It’s a Sunday and I am sitting down to start the day off right by adding this post. That’s already progress.

A book that I am using to help me through these changes states that to find our purpose we have to identify our internal weaknesses and overcome them. Will feel infinitely more powerful if we can master ourselves – requires self discipline. I purchased this book because I know what I need to do – all of the reasons are there for me to lose weight – high blood pressure, not fitting into clothes, dropping further back in terms of fitness and physical abilities (and being the one my friends now have to wait for), wanting a different version of me in retirement – and yet I feel like I am

just considering all of that and not acting. A few things from this book – don’t wait until you feel like you want to do something – just do it as it completely possible to make changes without ever even wanting to – as well as take on the challenge of mastering your internal weaknesses. Mine tend to be procrastination (of course I can and will do it starting tomorrow fresh) or overthinking (have been reading up on change now for 6 mos looking for that one nugget of inspiration so overwhelming that I can’t help but change). It is also I see now viewing the choice as not just a choice to say yes or no to what it takes to lose weight (the food, the exercise) but also the flip side of not making that choice and the then default choice of choosing a life of regret, unfulfilled visions of me, and not the life I want in retirement.

I am a problem-solver at heart and if you ask me what one of my professional skills is it is to solve problems. So why can’t I solve the problem of my weight or of habit change? I ask this but truthfully I haven’t really approached this right – somehow I have been thinking of it only and looking for magical inspiration – not acting, tweaking, acting again and focusing on the right process and foundation that needs to be in place –

so I will have to work on that issue about myself and make a practical plan to get this done.

I will say that there is power in writing this journal daily – if only to actually inspire me to act and not just drift into fantasy thinking. It does bring to the forefront the need to focus/act daily and I will continue that today.

General food plan for today:

• yogurt, new strawberries and chia seed jam I made yesterday
• Last of salad from this past week (i am going to pick a new salad every Sunday to try for the week)
• Chicken, broccoli and sweet potato
• workout is a hike up the mountains and Body Pump for 60mins

It’s Sunday so today is a day of meal planning and setting myself up for the week ahead. I am going to focus on a recipe book I recently purchased – clean eating bowls – will be the foundation for my dinners this week (dinner and nighttime are my absolute worst times for bad eating / wine/ snacks) and I need that repertoire of healthy snacks (another thing I did for myself is to order a recipe book – physical- so that I can write go to recipes in and have it at hand for the times I need easy thinking and prep)

On to a successful day on the journey! One day at a time, one pound a week, one week at a time.