Did you know that 5&1 isn't the only way to do this program? The 5&1 plan is the plan that you hear about the most - 5 Medifast meals and 1 lean and green - and it's the most simple way to do this program. But there IS another way!
This other way is not as simple, and frankly the results are less predictable. It's what a friend of mine calls the Frank Sinatra plan. (For those of you who are a bit younger and may be a little fuzzy on who Frank Sinatra was, do a Google search :-) ). Frank Sinatra's signature song was "I Did It My Way."
Doing it "my way" is another very popular approach to doing the Take Shape for Life/Medifast program. I've seen it over and over again. People read the Quick Start Guide that clearly details the protocols of the program, and most will follow the guide initially. However, sooner or later some people decide to opt out of the 5&1 and adopt the Frank Sinatra plan. They decide that this program is really about calories or carbs and they begin to substitute something they want for something on plan. They'll figure out what the calories and carbs are for what they want and have that instead of one of their 5 Medifast meals. Or they'll decide that they can take a day off on the weekends, or they'll do 5&1 and "only" have one off plan thing in addition.
Because the Frank Sinatra plan is all about doing it "your way," there are endless variations to this plan. Basically it becomes whatever you want it to be, because you're doing it YOUR way!
I said earlier that the results of the Frank Sinatra plan were less predictable, but now that I think about it, I need to correct that statement. The results are pretty predictable - weight loss stalls and people get discouraged. The Frank Sinatra plan usually leads to a lot of starts and restarts on 5&1 and it's usually accompanied by a lot of frustration.
I used the Frank Sinatra approach to every other weight loss plan I ever tried. I'd read about the plan, buy the book, etc., but before long I was making one modification after another. My Frank Sinatra dieting got me all the way up to 268 pounds and Type 2 diabetic because each attempt at doing it my way always resulted in rapid weight gain as any pounds I lost quickly returned, bringing with them additional weight.
It's so interesting to note how determined we often are to do our own thing and go our own way, even when it hasn't worked in the past. We are so reluctant to follow the rules, even when they're clearly spelled out for us because we somehow think that we know better. The guidebook may be clear and there may be lots of evidence that the instructions work, but our human nature tends to think that we can somehow blaze a new and more successful path on our own.
By the time I made the decision to give Take Shape for Life/Medifast a try (and it was a "try" because I didn't think it would work), I had decided to actually follow the program as written for 4 weeks. The compelling reason to do that was the cost, because I couldn't justify the cost unless I was actually doing what the program told me to do. No surprise, by following the program and doing what it told me to do, I actually lost weight and reached my goal!
So which plan are you going to follow today? The choice is yours . . . choose wisely :-)
Sunday, July 31, 2011
Saturday, July 30, 2011
5&1 Rehab
I had my pre-op appointment with my surgeon's nurse practitioner yesterday. It was actually fun because all of my lab work and my blood pressure was "perfect" (and my weight was good, too!). For too many years, any doctor's office visit included expressed concern over my health - blood sugar, cholesterol, blood pressure and a recommendation that I lose weight. Typical of most patients, I smiled, nodded and left the office only to return and hear the same things on my next visit. What a nice difference now to know that after losing 126 pounds - and keeping it off - I can now make a health care provider smile from ear to ear :-).
As I head into my knee replacement surgery on Tuesday morning, I am doing so knowing that I am as healthy as I can possibly be. There are no medical concerns that would make surgery more risky or health issues that will impact the speed of my recovery. That is SO reassuring! Had I not lost the weight and gotten healthy, I would have been heading into surgery near (or over) 300 pounds, a Type 2 diabetic with high blood pressure. In that condition, surgery would not only have been more risky, but recovery would also be slower and more complicated.
Losing the weight also enabled me to postpone the surgery a bit longer. Four years ago my knee had gotten incredibly painful and walking was difficult. When I saw my orthopedic surgeon, he gave me a cortisone injection, prescribed some physical therapy, and suggested that a modest weight loss would help. He explained at that time that every time we take a step the pressure on our knees is two times our body weight. When we take stairs, the pressure on each knee is four times our body weight. Four times - wow! I was on Day 4 of this program when I saw him that day in June of 2007 and told him that I was working on losing weight. At that point I know he didn't think I'd really do it and I honestly wasn't sure if I would, either. His comments certainly gave me added incentive, however, and he was amazed and delighted when he saw me again in late March of 2008, after I'd lost over 100 pounds.
Losing the weight and taking pressure off my knee, combined with periodic cortisone injections that worked wonderfully for a while, enabling me to do a lot of walking and hiking that I didn't think I'd ever be able to do again. As my knee deteriorated over the past few months and non-surgical treatment (injections and anti-inflammatory medication) no longer helped, it became clear that it was time to fix the knee once and for all.
What I know at this point is that it will get worse before it gets better and I will probably be asking myself a week from now what on earth was I thinking? :-) However, I have a long-term goal of being active again and to reach that goal I need to go through something that will be hard and painful. It won't be fun, but I know that a couple of months from now I will be SO glad that I did it and so happy that I didn't choose to settle for something less.
That's a lot like being on plan (you knew I'd get around to staying on plan, didn't you?!). It's not always fun and sometimes it's painful (not physically, but emotionally). Staying focused on what you're doing this and on what you want will make the difference. In a way, Take Shape for Life/Medifast 5&1 is your recovery period from obesity. It's not meant to be a permanent state any more than my post-op recovery and therapy will be permanent. 5&1 is a temporary and relatively short period of time that is designed to bring you from where you started to where you want to be. Like post-op rehab, it requires focus and commitment and requires us to stretch beyond the point we think we can. Sometimes that stretching is painful, but if we limit our range of motion to only what's comfortable, we will never get to where we want to be.
You will get to where you want to be one day, one meal, and one choice at a time. Choose wisely :-)
As I head into my knee replacement surgery on Tuesday morning, I am doing so knowing that I am as healthy as I can possibly be. There are no medical concerns that would make surgery more risky or health issues that will impact the speed of my recovery. That is SO reassuring! Had I not lost the weight and gotten healthy, I would have been heading into surgery near (or over) 300 pounds, a Type 2 diabetic with high blood pressure. In that condition, surgery would not only have been more risky, but recovery would also be slower and more complicated.
Losing the weight also enabled me to postpone the surgery a bit longer. Four years ago my knee had gotten incredibly painful and walking was difficult. When I saw my orthopedic surgeon, he gave me a cortisone injection, prescribed some physical therapy, and suggested that a modest weight loss would help. He explained at that time that every time we take a step the pressure on our knees is two times our body weight. When we take stairs, the pressure on each knee is four times our body weight. Four times - wow! I was on Day 4 of this program when I saw him that day in June of 2007 and told him that I was working on losing weight. At that point I know he didn't think I'd really do it and I honestly wasn't sure if I would, either. His comments certainly gave me added incentive, however, and he was amazed and delighted when he saw me again in late March of 2008, after I'd lost over 100 pounds.
Losing the weight and taking pressure off my knee, combined with periodic cortisone injections that worked wonderfully for a while, enabling me to do a lot of walking and hiking that I didn't think I'd ever be able to do again. As my knee deteriorated over the past few months and non-surgical treatment (injections and anti-inflammatory medication) no longer helped, it became clear that it was time to fix the knee once and for all.
What I know at this point is that it will get worse before it gets better and I will probably be asking myself a week from now what on earth was I thinking? :-) However, I have a long-term goal of being active again and to reach that goal I need to go through something that will be hard and painful. It won't be fun, but I know that a couple of months from now I will be SO glad that I did it and so happy that I didn't choose to settle for something less.
That's a lot like being on plan (you knew I'd get around to staying on plan, didn't you?!). It's not always fun and sometimes it's painful (not physically, but emotionally). Staying focused on what you're doing this and on what you want will make the difference. In a way, Take Shape for Life/Medifast 5&1 is your recovery period from obesity. It's not meant to be a permanent state any more than my post-op recovery and therapy will be permanent. 5&1 is a temporary and relatively short period of time that is designed to bring you from where you started to where you want to be. Like post-op rehab, it requires focus and commitment and requires us to stretch beyond the point we think we can. Sometimes that stretching is painful, but if we limit our range of motion to only what's comfortable, we will never get to where we want to be.
You will get to where you want to be one day, one meal, and one choice at a time. Choose wisely :-)
Friday, July 29, 2011
I Can't
At the Take Shape for Life convention I attended last week, one of the speakers challenged us to replace "I can't" with "I choose not to." Ouch!
The reality is that 99.9% of the things we say we "can't" do are actually things that we choose NOT to do (that percentage is mine, not the speaker's, by the way!). Perhaps the actual percentage of things we can't do is a bit higher that .1%, but I doubt it's much higher than that. We all (and my hand is raised, too) have so many self-limiting beliefs that keep us stuck.
For years I said that "I can't" stay on a diet and repeatedly told myself and others that I didn't have the willpower. You know what? As long as I kept telling myself "I can't", I didn't. It wasn't that I truly couldn't do it, of course, because eventually I DID do it! The truth was that I chose not to.
It was easier thinking that I couldn't do it rather than facing up to the fact that I kept choosing not to do it. Thinking I couldn't kept me in a victim mindset - it really wasn't my fault because there was something defective in the wiring of my brain . . . or I somehow wasn't in line when willpower was passed out . . . In my thinking at the time, I really wanted to, but I just couldn't do it. That kind of thinking gave me permission to fail, so I failed again and again. If we think we can't, we're right - we can't. More to the point, we won't.
I'm talking to myself here, not standing on a soapbox preaching to others. I still catch myself thinking that I can't do this or do that. Sometimes I realize I say that out of fear of failure, sometimes it comes out of the fear of even trying. It's much easier to say I can't and not even try than try and risk failure . . . but that's no way to live!
When we decide that something is important to us, we WILL figure out how to get it done. If we want it badly enough, we will make the choices we need to make to reach the goal we set. We won't make those choices if the goal is merely something we think we should do, i.e., we know we should lose weight because our doctor had a stern talk with us. However, once we decide that this is what we want, we not only realize that we CAN do this, but we also CHOOSE to do it.
In his wonderful book, Dr. A's Habits of Health, Take Shape for Life/Medifast medical director and Take Shape for Life co-founder Dr. Wayne Scott Andersen writes about making the fundamental choice to get healthy. Once that choice is made, then we will choose to make secondary choices that support that fundamental choice. When we do that, the "I can't" is replaced by "I choose." In doing so, we discover strength we didn't know we had - it's a wonderful thing!
Have you made the fundamental choice to get healthy? If so, take "I can't" out of your vocabulary because you CAN do this and you WILL do this - one day, one meal, and one choice at a time. Choose wisely :-)
The reality is that 99.9% of the things we say we "can't" do are actually things that we choose NOT to do (that percentage is mine, not the speaker's, by the way!). Perhaps the actual percentage of things we can't do is a bit higher that .1%, but I doubt it's much higher than that. We all (and my hand is raised, too) have so many self-limiting beliefs that keep us stuck.
For years I said that "I can't" stay on a diet and repeatedly told myself and others that I didn't have the willpower. You know what? As long as I kept telling myself "I can't", I didn't. It wasn't that I truly couldn't do it, of course, because eventually I DID do it! The truth was that I chose not to.
It was easier thinking that I couldn't do it rather than facing up to the fact that I kept choosing not to do it. Thinking I couldn't kept me in a victim mindset - it really wasn't my fault because there was something defective in the wiring of my brain . . . or I somehow wasn't in line when willpower was passed out . . . In my thinking at the time, I really wanted to, but I just couldn't do it. That kind of thinking gave me permission to fail, so I failed again and again. If we think we can't, we're right - we can't. More to the point, we won't.
I'm talking to myself here, not standing on a soapbox preaching to others. I still catch myself thinking that I can't do this or do that. Sometimes I realize I say that out of fear of failure, sometimes it comes out of the fear of even trying. It's much easier to say I can't and not even try than try and risk failure . . . but that's no way to live!
When we decide that something is important to us, we WILL figure out how to get it done. If we want it badly enough, we will make the choices we need to make to reach the goal we set. We won't make those choices if the goal is merely something we think we should do, i.e., we know we should lose weight because our doctor had a stern talk with us. However, once we decide that this is what we want, we not only realize that we CAN do this, but we also CHOOSE to do it.
In his wonderful book, Dr. A's Habits of Health, Take Shape for Life/Medifast medical director and Take Shape for Life co-founder Dr. Wayne Scott Andersen writes about making the fundamental choice to get healthy. Once that choice is made, then we will choose to make secondary choices that support that fundamental choice. When we do that, the "I can't" is replaced by "I choose." In doing so, we discover strength we didn't know we had - it's a wonderful thing!
Have you made the fundamental choice to get healthy? If so, take "I can't" out of your vocabulary because you CAN do this and you WILL do this - one day, one meal, and one choice at a time. Choose wisely :-)
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Rocking the Boat
How do you feel about rocking the boat? Does the very thought of it leave you running for seasick medication?
I'm asking because I read a column in my local newspaper a while back about that very thing. The author contended that to get the most out of our lives, sometimes we have to take the difficult path. She talked about how we "compile a body of evidence and experiences that make up our story line", then we reinforce our story line by repeating it until we convince ourselves that the ending we've focused on is the only possible ending to our story. The author wrote about people who talk about health issues that they don't have the time to take care of, and marveled that we can convince ourselves that not feeling well is preferable to making the effort to change.
Change is difficult - no doubt about it! Sometimes we prefer to stay where we are, even when we don't like it, because it's familiar - even comfortable, in an uncomfortable sort of way. On one level, it really doesn't make sense, but on an emotional level, that's exactly what we often choose to do over and over again. Self-sabotage often plays a role here, as we may subconsciously work to maintain the more familiar status quo, rather than risk dealing with the changes that new behaviors will invariably bring.
Part of maintaining the comfortable status quo is writing a story that goes something like, "I have a slow metabolism and can't lose weight" or "Being overweight is genetic - all of my family is overweight so I can't help but be overweight, too." More stories may read "I have big bones and need more weight on my body" "My spouse prefers me to be soft and cuddly" or "I couldn't possibly cook healthy because my family won't eat it." When we write a story that sounds something like this, and when we repeat it often enough, it becomes our reality - whether it's actually true or not. We repeat it and we believe it, and every time we fail on another weight loss plan, it only reinforces our belief in our story.
What's exciting, however, is when someone has the courage to rewrite their story, to realize that it CAN be different and that the ending can be changed. I see that here every day! Making the changes required to lose weight and keep it off will definitely rock our boats, and often the boats of others in our lives. Sometimes the boat rocking will leave us scrambling to maintain (or even regain) our equilibrium, but in time we find ourselves settling into a new and much richer (and healthier) routine. To our surprise, we find that we've rewritten our story.
Four years ago, my story was typical of many women in their mid-50's: I was overweight (OK, I was morbidly obese . . .), I was on medication for high cholesterol , I had been diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes, and my back and knees hurt. The expected story was that women my age couldn't lose weight; that once a person was on medication, the only thing one could do was manage the medication (and remember to take the pills on time). For a long time, I believed that story and I thought that the story wouldn't have a very happy ending. Then God led me to Take Shape for Life/Medifast and before I knew it, my story began to be rewritten. I found out that much that I THOUGHT was true simply wasn't: women my age CAN lose weight; with weight loss it IS possible to see blood sugar levels stabilize and see cholesterol levels improve. My story reads very differently now than it did just four short years ago and I am so thankful! Making the changes wasn't easy and I definitely rocked not only my boat but my family's boat - but it was definitely worth it!
What's wonderful is that the changes that began a little over four years ago continue to have a positive impact in my health, as evidenced by recent lab work done just two weeks ago. Needless to say, my doctor is happy - and so am I!
My challenge for you today is to go for it! Rock your boat and rewrite your story. You'll do both one day and one choice at a time. Choose wisely :-).
I'm asking because I read a column in my local newspaper a while back about that very thing. The author contended that to get the most out of our lives, sometimes we have to take the difficult path. She talked about how we "compile a body of evidence and experiences that make up our story line", then we reinforce our story line by repeating it until we convince ourselves that the ending we've focused on is the only possible ending to our story. The author wrote about people who talk about health issues that they don't have the time to take care of, and marveled that we can convince ourselves that not feeling well is preferable to making the effort to change.
Change is difficult - no doubt about it! Sometimes we prefer to stay where we are, even when we don't like it, because it's familiar - even comfortable, in an uncomfortable sort of way. On one level, it really doesn't make sense, but on an emotional level, that's exactly what we often choose to do over and over again. Self-sabotage often plays a role here, as we may subconsciously work to maintain the more familiar status quo, rather than risk dealing with the changes that new behaviors will invariably bring.
Part of maintaining the comfortable status quo is writing a story that goes something like, "I have a slow metabolism and can't lose weight" or "Being overweight is genetic - all of my family is overweight so I can't help but be overweight, too." More stories may read "I have big bones and need more weight on my body" "My spouse prefers me to be soft and cuddly" or "I couldn't possibly cook healthy because my family won't eat it." When we write a story that sounds something like this, and when we repeat it often enough, it becomes our reality - whether it's actually true or not. We repeat it and we believe it, and every time we fail on another weight loss plan, it only reinforces our belief in our story.
What's exciting, however, is when someone has the courage to rewrite their story, to realize that it CAN be different and that the ending can be changed. I see that here every day! Making the changes required to lose weight and keep it off will definitely rock our boats, and often the boats of others in our lives. Sometimes the boat rocking will leave us scrambling to maintain (or even regain) our equilibrium, but in time we find ourselves settling into a new and much richer (and healthier) routine. To our surprise, we find that we've rewritten our story.
Four years ago, my story was typical of many women in their mid-50's: I was overweight (OK, I was morbidly obese . . .), I was on medication for high cholesterol , I had been diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes, and my back and knees hurt. The expected story was that women my age couldn't lose weight; that once a person was on medication, the only thing one could do was manage the medication (and remember to take the pills on time). For a long time, I believed that story and I thought that the story wouldn't have a very happy ending. Then God led me to Take Shape for Life/Medifast and before I knew it, my story began to be rewritten. I found out that much that I THOUGHT was true simply wasn't: women my age CAN lose weight; with weight loss it IS possible to see blood sugar levels stabilize and see cholesterol levels improve. My story reads very differently now than it did just four short years ago and I am so thankful! Making the changes wasn't easy and I definitely rocked not only my boat but my family's boat - but it was definitely worth it!
What's wonderful is that the changes that began a little over four years ago continue to have a positive impact in my health, as evidenced by recent lab work done just two weeks ago. Needless to say, my doctor is happy - and so am I!
My challenge for you today is to go for it! Rock your boat and rewrite your story. You'll do both one day and one choice at a time. Choose wisely :-).
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Long-Term Success
We returned home from our trip yesterday afternoon. Our Take Shape for Life health coach convention was outstanding - lots of learning and inspiration and it was wonderful connecting with many friends and meeting new friends.
Because of the growing obesity epidemic, I felt a sense of urgency at this convention - more than I've ever felt it before. More and more people have crossed the line from overweight to obese and the health repercussions are wreaking havoc in their lives. This growing epidemic is evident everywhere we go and was certainly visible at the airport and as we spent a pre-convention day at Downtown Disney. Seeing people struggle to walk, some literally huffing and puffing, others barely fitting into airline seats - it breaks my heart! I was there once and I remember how I felt, I remember how hard it was. That fuels my own passion to help as many people as I can!
What was interesting was seeing how different our group of 2,500 health coaches was when compared to the general population. The average weight loss per person in that room was 60 pounds, but some have lost much more than that. Some coaches are still on their weight loss journey so not everyone there was at their goal, but the percentage of people at a healthy weight in that room was far greater than the general population.
Seeing and talking to people who have successfully maintained their weight loss for as long as nine years was incredibly inspirational and encouraging! It also speaks to the reality that truly embracing this program in its entirety - including Maintenance - ensures long-term success. These individuals have beaten the odds that say that over 85% of people who lose weight regain the weight, plus additional weight, within two years.
Maintaining over time doesn't just happen, of course. These individuals made a conscious choice to permanently change their eating habits and their lifestyle. That is a choice that has to be reinforced every day.
Interestingly, there was another factor that impacted the ability of these individuals to maintain their weight loss. Take Shape for Life/Medifast just completed a two-year study looking at long-term success rates and found that Take Shape for Life health coaches are four times more likely to reach and maintain a healthy weight - FOUR TIMES! I believe one of the reasons this is true is that we can't coach with integrity unless we're actually doing these things ourselves. Talking with others keeps me mindful of what I need to be doing myself and keeps me in a health-focused mindset. I became a health coach to help others, but it has also made the difference in helping me maintain my own weight loss and continue my own optimal health journey.
No matter where you are on your journey - just starting out, nearing (or at) your goal, or somewhere in-between, you have in your hands the tools you need to reach and maintain a healthy weight. The tools I'm talking about aren't just the Medifast meals (although they are wonderful and are the catalyst for our weight loss). You are learning new, healthy habits along the way: eating small, frequent meals, drinking lots of water, incorporating activity and exercise, tapping into support, and making daily choices that support your long-term goal. All of these things together will ensure your long-term success!
That long-term success begins with the choices you'll make today, so choose wisely :-)
Because of the growing obesity epidemic, I felt a sense of urgency at this convention - more than I've ever felt it before. More and more people have crossed the line from overweight to obese and the health repercussions are wreaking havoc in their lives. This growing epidemic is evident everywhere we go and was certainly visible at the airport and as we spent a pre-convention day at Downtown Disney. Seeing people struggle to walk, some literally huffing and puffing, others barely fitting into airline seats - it breaks my heart! I was there once and I remember how I felt, I remember how hard it was. That fuels my own passion to help as many people as I can!
What was interesting was seeing how different our group of 2,500 health coaches was when compared to the general population. The average weight loss per person in that room was 60 pounds, but some have lost much more than that. Some coaches are still on their weight loss journey so not everyone there was at their goal, but the percentage of people at a healthy weight in that room was far greater than the general population.
Seeing and talking to people who have successfully maintained their weight loss for as long as nine years was incredibly inspirational and encouraging! It also speaks to the reality that truly embracing this program in its entirety - including Maintenance - ensures long-term success. These individuals have beaten the odds that say that over 85% of people who lose weight regain the weight, plus additional weight, within two years.
Maintaining over time doesn't just happen, of course. These individuals made a conscious choice to permanently change their eating habits and their lifestyle. That is a choice that has to be reinforced every day.
Interestingly, there was another factor that impacted the ability of these individuals to maintain their weight loss. Take Shape for Life/Medifast just completed a two-year study looking at long-term success rates and found that Take Shape for Life health coaches are four times more likely to reach and maintain a healthy weight - FOUR TIMES! I believe one of the reasons this is true is that we can't coach with integrity unless we're actually doing these things ourselves. Talking with others keeps me mindful of what I need to be doing myself and keeps me in a health-focused mindset. I became a health coach to help others, but it has also made the difference in helping me maintain my own weight loss and continue my own optimal health journey.
No matter where you are on your journey - just starting out, nearing (or at) your goal, or somewhere in-between, you have in your hands the tools you need to reach and maintain a healthy weight. The tools I'm talking about aren't just the Medifast meals (although they are wonderful and are the catalyst for our weight loss). You are learning new, healthy habits along the way: eating small, frequent meals, drinking lots of water, incorporating activity and exercise, tapping into support, and making daily choices that support your long-term goal. All of these things together will ensure your long-term success!
That long-term success begins with the choices you'll make today, so choose wisely :-)
Friday, July 15, 2011
A Giant Step Forward
Four years ago today I was finishing up my third week on 5&1. It was my birthday and I'd had a disappointing weigh in, only losing one pound that week. Here's part of what I wrote:
Interestingly, I ended up writing a second blog that day . . . a blog that was the beginning of me learning to be honest about my feelings:
Learning to be honest with myself instead of pasting on a smile and literally stuffing my feelings was a giant step in what became a life-changing journey for me. I not only had to make choices with what I ate, but I began to understand the importance of choosing to honestly face and acknowledge my feelings - good and bad. As a result, the year I turned 55 WAS the year that I finally took control of my health and truly got more than my life back - I got an entirely new life that I couldn't have imagined. For that I praise God!
Today I am 59, just one year away from the age that made me gulp big just four years ago :-). Because I am healthy and feel fabulous, I am not fearful about the fact that the 60's are just around the corner. I am committed to being as healthy and active as possible for a long, long time to come!
Have a great Friday, and remember to choose wisely :-)
*****
I am leaving this morning for a weekend in Chicago with my parents and all three siblings, then flying to Orlando on Monday with my husband for the 2011 Take Shape for Life National Convention . I'll return to blogging the week of July 25. Until then, you know what to do :-). Blessings!
"I have to admit that I'm a bit disappointed that I only lost a pound, but I have to remind myself that this is a marathon, not a sprint! I was hoping to lose 20 pounds the first month, but unless my body does a dramatic shift this next week, that won't happen. But a pound is a pound, and I'll take it!
I'm really, REALLY hoping that I'm not going to lose at one pound a week for the rest of the journey, though. I have a LONG way to go and the thought of doing it one pound/one week at a time is a bit depressing. I'm going to stay 100% on plan and hope that I see a bit more encouragement from the scale next week. I am reminding myself that I've dropped one pant size and that the smaller size is starting to get loose, that my blood glucose level has dropped to a normal level, and that I generally FEEL better.
I turned 55 today - halfway between 50 and (GULP!) 60. I don't quite know how I got here so fast :-) , but it happened faster than I could have imagined! I really want this year to be the turning point for me in terms of my two decade battle with weight. When I celebrate my birthday next year, I want to look back on the year of 55 as the year that I took control of my health.
So I will stay on plan today, which is the best gift I can give myself. No excuses, no compromises, and I won't allow a [slightly] disappointing weigh-in to get me off track."
Interestingly, I ended up writing a second blog that day . . . a blog that was the beginning of me learning to be honest about my feelings:
"I posted early today about my third week weigh-in and how I'd only lost one pound this past week. I put a pretty upbeat face on the whole thing, trying to sound as positive as I possibly could.
Now the truth :-) - I was pretty ticked off that I only lost one pound this week. Whew! Now I feel better! When I posted earlier, I was trying to say the things that I "though I should say" rather than being honest with my feelings - an old habit I am trying to break. People tend to see me as an upbeat, cheerleader type of individual, so I find myself wanting to live up to that image. When I find that I'm having feelings contrary to my "public" persona, I often stuff those feelings (and stuff my mouth at the same time . . . )
So I left for church this morning feeling pretty frustrated about my one pound loss and a bit guilty that I wasn't totally in my blog about how I was really feeling, because it went far beyond being "a bit disappointed." Funny thing happened in church - I got my eyes off myself and on the Lord, and I was able to really worship. And as I entered into praise and worship, the Lord spoke to my heart and asked if I was willing to be obedient, even when I didn't see results, even if I didn't have the instant gratification I was looking for.
Hmmm . . . I had to think about that a minute. I want everything now - delayed gratification is not something I've ever developed an appetite for. I want the big weight loss numbers and the affirmation of others that I'm doing great - and I realized that my focus is more on the results than the process. But I was challenged in church this morning to see the value of the process. Changing habits takes time, especially if the change is to be a lasting change. There is a lot to learn and experience by going through the process. Developing patience and a real appreciation of the value of delayed gratification doesn't come quickly (duh!) - it's going to take time. I was reminded this morning that the Lord wants to use Take Shape for Life/Medifast to accomplish more in me than just weight loss. Learning to stay the course even when it's not exciting is an important lesson for me, as I'm a bit of an excitement junkie. I don't do "routine and boring" very well, but there is certainly value in developing expertise and grace in the routine."
Learning to be honest with myself instead of pasting on a smile and literally stuffing my feelings was a giant step in what became a life-changing journey for me. I not only had to make choices with what I ate, but I began to understand the importance of choosing to honestly face and acknowledge my feelings - good and bad. As a result, the year I turned 55 WAS the year that I finally took control of my health and truly got more than my life back - I got an entirely new life that I couldn't have imagined. For that I praise God!
Today I am 59, just one year away from the age that made me gulp big just four years ago :-). Because I am healthy and feel fabulous, I am not fearful about the fact that the 60's are just around the corner. I am committed to being as healthy and active as possible for a long, long time to come!
Have a great Friday, and remember to choose wisely :-)
*****
I am leaving this morning for a weekend in Chicago with my parents and all three siblings, then flying to Orlando on Monday with my husband for the 2011 Take Shape for Life National Convention . I'll return to blogging the week of July 25. Until then, you know what to do :-). Blessings!
Thursday, July 14, 2011
Eating What We Want
Yesterday I blogged about choosing between eating what we want and wearing what we want. One of my friends commented "Or we can do both by bringing what we WANT to eat in line with what WILL further our weight loss and maintenance goals! I do eat what I want! I eat exactly what I want! But what I want is to eat what will bring me to my long-term goal of optimal health. So I have deliberately aligned my wants with my desires and goals for my life."
I love her perspective and her deliberate choice to align her wants with her desires and goals. Getting into that mindset and getting to a point where we truly only eat what we want and only want what's healthy is a great place to be.
Here's my personal challenge: Often I really DO want to eat is whatever is fried, high fat, high sugar, high carb. Three plus years past goal, my fat girl taste buds haven't gone away. I've heard people talk about how, after they reached goal, those old food items don't even sound good or taste good to them anymore. I can't honestly say that. If left to my own devices and if I chose to follow the dictates of my taste buds, I would probably choose a fried chicken leg and thigh over a boneless, skinless baked chicken breast every time. I would go back to eating loaded baked potatoes and would keep baked goods in the house to satisfy my nagging sweet tooth. I would order the 400 calorie coffee beverages at my coffee house. Restaurant menus still look pretty good to me and there are times when I'm tempted to order a big old plate of pasta swimming in a cream sauce.
So, to be honest, I don't just eat what I want because although those high fat, high carb, high sugar items may be what I want to eat sometimes, I want something even more than those things: I want to remain thin and healthy. What I may want to eat isn't always aligned with my goals, so it comes down to a constant need to make a deliberate choice.
That makes Maintenance a bit more challenging, to be sure. But I'm sharing this to hopefully encourage you! While I sincerely hope that your experience is more like my friend's because it will make those choices easier if you naturally gravitate toward healthy options, you can still be successful even if that's not your experience.
I still have to make deliberate choices every day and sometimes those choices aren't easy. To support my long-term goal of staying healthy, I keep a "clean" kitchen and keep all of those unhealthy things out of the house. I simply don't drink calories so even though those specialty drinks still sound good to me, I choose to not order them (I get an Americano with sugar-free syrup instead). When I go out to a restaurant, I understand that the over-sized plate of pasta in cream sauce is brimming with calories and fat and low on nutrition and I know I'll feel sluggish after eating it, so I opt for a lean protein and vegetable/salad selection instead.
Because what I REALLY want is to stay thin, I want to be optimally healthy, I make choices that support what I want. I don't want to settle for immediate gratification at the expense of my long-term goals. It may not be easy, but it is certainly worth it! Our choices matter, so choose wisely :-)
I love her perspective and her deliberate choice to align her wants with her desires and goals. Getting into that mindset and getting to a point where we truly only eat what we want and only want what's healthy is a great place to be.
Here's my personal challenge: Often I really DO want to eat is whatever is fried, high fat, high sugar, high carb. Three plus years past goal, my fat girl taste buds haven't gone away. I've heard people talk about how, after they reached goal, those old food items don't even sound good or taste good to them anymore. I can't honestly say that. If left to my own devices and if I chose to follow the dictates of my taste buds, I would probably choose a fried chicken leg and thigh over a boneless, skinless baked chicken breast every time. I would go back to eating loaded baked potatoes and would keep baked goods in the house to satisfy my nagging sweet tooth. I would order the 400 calorie coffee beverages at my coffee house. Restaurant menus still look pretty good to me and there are times when I'm tempted to order a big old plate of pasta swimming in a cream sauce.
So, to be honest, I don't just eat what I want because although those high fat, high carb, high sugar items may be what I want to eat sometimes, I want something even more than those things: I want to remain thin and healthy. What I may want to eat isn't always aligned with my goals, so it comes down to a constant need to make a deliberate choice.
That makes Maintenance a bit more challenging, to be sure. But I'm sharing this to hopefully encourage you! While I sincerely hope that your experience is more like my friend's because it will make those choices easier if you naturally gravitate toward healthy options, you can still be successful even if that's not your experience.
I still have to make deliberate choices every day and sometimes those choices aren't easy. To support my long-term goal of staying healthy, I keep a "clean" kitchen and keep all of those unhealthy things out of the house. I simply don't drink calories so even though those specialty drinks still sound good to me, I choose to not order them (I get an Americano with sugar-free syrup instead). When I go out to a restaurant, I understand that the over-sized plate of pasta in cream sauce is brimming with calories and fat and low on nutrition and I know I'll feel sluggish after eating it, so I opt for a lean protein and vegetable/salad selection instead.
Because what I REALLY want is to stay thin, I want to be optimally healthy, I make choices that support what I want. I don't want to settle for immediate gratification at the expense of my long-term goals. It may not be easy, but it is certainly worth it! Our choices matter, so choose wisely :-)
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