Taking responsibility is the first step towards making changes stick :)

After using this page to commit to doing something differently, I'm really pleased to say that I've stuck to it religiously.  My item for change last week was to drink something at the first sign of hunger to see if I was merely thirsty and not hungry and I have to say, it worked like a charm.  I've lost seven pounds and am completely surprised by this as I'd expected a couple at most!

This week I will continue to do the same.  I've learned quite a lot about myself during the last week and I've faced up to the fact that I am responsible for ensuring that I lose weight if I choose to do so.  In the past I have always been very quick to come up with a reason why perhaps I haven't dropped pounds, and the truth is there are no excuses.  You simply will not lose weight unless you are in control of what you are putting in your mouth, and if you are not making healthy choices it is not the fault of anyone/anything other than yourself. 

That said, I recognise that everyone has food habits and triggers for overeating and these are incredibly difficult to change.  I've done quite a lot of reading on the subject of behaviours and habits as part of my research for self improvement and I strongly believe that in order to be successful in the long term, breaking bad habits and introducing healthier ones is vital.  I mentioned in my earlier blog that I had successfully lost weight and become healthier in the short term on several occasions, however each time I have done this the weight has always gone back on because I've let the bad habits elbow their way back in to my daily routine.  So, this time it's far less about being on a "diet" (grr, hate that word), and more about looking at the psychology of eating and establishing healthier eating habits. 

So, I'm going to continue with the water this week as I'm quite enjoying this.  In addition to losing that fabulous seven pounds my skin is looking incredible and I have got bags of energy.  I've also noticed a marked improvement in a stomach condition I've had for a while so all round this has proven to be a great change to make and I'm carrying on until this becomes a new habit.  By that I mean it should be a subconscious thing, reaching for the water glass instead of the biscuits, does that make sense?  At the moment it's a conscious decision thing because I am applying thought to it. 

In addition to carrying on with the water, this week I am not going to deny myself anything.  You might think that's a strange thing to declare for someone who is trying to lose weight so here are a few more details.  I am not going to deny myself anything at all, if I fancy chocolate or crisps I can have it, I just have to eat something first which is healthy.  If I still want the chocolate or crisps afterwards I can have it and I will not feel guilty about it in the slightest.  It's just about testing the "craving" and seeing if I still want to eat the forbidden fruit after chomping on some healthy fruit first :) (thank you Mo for this fantastic tip). 

Thanks to everyone who read my blog last week, I was really surprised by the number of hits as I'd thought perhaps a few friends might scan through it but to have a count of nearly 500 really surprised me.  Don't forget to comment/let me know if you have something about yourself that you want to change.

PS, have set up lottery on line for the next 5 weeks.  I haven;t won it yet but I'm "in it" now :)