In order to change your
weight, you first, have to change your thinking.
You cannot expect to arrive at a different
destination if you continue to travel the same road
everyday; you have to change your route.
When I walked into my
first TOPS meeting, I WAS NOT LOOKING FOR CHANGE.
I expected TOPS would be another, in a lifetime
succession of yo-yo
weight loss
efforts. I was looking for
validation of the many excuses, I had accepted as truths,
for not being able to lose weight.
I was a very large
person. Everything I did was
humiliating, from the strained seatbelt in my car to not
being able to fit into waiting room chairs.
Being a healthy weight seemed like a pipedream.
In my mind it was unattainable.
We really do become what we think. I
believed I would never be a normal size, therefore I was
defeated before I began!
My TOPS chapter taught me
that every day we have a chance to wipe the slate clean and
start over. Every day brings a new
chance to succeed. They helped me
realize that true and lasting change is a “process” that
begins with
one small step and progresses
one step at a time. These special
people threw me a lifeline!
I
took my first step and understood that EACH choice I made
was a step in the process. I was in
control of making it a step forward….or backward.
The sum of all my choices led me to the next meeting.
A week to week mentality presented an achievable
goal. Each loss was a measure of success
and positive reinforcement. I
concentrated on reaching short-range goals and used my
exhilaration of reaching those goals as mental fuel to reach
my longer range goals.
I learned not to look at
where I was “at” but focus on where I was “going”.
The direction we choose to look determines the course
of our process. Week by week, pound by
pound, step by step, before I knew it, CHANGE FOUND ME!!
The biggest obstacle I
have encountered is everyday life. Life
does get in the way. Expect it and
prepare for it. Balancing and
flexibility is a continual learning experience.
Focus and perseverance are key.
Develop tunnel vision. Keep your eye on
the prize. Get, dust yourself off, and
get right back on track. Believe you can
succeed!
I have found it
motivational to gather outside resources.
I read and watch everything I an on the subject of
health. My desire is to do more than
shed pounds - I want to change habits.
The most substantial
thing I have done is “MOVE OXYGEN”. I’ve
added movement to everything I do all throughout the day.
I take advantage of commercial breaks on TV, park
further out in
parking lots and return my cart to the bay, make many
trips to unload the car and utilize yard work to the
fullest! (my neighbors love me for this one)
I have found it doesn’t matter what activity you
choose to do……JUST CHOOSE and move and be consistent.
Set a pace and realize you are in this for life.
ACTIVITY + CONSISTANCY = RESULTS
I move better, I feel
better; it just feels good to weigh less, that, I would say,
is what quality of life is all about.
Thank you TOPS and Thank
You TOPS#OK626,
Del City !!
