My Journey Beyond The Scale: THE REAL QUESTION ONE HAS TO ANSWER IN LIFE IS "WHY?"

After I posted my first Blog, a fellow Weight Watcher Leader commented that for her, what keeps her going right now is the "why". In her case she wants to be fit and healthy so that she can run the Chicago Marathon this October. She has something to grab onto.

The comment really resonated with me. The answer to "why" is necessary for so many things.

I remember when I was training for last year's Chicago Marathon. I was in a running class and the instructor, Michelle, was talking about how important it is to really know "why" you are doing it. We were told that as we are getting closer and closer to the final 42K mark our minds will start to wander...we will find ourselves thinking about "aliens in space" etc.. When this happens the only way to centre yourself again is to find the "why" that you can really grab onto. It occurred to me that the weight loss journey is no different. Simple knowledge of what we should do doesn't really help when we need it most.

If I am at a party, half drunk, starving, and staring down a delicious buffet table, knowing that I should eat my fruits and vegetables is not going to do crap for me. I will choose the Chicken Wings and Doritos thank you very much.

It takes a strong "why" to keep me in check.

This doesn't just apply to "completing a Marathon" or "achieving a weight goal", it applies to life. If you want to move forward effectively you have to know why you want to move forward.

Like my fellow Weight Watcher Leader's "why" this year, my "why" last year was the Chicago Marathon. A year prior I hadn't really run a day in my life and here I was training for 42K.

I am so proud that I achieved my goal.

Before I can establish my new "why" for moving forward, however, I think it is important to also figure out "why" I went wayward.

Ironically for me I think it was also the Chicago Marathon.

I was so pumped about working toward this goal that when it was over I felt I had achieved something so great that no other goal would compare. I relaxed and started to enjoy my Doritos (ok ok, it was wine...but for the sake of the story I'm sticking with Doritos).

Another problem I had was that all that training allowed me to increase my food intake for months, but when the training stopped the food intake didn't...oops.

So that is "why" I slipped. Now the question is: How do I get back on track. I need a new "why".

I actually have two awesome "why's". The first one kind of forces me on track and the second one is for the future "me" after I am solidly back on track.

The first "why" is this blog. I knew if I did it I would have to commit to it. I have made myself accountable. Now, if I am drinking and starving and staring down a buffet table, I know that if I do choose the Chicken Wings and Doritos, I will have to confess it in this forum. Maybe...just maybe...that will help me eat more fruits and veggies (and shrimp! I LOVE shrimp!).

The second "why" is because I am going to run the Chicago Marathon again this year. This time my "why" is different though.

Last year I ran for the Muscular Dystrophy Association's "Team Momentum" (now just called MDA as they support all kinds of Muscle Disease) but I really only did it because I had to run for a charity in order to get into the Marathon (I didn't win a lottery entry). My "why" was entirely about me. I wanted to cross that finish line.

The experience of running for MDA Team Momentum ended up being life changing for me. Meeting all of those families who live with Muscle Disease each and every day forced me to see a world I had conveniently ignored.

I was so lucky to connect with people like Devon.

Devon's father Josh has been reporting for a while about the amazing success his son has seen with a new trial medication. Sadly the FDA voted against this drug last week. It broke my heart to see his post on Facebook. It simply read "Guys, I'm totally bawling right now!". It once again brought home their struggle for me. I just can't imagine.
So this year I am going to run for MDA Team Momentum again, but instead of running for me, I am running for them.

Specifically I am running for two people. The first is Finn. His Dad, Patrick, is an amazing guy and seems to run tirelessly to raise funds for MDA. I will be running for his son Finn.

The second is my friend Courtney's Father. I don't have picture of him but Courtney and I plan to run alongside each other this year. Her father has only recently started to be more public about his struggles with Muscle Disease.

So I have my "why's" in place and I think they are pretty darn good.

I didn't actually plan to do this, but if you wish to support me in my run for this amazing cause please click here:

Please click and Donate to Alan's run for MDA Team Momentum

So what do YOU want to accomplish? Find your strong "why" and believe you can achieve what you want to achieve...one step at a time. It will happen.

Alan

P.S. I don't want to bore you with my food so if you aren't interested stop reading here, but I stayed within my points today and had the following:

Breakfast: Green Smoothie with Spinach, Greek Yogurt, an Orange, Honey and Ginger.

Morning Snack: An apple and six dates (It was hard to stop eating them!)

Lunch/Afternoon Snack: Tuna sandwich made with real Tuna Steak (not canned) tomatoes, pepper, Watercress, and Miracle Whip (I know I know, processed and crap but I like it). I actually had one of the sandwiches for lunch and one for an afternoon snack.

Dinner: Brown Rice Pasta with Fava Beans, Chick Peas, Asparagus, Cherry Tomatoes, Parsley, Mint, lemon, garlic, olive oil, salt, pepper, lemon juice and crumbled Feta Cheese.