I wrote this to Dennis (my Father-in-Law) just a few minutes ago. I've been getting closer and closer but have kind of hit a mental wall. After much reflection and thought this is the metaphor I keep seeing in my mind and I thought I'd share it with you.
I'm sure you've been on a long road during the night, right? You can see the car way ahead of you because of the other car's headlights. You may be miles behind it but you know it's there. You start to pick up speed because you decide you want to see what kind of car it is and can't stand the idea of being behind so far. 10 minutes later the car is just outside your car's high-beams. You click them off...then speed up so the car in front of you starts to take shape and is then illuminated by your lights. You start to notice that it's a nicer, faster, newer version of the car you are driving. You pace it for a few minutes waiting for just the right time to pass it and when you finally feel that you are ready to do it, the car in front of you starts to pull away. Before you know it, it's out of your beam's and you are losing ground quickly. Right now, the car is in my beams...I'm pulling in on it and my finger is rested on the turn signal. I've been pacing it for a few weeks now afraid to overtake it, scared that I'm not in the best position, worried that the road will take an unexpected turn.
This has played out in my mind as I get closer to my original stretch goal of 210. I realized I have been just coasting along as of late and started to wonder if maybe achieving that goal brings more along with it than I originally thought?! I've learned through overlapping goal setting that as you get closer to a goal it's OK to reevaluate it and tweak it if necessary (maybe a slight reference to my back tweak, maybe:).
What will my new goal be? Possibly sub 200? I can see it... when I figure it out you'll be the first to know!
Posts
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteHi Jeff,
ReplyDeleteI know what you mean about reaching your goal. When I reached my goal of 120lbs (from 160lbs…I can’t believe it), I kept losing weight and hit 108lbs!! I was amazed that I could ever be that fit/thin over just making better choices everyday! Once I met my goal, it was a weird transition. With my weight loss, I noticed that people treated me much different than before. I soon started to panic and thought, “now what” and “what if I start gaining it back?” More importantly, when I had spent hours working-out and developing new strategies of eating (you get creative)…it took me time to re-focus my thoughts on things other than weight loss. Like I’ve said before, maintenance is so much easier than the actual process of losing the LBS. I’ve found over the years that there are times I get complacent and start slacking (who doesn’t love gelato and lasagna?). But I soon remind myself of what’s it’s like to be the size I was…and I get back on track. I know what you’re going through. When you’ve worked so hard to achieve a goal and you have achieved it…there’s a sense of pride and accomplishment. There is also a sense of loss too and preparation for the unknown or new beginning. The adjustment can take time.
Wendy
I have to tell you - the positives of hitting and achieving goals has filled our house with a type of exhilarating energy - an almost drug induced euphoria. We have steadily lost weight just by adjusting our eating habits and are excited to start working on our next goal: to work out more.
ReplyDeleteSo far I can say - it is wonderful to fit all the clothes I wore before having two kids and to not say I USED TO DO THIS. The phrase has been replaced by I CAN and WE WILL. Steve has lost so much weight the clothes he wore before we got married are actually fitting quite baggy. It is a wonderful transformation to watch take place. Quite exuberating acutally - to know we are in charge of the choices we make and are holding ourselves accountable. We are so fortunate the kids are excited about our changes in eating habits and have embraced the healthier food we have made. So many lentils, grain, greens and beans have been consumed over these last few weeks I don't know if we can go back to eating as much red meat as we did eat before. Also the prep time is half as long...
LOL - as Steve bluntly puts it - he makes better choices to not feel like hell. :D
Here's to setting more goals and making them happen!
Nicole
Hitting that goal will be fantastic and liberating. You will go sub 200 for sure. I remember when I started 220 was my dream. Then 200...now I'm trying for 180!
ReplyDeleteThe transition is going to be an awesome one and I'm really looking forward to the continued goal making and maintenance!
ReplyDeleteWendy...it's good to know that it is a normal thing to feel this way:) I suppose the journey is worth more than the destination in this...I'm learning so much about how to live healthily that once I get to my desired weight or goal I will be primed and ready to maintain!
Nicole...it's great to see you guys melt before our eyes...and even though I don't have kids yet, I think it's wonderful to be positive role models in how to eat and live healthy! Great job, fun to see the whole fam losing so much weight!
Andrew...amazing, it seems the more you/we lose the more fired up we get. The goals we set are being met and inside a confidence is growing that will help to see those new goals! So awesome!