Cammy of Tippy Toe Diet is a sweet Memphis lady who has lost 100 lbs. She has maintained that loss for a few years and continues to strive for healthy maintenance while taking her readers along for the ride. I love that she shares the challenges and triumphs of everyday life because I think reading maintenance blogs is one of the best ways to prepare for that phase of the weight loss adventure. She also has another blog called Serentipity where she shares useful tips that she finds and thinks her readers could benefit from. I know I've used several of the ones she passed along! She has been very supportive since we found each other in blog world and I think you guys will love her style!
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First things first, I'd like to thank my gracious hostess for kindly inviting me over for a visit. I'm feeling quite honored and am trying really hard not to read anything into the fact that she and the Mr.
left town before I got here!
As you might imagine, I'm frequently asked how I've been able to maintain my "fitness focus" these past five years of healthier living.
How did/do I avoid veering too wildly off-plan? How did/do I find the time to exercise so much? Why was/am I so darned happy and energetic all the time?
I'll admit, for the first 4-5 months, I didn't really understand it myself. For some inexplicable reason, this time seemed to just..."work." One day, as I was struggling to explain that to a friend, a single, somewhat silly, phrase popped into mind: Mo-Mo, short for Motivation and Momentum.
Okay, so now I had a phrase. I still got the thousand-yard stare when I used it. What did Mo-Mo
mean?
Motivation is easy to explain. Why do we want to lose weight?
The answers are different for each of us, but writing them down, fully understanding them, and then reviewing them frequently (multiple times a day, if necessary) keeps us focused on our
"Reasons Why".
The power of momentum proved more difficult to explain until I came across this quote:
“The moment you fall in love with the sound of progress is the moment you stop hearing everything else.”
Richard Murphy Confessions of a Contractor
Bingo! The amazing feeling of accomplishment--sticking to the eating plan, exercising when you'd rather not, getting right back to the game after a detour--creates an energy that drowns out the negative internal chatter and creates the necessary strength to keep the focus on moving forward. As Sarah Bernheardt once said, "Energy creates energy." Once you get started, there is no stopping. (Disclaimer:
There may occasionally be brief pauses. These are okay.)
And that's Mo-Mo in a nutshell: Know and embrace your reasons why, and then listen for the sounds of your progress. Everything else will fade to the background.
What sounds of progress have you heard lately?
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Not much recently - but I'll be listening intently. Thanks for a very interesting post, and something for me to take to heart.
ReplyDeleteI saw a vein on my bicep. I never thought I'd be one of "those people" who not only have visible muscle but were pleased to have it and have a visible vein on it.
ReplyDeleteYes, it makes me feel like She-Hulk and I LOVE it.
I love Cammy, I so often find her words to keep me going!
ReplyDeleteI had to read the post to remember what I wrote! :)
ReplyDelete@JLVerde - I know *exactly* what you're talking about! When I was in my losing phase and I was tired of it or I wasn't getting the results I wanted, my "first vein" on my forearm served as motivation to keep going!
@Maren - Thank you, sweetie! YOU keep me going!
I love this! I also found that seeing my progress is what made me keep going. I decided I would not give up and see what happened, and that changed everything..about who I thought I was, and what I wanted my life to be.
ReplyDeleteI am still in the struggling stage and everything keeps getting in the way (mainly I am allowing them to)of my workouts. I just need to put my head down and listen:) I would so love for you to link any of your posts to my first ever Freedom Friday Blog Hop:) Now I am heading over to your blog to follow.
ReplyDeleteGlad the Mrs. had you do a guest post while she and the Mr. are off enjoying Hawaii! Mo-mo describes it perfectly; I'm at 105 lbs. lost (thank you, SparkPeople!) and have been figuring out why THIS time of losing weight has been so successful--and how to make sure the weight does not find me again.
ReplyDelete