sMart

Measurable - How should I measure my progress towards my goal? Should I give a lot of time to planning, recording and reporting what I eat? I don't want to be absorbed with what I eat (kind of a pun there somewhere). Setting dates is an interesting approach. 7 days = 1 pound. Keeping track of the amount calories I eat would be a pain. Or points (like Weight Watchers). Uck.

Establish concrete criteria for measuring progress toward the attainment of each goal you set. When you measure your progress, you stay on track, reach your target dates, and experience the exhilaration of achievement that spurs you on to continued effort required to reach your goal.

To determine if your goal is measurable, ask questions such as......How much? How many? How will I know when it is accomplished?

How Much? How Many? - I guess this can be all weigh focused OR it can be more comprehensive. How much did I obsess about my weight or food I wanted to eat or not eat? How many times did I work out or not? How many different approached did I take, etc. Also, there is a whole dimension of what I believe about food. There is certainly something soothing about eating comfort foods. Why? What is the mechanism in my head that causes me to feel good about eating something high in fat and sugar? Are the other non-caloric ways of dealing with these things? Can journaling help me figure out why I have some very bad food habits? What habits do I need to change and how should I implement them.

I am an intellectual person. I want to figure out the why and how of things. I will work at figuring out and sorting through all the material available to help me on this journey. I realize that I MUST make changes in my eating and exercise habits. I know some will be hard, but some will also prove helpful and fun. I do like to walk, especially on paths in the woods. This is one thing I want to do. I do have a certain amount of fear, too. I'm not sure I always feel safe walking in the woods. I guess I can look up the stats on it, and figure out how likely I would be attacked by a person or animal or snake and what chances I am actually taking. I'm not fearless. I'd rather have a friend walk with me, and talk to me, too, while walking. Not always an easy thing to do, but that is a quest to undertake, too. Finding walking partners.

Oh, I like that! Quests. I think each new challenge should become a quest. :-)