Self-Efficacy

So, here's the deal - the hubby and I are overweight.  I'm laying that out there right now.  Seriously, it's not a huge secret.

I was thinking about starting a blog about my struggle with weight and my attempt to lose it for a little while now.  Three things happened this week to make me going ahead and do it. 

#1 - Sunday's sermon at church...Our pastor asked us what we were filling ourselves with instead of the Holy Spirit.  I guess you don't have to guess what I was filling myself with :)

#2 - Sunday's Weight Watcher's Meeting...The entire meeting was about journaling our successes and setbacks during our journey.  Hmmm - hello, blog!

#3 - A Session at my Leadership Institute on Thursday...It was all about boosting students' self-efficacy.  Small vocabulary lesson - Self-Efficacy: a person’s belief in his/her ability to succeed.  If you can boost a student's self-efficacy, they are more likely to keep trying and perform better.  Obviously this applies to adults as well. 

So, we've decided to lay it all there (Zach will also be writing a few posts now and again - yep, his will be funnier).  This will be our true-story of trying to lose weight and more importantly become healthier examples for our children.

This is not the first time we've set out on this journey, but I feel like it's the first time we've got all of ducks in a row.  We're doing it together.  We have self-efficacy.  We are praying about it.  We are exercising.  We are eating right.  We will be successful!  Don't get me wrong, we know it won't be easy and we know we have a long way to go!  But, we know we CAN do it!

This week, we dove in head first.  I feel like I need accountability and praise to help me through (a.k.a. Weight Watchers).  Zach feels like the gym is his best answer.  Basically, our recipe for weight loss will be: 1. Eat Less 2. Move More 3. Repeat.

I go in tomorrow morning for my first official weigh-in. I'm excited to see what has happened.  I'll let you know.  Zach is using our scale at home, so I'll share his success as well.

Here are my strengths from this week....
1. At my leadership institute this week, we were served lunch each day.  I didn't have control over what was served, but I did very well controlling what I chose to eat.
2. Jackson's bday was on Thursday, he chose to eat at Texas Roadhouse.  I chose a small steak, salad and green beans.  Yay, me!
3. I worked out 4 times and swam twice.

Here are Zach's strengths from this week...
1. He did not eat at Whataburger AT ALL this week.  BIG YAY for him!
2. He went to the gym 5 times.
3. He ate smaller portions of healthier foods.

No huge weaknesses to report this week, but it is only our first week.  I know there will be some and I plan on being really honest about them.

I'm usually not big on talking about my weight.  Hello - who is?!?  In the past, it has felt really taboo for me to say it out loud.  But, why shouldn't my friends and family know?  They will be our greatest support system.  So, there you have it and here we go...

Thought of the day - "If I have the belief that I can do it, I shall surely acquire the capacity to do it even if I may not have it at the beginning." - Mahatma Gandhi