Weekly Weigh-in and Taking my own Advice

I gained a pound back this week. And I learned some stuff.

I went to one of my many doctors this week. This one happened to be my gastroenterologist. And while I talked to her, I began to see things a little bit differently. Because I have been having quite a bit of trouble with pain at the spot of my previous colon resect, I have been thinking along the lines of having the resect done again to see if getting rid of that scar tissue might alleviate the pain. So this would mean having a surgery in which I had another portion of my colon removed (it was only a couple of inches last time), and having my hernia repaired, hopefully for the last time. Now, one thing I do know is that the pain can also be controlled through my diet. When I eat small amounts, avoid heavy and fatty foods such as cheese and large chunks of meat, eat lots of fruits and vegetables, and drink a lot of water, I have little or no problems with pain. That sounds like a pretty healthy plan, doesn't it? Interestingly, it didn't occur to me until Wednesday that I could simply choose to adopt this eating habit permanently instead of having the second colon surgery. Well, I'm sure it has occurred to me, but never felt like a viable option. Eating healthy is not something I'm good at. That's how I got here in the first place. The idea of changing my ways permanently is really quite mortifying for me. But at that moment in her office, I thought to myself, why not? It's certainly a good idea to be healthy, and a good idea to NOT have this surgery. Plenty of people live their whole lives eating that way. And Heaven knows I've already eaten more than my fair share of junk in my life.

It also occurred to me that I have been sharing all kinds of good advice about making positive changes, but I haven't actually taken my own advice. So despite the fact that it is rather frightening, I am once again resolving to take my own advice and actually make changes in my life, instead of just talking about making changes. I do feel good about what I've done so far. At the very least, through this whole process, I have created a good foothold for myself to make real changes. I remind myself of the quote that is posted at the right of this blog post, that in order to become the person I want to be, I have to consistently be the person I want to become. An addition to that is that in order to be that person, I have to DO something. That person has lots to do today, and so I'll say goodbye, and have a great day. Thanks for your support. :)

Weekly Weigh-in, and Doing the Impossible

I weigh in and posted measurements today. Feel free to check the Success Log if you like. I am recommitting to posting my weight and measurements weekly, not that things are slowing down a little.

Often I go to bed feeling a little discouraged that I didn't accomplish more. I know that's negative--still working on that. It might be good for me to review what I did get done, so I have some sense of accomplishment instead of feeling discouraged. That being said, every day I wake up feeling hopeful and excited for a new day. And I have to say that this is a feeling that I thank God for every day.

I recently heard a new idea. It was that if you only set achievable goals, you won't grow. This is an important idea for me because it helps me understand that if I am not always reaching my goals, that is a good sign that I have set good ones. It also reminds me of the obvious, which is that if I really do want to grow (which is the whole point of this blog and everything I'm trying to do), then I need to accept that there will be times when I fall short of my goals.

Every day is a chance for me to reevaluate my goals and renew my commitment to strive for more. I have a firm belief that personal progress is really the purpose of our lives. If we are not making strides to improve ourselves, we are missing out on precious opportunities for growth and for increased joy in our lives.

There's a story from many years ago that I really like. It's called "The Countess and the Impossible," and it was published in Reader's Digest. You can find the text here. I hope you will take the time to read it. It's only a few pages long. I'd like to hear what you think of it.

Have a great day, everyone! :)