Something's will never change - thankfully

January 22nd 2012 Love and them: those are the only two things in all the world and all of life that cannot be bought, but only spent. Gary Jennings I've had a fabulous couple of days celebrating my birthday, Friday we went to nottingham for shopping at one of those discount retail outlets  and a bargain night in a country hotel (thank you Groupon) then Saturday we shopped in Derby on our way back.  And of course there was some delicious food and a few glasses of lager involved - we dis leave food on all our plates though might I add, of course we didn't leave any lager. So now I'm probably back to where I started at the beginning of January but I'm still positive about it all because as I realised a few years ago this is the cycle of my life a do love it.   This weeks Weight Watcher Your Week magazine is about tracking so I thought I'd do what I call truthful tracking this week.  By that I don't just mean track what I eat and how many ProPoints, I'm also gonna track my thoughts and how I'm feeling as I have found when I do that it makes me realise there's more to eating than just being hungry. Try it, you might find things out about yourself you don't know or are ignoring!   So right this minute I'm stood on the edge of a field with Alfie who's surveying his turf ;). It's my thinking time, every morning I clear my head whilst out walking the dog, I love it. Sunday's especially because I'm in no rush, and it's whilst having these head clearing walks that I've realised how fickle my mind can be!  One day I'll be all gung-ho and wanting to be a stone lighter, it may be because I've let that BMI chart infiltrate my logic again or it maybe because I want the corset I've bought for a night out to fit me better. Then another morning I'll be walking and thinking to myself - I'm happy as I am and I look okay, I'll just eat sensibly and be active and what will be will be!  It's similar to when you get up Monday morning ready to track and by Friday when you fancy a night out you think "sod it". What these walks have done for me is shown me that there isn't anything wrong with my thought patterns, they are perfectly normal. Depending on your moods, hormones, personal situations - all these things make a huge difference to how you feel and react.   So how do you control them to get the weight loss and body you want?  Now that's the ten million dollar question. The answer if I'm honest is I don't know, for me I do know that this weekend is the first weekend I remember going clothes shopping, trying and buying clothes and not thinking I'd look better lighter to the point where it upset or bothered me. Yeah me and Lynne were both realistic about our bodies and what we could and shouldn't wear but we weren't nasty about ourselves which made the trip a whole lot more fun and a heck of a lot more expensive ;) I don't have all the answers as I'm still working on my own solution. I would suggest a massive dose of realism, don't aim for the unattainable, be realistic about your ultimate goal.  Know and be prepared for the sacrifices or permanent changes you will need to make to keep that shape. On the otherhand decide what you are not willing to give up or do to lose weight.  I'm no longer willing to spend five nights a week at the gym like I did in my 20/30s so I will no longer have those amazing toned arms I had them, its a compromise I'm willing to make.  So this week I shall be doing a truth tracker and adding a bit if eating honesty to my life. How about joining me, find out how you truly feel about your actions and your weight loss journey.   Well I'm still walking Alfie. Enjoy your day