Finding The Good Within The Bad

“You have given people permission to have a bad day.”

That’s what my husband just said to me. We were chatting about all of the beautiful comments that people have been leaving on my photo video presentation post and he was telling me that he was pretty gobsmacked by the number of people who are very generously telling me that my journey is inspirational. And then he made that comment and it really hit home.

“You have given people permission to have a bad day.”

I struggled through more than fifteen years of failed weight loss attempts without knowing that it was okay to have those bad days. I always felt like if I messed up that it wasn’t worth continuing. Or, worse still, that I could make up for it the next day which would quickly result in a series of bad moments that left me staring down the barrel of ‘catching up’ by doing eight hours of workouts and eating nothing but celery and water for a week. Of course that was never going to happen, so I would give up! With that type of pressure, who wouldn’t?!

But, finally I have learned that it really is alright to have those days where things don’t go perfectly. Anyone who has been reading me for any length of time knows that I have struggled a lot lately. I am about ten pounds heavier than the lowest weight I got down to and I have had some real issues with my sugar intake. I have had difficulties finding the time and motivation to do more than a few squats for my ‘exercise’ on more days than not for a few weeks now. And I have even had a few old emotional quirks pop up that I have had to work through to continue making progress of any type on this journey.

But I haven’t given up. Even with all of those bad days.

Life is full of hard moments – short and long – but they are greatly tempered and overshadowed by our successes and joys. The key is to let them. I could dwell on all that I have struggled with (and if I am being honest, I will even say that at times I have), but the best relief for such issues is to focus on what is ahead, not on what has already passed. Yes, it IS okay to have bad days. And it is possible to be successful at weight loss – at anything, really – despite having difficulties, and perhaps even because of them.

I have said it before and I will say is again: Perfection isn’t possible, it isn’t realistic, and it is extremely boring. I am so glad that my journey has not been perfect. I am proud that it has had its share of struggles. And I am extremely happy that with my example of unwavering fallibility that I “have given people permission to have a bad day”!

FOOD & BEVERAGES:
- 9 glasses of water
- 1 1/2 cups celery with light peanut butter
- 3/4 cup fat free vanilla pear yogurt with 1 cup honey nut granola cereal
- 2 1/2 cups cherry-lime, root beer, orange, and grape slushie
- 8 vegetable and chive crackers with herb and garlic soft cheese
- 1/2 cup strawberries with lemon dip
- 3 cups grapes with lemon dip
- 1 cheeseburger on a sesame bun hamburger with bacon, fried onion, tomato, mayonnaise, relish, and mustard
- 1 cup broccoli crunch salad
- 1/2 hot dog on a hot dog bun with mayonnaise, relish, and mustard
- 1 piece of a lemon square
- 3 bites peanut butter chocolate bar
- 1 peanut butter flavoured nougat chocolate bar
- 2 cups mint chocolate bar ice cream blend

EXERCISE:
- 1 1/2 hours in a swimming pool