June is in process, and that means that we are almost at the halfway point of 2021. This is a good time to take stock. Are you who you want to be? Are you where you want to be? If your answer to either or both of these questions is “no,” it is time to change something to get closer to who and where you want to be. If I am honest, and I want to be, I must answer these questions “no.”

Earlier this week I went back physically to WW, which used to be Weight Watchers, and still is for me, although the company has rebranded itself and no longer refers to itself as Weight Watchers. I was out of town, and decided it was time to return physically to WW. All through COVID I have been on WW through my app, recording my food intake daily. But I have not been to a physical meeting since WW started having them again. Although the group leader commended me for coming while away from home, I knew I needed to be there. Although I do not often attend the group meetings, I knew I needed to this time.

Although I have been recording my food intake daily, one of the main ways I stay on the plan, I have seen my weight creep up a few pounds in the past couple of months. I have not gained much weight, but more than is good for me. I can easily continue to gain if I don’t find a way to reverse this trend. I needed some inspiration to turn this around. And I received it. The meeting was about Change, just what I needed.

The group leader gave us a short quiz about our change identity. She said, “The way we think about ourselves related to change affects our ability to change, which is our change identity.” I was not surprised that I scored “Embraces Change.” That is one reason that I am slipping lately on WW. I am bored with the weight management process. Once I think about the fact that I embrace change, it makes sense that I am bored with the sameness of this. I must find a way to make this process new again. For it is a life-long process for me. I do not ever want to be overweight again.

So, what changes have I made that have resulted in weight gain, if only a few pounds? I am eating more sweets and bread, which I need to balance better. I will not be able to eliminate them completely, for I would not stay on any plan that required that. And I do not need to, I just need to be in better control of what and how much I am eating.

I have stopped my daily two-mile walk in the past month, due to bursitis in one of my hips. Well, the bursitis is here to stay with me, it seems, so I must find a way to get the same amount of exercise in without it hurting so much. I need the walking for my mental state as much as my physical state. I have also recently started physical therapy for the bursitis, months after it was recommended for my hip by my physician, and hopefully that will help.

Enough about me. How about you? What will you change to be who and where you want to be? We only have a little over six months to make these changes in 2021.

The hardest part of any change is getting started.