Measuring Success with a New Ruler

I was torn this week. Torn because I really didn't want to blog about my results this week, but I wanted to be open and honest about my struggles. So, the big bummer is that I actually gained a pound this week. I have no idea how or why, but that's what the scale said this morning--and apparently scales don't lie. I ate pretty well this week--staying well within my WW "points"--but I probably could have made some healthier choices. I also had a great week at the gym. Two days of weightlifting and two days of cardio. I'm sure there is a good reason why the scale was tipped this week, but Bob and Jillian aren't here to help me figure it out. I've decided to not make any changes and continue what I'm doing for a couple more weeks. Maybe all of this will balance out.

My bigger issue is trying to stay positive. How do you celebrate success when you are unsuccessful? If losing weight is my only measuring stick, then I may be disappointed often. Instead, I can decide to celebrate the fact that I started a weightlifting program and I ran for 18 minutes instead of 15. Isn't that the way it is with many things in life? Yes, we all have goals, but sometimes it is unrealistic to wait until we reach the finish line to start celebrating.

For example...Adelaide is potty-training and she is definitely charting a new course. She is awesome at staying dry. She even gets up in the middle of the night to go potty and is still dry in the morning. She has it mastered...until you get to the dreaded #2. The girl refuses to go poopy on the toilet. We've tried a chart, we've tried prizes, we've tried keeping her naked all day. Nothing works. She just waits until you finally put underwear back on her, hides in her room while you are busy, and does her business in her undies. We are all getting pretty frustrated and it seems like we will never be "successful." This morning, though, she tried something new. She'd been running around naked all morning and I was hoping she'd eventually have to go. I was in the office for a little while when Adelaide came in and told me her pull-up was dirty. The girl had crawled up onto her dresser, found a pull-up and put it on so she could do her thing. No, this is not where we eventually want to be, but I was actually quite proud of her. I didn't have to wash any underwear and she had solved the problem for herself. Instead of getting upset, I praised her for being so resourceful.

So, I'm going to do the same this week. I didn't #2 on the toilet, but I did make some really positive choices for my health. I committed to working out and I followed through. I didn't always make the BEST choices with my diet, but I didn't give up or give in. This week was a success--perhaps not on the scale, but in a much larger sense.