Monday Morning “Goal” Call :: You Are What You Think

Posted in: Monday Morning Goal Call, Motivation, Weight Loss | 17 comments

goals For the longest of times, I wasn’t a huge fan of goal setting. Not that I thought it wasn’t a good thing to do, but I felt that “I” just didn’t need it. (Hey, that’s what will power is for, right?) I’d occasionally set goals, but would quickly forget them.

But lately I’ve learned a lot more about goals and the science behind it. And all I can say is: wow! I’ve been setting goals and seeing steady results. Eating better and exercising more has never been easier. I don’t have it down to a fine art yet; it takes time to break bad habits — and to even recognize that something you do is a bad habit.

The bottom line is: you are what you think. If you think you’re never going to lose weight, think you can’t lose weight, think you can never be strong and fit, your subconscious is going to listen to you and make sure you never lose weight.

So, I’ve decided to start a weekly blog post called “Monday Morning ‘Goal’ Call.” Get it? Kind of like a roll call for your goals. (Note to self: if you have to explain a joke…)

Every Monday, I want you to come back here and talk about your goals for the week. Are you trying to change a bad habit? Do you need to tell your inner critic to stifle it? Even a small change in daily habit can snowball into bigger changes.

I want this to be a weekly “kick in the butt” to help you lose weight and get fit — or just get your life in order. (You’d be amazed at how working on non-weight loss aspects of your life can result in you losing weight!)

So, here’s what I want you do. In the comments section down below:

Write down a specific goal you’re going to work on for this week. It can be a daily goal, a weekly goal, or longer. It doesn’t matter what it is, but just write it down. (It can be related to food, exercise or any aspect of your life that you want to change.)
Write down your motivation for doing this: Will you give yourself a reward? Take something pleasurable away? (Cutting down my shower time as a negative reinforcement motivates me! I love taking long showers! )
Write your goal out as if you have already succeeded . Put it in the form of a positive affirmation by starting it off with phrases like: “I am happy that…”, “I am feeling great because…”

Here’s what I’ve come up with for this week:

1. This Monday to Friday, I’m going to stop drinking tea or coffee in the afternoon. If I feel the urge to drink something, I’ll drink water. (Maybe even spritz it up with a bit of lemon juice.)

2. If I don’t do this, I will not be allowed to watch American Idol all of next week. (Yes, I admit it, I’m one of *those* people! Ha!)

3. “I feel great now that I’m drinking water in the afternoon instead of tea or coffee. I no longer have that bloated feeling, I feel more energized, and I love the fact that I’m drinking less calories.”

So, what are you going to work on this week? Click here to write it down in the comments section!

Eat better, move more, and believe in yourself!

(About Me)

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Suzanne here. Just had to chuckle to myself. It’s the beginning of the afternoon, and I almost put the kettle on to make tea — and then I remembered: no American Idol if I have a tea!

I keep reminding myself of my affirmation: “I feel great now that I’m drinking water in the afternoon instead of tea or coffee. I no longer have that bloated feeling, I feel more energized, and I love the fact that I’m drinking less calories.”

Off to get some water!

Suzanne

Suzanne on March 3rd, 2008 at 2:21 pm

I’m going to exercize every day atleast for 30 mins this week.
If I don’t workout I’ll not watch American Idol.

Vani on March 3rd, 2008 at 2:45 pm

Good for you, Vani! You’re going to feel so much better at the end of the week — not only because you exercised, but because you’re taking charge of your life and getting things done!

Nice to see another American Idol fan, too! LOL!

Suzanne on March 3rd, 2008 at 2:51 pm

This week I have made the commitment (I started on Saturday) to write down everything I ingest (including water) which has already made me drink more water and cut down on salty, greasy, and overly sweet foods.

Lynda
Pilates & Reiki In Paradise Blog

Lynda Lippin on March 3rd, 2008 at 3:13 pm

Good for you, Lynda! It’s amazing how paying attention to what we do can make a difference in our lives. Too many times people automatically eat whatever’s in front of them, without giving it much thought!

Suzanne on March 3rd, 2008 at 3:41 pm

Brushing my teeth after dinner keeps my hunger cravings at bay .
I will brush after eating my evening meal every night this week.
I brushed after my meal last eve and did great om my weight-loss program.

Keith on March 3rd, 2008 at 3:59 pm

Great tip, Keith! I do that, too, sometimes…

Suzanne on March 3rd, 2008 at 5:13 pm

This week I am going to stop the “grazing” in the evenings. I am going to sip a small glass of wine or green tea instead.
If I don’t do this I will not work on my paintings and
drawings.
“It feels good to relax in the evening and sip something refreshing and draw and paint.”

Nancy on March 3rd, 2008 at 6:21 pm

Nancy, that sounds absolutely D-I-V-I-N-E. Sounds like you’ll be in “flow” (as in Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience).

Suzanne on March 3rd, 2008 at 7:48 pm

This week I will not eat any fried foods(including hashbrowns, potato chips, shrimp tempura, and fried po-boys). I will skip my nature tour this week(or next week) if I don’t abstain. I love searching the native fauna & flora !!

Keith on March 10th, 2008 at 11:31 am

Good one, Keith! Skipping the fried foods will make a big difference — and then you can burn stored calories on the nature tour, instead of trying to burn the extra calories from the fried food.

Suzanne on March 10th, 2008 at 2:51 pm

One day late(Tues.)…..have to repeat last week’s goal of no fried foods since I got a chicken biscuit without even thinking….no nature trips this week for me….just chores around the house.
Next week hope to work on midnight snacking, a really big problem for me since I worked graveyard shift 20 years !

Keith on March 18th, 2008 at 12:58 pm

Wow, 20 years graveyard shift! Hats off to you!

Have you tried breaking your meals into 6 meals a day, eating every 3 hours or so? Usually keeps hunger (and cravings) at bay…

Suzanne on March 19th, 2008 at 8:28 am

Thanks, Suzanne,I’ll make a more concentrated to do just that (6 “meals”/day) but won’t allow them to be DESSERTS !! keith

Keith on March 19th, 2008 at 3:18 pm

I will not eat fried food at all mon. Thru Fri. If I do I won’t do my weeekly photo journey. Again !!

Keith on March 25th, 2008 at 10:00 am

Suzanne :seems as though everyone has dropped out. So, I’ll drop out,too,so you can do other things.

Keith on March 25th, 2008 at 8:50 pm

No problem, Keith! Thanks for participating!

As I said in the newsletter, it wasn’t going over well — but I’ll try to figure out some other way to sneak in some goal setting for website visitors and newsletter subscribers!

Suzanne on March 26th, 2008 at 9:28 am