I was ecstatic when my little girl started crawing last month. 

We were home alone, and I was jumping around and cheering for her major accomplishment.  I called her dad, grandmothers, and some of my friends that owed me the opportunity to bore them with my child’s mundane milestones – as they had done to me years before.  Before learning to crawl, Nina had just been sitting around, frustrated with her seeming inability to get what she wanted. 

Ultimately, her goal is to walk.  Not the four-limbed-rear-in-the-air-ape-man walk, but the real 2-legged variety.  Despite this, I celebrated her crawling as though it was the biggest deal in the world.  She still can’t walk, so why did I bother rejoicing in a mere crawl?

Because it was significant progress.

A “step” in the right direction, proof that everything is coming together, and a cause for celebration, indeed.  I wasn’t alone in this thinking either.  Every person that I shared her exciting progress with was genuinely happy.  Amidst the congratulations and joy shared by all, it occurred to me that Nina must feel pretty darn encouraged. 

So why don’t women typically feel encouraged when they experience “crawling moments” while losing weight?

It’s simple.  Women don’t feel encouraged because, when it comes to weight loss, we all generally discount baby steps.  How many times have you heard, or even said, these things:

“Yeah, I walked today, but it was just around the block and I couldn’t run because my knees are so bad.”

“My doctor said that my cholesterol has gone down since the last visit, but I still have to lower my blood pressure, stop smoking, and drink more water.”

“I feel so much better since I started eating intuitively, but I still can’t fit into my old jeans.”

Comments like these completely negate the fact that you started moving, you reduced a major health risk, and you feel better about yourself.  The focus is on the ultimate end result (walking), and the wonderful milestones along the way (crawling) are being completely ignored.

Where’s your celebration?  Who are you calling to tell the good news? 

I challenge you to celebrate your milestones – big and small – with enthusiasm and verve.   And encourage other women when they share they’re little victories with you along the way. 

Everyone deserves to feel pretty darn encouraged.