What do we mean when we say 'progress, not perfection'?

What are we really saying?

So I was reading a thread on a message board/support group for weight loss that I belong to online. Someone was bemoaning a little weight gain and damning their diet of choice, and overall I knew how she felt. I feel that way sometimes too.

Sometimes I feel like I can't stick to anything, or, I was on plan and exercised but I'm secretly beating myself up for not drinking enough water. It's always something, and 'good' is never good enough.

One of the women told her that as long as we're trying, we're moving forward, that no one/no plan, etc, is perfect and that we waste an awful lot of time and energy trying to be perfect only to end up feeling awful in the end. Or something like that.

Taking your own advice

Anyhow, it got me thinking...we all say "It's progress, not perfection." On that board. I've read it more times than I can count. I think we aren't paying attention to what that means. Progress is losing 10 lbs a month, yeah, but so is losing 2 lbs a month. It might take you longer to reach your goal, but the scale is still moving in the right direction.

It's so very difficult not to beat ourselves up for not being perfect and not eating on plan 110% of the time. It's something we must try and recover from though. We must try and recover from the idea that we can ever be perfect or follow the perfect plan, or lose 10 lbs in a month, every single month. It doesn't happen that way.

On my way

This is the longest I've ever gone with staying on a plan. As my regular readers know I've had some ups and downs lately, the scale bounces around but doesn't really show any losses. But I'm still -70 lbs, I'm still on my way. It may be taking longer than anticipated, but I'm getting there. I've never done as well as I have this past year. I've never stuck with a plan longer than 4 months. Here I am though, over a year later and still trying.

This is where I'm at now, before, and during:

A kinder, gentler, you.

Struggling...but trying nonetheless. It's getting easier too. My work schedule is calmed down, and steady. I'm on plan, I'm exercising and trying to drink enough water (damn it!), and my mood and general sense of well being is back up to fabulous. :) 

I think when we sit down and tell other people 'it's progress, not perfection.' we need to apply it to our own lives as well, and stop beating ourselves up for every slip up. I'm not saying call it progress if you've gained back all your weight and then some, but if you are maintaining or losing slowly, more slowly than you'd like, remember it's the downward trend that will pay off in the end.

I know we all want it off yesterday, but it doesn't work that way. We need to be kinder to ourselves, the girl on the board said that people who do not waste their time striving for perfection get more accomplished than those who do, because you will never be perfect and it's so much easier to give up and not accomplish anything at all.

We all seem to be struggling right now, I read a lot of blogs, and a lot of us are having a hard time. Just keep swimming guys, just keep swimming. :)