at those times where you may feel just a little...overwhelmed!Love,