My Journey Is Not Without Failure

I have posted a lot of advice and about my success with weight loss, but I haven't really touched on my many failures and slip-ups throughout my journey. I'm all about keeping it real. I am far from perfect and have made many mistakes. It's called a journey for a reason. I've hit potholes, slowdowns and have completely gone off course. Fortunately, there is a lot to be learned from your failures.

One of my biggest mistakes is late night snacking. Nothing will slow down weight loss faster than eating sweets at night and I am an offender. I know I should eat low carb if I eat at night, but I can't help myself. In the past I have made a plan of action for those times when I MUST have sweets. Sugar free pudding, fruit with fat free cool whip, apples and peanut butter are all things that satisfy my sweet tooth but don't totally blow my progress. So why do I sometimes still go for the blizzard or cookies? Because I'm human!! I am trying to limit my late night slip-ups to just 1 or 2 nights per week.

Another mistake I made is letting myself go during the holidays. I gained weight last December and it was very discouraging. Sure it was only a few pounds, but I quit working out and lost a lot of my muscle tone. Why? I asked myself that in January and didn't really have an answer. I guess it's because I was super busy and there were so many family get-togethers with amazing food and cookies.....oh the cookies. I am going to come up with a plan of action this holiday season. I'm not sure what it will be yet and I'll be sure to share it all with you when the time comes.

My biggest epic failure throughout my journey is those days when I tried to guess how many calories I was eating because I didn't feel like tracking everything. Boy, am I a horrible estimator. Breakfast and lunch aren't too bad because I eat pretty much the same things for those 2 meals. Dinner is trickier and so are snacks. Bottom line is I was eating about 25% more calories than I thought I was. Oops! There are still occasional days that I don't get on myfitnesspal and track like I should, but I'm doing much better now.

I've made many more mistakes that I won't get into right now. I don't hate myself for them and I don't consider myself a failure. I learn from every mistake I make. If I'm heading off course I do a u-turn and get myself back where I need to be. If I have a super high calorie day, I don't just throw in the towel and forget the whole thing. I forgive myself and get back at it the next day. Stay true to yourself and always remember why you started your journey in the first place. Just because you mess up and aren't always perfect doesn't mean you aren't worth it. You are!