The Choice is Mine

My birthday falls in the midst of summer and is typically accompanied by various mini celebrations throughout the week. Cake on the actual day followed by an assortment of brunches, lunches and dinners with different combinations of family and friends. I am not complaining in the least as it is always my wish to spend quality time with my loved ones versus gift giving, and bonding over a meal is our favourite way to celebrate. This year was a little different as there was a trip away that started right on the tail of birthday fun. This made things slightly more challenging for me on my weightloss journey, one one hand I wanted to partake in the celebrations without trepidation, on the other I did not want to hear the inner judgment that would plague me after the fact.

This why I made a choice ... I CHOSE to take a break.

I chose to give myself this time to be free of the constant barrage of thoughts about food and my love/hate relationship with it.  Instead I chose to embrace it, to let myself celebrate without fear or negativity. I chose to say yes to the cake, the soft serve ice cream and fries on the beach, and the obligatory cocktail or two.

I am not foolish enough to think that there will be no reprocussions for my choice, my eyes were wide open and I gave it considerable thought. Every choice has an equal or sometimes greater consequence, and I am prepared for them as much as I mentally can be. Regardless of consequence I NEEDED to do this, even if only to get this urge out of my system, to give in to temptation just for a short time without judgment. 

Interestingly enough the habits I have developed stayed with me during this break, which I am thankful for. My daily walks were still very much a part of my day as they are instrumental to my mental wellbeing and provided an counterbalance to my indulgence.

This choice was not all about me eating whatever and whenever I wanted, it was about listening to my body and how it felt at the end of the day. Being honest about how I would feel, lethargic and bloated, all of the things that were major catalysts in starting with MyWW.  Some of you may say that this is just a way to justify going off plan, that's OK, I am on this journey for me and any mistakes I make are mine alone. I know WW works and I know that when I hit RESET it will be with the tools and guidance and most importantly the support I get from myWW team. It was a debate within myself on whether to share this as I know I am opening myself up for criticism but I felt it important to show my reality and be as transparent as I am able to be. 

Was this the right choice? Only time will tell, but isn't that how we grow and learn more about ourselves? Through trial and error we go through this adventure, some things work most don't but the aim is to keep moving forward learning from failure and rejoicing in the successes.

The choice is yours.