September 14th Meeting

So tonight there were 6 of us that came to the meeting. Thanks ladies for supporting the group. But I'm so excited for this blog so those of you who need/want support and are not in Kalispell can join in on the fun!
Amy gave our lesson and chose the topic of Motivation.
There is a 5-step process to motivate change. Experience has shown us that people's awarness of a need to change takes place over time. Often the support of others sharing the same problem helps them grow in awarness and stay on course. James Prochaska and Carlos Di Clemente have described a five-stage model of motivation that outlines this process:
1. PRECONTEMPLATION. Due to either ignorance or denial, you don't even think about change. A typical thought might be: "There's nothing wrong with my weight."
2. CONTEMPLATION. Your awareness of the problem grows and you begin considering change, but do not take action yet. A typical thought might be: "Perhaps I could lose a few pounds, but this isn't the time for me to do it."
3. PREPAREDNESS. You are ready for change now and start planning and taking preliminary steps. A typical thought might be: "I'll join a support group and work on losing my excess weight."
4. ACTION. You make a commitment to take steps and begin a program. A typical thought might be: "Here I am, walking with my supportive friends."
5. MAINTENANCE. You've established a program and you keep following it. A typical thought might be: "I know this works, and I will keep doing it.
Discomort is usually what gets people moving from the early stages of ignorance, denial and procrastination to later stages of action. Unpleasant negative consequences are great motivators.
Set SMART goals:
S - SPECIFIC. eg. I will eat 1,500 calories today.
M - MEASURABLE. eg. I'll record what I eat; did I eat 1,500 calories today?
A - ATTAINABLE. eg. I can plan 3 meals totaling 1,500 calories today.
R - REALISTIC. eg. Eating 1,500 calories today will satisfy my hunger.
T - TIMELY. eg. By keeping each day at 1,500 calories I'll reach my goal weight.

After the lesson we had some treats that Anne brought. She calls them Fiber One Haystacks. Here's how you make them:
1/2 Box of Fiber One Cereal (1 pouch)
11 oz. Baking chips (Any flavor)
*Melt the chips and mix in the cereal til all coated. Scoop onto wax paper and freeze. When hard, store in a baggie in the fridge.
Very Yummy!

Please let me know if you want to add your own weight ticker on here. E-mail me at heiderly@hotmail.com.
Have a great week!