CHANGES

I haven't blogged for awhile and that usually means trouble ... but not so in this case.  I am content, motivated and doing well.  In fact we just got back from vacation last Friday and I'm pretty sure that I will have a loss tonight.  That's right ... going on vacation with free food that included buffets and I'm losing weight.

How did the turn around occur?  I finally found a niche.  As I mentioned before, I belong to TOPS and over ten years ago a group of people from TOPS groups around the country got together online.  The founder of the group would even have a picnic every summer and we always had a fun weekend with fun activities about weight loss, including exercising and nutritional information.  As the years passed, I got involved in other things, including chairing my high school reunion committee and interest in what we called "The Picnic Loop" seem to fade.  I would run back when I was having trouble staying motivated and ask for help but it just wasn't the exciting new craze like it was at the beginning.

Then came MySpace, FaceBook, Twitter and all the new communicating sites people were using, including SparkPeople, and MFP.  Although I had a few friends that I communicated with through these mediums, I still felt ... out of the loop, so to speak.  People were doing well and I wasn't and felt like a fifth wheel or is it third wheel?

The Picnic Loop also had less and less activity.  There was only six posts for the whole month of December.  Anyway,  a former member has recently tried to rekindle this group and between her and I ... we've got some good chatter going on with some other former members.  It felt like going home again.  I have become really involved posting a lot and have even started a challenge for the month of March called "March Gladness" (play on words) with quite a few people participating.  I finally feel that I'm a player and part of something. You know ... that I belong.  With that, my attitude has changed and I feel like I've come to life again.

I'm not giving up on these other ways to remain accountable, I'm just putting a little more focus on what motivates me the most.  I sure hope it lasts.