Nothing lost, nothing gained...

So, I've been over weight since I had my last child.  That was over 11 years ago and I have just steadily gained until I finally became sick of it this past year.  I've tried most diets out there and have had some limited success on them but have always relapsed back into my old ways of eating.  I never had an issue with weight growing up and really never even worried about it until last Thanksgiving when we went on our annual Thanksgiving Day hike.  I was so disgusted with myself that I could even make the climb with my family because I was so winded.  I had to sit down and wait while the rest of my family got to complete the hike.  It was a long wait with a lot of time to think about my situation.

I had never learned moderation in my eating habits or had to 'stick to a plan'.  I just ate when I wanted, what I wanted, how much I wanted.  There were no limits.  I pretty much raised my kids like that as well (well, with food, not everything) so their eating habits were pretty miserable as well!  Of course I didn't go right home and do anything about it.  I actually just whined about not being happy with myself for another 6 months or so THEN I decided to do something about it.  I kept hearing ads on the radio about weight-loss and kept thinking I really need to do something.  Finally in June I talked to my husband about finances (he was REALLY tired of hearing me whine so he was willing to pay!) and we researched a few places and found one we liked.  I'm happy to say I joined the program in July and as of yesterday I'm down over 28lbs.  I've still got a bit to go (about 15 more lbs) and I won't likely make it before my daughter's wedding in Dec but I'll be close!

Now what does this have to do with writing?  Well, discipline.  Everything worth achieving in life takes discipline and writing is no different.  Whether you want to get down your life story, publish a masterpiece or just write as a de-stress option, you have to discipline yourself.  And guess what, it can't be once a month or once a week, it has to be everyday.  Otherwise it doesn't become part of your normal routine.  Even just 5 minutes in the morning or 5 minutes in the evening will help you reach your goals.  I promise you!

Does that mean you'll never be able to miss?  If you do miss will all be lost?  No, of course not!  Last week I had a huge set back in my food eating lifestyle change.  I got sick, my husband was in China and I was just completely overwhelmed so I turned to food for comfort.  I ate 1/2 gallon of ice cream in 2 days.  Pigged out on cookies at a party and basically felt too sick to do much of anything else for about 3 days.  I was again disgusted with myself and thought briefly about giving up but you know what, I looked back and saw how far I'd come and knew I had made huge strides and changes and that giving up now would just be silly!  So I just got back on my plan and now I'm moving forward again.  When I weighed myself this week I was expecting to have gained weight but it was nothing lost, nothing gained.  Well, a lot was gained, just not weight!

Happy writing!