Good morning! I woke up this morning and *think* the cold germs may be packing up to leave :-). That thought plus the sun shining has definitely started my day on a positive note!
Part of my devotional readings this year include Beth Moore's "Believing God Day by Day" devotional book. The readings are short, but always thought provoking. Her April 5 reading was based on Joshua 1:9, "Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go." The context of this verse tells the story of the Israelites getting ready to cross the Jordan River into the land God has promised them. God encouraged their leader, Joshua, to move forward in confidence because He would be with them in this new land. Beth Moore noted that "God warned Joshua not to fall for two of the most effective deterrents to a Promised Land existence: fear and discouragement."
Fear and discouragement. Ever dealt with either of those feelings on your weight loss journey? I know I dealt with both feelings, and I know that many of you deal with those same feelings. We really want to get to our goal and live at a healthy weight, but fear and discouragement can often deter us from getting there.
We've failed before - it takes two hands to count all the different weight loss plans we tried, and failed. We're afraid that this will be just another plan to put on our heap of failures. We may be afraid to address the emotional issues we have that led to overeating and obesity.
Or maybe we're afraid to reach our goal. We've put things off for years because of our weight and reaching our goal would mean we would either be able to finally do those things, or admit that we never wanted to do them to begin with. A lot of us, myself included, hid inside our weight for a long time, wishing ourselves to be invisible. Losing weight means we're not so invisible anymore, because people will notice and compliment us. That can be a scary thing.
Then there's discouragement. We all want the weight off yesterday (I know I did!), and when the scale is frustratingly slow, we get discouraged. We get discouraged when everybody else is eating our favorite foods and we aren't. We get discouraged when family members and friends aren't very supportive.
Being aware of these potential traps is the first step in making sure that neither, or both, deter you from reaching your goal. Some of us are more vulnerable to one of these more than the other, but either one can trip us up if we aren't careful.
For me, one of the things that made the difference on my weight loss journey was knowing that God was with me, leading me each step of the way. I had fears and I had discouragement, but as I turned those things over to Him and trusted Him to lead me that day, I was able to keep walking towards my goal.
Don't let anything stand in the way of reaching your goal. Don't worry about what will happen down the road, and don't fret if things aren't as encouraging today as you'd like them to be - just take it one step, one on-plan day at a time.
Blessings!
Cheryl
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Sleep . . . I Need Sleep . . .
Happy Tuesday morning! I was up WAY too late last night and am feeling it this morning, with nobody to blame but myself.
My cell phone has been giving me problems, including allowing me to receive but not send e-mails. The wonderful people at our local Sprint store tried different things to fix the problem, but finally decided the best thing to do was just give me a new, upgraded phone :-). (They could do this because my phone was under warranty.) So I spent a long time last night figuring things out and downloading some fun software.
That would have been fine, but I also discovered that my new phone has BeJeweled on it. I've never played it before, but I've heard other talking about how addicting it is. Well, they were right! How else would you explain a 56-yr. old grandmother of 4 - with a cold, no less and who just needs to rest - up until 1 AM playing a game on her phone? In the bright light of today, I can't believe I did that (but you should have seen my high score! lol).
While I was engrossed with my phone, my husband found a free game on the internet for HIS phone, so two adult, normally rational grandparents were up playing games on their phones. It doesn't get much sadder than that :-)
This morning I am reminded of how important it is to get a good night's sleep! In Chapter 17 of Dr. A's Habits of Health, Dr. Andersen talks about the importance of sleep. In this chapter, entitled "Sleep: Nature's Nurse," he outlines various ways that a lack of sleep affects our health. He notes that there is growing evidence linking a lack of sleep to increased inflammation, a higher risk of cardiovascular incidence, and even obesity. Dr. Andersen states that not getting enough sleep disturbs appetite regulation and cites a study which found that getting less sleep almost doubled the risk of obesity, even in young children.
Looks like if I want to stay on the road to optimal health, I need to make sure I'm making healthy choices about what I eat, exercising regularly, drinking lots of water, and resisting the urge to play BeJeweled until the wee hours of the morning :-).
Is there anything standing between you and your pursuit of optimal health today? If there is, is it worth it?
Blessings!
Cheryl
My cell phone has been giving me problems, including allowing me to receive but not send e-mails. The wonderful people at our local Sprint store tried different things to fix the problem, but finally decided the best thing to do was just give me a new, upgraded phone :-). (They could do this because my phone was under warranty.) So I spent a long time last night figuring things out and downloading some fun software.
That would have been fine, but I also discovered that my new phone has BeJeweled on it. I've never played it before, but I've heard other talking about how addicting it is. Well, they were right! How else would you explain a 56-yr. old grandmother of 4 - with a cold, no less and who just needs to rest - up until 1 AM playing a game on her phone? In the bright light of today, I can't believe I did that (but you should have seen my high score! lol).
While I was engrossed with my phone, my husband found a free game on the internet for HIS phone, so two adult, normally rational grandparents were up playing games on their phones. It doesn't get much sadder than that :-)
This morning I am reminded of how important it is to get a good night's sleep! In Chapter 17 of Dr. A's Habits of Health, Dr. Andersen talks about the importance of sleep. In this chapter, entitled "Sleep: Nature's Nurse," he outlines various ways that a lack of sleep affects our health. He notes that there is growing evidence linking a lack of sleep to increased inflammation, a higher risk of cardiovascular incidence, and even obesity. Dr. Andersen states that not getting enough sleep disturbs appetite regulation and cites a study which found that getting less sleep almost doubled the risk of obesity, even in young children.
Looks like if I want to stay on the road to optimal health, I need to make sure I'm making healthy choices about what I eat, exercising regularly, drinking lots of water, and resisting the urge to play BeJeweled until the wee hours of the morning :-).
Is there anything standing between you and your pursuit of optimal health today? If there is, is it worth it?
Blessings!
Cheryl
Monday, April 6, 2009
Sludge-Free Zone
Happy Monday morning! I hope your day is off to a great start!
I woke up yesterday morning with a cold, and it appears to have unpacked its bags and is ready for an extended stay - at least that's what my sinuses and sore throat are telling me. However, even though I am feeling less than 100%, there will be no eating of sludge to make myself feel better!
I know that tanking up on sludge won't help me get over this cold, plus there is simply no sludge in the house! Because I know what my triggers are, and because I don't trust me well enough to have it around and not eat it, I have declared my house a sludge-free zone :-). Because I'm feeling crummy, and because it's cold outside and snow is predicted, I'm not about to get in my car and go to the store to buy a bunch of stuff. As a result, even if I WANTED to eat sludge today (and I don't), I couldn't.
If you're struggling to stay on plan right now (and even if you're not), I'd encourage you to purge your house of anything that could be a trigger for you. Make your house a safe place to be, food-wise (and in every other way, too!).
You may be a mom with young children, but honestly, do your kids really need to be eating chips and cookies? If it's not healthy for mom, it's really not healthy for the kids, either :-). A recently-published study showed an alarming increase in the number of children with kidney stones, and it's believed that the kidney stones are linked directly to poor diets that are high in sodium and not enough water. This is a wonderful time to establish healthy eating habits for your entire family!
Plan for success today - get rid of anything in your house that could potentially get between you and your goal. Throwing it out won't be wasting food. Throwing out sludge is another step towards optimal health, so go for it!
Blessings!
Cheryl
I woke up yesterday morning with a cold, and it appears to have unpacked its bags and is ready for an extended stay - at least that's what my sinuses and sore throat are telling me. However, even though I am feeling less than 100%, there will be no eating of sludge to make myself feel better!
I know that tanking up on sludge won't help me get over this cold, plus there is simply no sludge in the house! Because I know what my triggers are, and because I don't trust me well enough to have it around and not eat it, I have declared my house a sludge-free zone :-). Because I'm feeling crummy, and because it's cold outside and snow is predicted, I'm not about to get in my car and go to the store to buy a bunch of stuff. As a result, even if I WANTED to eat sludge today (and I don't), I couldn't.
If you're struggling to stay on plan right now (and even if you're not), I'd encourage you to purge your house of anything that could be a trigger for you. Make your house a safe place to be, food-wise (and in every other way, too!).
You may be a mom with young children, but honestly, do your kids really need to be eating chips and cookies? If it's not healthy for mom, it's really not healthy for the kids, either :-). A recently-published study showed an alarming increase in the number of children with kidney stones, and it's believed that the kidney stones are linked directly to poor diets that are high in sodium and not enough water. This is a wonderful time to establish healthy eating habits for your entire family!
Plan for success today - get rid of anything in your house that could potentially get between you and your goal. Throwing it out won't be wasting food. Throwing out sludge is another step towards optimal health, so go for it!
Blessings!
Cheryl
Saturday, April 4, 2009
Happy Saturday!
Good morning! It's chilly where I am, but the sun is shining and it's going to be a good day!
Some days it's easier than others to say "it's going to be a good day." These are difficult times for many of us, with more economic uncertainty than some of us have ever faced (I'm on this list). My oldest daughter's husband is a chemical engineer and has been off work for two weeks. He just found out yesterday that his office is closing down and he is now without a job. Most of the chemical engineering jobs available unfortunately aren't in Michigan, so they may need to relocated to Texas or the East Coast - wherever he can find a job. My younger daughter will graduate with her nursing degree in three weeks and has yet to secure a job, as there are very few openings in Michigan. If she can't find a job, they will possibly relocate to Washington state, where her in-laws live.
I'm not very happy at the prospect that both of my daughters - and my four grandchildren - could end up moving hundreds, or even a couple thousand, miles away. Right now they live 30 minutes away from me and 4 miles away from each other, so the girls are close and I see them at least once a week.
So I have a choice today. I can either sit and worry, making myself miserable, or I can choose to trust God to work out His best for them. Because I believe that the God of the universe is also a very personal God who knows how many hairs I have on my head, I know that He knows about the situations my daughters and their families face.
In the past, times of uncertainty and possible anxiety would have had me carb loading in the worst possible way (I'll spare you the details!). In those days, it wasn't that I didn't believe God was in control of those situations. I believed it, but I didn't choose to ACT like I believed it :-).
Part of my weight loss journey was me reflecting back on my life, the good times and the difficult times, and tracing God's hand and His leading in every situation. Many things that didn't make sense at the time finally made sense and I marveled at the way He had woven the loose threads together.
I am currently involved in a Beth Moore Bible study on the fruit of the Spirit, and as she taught on faithfulness, she talked about God's faithfulness. One of her statements really hit me: "God has carried you 1,000 times; He's not going to drop you today."
That statement really spoke to me then, and it continues to speak to my heart. I don't know what's going to happen with my daughters, and I don't know what today will bring. But because I know that God isn't going to drop me (or you!), it's going to be a good day!
Whatever you have planned today, have a great, on-plan Saturday!
Blessings!
Cheryl
Some days it's easier than others to say "it's going to be a good day." These are difficult times for many of us, with more economic uncertainty than some of us have ever faced (I'm on this list). My oldest daughter's husband is a chemical engineer and has been off work for two weeks. He just found out yesterday that his office is closing down and he is now without a job. Most of the chemical engineering jobs available unfortunately aren't in Michigan, so they may need to relocated to Texas or the East Coast - wherever he can find a job. My younger daughter will graduate with her nursing degree in three weeks and has yet to secure a job, as there are very few openings in Michigan. If she can't find a job, they will possibly relocate to Washington state, where her in-laws live.
I'm not very happy at the prospect that both of my daughters - and my four grandchildren - could end up moving hundreds, or even a couple thousand, miles away. Right now they live 30 minutes away from me and 4 miles away from each other, so the girls are close and I see them at least once a week.
So I have a choice today. I can either sit and worry, making myself miserable, or I can choose to trust God to work out His best for them. Because I believe that the God of the universe is also a very personal God who knows how many hairs I have on my head, I know that He knows about the situations my daughters and their families face.
In the past, times of uncertainty and possible anxiety would have had me carb loading in the worst possible way (I'll spare you the details!). In those days, it wasn't that I didn't believe God was in control of those situations. I believed it, but I didn't choose to ACT like I believed it :-).
Part of my weight loss journey was me reflecting back on my life, the good times and the difficult times, and tracing God's hand and His leading in every situation. Many things that didn't make sense at the time finally made sense and I marveled at the way He had woven the loose threads together.
I am currently involved in a Beth Moore Bible study on the fruit of the Spirit, and as she taught on faithfulness, she talked about God's faithfulness. One of her statements really hit me: "God has carried you 1,000 times; He's not going to drop you today."
That statement really spoke to me then, and it continues to speak to my heart. I don't know what's going to happen with my daughters, and I don't know what today will bring. But because I know that God isn't going to drop me (or you!), it's going to be a good day!
Whatever you have planned today, have a great, on-plan Saturday!
Blessings!
Cheryl
Friday, April 3, 2009
Daily Decisions
This is the time of year in Michigan when closets are absolutely bursting, as it's time to bring out the spring and summer clothes, but too early to put away the winter stuff. Yesterday the temperatures reached the upper 50's, today's high is predicted for the mid 40's, and they're talking about 3-6 inches of snow next week - yikes! I check the weather report every morning before laying out my clothes for the day, because what was "just right" yesterday may be "all wrong" today :-)
We may allow the weather or other circumstances to sway our decision in what we're gong to wear on any given day, but to reach (or maintain) our weight loss goal, we can't allow anything to sway us from our resolve to make healthy choices.
For me, it's always easier to eat healthy when the weather is warm. When it's nice outside, I'm naturally more active, and when I'm active, I seem to crave salads and lighter foods. Drinking lots of cold water is also much more appealing when it's warm outside. When it's cold and snowy and the sun goes for days without showing up, my inclination is to carb load and drink gallons of hot coffee, all while I'm wrapped up in a blanket (I know, I'm pathetic! lol).
However, it doesn't matter if it's cold or warm, sunny or snowy, we have to choose to make healthy choices whether we feel like it or not :-). When we don't feel like it, it can really be a mind over matter decision, but I promise you this: you won't be sorry! I've often been sorry for wrong choices I've made, but never sorry for making the right choice.
The weather may determine what you wear today, but I hope nothing will deter you from staying on plan. Who's with me today?
We may allow the weather or other circumstances to sway our decision in what we're gong to wear on any given day, but to reach (or maintain) our weight loss goal, we can't allow anything to sway us from our resolve to make healthy choices.
For me, it's always easier to eat healthy when the weather is warm. When it's nice outside, I'm naturally more active, and when I'm active, I seem to crave salads and lighter foods. Drinking lots of cold water is also much more appealing when it's warm outside. When it's cold and snowy and the sun goes for days without showing up, my inclination is to carb load and drink gallons of hot coffee, all while I'm wrapped up in a blanket (I know, I'm pathetic! lol).
However, it doesn't matter if it's cold or warm, sunny or snowy, we have to choose to make healthy choices whether we feel like it or not :-). When we don't feel like it, it can really be a mind over matter decision, but I promise you this: you won't be sorry! I've often been sorry for wrong choices I've made, but never sorry for making the right choice.
The weather may determine what you wear today, but I hope nothing will deter you from staying on plan. Who's with me today?
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Today Counts
I was interested to read a couple of weeks ago a story about a shopping mall in England. Researchers there posted colorful signs along the steps of the staircase that said: "Taking the stairs protects your heart." According to the story, the number of people who decided to take the stairs instead of the nearby escalator more than doubled in a 6-week period. The researchers said that every step counts and believe that long-term behavior will change only if the signs are regularly seen.
Most people know it's better for their health to take the stairs instead of the escalator, but most didn't make the change until they saw the sign. It's funny how little things can make such a difference!
We all know that staying on plan is the fastest and surest way to reach our goal, but life happens and it can be easy to lose sight of our goal if we don't recommit every day. We'd love to see our weight gone in an instant, but the reality is that it happens one day at a time, and every day counts!
So make today count!
Most people know it's better for their health to take the stairs instead of the escalator, but most didn't make the change until they saw the sign. It's funny how little things can make such a difference!
We all know that staying on plan is the fastest and surest way to reach our goal, but life happens and it can be easy to lose sight of our goal if we don't recommit every day. We'd love to see our weight gone in an instant, but the reality is that it happens one day at a time, and every day counts!
So make today count!
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Don't Get Tricked Today!
Happy April Fools' Day :-)
When I was a kid, our family enjoyed playing tricks on each other on April Fools' Day. It was always in good fun and never mean-spirited, but it meant we needed to be on toes if we didn't want to get caught in the prankster's trap.
On this April Fools' Day, we need to be on our toes once again if we want to avoid falling into the food traps out there. Food is out there - everywhere! If we don't know what our personal triggers are and if we aren't prepared and know in advance how we'll deal with those triggers, we're vulnerable.
When I say "triggers," I'm talking about foods, situations or feelings that prompt us to overeat.
Trigger foods: candy, chocolate, salty foods, etc.
Trigger situations: watching TV, going to the movies, reading, being home alone
Trigger feelings: anger, stress, loneliness, boredom, anxiety
Once you begin eating in response to a trigger, your ability stop is very limited.
Identify the triggers – the foods, situations and feelings.
Decide that you’re going to learn to control them. You can do this!
* Choose only one or two triggers at a time
* Pick the triggers that exert the most control and those that do the most damage (number of calories, frequency)
Stop the trigger – don’t try to bargain with it! True control means that you—not the trigger—decides where, when, and what you will eat.
* Don’t go into a trigger zone on an empty stomach!
Practice controlling triggers.
* For situational triggers:
- Write a statement describing the trigger situation; use past tense
- Write a statement in the present tense describing the change
- Write down a list of alternatives
* For food triggers:
- Write down your favorite foods at different stages of your life
- Prepare to change your food preferences
- Eliminate the trigger food completely for at least two months
- Write down your decisions, e.g., “I no longer eat this food” or “I can now eat this because it longer has control over me.” Be honest with yourself J
* For feelings triggers:
- Write down several of your trigger feelings and state why you respond to the food in that way
- Describe how you feel after you eat in response to a trigger feeling
- Write down alternatives to eating when you get that feeling
I hope these ideas will help to keep you from being tricked into off-plan eating today :-)
Blessings!
Cheryl
When I was a kid, our family enjoyed playing tricks on each other on April Fools' Day. It was always in good fun and never mean-spirited, but it meant we needed to be on toes if we didn't want to get caught in the prankster's trap.
On this April Fools' Day, we need to be on our toes once again if we want to avoid falling into the food traps out there. Food is out there - everywhere! If we don't know what our personal triggers are and if we aren't prepared and know in advance how we'll deal with those triggers, we're vulnerable.
When I say "triggers," I'm talking about foods, situations or feelings that prompt us to overeat.
Trigger foods: candy, chocolate, salty foods, etc.
Trigger situations: watching TV, going to the movies, reading, being home alone
Trigger feelings: anger, stress, loneliness, boredom, anxiety
Once you begin eating in response to a trigger, your ability stop is very limited.
Identify the triggers – the foods, situations and feelings.
Decide that you’re going to learn to control them. You can do this!
* Choose only one or two triggers at a time
* Pick the triggers that exert the most control and those that do the most damage (number of calories, frequency)
Stop the trigger – don’t try to bargain with it! True control means that you—not the trigger—decides where, when, and what you will eat.
* Don’t go into a trigger zone on an empty stomach!
Practice controlling triggers.
* For situational triggers:
- Write a statement describing the trigger situation; use past tense
- Write a statement in the present tense describing the change
- Write down a list of alternatives
* For food triggers:
- Write down your favorite foods at different stages of your life
- Prepare to change your food preferences
- Eliminate the trigger food completely for at least two months
- Write down your decisions, e.g., “I no longer eat this food” or “I can now eat this because it longer has control over me.” Be honest with yourself J
* For feelings triggers:
- Write down several of your trigger feelings and state why you respond to the food in that way
- Describe how you feel after you eat in response to a trigger feeling
- Write down alternatives to eating when you get that feeling
I hope these ideas will help to keep you from being tricked into off-plan eating today :-)
Blessings!
Cheryl
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