Finding Your Anchor

 

Finding your Anchor is this week’s meeting topic.  I don't mean the anchor like the photo above, but I had to add it for good measure!

Anchoring is used to help keep a WW member on track during their weight loss journey.

 “Like a superhero armed with a trusty utility belt, when you're trying to lose weight, it's helpful to have a secret weapon you can turn to in a crisis. Anchoring is an effective strategy you can use to connect with positive memories and feelings that can restore your confidence, determination and belief in yourself.”

I believe anchoring can also keep you on track during your maintenance journey too.

An anchor can be anything.  Perhaps a photo of you before WW or at your current goal weight, your WW key chain and the charms you have collected, perhaps a saying that is important to you, some other type of object with meaning to your WW journey, etc.  It can be anything that has significance to your WW program.

Our meeting topics are designed to repeat, so I remember talking about anchoring not too long ago.  I never really considered myself as using an anchor.  However, as I thought about it more, I do have a saying I use often and write in my journal almost every day.

Stay focused.

 

To me, writing stay focused means that I stay focused on what is important to me and my maintenance journey.  I must stay focused on eating Power Foods and getting in my Good Healthy Guidelines.  I must stay focused on tracking and weighing and measuring my foods.  Over all, I must stay focused on the reason I lost all this weight and the reasons I continue to keep this weight off.  So, I guess that could be an anchor for me.

The other would be my tattoo.

 

I got this tattoo after I lost 100 pounds.  At that time it was my reward for getting to what I considered my first major goal.  I chose a star since the star is significant to WW.  This tattoo is located on my left inner wrist.  Since I have had it through the years, there are times I might not even notice it or remember that it is a part of my body.  However, there are times when I am feeling down, stressed, or just disconnected from my WW program where I will look at the star on my wrist and think to myself “you are stronger than this.” 

I am stronger than any obstacle put in front of me. I am stronger than anytime I feel like I want to give up along this journey. I am stronger then sometimes I give myself credit for. My tattoo is a reminder of how far I have come, why this journey I am on is important, and why I will continue to keep this weight off.