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Tuesday, February 21, 2017

SLICE OF LIFE

About a month ago, I joined Weight Watchers.

The actual meeting kind. Not the online kind.

And I've discovered, I am what they call a turtle. I lose weight really, really slowly. In six weeks, I have lost about six pounds. And it's a teeny bit discouraging because lots of people are losing a whole lot more.

 Last week was really discouraging. I followed the program. I didn't eat junk food- not one cupcake, not one cookie, not one piece of candy on Valentine's Day. Nothing. Friday was a faculty breakfast potluck and I didn't eat anything there either. No breakfast burritos, no scalloped potatoes, no doughnuts. Nothing.

When Saturday's weigh in came, I thought I was going to do really well. Maybe even a couple of pounds. But instead, I gained .6 of a pound. And I was really frustrated.

At the meeting that day, Cheri, my leader, said something that I have been thinking about all week. She said that when you think about losing weight in terms of three P's- positivity, patience, and perseverance. You have to be positive that you can do it. You have to be patient. And you have to persevere, even when it's hard or when you aren't seeing much progress. That made sense to me and I have been thinking about it all week.

I've been thinking about those three P's not only in the context of weight loss, though. I've also been thinking about them in terms of school. We are entering into test season and people are, ummm, more than a little tense. It's easy to get discouraged, to look at kids in terms of how far they have to go, instead of how far they have come. And I need to focus on being positive and kind and encouraging with all of our kiddos. And with their teachers too.

And then there's the patience thing. Growth takes time, lots of it. And sometimes, with the test looming, that's hard to remember.

Finally, there's perseverance. Do not give up. Do not give up. Do not give up. Just keep smiling and putting one foot in front of the other. Day after day after day.

The three P's. Positivity. Patience, Perseverance.

Big truth for Weight Watchers and for school.

4 comments:

Ramona said...

Carol, keep those 3 P's in mind. It was not fair to have a gain when you gave up so much this past week. Keep persevering, there's bound to be a golden lining around a corner soon! I like how you've taken those 3 P's and put them in a school context too.

The Purple Lady said...

I really needed to read this today! I have been discouraged lately, and these three P's are so applicable! But to your first point, remember that slow and steady wins the race. You'll probably do better at maintaining the weight loss be being a turtle about it. Good luck!

elsie said...

Those three P's are something to remember whenever the task seems difficult. Thanks for that reminder.

Tara said...

I loved this post, Carol - and the lesson of the three P's, which can be applied to so many aspects of our lives. PS. I am a turtle, too, except I didn't know that there was a name for this!