In Dicken's classic story, A Christmas Carol, Ebenezer Scrooge is visited by the ghosts of Christmas past, present and future. The visits changed his life - and they changed his future. I love this story because it is ultimately a story of redemption and hope.
With Christmas just two days away, some of us may feel like we're being visited by ghosts of our own Christmas past. Some of those memories may be very sweet and precious to us, while other memories may be painful.
The ghost of Christmas present may also be haunting us right now. We may be feeling the pressure of things on our "to do" list, or we may be feeling a whirl of emotions as we anticipate being together with family members.
Emotions tend to run high this time of year and there can be great temptation to deal with those feelings with food. When you're tempted to do that over these next few days, I am encouraging you to think about the ghost of Christmas future. When you think ahead to next Christmas and the one after that, where do you want to be? A year from now, would you like to be celebrating Christmas at your goal weight, looking and feeling fabulous? Do you want to be healthier a year from now than you are right now?
Ebenezer Scrooge changed his Christmas future by making the decision to change. He had a glimpse of a future that scared him, so he made different choices that resulted in a different, joy-filled future.
We can't change our past - it is what it is. But we can change our future. If you don't want to be struggling with your weight next Christmas, if you want next year's holiday photos to reflect a more healthy you, you can have that. It won't happen on it's own, but it WILL happen if you make the decision to have a different future and then make the choices needed to support that decision.
What will your Christmas future be? It's up to the choices you make . . . choose wisely :-)
Friday, December 23, 2011
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
Starting - and Maintaining - a Bonfire
Where does your motivation come from? Do you look for other people to get you motivated and keep you motivated, or does your motivation come from somewhere deep inside of you? I read a quote from Steven Covey that addresses this question: "Motivation is a fire from within. If someone else tried to light that fire under you, chances are it will burn very briefly."
I think we've all had the experience of someone else trying to light a fire under us - whether it was our boss or our mother :-). It was pretty hard to keep that fire going, wasn't it? The same is true when we try to light a fire under someone else (one of the reasons being a mother is so challenging!).
If this quote is true, then it's also reasonable to conclude that we can't look to someone else to provide motivation for us. It doesn't matter if it's someone else trying to light a fire under us or if we're looking to someone else to do it for us, external motivation doesn't last. This is particularly true when it comes to making long-term changes in our lives.
For long-term, permanent weight management, we have to find the motivation from within. Doing this because our spouse, our friends, or even our doctor wants us to lose weight ultimately won't work. We have to WANT to get to a healthy weight and we have to make the fundamental choice to get healthy.
The motivation we need to be successful isn't a "let's go get 'em" type of feeling, because that doesn't last, either. The motivation we need isn't a burst of inspiration that sustains itself over time, because inspiration definitely comes and goes. The motivation we need is born out a decision that we make to get to a healthy weight. It's a decision, not a feeling. Because it's a decision, it will carry us through those days when we don't feel like doing this - and there are definitely those "don't feel like it" days. Once we make the fundamental choice to get healthy, once we create in our mind a vision for what living at a healthy weight will look like for us, we will continue to make the secondary choices we need to keep us moving forward. That doesn't mean that we will never mess up - some will choose to stay on plan 100% of the time and some won't - but we know where we're going and we'll keep putting one foot in front of the other, one meal at a time.
When that kind of motivation burns within us, it's a fire that cannot be doused and it will burn hot and bright. Even on days when we don't feel like doing this, there is a deep satisfaction that comes from doing it anyway because that choice moves us a day closer to our goal. There were days when I was sick of staying on plan, but I went to bed those nights thankful that I'd made the choice to do it anyway.
Motivation from within will get the fire started and the choices you make will keep the fire burning. Choose wisely :-)
I think we've all had the experience of someone else trying to light a fire under us - whether it was our boss or our mother :-). It was pretty hard to keep that fire going, wasn't it? The same is true when we try to light a fire under someone else (one of the reasons being a mother is so challenging!).
If this quote is true, then it's also reasonable to conclude that we can't look to someone else to provide motivation for us. It doesn't matter if it's someone else trying to light a fire under us or if we're looking to someone else to do it for us, external motivation doesn't last. This is particularly true when it comes to making long-term changes in our lives.
For long-term, permanent weight management, we have to find the motivation from within. Doing this because our spouse, our friends, or even our doctor wants us to lose weight ultimately won't work. We have to WANT to get to a healthy weight and we have to make the fundamental choice to get healthy.
The motivation we need to be successful isn't a "let's go get 'em" type of feeling, because that doesn't last, either. The motivation we need isn't a burst of inspiration that sustains itself over time, because inspiration definitely comes and goes. The motivation we need is born out a decision that we make to get to a healthy weight. It's a decision, not a feeling. Because it's a decision, it will carry us through those days when we don't feel like doing this - and there are definitely those "don't feel like it" days. Once we make the fundamental choice to get healthy, once we create in our mind a vision for what living at a healthy weight will look like for us, we will continue to make the secondary choices we need to keep us moving forward. That doesn't mean that we will never mess up - some will choose to stay on plan 100% of the time and some won't - but we know where we're going and we'll keep putting one foot in front of the other, one meal at a time.
When that kind of motivation burns within us, it's a fire that cannot be doused and it will burn hot and bright. Even on days when we don't feel like doing this, there is a deep satisfaction that comes from doing it anyway because that choice moves us a day closer to our goal. There were days when I was sick of staying on plan, but I went to bed those nights thankful that I'd made the choice to do it anyway.
Motivation from within will get the fire started and the choices you make will keep the fire burning. Choose wisely :-)
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
Having It All
I remember a TV commercial for a cologne from the late 1970's or early 1980's that featured a woman who proudly proclaimed she could bring home the bacon, cook it up in a pan, and never let her husband forget that he was a man. The woman sang all of this as she skillfully (and cheerfully) moved from a corporate look to wearing an apron to wearing something sexy to remind her husband . . . oh, never mind! :-) The implication was that a woman really could have it all, at least if she wore the right cologne.
A couple of decades later and I think most of us have figured out that we really can't have it all, at least not at the same time. Some of us have spent a lot of time and driven ourselves and our families half-crazy trying to have it all - all at the same time - and ended up tired, frustrated and disappointed in the process. We then conclude that we must be doing something wrong because we're sure that if we just did things right, we could somehow pull it off.
The reality is that when we choose one thing, by implication we are also NOT choosing something else. That's true in life and it is most certainly true when it comes to our weight and our health. Unless we are blessed with a killer metabolism (and the fact that you're reading this means you probably don't have one!), we have to choose between eating everything we want, when we want it and in the quantity we want, and getting to and maintaining a healthy weight. This time of year we may want to eat everything at the holiday parties and throw caution to the wind, but we can't do that AND keep moving toward a healthy weight at the same time.
It's not always fun living with the reality of having to choose. I want to eat all of my favorite holiday goodies, but I know I can't do that and continue to zip my size 6's . . . there's nothing like white sugar and white flour mixed with lots of butter to pile pounds on me pretty quickly! I think part of that is due to the fact that I just don't metabolize that stuff very well and I think the other part is that once I start eating that kind of thing, my brain disengages and portion control tends to go out the window.
I have a whole collection of great holiday recipes - cookies, breads, etc. that I haven't baked since December of 2006. I was on 5&1 in December of 2007 and have been in maintenance since then. Last year I spent some time looking through those recipes and really had some conflicting emotions. On the one hand, I remembered many of these recipes with a lot of fondness - they are great recipes and I enjoyed making them and eating them. On the other hand, there was a bit of sadness because I realized that I'll most likely never make some of them again. We generally have a couple of desserts on Christmas day, so there isn't any need for me to bake up a storm and serve a lot of extra things. My entire family eats a lot healthier now and we're much more careful about what we eat; if I baked a lot of extra things, they would either end up getting thrown away or worse, I'd end up eating them.
As much as I enjoyed baking and eating all of those things, I hated weighing 260+ pounds and being diabetic. I loved baking and eating whatever I wanted whenever I wanted, but I hated how I looked and felt. So I have to choose what I want because I can't have both the food and my health.
Ultimately we will choose what is most important to us. Our challenge is to not lose sight of what we really want. This time of year it's easy to forget and succumb to immediate gratification, so take a minute to remind yourself of what you really want, then choose wisely :-)
A couple of decades later and I think most of us have figured out that we really can't have it all, at least not at the same time. Some of us have spent a lot of time and driven ourselves and our families half-crazy trying to have it all - all at the same time - and ended up tired, frustrated and disappointed in the process. We then conclude that we must be doing something wrong because we're sure that if we just did things right, we could somehow pull it off.
The reality is that when we choose one thing, by implication we are also NOT choosing something else. That's true in life and it is most certainly true when it comes to our weight and our health. Unless we are blessed with a killer metabolism (and the fact that you're reading this means you probably don't have one!), we have to choose between eating everything we want, when we want it and in the quantity we want, and getting to and maintaining a healthy weight. This time of year we may want to eat everything at the holiday parties and throw caution to the wind, but we can't do that AND keep moving toward a healthy weight at the same time.
It's not always fun living with the reality of having to choose. I want to eat all of my favorite holiday goodies, but I know I can't do that and continue to zip my size 6's . . . there's nothing like white sugar and white flour mixed with lots of butter to pile pounds on me pretty quickly! I think part of that is due to the fact that I just don't metabolize that stuff very well and I think the other part is that once I start eating that kind of thing, my brain disengages and portion control tends to go out the window.
I have a whole collection of great holiday recipes - cookies, breads, etc. that I haven't baked since December of 2006. I was on 5&1 in December of 2007 and have been in maintenance since then. Last year I spent some time looking through those recipes and really had some conflicting emotions. On the one hand, I remembered many of these recipes with a lot of fondness - they are great recipes and I enjoyed making them and eating them. On the other hand, there was a bit of sadness because I realized that I'll most likely never make some of them again. We generally have a couple of desserts on Christmas day, so there isn't any need for me to bake up a storm and serve a lot of extra things. My entire family eats a lot healthier now and we're much more careful about what we eat; if I baked a lot of extra things, they would either end up getting thrown away or worse, I'd end up eating them.
As much as I enjoyed baking and eating all of those things, I hated weighing 260+ pounds and being diabetic. I loved baking and eating whatever I wanted whenever I wanted, but I hated how I looked and felt. So I have to choose what I want because I can't have both the food and my health.
Ultimately we will choose what is most important to us. Our challenge is to not lose sight of what we really want. This time of year it's easy to forget and succumb to immediate gratification, so take a minute to remind yourself of what you really want, then choose wisely :-)
Monday, December 19, 2011
Choosing to Believe
"If you were to take the most talented athlete in the world and put him or her in a room of liars and verbal abusers for two hours a day, you'd see the athlete's performance sharply decline. The level of talent remains the same, the training continues, but the ability to win vanishes. Why? Because no one can listen to constant discouragement and be encouraged. No one can have confidence undermined and still be confident. No one can doubt his or her ability and still use it effectively. What we believe matters a lot."
This quote has wide application for many areas of our lives, including this weight loss journey. As I've shared before, the food part of this program is simple - it's the head and heart part that's the challenge. What we believe about our ability to be successful in losing weight matters. The kind of feedback and support - or lack of support - from others also matters.
We have to choose who and what we're going to listen to because there will always - ALWAYS - be thoughts and words that discourage. Our struggles in the past can cause us to doubt our ability to be successful now or in the future. For some of us, there are people in our lives who are natural-born naysayers and who seem to think it is their calling to say a discouraging word at every opportunity. If we believe the negative thoughts we have and listen to the negative comments of others, this journey is going to be even more of a challenge.
When I was on 5&1, I had a lot of negative thoughts that ran through my head that caused me to doubt this program would work. All of my past failure seemed to have a megaphone that shouted "give up, it will never work." No one could have been more skeptical than I when I started on this program. Thankfully I didn't have any nay-sayers in my life - my husband was supportive from the very beginning - but I believed a lot of lies about myself and my ability to change.
My belief about what I could and couldn't do began to change because of two things. First of all, while I "believed" I couldn't stay on plan for a month or a year, I knew that I could stay on plan for a day, so I took it one day (and sometimes one meal) at a time. As each day on plan was added to the one before, the days turned into a week, then into a month, and what I believed about what I could and couldn't do began to change. I realized that I had been believing a lie and I had allowed that lie to keep me stuck in a very unhealthy pattern.
Secondly, I surrounded myself with encouraging people. The daily support and encouragement I received from others who believed I could do this was amazing! I also drew a lot of inspiration and encouragement from reading about people who had reached their goal and I spent a lot of time looking at their success photos and reading their stories. Realizing that others were successfully losing weight helped me believe that I could be successful, too.
Right now you may not believe you can be successful, but do you believe you can stay on plan for a day? Do you believe that you can make your next meal a Medifast meal? Start there, and by taking one tiny step at a time, you will not only change what you believe about your ability to lose weight on this program, but you will also change your life.
If you have nay-sayers in your life, find a way to mute their negativity. You may or may not be able to avoid them, but by surrounding yourself with others who will encourage you, you can begin to get the support you need to continue moving forward. You have the right to have the support you need!
The choices we make today go far beyond what we're going to put in our mouths. We also have to choose what we allow to resonate in our hearts and minds, and we have to choose what we're going to believe. Choose wisely :-)
This quote has wide application for many areas of our lives, including this weight loss journey. As I've shared before, the food part of this program is simple - it's the head and heart part that's the challenge. What we believe about our ability to be successful in losing weight matters. The kind of feedback and support - or lack of support - from others also matters.
We have to choose who and what we're going to listen to because there will always - ALWAYS - be thoughts and words that discourage. Our struggles in the past can cause us to doubt our ability to be successful now or in the future. For some of us, there are people in our lives who are natural-born naysayers and who seem to think it is their calling to say a discouraging word at every opportunity. If we believe the negative thoughts we have and listen to the negative comments of others, this journey is going to be even more of a challenge.
When I was on 5&1, I had a lot of negative thoughts that ran through my head that caused me to doubt this program would work. All of my past failure seemed to have a megaphone that shouted "give up, it will never work." No one could have been more skeptical than I when I started on this program. Thankfully I didn't have any nay-sayers in my life - my husband was supportive from the very beginning - but I believed a lot of lies about myself and my ability to change.
My belief about what I could and couldn't do began to change because of two things. First of all, while I "believed" I couldn't stay on plan for a month or a year, I knew that I could stay on plan for a day, so I took it one day (and sometimes one meal) at a time. As each day on plan was added to the one before, the days turned into a week, then into a month, and what I believed about what I could and couldn't do began to change. I realized that I had been believing a lie and I had allowed that lie to keep me stuck in a very unhealthy pattern.
Secondly, I surrounded myself with encouraging people. The daily support and encouragement I received from others who believed I could do this was amazing! I also drew a lot of inspiration and encouragement from reading about people who had reached their goal and I spent a lot of time looking at their success photos and reading their stories. Realizing that others were successfully losing weight helped me believe that I could be successful, too.
Right now you may not believe you can be successful, but do you believe you can stay on plan for a day? Do you believe that you can make your next meal a Medifast meal? Start there, and by taking one tiny step at a time, you will not only change what you believe about your ability to lose weight on this program, but you will also change your life.
If you have nay-sayers in your life, find a way to mute their negativity. You may or may not be able to avoid them, but by surrounding yourself with others who will encourage you, you can begin to get the support you need to continue moving forward. You have the right to have the support you need!
The choices we make today go far beyond what we're going to put in our mouths. We also have to choose what we allow to resonate in our hearts and minds, and we have to choose what we're going to believe. Choose wisely :-)
Friday, December 16, 2011
Valuable Stepping Stones
My husband has a sign in our office that says, "The lesson is in the struggle, not in the victory." He has this sign as a reminder that there is value in the struggle, and even in the failures we experience along the way to what is ultimately victory.
We are a success-oriented, success-celebrating society, and most of us have spent our lives viewing failure as something to be avoided at all costs. That thinking has been difficult for many (or most) of us who have struggled with our weight for years. It's hard to be a walking example of weight loss failure in a society that rejects failure.
When we start on this program, we all experience immediate success as we see weight begin to drop, and that early success propels many of us on all the way to our goal. However, that early success doesn't keep everyone motivated and many find themselves struggling sooner or later.
I want to encourage all of the strugglers today. Your struggles, and even your failures, are valuable stepping-stones on the way to ultimate success. Every struggle and every failure teaches us what doesn't work and gives us the opportunity to fine-tune what we're doing - if we're paying attention along the way :-). I once heard a speaker say that "the hallmark of achievers is that they have failed their way to success - every failure teaches us what doesn't work."
The key, of course, is to pay attention and use those struggles and failures as opportunities to learn. We may trip and fall a dozen times, but if we get up again and learn from the experience, we'll be stronger in the end. The victory will also be that much sweeter - and there WILL eventually be victory.
When we fail - and we all do, one way or another, sooner or later - we are faced with a choice. We can either beat ourselves up and allow the failure to define us, or we can choose to learn from the failure and use that failure to propel us to future success. The choice is ours, so choose wisely :-).
We are a success-oriented, success-celebrating society, and most of us have spent our lives viewing failure as something to be avoided at all costs. That thinking has been difficult for many (or most) of us who have struggled with our weight for years. It's hard to be a walking example of weight loss failure in a society that rejects failure.
When we start on this program, we all experience immediate success as we see weight begin to drop, and that early success propels many of us on all the way to our goal. However, that early success doesn't keep everyone motivated and many find themselves struggling sooner or later.
I want to encourage all of the strugglers today. Your struggles, and even your failures, are valuable stepping-stones on the way to ultimate success. Every struggle and every failure teaches us what doesn't work and gives us the opportunity to fine-tune what we're doing - if we're paying attention along the way :-). I once heard a speaker say that "the hallmark of achievers is that they have failed their way to success - every failure teaches us what doesn't work."
The key, of course, is to pay attention and use those struggles and failures as opportunities to learn. We may trip and fall a dozen times, but if we get up again and learn from the experience, we'll be stronger in the end. The victory will also be that much sweeter - and there WILL eventually be victory.
When we fail - and we all do, one way or another, sooner or later - we are faced with a choice. We can either beat ourselves up and allow the failure to define us, or we can choose to learn from the failure and use that failure to propel us to future success. The choice is ours, so choose wisely :-).
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
It's a Wonderful Life
We have a pretty good collection of Christmas movies that we've collected over the years and one of the things I love to do in the evenings this time of year is sit in front of the fireplace and watch one of the movies. "It's a Wonderful Life" is one of my favorite Christmas movies and it still makes my cry at the end as George Bailey realizes how rich his life really is. For those of you who are familiar with the movie, you know that George didn't realize how blessed his life was until he had the opportunity to see what life would have been like if he'd never been born.
After watching the movie, I did a little imagining of my own, only instead of imagining what life would be like if I'd never been born, I got to wondering what my life would look like today if I hadn't found Take Shape for Life/Medifast and lost 126 pounds. I certainly couldn't have imagined 4-1/2 years ago that my life would have changed as much as it has, and I got to imagining for a few minutes what it would look like if I was still 260 pounds.
It's wasn't a happy picture. For one, I know that if I was still 260 pounds (or more), I would now be a full-blown diabetic on medication. I was diabetic when I started on Medifast, but not yet on medication. However, my numbers were on the rise and I knew that at my next doctor's visit she would insist that I go on one drug or another. I was already on medication for cholesterol and gastric reflux, and with my blood pressure on the rise, I imagine I would also be on medication for that by now. Because my weight was going up, I may have been edging close to 300 pounds by now. My energy would be low and I'd feel sluggish most of the time. I remember hating how I looked and felt, and I imagine that another 4-1/2 years of morbid obesity would have wreaked further havoc on my emotions and my self-esteem. The picture in my mind is pretty sad.
Had I not lost weight and become a full-time health coach, I would also still be at my job at the hospital, putting in lots of hours and most likely dealing with the challenges hospitals are facing as they try to balance their budget (i.e., small or no salary increase, or even reduction in hours or pay). My work day priorities and my pay would still be determined by someone else and I wouldn't have the flexibility I do now to focus on the things that matter the most to me. Also, my husband would be working long hours in his 41st year in retail, rather than working alongside me as a health coach.
Had I not found Take Shape for Life/Medifast and lost my weight, my life would also be far less rich in friendships, as I have met so many wonderful people from all over the country through Take Shape for Life.
The "what if I hadn't lost weight" imagining didn't last very long - thankfully! It wasn't a very happy mind escape, but it WAS very sobering and humbling. I certainly had no idea that anything positive would happen when I started on the plan. Honestly, I thought the only thing I would really lose was close to $300 :-). I had no idea that I would not only lose the weight I needed to lose (and continue to keep it off), but that I'd also enjoy so many wonderful new things.
As I think about all that has happened, the word that comes to mind is "joy." My life has so much more joy these days, and I'm so thankful to God for all He has done in my life, including leading me to this program when He did. As I watched "It's a Wonderful Life," all I could think of is, it sure is!
As I imagined my life still obese, I realized that the difference today began with a choice to go on plan. Each day that I reinforced that original choice by staying on plan moved me one day closer to the life and health that I have today.
The choices you make today will either move you towards the life you want to live or will keep you in a place you don't want to be. Choose wisely :-)
After watching the movie, I did a little imagining of my own, only instead of imagining what life would be like if I'd never been born, I got to wondering what my life would look like today if I hadn't found Take Shape for Life/Medifast and lost 126 pounds. I certainly couldn't have imagined 4-1/2 years ago that my life would have changed as much as it has, and I got to imagining for a few minutes what it would look like if I was still 260 pounds.
It's wasn't a happy picture. For one, I know that if I was still 260 pounds (or more), I would now be a full-blown diabetic on medication. I was diabetic when I started on Medifast, but not yet on medication. However, my numbers were on the rise and I knew that at my next doctor's visit she would insist that I go on one drug or another. I was already on medication for cholesterol and gastric reflux, and with my blood pressure on the rise, I imagine I would also be on medication for that by now. Because my weight was going up, I may have been edging close to 300 pounds by now. My energy would be low and I'd feel sluggish most of the time. I remember hating how I looked and felt, and I imagine that another 4-1/2 years of morbid obesity would have wreaked further havoc on my emotions and my self-esteem. The picture in my mind is pretty sad.
Had I not lost weight and become a full-time health coach, I would also still be at my job at the hospital, putting in lots of hours and most likely dealing with the challenges hospitals are facing as they try to balance their budget (i.e., small or no salary increase, or even reduction in hours or pay). My work day priorities and my pay would still be determined by someone else and I wouldn't have the flexibility I do now to focus on the things that matter the most to me. Also, my husband would be working long hours in his 41st year in retail, rather than working alongside me as a health coach.
Had I not found Take Shape for Life/Medifast and lost my weight, my life would also be far less rich in friendships, as I have met so many wonderful people from all over the country through Take Shape for Life.
The "what if I hadn't lost weight" imagining didn't last very long - thankfully! It wasn't a very happy mind escape, but it WAS very sobering and humbling. I certainly had no idea that anything positive would happen when I started on the plan. Honestly, I thought the only thing I would really lose was close to $300 :-). I had no idea that I would not only lose the weight I needed to lose (and continue to keep it off), but that I'd also enjoy so many wonderful new things.
As I think about all that has happened, the word that comes to mind is "joy." My life has so much more joy these days, and I'm so thankful to God for all He has done in my life, including leading me to this program when He did. As I watched "It's a Wonderful Life," all I could think of is, it sure is!
As I imagined my life still obese, I realized that the difference today began with a choice to go on plan. Each day that I reinforced that original choice by staying on plan moved me one day closer to the life and health that I have today.
The choices you make today will either move you towards the life you want to live or will keep you in a place you don't want to be. Choose wisely :-)
Monday, December 12, 2011
Watching Out for Slick Spots
Some things are as predictable as, well, snow in Michigan in the winter. One of the things that is absolutely predictable with the first snow of the winter is an absolute rash of fender benders. Thankfully, most of these are just that - fender benders - with no serious injuries. Once everyone readjusts to driving on snowy (and sometimes icy) roads, things settle down pretty quickly. What amazes me is that it snows absolutely every winter, and anyone who has lived in Michigan for any length of time and driven in winter has developed the winter driving skill set they need to navigate the roads safely - at least that's the theory. In practice, however, it appears that some people relearn how to drive every single winter, and the rest of us try our best to avoid getting hit by one of them.
Why is it that we so quickly forget what we think we've learned? I am almost certain that by the time the snow melts for the last time every spring, most Michigan drivers are expert at dealing with winter roads. Then the weather turns warm, the roads become dry once again and many drivers get lax and are seemingly caught unaware when the snow inevitably falls the next winter.
The same is often true for those of us on 5&1. We think we've "got it" this time, and we do really well for a while. Then things come up and some find themselves off plan and quickly out of the 5&1 routine. When that happens, there can be a series of "5&1 fender benders" before these individuals are back on the road again.
Staying on plan, like winter driving, requires lots of repetition and attention. The more we do it, the more comfortable we are and the easier it gets. We can't afford to take our eyes off the road because there may be unexpected "slick spots", but if we hit a spot and start to skid, we know exactly what to do to bring things under control so we don't end up in a ditch. And landing in a ditch is no fun at all!
With Christmas looming, there are a lot of food "slick spots" waiting to put your 5&1 vehicle into a spinout, so my encouragement to you today is to keep your hands on the wheel, your eyes on the road, and keep doing what you're doing (staying on plan!). Every time you choose to stay on plan, you are becoming a more "expert driver" and will be better able to navigate past potential pitfalls. Every time you choose to stay on plan, you are one day closer to your destination - your goal weight.
Today, as every day, the choice is yours. Choose wisely :-)
Why is it that we so quickly forget what we think we've learned? I am almost certain that by the time the snow melts for the last time every spring, most Michigan drivers are expert at dealing with winter roads. Then the weather turns warm, the roads become dry once again and many drivers get lax and are seemingly caught unaware when the snow inevitably falls the next winter.
The same is often true for those of us on 5&1. We think we've "got it" this time, and we do really well for a while. Then things come up and some find themselves off plan and quickly out of the 5&1 routine. When that happens, there can be a series of "5&1 fender benders" before these individuals are back on the road again.
Staying on plan, like winter driving, requires lots of repetition and attention. The more we do it, the more comfortable we are and the easier it gets. We can't afford to take our eyes off the road because there may be unexpected "slick spots", but if we hit a spot and start to skid, we know exactly what to do to bring things under control so we don't end up in a ditch. And landing in a ditch is no fun at all!
With Christmas looming, there are a lot of food "slick spots" waiting to put your 5&1 vehicle into a spinout, so my encouragement to you today is to keep your hands on the wheel, your eyes on the road, and keep doing what you're doing (staying on plan!). Every time you choose to stay on plan, you are becoming a more "expert driver" and will be better able to navigate past potential pitfalls. Every time you choose to stay on plan, you are one day closer to your destination - your goal weight.
Today, as every day, the choice is yours. Choose wisely :-)
Sunday, December 11, 2011
Enjoying Food or Enjoying Life?
For many of us prior to going on Take Shape for Life/Medifast's 5&1 program, enjoying food was one of the major pleasures in our lives. Going on this program was hard because it meant giving up a major source of pleasure. My social life revolved around food - every time we got together with someone, it was to eat. There was good conversation and a lot of fun, but all of that took place over a meal or dessert or a variety of snacks.
What I realized after starting on this program was that while I had been enjoying food - lots of food, I wasn't enjoying a lot of other things. I didn't enjoy physical activity because pain in my knee and my back made even walking difficult at times. I didn't enjoy shopping for clothes because I hated the size I was in and, out of embarrassment, never shopped for clothes with my friends. I felt fatigued much of the time and was happiest when I was sitting someplace, particularly at a table with food in front of me. I didn't enjoy going to a beach and would never attend a pool party . . . the list of things I didn't/wouldn't/couldn't do was pretty long.
What was true for me then is still true for some people I know. They won't even try this program because they claim that they just enjoy food too much to give it up. What's sad is knowing that for some of them, their enjoyment of food and their resulting obesity is preventing them from enjoying so many other things - they're enjoying food, but not really fully enjoying life.
As I started this program and began to really embrace it, an amazing thing happened. While I wasn't enjoying food in the same old way (from a culinary perspective, eating five Medifast meals and a lean & green doesn't placate the pleasure centers in the brain like all of those high-sugar/high-fat and calorie-laden meals), I WAS enjoying other things. My knee and back started feeling better pretty quickly and I started to enjoy taking walks. My energy level went WAY up and I didn't feel like crawling into bed when I got home from work. We still got together with friends, but I found out that I could have a great time with them and NOT eat the same old food - a lean & green at a restaurant or having my own Medifast meal while they snacked on something else didn't impact my ability to have fun at all.
As I continued to lose weight, I realized that I was getting a whole new life for myself - one that wasn't defined by obesity or dependent on food to have a good time.
Four years ago, I stayed on plan through the holidays and lost 18 pounds between Thanksgiving and New Year's. My memories of that holiday season aren't about the food I did or didn't eat - they are of time spent with family and friends. My enjoyment of the holiday season wasn't diminished in any way because I didn't eat this or that because my focus was on enjoying time with the people that I loved.
Since reaching my goal, I've been able to enjoy a wide variety of food again, but the lessons learned while on 5&1 have remained. Enjoying life is about so much more than what's on my plate.
Today are you choosing to enjoy life, or are you choosing to enjoy food? Choose wisely :-)
What I realized after starting on this program was that while I had been enjoying food - lots of food, I wasn't enjoying a lot of other things. I didn't enjoy physical activity because pain in my knee and my back made even walking difficult at times. I didn't enjoy shopping for clothes because I hated the size I was in and, out of embarrassment, never shopped for clothes with my friends. I felt fatigued much of the time and was happiest when I was sitting someplace, particularly at a table with food in front of me. I didn't enjoy going to a beach and would never attend a pool party . . . the list of things I didn't/wouldn't/couldn't do was pretty long.
What was true for me then is still true for some people I know. They won't even try this program because they claim that they just enjoy food too much to give it up. What's sad is knowing that for some of them, their enjoyment of food and their resulting obesity is preventing them from enjoying so many other things - they're enjoying food, but not really fully enjoying life.
As I started this program and began to really embrace it, an amazing thing happened. While I wasn't enjoying food in the same old way (from a culinary perspective, eating five Medifast meals and a lean & green doesn't placate the pleasure centers in the brain like all of those high-sugar/high-fat and calorie-laden meals), I WAS enjoying other things. My knee and back started feeling better pretty quickly and I started to enjoy taking walks. My energy level went WAY up and I didn't feel like crawling into bed when I got home from work. We still got together with friends, but I found out that I could have a great time with them and NOT eat the same old food - a lean & green at a restaurant or having my own Medifast meal while they snacked on something else didn't impact my ability to have fun at all.
As I continued to lose weight, I realized that I was getting a whole new life for myself - one that wasn't defined by obesity or dependent on food to have a good time.
Four years ago, I stayed on plan through the holidays and lost 18 pounds between Thanksgiving and New Year's. My memories of that holiday season aren't about the food I did or didn't eat - they are of time spent with family and friends. My enjoyment of the holiday season wasn't diminished in any way because I didn't eat this or that because my focus was on enjoying time with the people that I loved.
Since reaching my goal, I've been able to enjoy a wide variety of food again, but the lessons learned while on 5&1 have remained. Enjoying life is about so much more than what's on my plate.
Today are you choosing to enjoy life, or are you choosing to enjoy food? Choose wisely :-)
Saturday, December 10, 2011
Evaluating Value
So many things changed for me, inside and out, as I lost 126 lbs. on this program. Some of the changes were expected (or at least hoped for!), like getting to a healthy weight, being able to wear small sizes and getting healthy again. Other changes were completely unexpected.
One of the unexpected changes was a shift in how I evaluate the value of things, especially food.
I was raised by a mom who was frugal by training and necessity. My mom was born in May of 1929, just months before the stock market crashed in October of 1929, plunging the country into the Great Depression. Money was scarce and nothing was wasted, and my mom learned early on how to stretch a dollar and look for the best possible value. Her skills were further developed during World War II, when ration books determined how much you could buy and individuals learned how to either stretch those limited commodities or do without. As a young wife and stay-home mother working with a very limited budget, my mom watched sales and clipped coupons in order to keep our grocery costs to a minimum. She prided herself on having the lowest grocery budget in the neighborhood. Now at 82, Mom is still always on the hunt for a bargain and still very frugal and unwilling to waste a thing.
That's the training and one of the values that was drilled into me from the earliest age - look for the best possible value and don't waste a thing. However, as I lost weight and got healthy, and especially now as I continue to work to maintain a healthy weight (and yes, it IS work!), that early-learned value is sometimes in conflict with another value I have: staying healthy.
I eat fresh fruit and vegetables year-round and I try to avoid pesticides whenever possible, so much of what I purchase is organic and more expensive than things grown with chemicals. Because I try to avoid preservatives in my food, I read labels and select the grocery items that are labeled "all natural" or "organic." These items are always more costly than other similar-looking items on the shelf. But staying as healthy as possible is a higher value to me than saving a few dollars on my grocery trip, so I am willing to spend a little more to get food that I believe is healthier for me.
Being frugal and getting the best deal and staying at a healthy weight briefly came in conflict recently. We don't keep dessert items or any sweets in our house because both my husband and I have terrible sweet tooths. A couple of nights ago, we were both in the mood for some ice cream and I suggested we go to a local favorite spot of ours and each get a serving. My husband thought it would be more economical to go to the grocery store and pick up a half-gallon. He was right - it would have been much more economical. However, because I am committed to staying healthy, and because I know my own triggers, I knew having the better part of a half-gallon of ice cream in my freezer would NOT be a good thing for me. That stuff has it's own siren song that calls my name and despite the fact that the carton lists a serving size as 1/2 cup, I doubt I've ever self-served a mere 1/2 cup of ice cream to myself in my life. I told my husband that I knew it would be more expensive to go to the local shop, but I also noted that by doing so we could thoroughly enjoy our treat and then be done with it. He smiled and nodded and said, "Ah, portion control, right?" Right!!!
I'm not sharing this to say that anyone else has to make the choices that I've made and that I continue to make. My intent is to get you thinking about how you evaluate value. You may find, as I have, that by elevating the value you place on your own health, the value you place on other things shifts. For some of you, being on 5&1 is a financial sacrifice and a real stretch, but you are doing this because you have elevated the value of your own health.
And value isn't just limited to money, of course. You may value time to yourself when you get off work, or you may value sleeping in a bit later in the morning, but you will work out first thing in the morning or at the end of your work day because you value being healthy more than having a little extra time to do something else.
What you value will influence the choices you make when it comes to your health. Choose wisely :-)
One of the unexpected changes was a shift in how I evaluate the value of things, especially food.
I was raised by a mom who was frugal by training and necessity. My mom was born in May of 1929, just months before the stock market crashed in October of 1929, plunging the country into the Great Depression. Money was scarce and nothing was wasted, and my mom learned early on how to stretch a dollar and look for the best possible value. Her skills were further developed during World War II, when ration books determined how much you could buy and individuals learned how to either stretch those limited commodities or do without. As a young wife and stay-home mother working with a very limited budget, my mom watched sales and clipped coupons in order to keep our grocery costs to a minimum. She prided herself on having the lowest grocery budget in the neighborhood. Now at 82, Mom is still always on the hunt for a bargain and still very frugal and unwilling to waste a thing.
That's the training and one of the values that was drilled into me from the earliest age - look for the best possible value and don't waste a thing. However, as I lost weight and got healthy, and especially now as I continue to work to maintain a healthy weight (and yes, it IS work!), that early-learned value is sometimes in conflict with another value I have: staying healthy.
I eat fresh fruit and vegetables year-round and I try to avoid pesticides whenever possible, so much of what I purchase is organic and more expensive than things grown with chemicals. Because I try to avoid preservatives in my food, I read labels and select the grocery items that are labeled "all natural" or "organic." These items are always more costly than other similar-looking items on the shelf. But staying as healthy as possible is a higher value to me than saving a few dollars on my grocery trip, so I am willing to spend a little more to get food that I believe is healthier for me.
Being frugal and getting the best deal and staying at a healthy weight briefly came in conflict recently. We don't keep dessert items or any sweets in our house because both my husband and I have terrible sweet tooths. A couple of nights ago, we were both in the mood for some ice cream and I suggested we go to a local favorite spot of ours and each get a serving. My husband thought it would be more economical to go to the grocery store and pick up a half-gallon. He was right - it would have been much more economical. However, because I am committed to staying healthy, and because I know my own triggers, I knew having the better part of a half-gallon of ice cream in my freezer would NOT be a good thing for me. That stuff has it's own siren song that calls my name and despite the fact that the carton lists a serving size as 1/2 cup, I doubt I've ever self-served a mere 1/2 cup of ice cream to myself in my life. I told my husband that I knew it would be more expensive to go to the local shop, but I also noted that by doing so we could thoroughly enjoy our treat and then be done with it. He smiled and nodded and said, "Ah, portion control, right?" Right!!!
I'm not sharing this to say that anyone else has to make the choices that I've made and that I continue to make. My intent is to get you thinking about how you evaluate value. You may find, as I have, that by elevating the value you place on your own health, the value you place on other things shifts. For some of you, being on 5&1 is a financial sacrifice and a real stretch, but you are doing this because you have elevated the value of your own health.
And value isn't just limited to money, of course. You may value time to yourself when you get off work, or you may value sleeping in a bit later in the morning, but you will work out first thing in the morning or at the end of your work day because you value being healthy more than having a little extra time to do something else.
What you value will influence the choices you make when it comes to your health. Choose wisely :-)
Friday, December 9, 2011
Feeding the Dogs
There's no denying it - getting to a healthy weight and maintaining a healthy weight is an ongoing battle. We are constantly challenged to make wise choices, and the struggle to choose between immediate gratification and what we REALLY want - a healthy body - can be a fierce struggle. One friend told me that she said she felt like she had an angel sitting on one shoulder and the devil on the other, with each whispering in her ear. I've had that same feeling and I'm guessing that a lot of you have, too. We know what we SHOULD do, and perhaps it's what we really WANT to do, but then there's this other voice that says, "just this once won't hurt . . . ". All of the sudden, the battle is on as two conflicting desires pull us in two different directions.
The battle that wages is about so much more than whether or not we're going to eat something at that particular moment. The battle that's waging is really the battle between getting healthy and staying overweight/obese.
The Take Shape for Life/Medifast program did a lot of wonderful things for me, and I'm continuing to reap so many of the benefits, but it did not cure my obesity. The plan enabled me to return to a healthy weight and put me on a path towards optimal health, but it did not cure my obesity. That beast is there, always there, ready, willing and able to rear its ugly head and take over my life if I choose to become mindless about what I eat and do.
Everyday that I make healthy choices is another day that develops the healthy habits I want to keep and develop for the rest of my life. However, I am aware that the beast is alive - just hungry and underfed at the moment :-). I'd like to think I could starve it to death, but that's not likely to happen.
I once heard a story about a man who talked about the internal struggle he was having and likened it to a fight between two dogs. Someone asked him which dog was winning and the man replied, "Whichever one I feed."
Everyday each and every one of us has to face the dog fight yet again. We're in a battle for our health, and one of the dogs in the fight is named obesity. This dog may be a little skeletal at the moment because it hasn't been fed in a while, but it's watching in the corner, waiting for an opportune moment.
So every day we plan, and we commit to NOT feeding that dog today! Every day I realize all over again that I CANNOT do this on my own and ask my Heavenly Father for a fresh measure of His grace and strength. And every day that I do that - and every day that each of us makes a commitment to making the sometimes hard choices - is another day that moves us a bit closer to a healthier you and me.
Which dog are you going to feed today? The choice is yours - choose wisely :-)
The battle that wages is about so much more than whether or not we're going to eat something at that particular moment. The battle that's waging is really the battle between getting healthy and staying overweight/obese.
The Take Shape for Life/Medifast program did a lot of wonderful things for me, and I'm continuing to reap so many of the benefits, but it did not cure my obesity. The plan enabled me to return to a healthy weight and put me on a path towards optimal health, but it did not cure my obesity. That beast is there, always there, ready, willing and able to rear its ugly head and take over my life if I choose to become mindless about what I eat and do.
Everyday that I make healthy choices is another day that develops the healthy habits I want to keep and develop for the rest of my life. However, I am aware that the beast is alive - just hungry and underfed at the moment :-). I'd like to think I could starve it to death, but that's not likely to happen.
I once heard a story about a man who talked about the internal struggle he was having and likened it to a fight between two dogs. Someone asked him which dog was winning and the man replied, "Whichever one I feed."
Everyday each and every one of us has to face the dog fight yet again. We're in a battle for our health, and one of the dogs in the fight is named obesity. This dog may be a little skeletal at the moment because it hasn't been fed in a while, but it's watching in the corner, waiting for an opportune moment.
So every day we plan, and we commit to NOT feeding that dog today! Every day I realize all over again that I CANNOT do this on my own and ask my Heavenly Father for a fresh measure of His grace and strength. And every day that I do that - and every day that each of us makes a commitment to making the sometimes hard choices - is another day that moves us a bit closer to a healthier you and me.
Which dog are you going to feed today? The choice is yours - choose wisely :-)
Thursday, December 8, 2011
Deciding What I Love
What do you REALLY love, and what are you willing to give up for it? This is a question I'm asking myself right now - I'm posting this so you can ask yourself the same question.
Sweets are my downfall. If it has sugar in it, there is a 99.9% chance that I'll like it. If it has both sugar AND a high fat content, that percentage goes up. What I have learned since reaching my goal over 2.5 years ago is that although many things and many habits have changed, I still have a sugar addiction. It is very difficult, bordering on impossible, for me to eat sweets in moderation. Once I start, it's as if my brain completely disengages. This time of year becomes very challenging for me because the stuff of my addiction is everywhere (except my house!).
Some people report that once they lose the weight and reach their goal, sweets and other fattening things don't ever tempt them. Some say that those things don't even taste good to them anymore. Sigh . . . I wish I could say that, but the truth is that I still have a set of fully-developed fat-girl taste buds - everything still sounds and tastes as good to me as it ever did. I was raised with a lot of fried food and my taste buds still think that frying only improves the taste of anything.
When it comes to eating, I have cut myself a bit too much slack lately - been a little less mindful of both the kind of food I've eaten as well as the quantity. I still eat six small meals a day and 2-3 of them are usually Medifast meals, but some of those other meals have included things that aren't in my long-term best interest. When this happens, I notice pretty quickly that I feel more sluggish and that I start to crave more of the stuff.
Because I am committed to staying at a healthy weight AND being healthy (having once been diabetic, I am well-aware of the dangers of regaining my weight), I have to ask myself once again the same important question: what do I REALLY love?
It comes down to what's most important to me. We all have to make primary choices, then make secondary choices to support our primary choice, even if we don't necessarily like the secondary choice. For example, if someone makes the decision to become a concert pianist (primary choice), they will make secondary choices (practice 4 hours a day, not engage in some sports to avoid possible injury to their hands, etc.) to support that primary choice. We don't always LIKE the secondary choices, but we do them because they support our primary choice.
When it all boils down, my primary choice is to be thin and healthy, so I am making some secondary choices that support that. I will exercise, whether I feel like it or not; I will make healthy choices in what I eat, whether I feel like it or not; I will continue to eat 5-6 small meals a day (2-3 of them Medifast meals), whether I feel like it or not.
For me, it's important to stay focused on what I'm gaining, not on what I'm giving up. I kept that focus while I lost my weight, and it's important for me to keep that same focus now. If I focus on feeling deprived, that has the potential to lead to failure. However, if I stay focused on what I'm gaining - and there is SO much to gain by making healthy choices - then I will embrace those healthy choices and celebrate the victories.
All of this has very little to do with willpower and a lot to do with deciding what is REALLY important to me at this point in my life. I LOVE the life I have, and I'm so thankful to God for leading me to Take Shape for Life/Medifast. This program has changed my life - literally gave me back my life. I am making the choice to maintain my weight loss and my health for the rest of my life!
For you and for me, it's a choice we have to make every day. Choose wisely :-)
Sweets are my downfall. If it has sugar in it, there is a 99.9% chance that I'll like it. If it has both sugar AND a high fat content, that percentage goes up. What I have learned since reaching my goal over 2.5 years ago is that although many things and many habits have changed, I still have a sugar addiction. It is very difficult, bordering on impossible, for me to eat sweets in moderation. Once I start, it's as if my brain completely disengages. This time of year becomes very challenging for me because the stuff of my addiction is everywhere (except my house!).
Some people report that once they lose the weight and reach their goal, sweets and other fattening things don't ever tempt them. Some say that those things don't even taste good to them anymore. Sigh . . . I wish I could say that, but the truth is that I still have a set of fully-developed fat-girl taste buds - everything still sounds and tastes as good to me as it ever did. I was raised with a lot of fried food and my taste buds still think that frying only improves the taste of anything.
When it comes to eating, I have cut myself a bit too much slack lately - been a little less mindful of both the kind of food I've eaten as well as the quantity. I still eat six small meals a day and 2-3 of them are usually Medifast meals, but some of those other meals have included things that aren't in my long-term best interest. When this happens, I notice pretty quickly that I feel more sluggish and that I start to crave more of the stuff.
Because I am committed to staying at a healthy weight AND being healthy (having once been diabetic, I am well-aware of the dangers of regaining my weight), I have to ask myself once again the same important question: what do I REALLY love?
It comes down to what's most important to me. We all have to make primary choices, then make secondary choices to support our primary choice, even if we don't necessarily like the secondary choice. For example, if someone makes the decision to become a concert pianist (primary choice), they will make secondary choices (practice 4 hours a day, not engage in some sports to avoid possible injury to their hands, etc.) to support that primary choice. We don't always LIKE the secondary choices, but we do them because they support our primary choice.
When it all boils down, my primary choice is to be thin and healthy, so I am making some secondary choices that support that. I will exercise, whether I feel like it or not; I will make healthy choices in what I eat, whether I feel like it or not; I will continue to eat 5-6 small meals a day (2-3 of them Medifast meals), whether I feel like it or not.
For me, it's important to stay focused on what I'm gaining, not on what I'm giving up. I kept that focus while I lost my weight, and it's important for me to keep that same focus now. If I focus on feeling deprived, that has the potential to lead to failure. However, if I stay focused on what I'm gaining - and there is SO much to gain by making healthy choices - then I will embrace those healthy choices and celebrate the victories.
All of this has very little to do with willpower and a lot to do with deciding what is REALLY important to me at this point in my life. I LOVE the life I have, and I'm so thankful to God for leading me to Take Shape for Life/Medifast. This program has changed my life - literally gave me back my life. I am making the choice to maintain my weight loss and my health for the rest of my life!
For you and for me, it's a choice we have to make every day. Choose wisely :-)
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
Filling the Gaps
Part of my weight loss journey four years ago was addressing the things that led to the overeating that resulted in my weight ballooning to 268 pounds. I understood that I didn't get to that weight just because I enjoyed a good meal or because I'm a great cook - I was a self-confessed emotional eater. As I've shared before, an unexpected outcome of going on this program was my coming to grips with turning to food and other things as a coping mechanism for dealing with stress, anger, boredom, etc.
This is a time of year when those of us who are recovering emotional eaters can be especially challenged. The holidays tend to be emotional times anyway - good and bad - as they not only bring back memories from past holidays, but the busyness of the season creates its own level of stress. When our emotions are running on high and then a lot of holiday food shows up, it can be hard to stay on plan.
Last year I did a personal study of Beth Moore's "Breaking Free" Bible study. Her study is focused on helping women truly break free from the things that keep us trapped in unhealthy behavior. After completing the lessons for each week, I download the video lesson she teaches. One on the video lessons especially impacted me, as it was a powerful illustration of my own attempts to fill the gaps in my life.
Beth shared the story of Jesus talking with a Samaritan woman at a well, a woman who had tried to fill the gaps in her life with relationships (she'd been married 5 times and was living with a man). Jesus recognized that she was thirsty for more than the water in the well and He offered her living water so that she would never thirst again (He, of course, was referring to Himself as the Living Water). Beth took a large glass container and began to put all kinds of things in the container - a couple of small dolls to represent relationships, chocolate, money, jewelry, etc. - different things that people use to fill the holes in our lives. She filled the container full, stuffing in as many things as she could, but it was clear there were still gaps in the container. Beth explained that we could never put enough stuff into our lives to fill every gap, and she said that we all have gaps that we want to fill.
Beth then took a container of water and poured it into the container and I watched as the water filled every empty spot - every gap was filled. For me, this was a powerful reminder that only God can fill the gaps in my heart. For years, even though I knew stuff, including food, couldn't fill the gaps, I still tried. I couldn't eat enough, couldn't shop enough, to fill the gaps. I want to point out that my life was good - a solid, happy marriage, healthy kids, a good job, nice home, wonderful friends and family - but there were still emotional gaps, the kind that we all have. When I was under stress or upset about something or even bored, those gaps became gaping holes. No amount of chocolate or anything else could fill those holes.
Part of my weight loss journey was learning to turn in an entirely new way to the Lord, and He filled every gap in my heart. When that happened, food was able to take its rightful place in my life as a source of nourishment for my body, not my heart. Watching Beth pour water into that container was a powerful visual for me and a good reminder once again during this time of year to not reach for food when the pressure of the season weighs me down.
We all have gaps in our lives and we choose how we're going to try and fill those gaps. Choose wisely :-)
This is a time of year when those of us who are recovering emotional eaters can be especially challenged. The holidays tend to be emotional times anyway - good and bad - as they not only bring back memories from past holidays, but the busyness of the season creates its own level of stress. When our emotions are running on high and then a lot of holiday food shows up, it can be hard to stay on plan.
Last year I did a personal study of Beth Moore's "Breaking Free" Bible study. Her study is focused on helping women truly break free from the things that keep us trapped in unhealthy behavior. After completing the lessons for each week, I download the video lesson she teaches. One on the video lessons especially impacted me, as it was a powerful illustration of my own attempts to fill the gaps in my life.
Beth shared the story of Jesus talking with a Samaritan woman at a well, a woman who had tried to fill the gaps in her life with relationships (she'd been married 5 times and was living with a man). Jesus recognized that she was thirsty for more than the water in the well and He offered her living water so that she would never thirst again (He, of course, was referring to Himself as the Living Water). Beth took a large glass container and began to put all kinds of things in the container - a couple of small dolls to represent relationships, chocolate, money, jewelry, etc. - different things that people use to fill the holes in our lives. She filled the container full, stuffing in as many things as she could, but it was clear there were still gaps in the container. Beth explained that we could never put enough stuff into our lives to fill every gap, and she said that we all have gaps that we want to fill.
Beth then took a container of water and poured it into the container and I watched as the water filled every empty spot - every gap was filled. For me, this was a powerful reminder that only God can fill the gaps in my heart. For years, even though I knew stuff, including food, couldn't fill the gaps, I still tried. I couldn't eat enough, couldn't shop enough, to fill the gaps. I want to point out that my life was good - a solid, happy marriage, healthy kids, a good job, nice home, wonderful friends and family - but there were still emotional gaps, the kind that we all have. When I was under stress or upset about something or even bored, those gaps became gaping holes. No amount of chocolate or anything else could fill those holes.
Part of my weight loss journey was learning to turn in an entirely new way to the Lord, and He filled every gap in my heart. When that happened, food was able to take its rightful place in my life as a source of nourishment for my body, not my heart. Watching Beth pour water into that container was a powerful visual for me and a good reminder once again during this time of year to not reach for food when the pressure of the season weighs me down.
We all have gaps in our lives and we choose how we're going to try and fill those gaps. Choose wisely :-)
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
Tons or Ounces?
Life isn't easy. Every day we are faced with dozens of choices and many of those choices are difficult. This time of year, for those of us committed to either getting to or maintaining a healthy weight, the difficulty in making the right choices is increased a hundred-fold, and sometimes we may wonder if the struggle is worth the pain we're feeling. There is a great Jim Rohn quote that addresses this question: "We must all suffer from one of two pains: the pain of discipline or the pain of regret. The difference is discipline weighs ounces while regret weighs tons."
Having experienced both the pain of discipline and the pain of regret (LOTS of regret . . . ), I can tell you from first-hand experience that I'd much rather carry the weight of discipline! In the moment, it's always easier to make the wrong choice because the wrong choice invariably is the one based on immediate gratification. We get a quick rush of good feelings or perhaps even euphoria when we go for the instant gratification. The problem is that the rush is almost always quickly followed by lots of regret and self-recrimination. The good feelings we had as we were eating the off-plan food are gone almost as soon as the last bite is swallowed and in their place are thoughts of "I just blew it . . . I can't believe I ate all of that . . . I'm so weak . . . I'll never reach my goal . . . it's hopeless . . . " My experience is that the regret always outweighs the brief satisfaction I had, and it lasts MUCH longer. In the past, that regret usually led to another round of going for immediate gratification to make me feel better temporarily, followed by another round of regret. Blech!
There is certainly pain in discipline, but it's short-lived. At the point of making the decision, there can be a real struggle in saying "no" to something we really want. For me, there have been times when it felt like it took everything in me to walk away from the temptation. But when I DID walk away . . . when I DO walk away . . . the pain of saying "no" is immediately replaced with a rush of relief and joy that I didn't give in. When I was on 5&1 and successfully faced up to a food temptation, the relief and joy that followed was a reminder to me that I would have felt awful if I'd given in. The next time a temptation came up (and temptations were everywhere, especially during the holiday season), I remembered how wonderful I felt when I'd walked away and that helped to give me the strength I needed to do so again. As I've shared in the past, I also recognized my own weakness and drew heavily on my Heavenly Father for the strength I needed to walk away.
Tons or ounces . . . what do you want to carry today? The choice is yours . . . choose wisely :-)
Having experienced both the pain of discipline and the pain of regret (LOTS of regret . . . ), I can tell you from first-hand experience that I'd much rather carry the weight of discipline! In the moment, it's always easier to make the wrong choice because the wrong choice invariably is the one based on immediate gratification. We get a quick rush of good feelings or perhaps even euphoria when we go for the instant gratification. The problem is that the rush is almost always quickly followed by lots of regret and self-recrimination. The good feelings we had as we were eating the off-plan food are gone almost as soon as the last bite is swallowed and in their place are thoughts of "I just blew it . . . I can't believe I ate all of that . . . I'm so weak . . . I'll never reach my goal . . . it's hopeless . . . " My experience is that the regret always outweighs the brief satisfaction I had, and it lasts MUCH longer. In the past, that regret usually led to another round of going for immediate gratification to make me feel better temporarily, followed by another round of regret. Blech!
There is certainly pain in discipline, but it's short-lived. At the point of making the decision, there can be a real struggle in saying "no" to something we really want. For me, there have been times when it felt like it took everything in me to walk away from the temptation. But when I DID walk away . . . when I DO walk away . . . the pain of saying "no" is immediately replaced with a rush of relief and joy that I didn't give in. When I was on 5&1 and successfully faced up to a food temptation, the relief and joy that followed was a reminder to me that I would have felt awful if I'd given in. The next time a temptation came up (and temptations were everywhere, especially during the holiday season), I remembered how wonderful I felt when I'd walked away and that helped to give me the strength I needed to do so again. As I've shared in the past, I also recognized my own weakness and drew heavily on my Heavenly Father for the strength I needed to walk away.
Tons or ounces . . . what do you want to carry today? The choice is yours . . . choose wisely :-)
Monday, December 5, 2011
It's the Most Wonderful, and Challenging, Time of the Year
Since we are now into December and the holiday season, I thought I'd share with you a blog I wrote four years ago yesterday. I was just over five months into my weight loss journey, and I approached the holidays with a lot of trepidation. Here's what I wrote:
It's only December 4, but this is going to be one tough month! December is always challenging, but in years past I always dealt with stress be eating more chocolate or Christmas cookies, and one stress I never dealt with was trying to AVOID all of the holiday goodies. But this is definitely a different year for me - time to gird my (shrinking) loins!That was my mindset four years ago, and with God's help, that's what helped me lose 18 pounds between Thanksgiving and New Year's. Then, as now, it always comes down to a choice that we have to make. I have no regrets for the choice I made four years ago :-). If you want to get through the holidays without regrets, choose wisely!
There is food all around me, and almost NONE of it is on plan. We hosted a Christmas party for our small group Bible study on Sunday night and I stuck with the shrimp cocktail (no cocktail sauce) and some raw veggies (both were part of my L&G for the day). Then I walked into work on Monday morning to find a large box of Godiva chocolates sitting my my desk (that was quickly taken to the kitchen and OUT of my sight!). Then a large package of gourmet popcorn was delivered to our office, and additional food gifts will continue to come for the next two weeks. Our office is holding a holiday luncheon for physician office billers on Thursday and we're catering in a full Italian meal - two different kinds of pasta, homemade breads, and truffles and cannoli for dessert - certainly nothing for me to eat! And the list just goes on and on, day in and day out for the next couple of weeks. I have a lot of holiday events to attend and/or host, and it will be a literal minefield for me to walk through every single time.
But what's true for me is probably true for many of you, too. I'm not complaining, just taking stock of all of the potential dangers and carefully planning my strategy to ensure that I don't end up thrown off plan. Part of the planning is making sure that I eat my Medifast meals on time and don't allow myself to get overly hungry. Part of the planning is making sure I have an emergency stash of Medifast food at my desk and in my purse so that I never have an excuse to stray.
Then there's the mental and emotional preparation! Here's what I'm telling myself right now:
- That non-plan food will not get me where I want to go, and it may result in me getting seriously off-track
- Everything I need nutritionally is provided through my 5/1, so there is absolutely no need for me to go off plan (and "just because I feel like it" doesn't count!)
- I already know how all of this food will taste because I've had it before, so I don't need to taste it
- These types of food will be around next year, and next year I will be able to have a small (as in VERY small) taste of the things I'm most wanting
- By refusing to give in now, I am strengthening my "no thank you" muscles; this will help me to maintain my weight loss later
- I don't want to spend one more day than necessary being overweight, and that piece of chocolate/cookie/etc. could cause me to spend another day overweight
- I haven't been out of the fat-burning state since I first got into it in late June and I do NOT want to go through that misery again just to have that chocolate/cookie/etc.
- If I get out of the fat-burning state, in addition to the misery that will accompany getting back in, it will take me approximately 3 days to get back in. That's 15 meals and $30 (@ $2/MF meal). Is that chocolate/cookie/etc. worth $30 to me?
Yes, I'm talking to myself a lot right now! But I am committed to losing weight and don't want anything to get in my way. It's not easy, but having made the decision to stay on plan, it really IS simple. If the food isn't on plan, I don't eat it! Who's with me?
Besides, the Reason for the Season isn't food, anyway, right?
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Having Fun Yet?
Are you having fun? This isn't a trite question - I'm serious. Are you having fun on this program? You may not be having fun EVERY day (I certainly had days when I wasn't having any fun at all), but overall, do you enjoy being on this program? Are you having fun?
Before you think I've totally lost my mind, let me explain. Over time, we will continue to do the things that we enjoy and find it very difficult to sustain activity that we don't. Unless we are uber-disciplined (something that escapes the majority of us, including me), we just won't continue to do things over time that we don't enjoy.
I watched a short video that brilliantly illustrates the difference fun can make. Individuals at a train station in Sweden noticed that most people took the escalator with very few opting for the stairs, so they wondered if they could get more people to choose the stairs by making it fun to do so. They hired a group of engineers who turned the stairs into a piano keyboard, complete with sound for each note on the keyboard. As a result, 66% more people than normal chose the stairs over the escalator. They concluded that fun can obviously change behavior for the better. Here's a link to the video, in case you want to watch it: http://www.thefuntheory.com/piano-staircase.
Sometimes we have to look for the fun - it may not show up as an engineer-designed piano staircase :-). Choosing activity we enjoy will keep us moving and active over the long-run because most of us won't continue to engage in an exercise routine we hate. We can even enjoy being on plan if we recognize how much better we feel, both physically and mentally, eating six small meals a day and reclaiming control of our health. And yes, it IS fun to feel (and look) better!
Look for ways to have fun today! If we're looking for the fun, we're more likely to find it. One of the choices we get to make every day is our attitude. Choose wisely :-)
Before you think I've totally lost my mind, let me explain. Over time, we will continue to do the things that we enjoy and find it very difficult to sustain activity that we don't. Unless we are uber-disciplined (something that escapes the majority of us, including me), we just won't continue to do things over time that we don't enjoy.
I watched a short video that brilliantly illustrates the difference fun can make. Individuals at a train station in Sweden noticed that most people took the escalator with very few opting for the stairs, so they wondered if they could get more people to choose the stairs by making it fun to do so. They hired a group of engineers who turned the stairs into a piano keyboard, complete with sound for each note on the keyboard. As a result, 66% more people than normal chose the stairs over the escalator. They concluded that fun can obviously change behavior for the better. Here's a link to the video, in case you want to watch it: http://www.thefuntheory.com/piano-staircase.
Sometimes we have to look for the fun - it may not show up as an engineer-designed piano staircase :-). Choosing activity we enjoy will keep us moving and active over the long-run because most of us won't continue to engage in an exercise routine we hate. We can even enjoy being on plan if we recognize how much better we feel, both physically and mentally, eating six small meals a day and reclaiming control of our health. And yes, it IS fun to feel (and look) better!
Look for ways to have fun today! If we're looking for the fun, we're more likely to find it. One of the choices we get to make every day is our attitude. Choose wisely :-)
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Food Won't Fix It
The food part of this program is the easy part. In fact, it couldn't be easier! The hard part of this program is the head and heart part - learning to redefine our relationship with food and learning to not view food as anything more than nutrition for our bodies (nutrition we can enjoy, of course!).
For those of us who were or are emotional eaters, learning how to establish a healthy and proper relationship with food is hard work. Some of us spent decades of our lives enmeshed in a very unhealthy, love/hate relationship with food. We ran to it whenever there was a blip on our emotional radar, somehow expecting that food would fix the problem or at least make us feel better. The problem was that we never ended up feeling better. My own experience was that even while I was doing my emotional eating thing, I kept mentally telling myself that I shouldn't be doing this and reminding myself that I was cheating on whatever diet I was currently on. Of course, those thoughts didn't keep me from eating the food, but they did make me feel guilty while I was eating it. Once the last bite was swallowed, the comfort I had been seeking was replaced by more guilt and self-recrimination, sending me deeper into whatever funk had prompted the eating to begin with. The problem that I'd tried to salve with food was still there, of course, and I'd added a nice layer of guilt and regret on top of it.
Can anybody relate to this? Honestly ask yourself: when did food ever fix the problem? Food can help to bury the feelings for a moment or two, but the problem never was solved with a fork. Never.
Learning to deal with problems and the emotions that accompany them in a healthy way is such an important thing to learn if we want to not only reach a healthy weight but also maintain a healthy weight for the long term.
For me, part of this process was really learning to turn to my Heavenly Father in a new and deeper way. I made a commitment to stay on plan and not cheat, so when the stuff of life bubbled up (as it always does), I realized I couldn't resort to old habits and run for the nearest chocolate. Out of desperation I cried out to the Lord and asked for His strength to get me through the moment, and as I did that, I found Him to be faithful to provide what I needed in that moment. Every time I turned to the Lord and made the choice to draw on His strength, there was enough strength to get me through that particular moment.
As I continued to do that, I realized that food never did truly comfort me, that it really wouldn't - and couldn't - fix anything in my life. And that realization finally set me free from years of emotional eating.
This holiday season evokes lots of memories and emotions. Some of them are good, but other emotions are difficult. We may feel a lot of stress as we try to get through a long list of things to be done. This is the time of year when some people give in to the emotion of the moment and toss aside their good intentions to eat healthy and stay on plan. But food won't fix it. Eating stuff that will get in the way of goal won't make us feel better. We'll end up feeling sluggish, guilty, and frustrated. And eating more to deal with THOSE feelings will only make us feel even worse!
Choosing to walk away from emotional eating isn't easy, especially during this time of year. But making the choice to do so is incredibly freeing. The choice is yours . . . choose wisely :-)
For those of us who were or are emotional eaters, learning how to establish a healthy and proper relationship with food is hard work. Some of us spent decades of our lives enmeshed in a very unhealthy, love/hate relationship with food. We ran to it whenever there was a blip on our emotional radar, somehow expecting that food would fix the problem or at least make us feel better. The problem was that we never ended up feeling better. My own experience was that even while I was doing my emotional eating thing, I kept mentally telling myself that I shouldn't be doing this and reminding myself that I was cheating on whatever diet I was currently on. Of course, those thoughts didn't keep me from eating the food, but they did make me feel guilty while I was eating it. Once the last bite was swallowed, the comfort I had been seeking was replaced by more guilt and self-recrimination, sending me deeper into whatever funk had prompted the eating to begin with. The problem that I'd tried to salve with food was still there, of course, and I'd added a nice layer of guilt and regret on top of it.
Can anybody relate to this? Honestly ask yourself: when did food ever fix the problem? Food can help to bury the feelings for a moment or two, but the problem never was solved with a fork. Never.
Learning to deal with problems and the emotions that accompany them in a healthy way is such an important thing to learn if we want to not only reach a healthy weight but also maintain a healthy weight for the long term.
For me, part of this process was really learning to turn to my Heavenly Father in a new and deeper way. I made a commitment to stay on plan and not cheat, so when the stuff of life bubbled up (as it always does), I realized I couldn't resort to old habits and run for the nearest chocolate. Out of desperation I cried out to the Lord and asked for His strength to get me through the moment, and as I did that, I found Him to be faithful to provide what I needed in that moment. Every time I turned to the Lord and made the choice to draw on His strength, there was enough strength to get me through that particular moment.
As I continued to do that, I realized that food never did truly comfort me, that it really wouldn't - and couldn't - fix anything in my life. And that realization finally set me free from years of emotional eating.
This holiday season evokes lots of memories and emotions. Some of them are good, but other emotions are difficult. We may feel a lot of stress as we try to get through a long list of things to be done. This is the time of year when some people give in to the emotion of the moment and toss aside their good intentions to eat healthy and stay on plan. But food won't fix it. Eating stuff that will get in the way of goal won't make us feel better. We'll end up feeling sluggish, guilty, and frustrated. And eating more to deal with THOSE feelings will only make us feel even worse!
Choosing to walk away from emotional eating isn't easy, especially during this time of year. But making the choice to do so is incredibly freeing. The choice is yours . . . choose wisely :-)
Monday, November 28, 2011
Time Flies
Yesterday I got out all of our Christmas decorations and started putting my house into the holiday spirit. I also put all of my Christmas music on my iPod and listened to that while I put away the Thanksgiving decorations and started working on Christmas. As much as I would like to bask in the glow of Thanksgiving, Christmas is coming and I have to shift gears in a hurry.
As I was listening to my Christmas music yesterday, it was hard to believe that it's been almost a year since I heard those songs. As I pulled out the Christmas decorations, it seemed like it wasn't that long ago that I was putting them all away.
The reality is that time really does go fast. Days morph into weeks, and weeks into months almost faster than we can imagine. For everyone on 5&1 right now, this is really, REALLY good news :-). I know there are some really long days on plan (at least I sure had a few!), but in retrospective, the days, weeks and months go by in a flash. By staying on plan now, even on those really, really long and difficult days, you will be at your goal before you know it. That's true whether you have 10 pounds to lose or 100. The days will pass regardless, and they will pass quickly. If you choose to stay on plan now, everyone one of you will be getting ready for Christmas next year at your goal weight. Many of you will be buying your spring and summer wardrobe in your goal size, too, if you choose to stay on plan now.
It's so easy to get caught up in the here and now and go straight for the immediate gratification (my hand is raised as I write this . . . ), but the here and now is gone in a breath and tomorrow is just a moment away. Staying on plan today means that you are choosing to temporarily give up something you enjoy eating to reach something you really want - a healthy weight and a great goal size. The decision to make wise choices isn't always easy, but there are never any regrets for doing so.
The choice is yours, so choose wisely :-)
As I was listening to my Christmas music yesterday, it was hard to believe that it's been almost a year since I heard those songs. As I pulled out the Christmas decorations, it seemed like it wasn't that long ago that I was putting them all away.
The reality is that time really does go fast. Days morph into weeks, and weeks into months almost faster than we can imagine. For everyone on 5&1 right now, this is really, REALLY good news :-). I know there are some really long days on plan (at least I sure had a few!), but in retrospective, the days, weeks and months go by in a flash. By staying on plan now, even on those really, really long and difficult days, you will be at your goal before you know it. That's true whether you have 10 pounds to lose or 100. The days will pass regardless, and they will pass quickly. If you choose to stay on plan now, everyone one of you will be getting ready for Christmas next year at your goal weight. Many of you will be buying your spring and summer wardrobe in your goal size, too, if you choose to stay on plan now.
It's so easy to get caught up in the here and now and go straight for the immediate gratification (my hand is raised as I write this . . . ), but the here and now is gone in a breath and tomorrow is just a moment away. Staying on plan today means that you are choosing to temporarily give up something you enjoy eating to reach something you really want - a healthy weight and a great goal size. The decision to make wise choices isn't always easy, but there are never any regrets for doing so.
The choice is yours, so choose wisely :-)
Sunday, November 27, 2011
When Obstaces Don't Matter
I don't know about you, but the calendar seems to go into hyper-speed between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Once the leftover Thanksgiving turkey is put in the refrigerator and the Christmas decorations come out, the days start to fly.
Between the decorating, shopping, family get-togethers and holiday parties, the weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas can feel like one obstacle after another for those of us who are either on our weight loss journey or focused on staying the course in Maintenance.
I recently read a quote that said, "The only time when our obstacles matter is when we take our eyes off the goal." That's a good quote to keep in mind - or post by our computer or wherever we'll see it - as we launch into this holiday season.
Keeping our eyes on the goal is key throughout this journey, but it's critical during the holiday season when we are surrounded by distractions that threaten to get us off course. If we're focused on what's really important to us - getting to and maintaining a healthy weight - then the potential obstacles won't matter. We will be aware of them and have a strategy in place to make sure that we leap over them.
Think about Olympic runners in track and field. They encounter hurdle after hurdle, but their eyes remain fixed on their goal and they sail over the hurdles. If a runner becomes fixated on the next hurdle, it not only slows their pace but that hurdle could be the one that causes them to trip and fall.
Where do you want to be on January 1? Focusing on that as a short-term goal can help you get through these next weeks unscathed. More importantly, how are you going to look and feel when you're at your goal? That's where you're heading - don't let anything get in your way! You will be faced with lots of choices over the next few weeks, and those choices will either bring you closer to your goal or result in a step or two back. Choose wisely :-)
Between the decorating, shopping, family get-togethers and holiday parties, the weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas can feel like one obstacle after another for those of us who are either on our weight loss journey or focused on staying the course in Maintenance.
I recently read a quote that said, "The only time when our obstacles matter is when we take our eyes off the goal." That's a good quote to keep in mind - or post by our computer or wherever we'll see it - as we launch into this holiday season.
Keeping our eyes on the goal is key throughout this journey, but it's critical during the holiday season when we are surrounded by distractions that threaten to get us off course. If we're focused on what's really important to us - getting to and maintaining a healthy weight - then the potential obstacles won't matter. We will be aware of them and have a strategy in place to make sure that we leap over them.
Think about Olympic runners in track and field. They encounter hurdle after hurdle, but their eyes remain fixed on their goal and they sail over the hurdles. If a runner becomes fixated on the next hurdle, it not only slows their pace but that hurdle could be the one that causes them to trip and fall.
Where do you want to be on January 1? Focusing on that as a short-term goal can help you get through these next weeks unscathed. More importantly, how are you going to look and feel when you're at your goal? That's where you're heading - don't let anything get in your way! You will be faced with lots of choices over the next few weeks, and those choices will either bring you closer to your goal or result in a step or two back. Choose wisely :-)
Friday, November 25, 2011
Waiting for Perfect
If you've read my blogs for very long at all, you've probably noticed that I enjoy good, thought-provoking quotes. There is often a lot of truth wrapped up in a pithy sentence or two. That is certainly true for this quote:
I am the kind of person who likes to get her ducks in a row, get everything "just so" before I take the first step. There have been a number of things in my life over the past 3-4 years that have moved me outside of my comfort zone as I've been forced to learn as I go instead of getting everything right first. I've realized that waiting until optimal conditions, with everything in place and all obstacles cleared away, usually means that I keep waiting . . . and waiting . . . Life has a way of being messy and less-than-perfect, and just as soon as one obstacle is eliminated, two more pop up.
That was certainly true of my past weight loss efforts. I wanted the calendar clear, with nothing on the horizon that would involve food and tempt me to go off plan. Things had to be good at work - no stress, and there certainly couldn't be any issues at home. When all of these things were properly aligned, I could focus on losing weight. However, the minute life happened - good or bad - the diet was once again off. And trying to lose weight around the holidays? Forget it! Talk about a less-than-ideal time to lose weight!
I was very much in a mindset of wanting to wait for the perfect time to start another program just prior to placing my first Medifast order. I started this program on June 24, 2007, just when the summer fresh fruits were beginning to appear at our local farmer's market. I really like fruit, so the thought of not eating fruit for an entire summer was troubling and I seriously considered waiting until fall to begin the program. But then I thought about the honey crisp apples, my favorites, that made their appearance in the fall. Fall wouldn't be a good time to start, either! But then after fall, I knew the holidays would be here and who in their right mind starts a weight loss program during the holidays?
So, in mid-June of 2007, as I tried to figure out when I should place my order and get started, I realized that the next "convenient" time to start the program wouldn't be until January 2, 2008 - more than six months away. I realized that I absolutely could not go that much longer at the weight I was at (260), and I feared that if I waited six more months, my weight would be much higher.
Was it the ideal time for me to start? That's hard to say. All I know was that it was the right time to start. I started the program two weeks before my birthday and one month before our two-week vacation at a lake cottage we rented. I started this program at the beginning of a summer filled with cookouts and get-togethers with family and friends. It wasn't ideal and there were certainly obstacles to address, but it was the right time for me and, as I shared in yesterday's blog, I couldn't have imagined how much my life would change in the process.
Some of you are just getting started on this program and the holidays are staring you in the face. This isn't an ideal time for you to start, either, but it's the right time because you're ready to change your life. Good for you for not waiting until things are perfect . . . you won't regret the choices you're making! Think about how much better you're going to feel on January 2 when you're 10 or 20 pounds lighter than you are today :-).
You've made a great choice in beginning this program, and each choice you make today, tomorrow and the day after that will bring you closer to a healthier future. Choose wisely :-)
"Don't wait until everything is just right. It will never be perfect. There will always be challenges, obstacles and less than perfect conditions. So what! Get started now. With each step you take, you will grow stronger and stronger, more and more skilled, more and more self-confident and more and more successful. ~ Mark Victor Hansen
I am the kind of person who likes to get her ducks in a row, get everything "just so" before I take the first step. There have been a number of things in my life over the past 3-4 years that have moved me outside of my comfort zone as I've been forced to learn as I go instead of getting everything right first. I've realized that waiting until optimal conditions, with everything in place and all obstacles cleared away, usually means that I keep waiting . . . and waiting . . . Life has a way of being messy and less-than-perfect, and just as soon as one obstacle is eliminated, two more pop up.
That was certainly true of my past weight loss efforts. I wanted the calendar clear, with nothing on the horizon that would involve food and tempt me to go off plan. Things had to be good at work - no stress, and there certainly couldn't be any issues at home. When all of these things were properly aligned, I could focus on losing weight. However, the minute life happened - good or bad - the diet was once again off. And trying to lose weight around the holidays? Forget it! Talk about a less-than-ideal time to lose weight!
I was very much in a mindset of wanting to wait for the perfect time to start another program just prior to placing my first Medifast order. I started this program on June 24, 2007, just when the summer fresh fruits were beginning to appear at our local farmer's market. I really like fruit, so the thought of not eating fruit for an entire summer was troubling and I seriously considered waiting until fall to begin the program. But then I thought about the honey crisp apples, my favorites, that made their appearance in the fall. Fall wouldn't be a good time to start, either! But then after fall, I knew the holidays would be here and who in their right mind starts a weight loss program during the holidays?
So, in mid-June of 2007, as I tried to figure out when I should place my order and get started, I realized that the next "convenient" time to start the program wouldn't be until January 2, 2008 - more than six months away. I realized that I absolutely could not go that much longer at the weight I was at (260), and I feared that if I waited six more months, my weight would be much higher.
Was it the ideal time for me to start? That's hard to say. All I know was that it was the right time to start. I started the program two weeks before my birthday and one month before our two-week vacation at a lake cottage we rented. I started this program at the beginning of a summer filled with cookouts and get-togethers with family and friends. It wasn't ideal and there were certainly obstacles to address, but it was the right time for me and, as I shared in yesterday's blog, I couldn't have imagined how much my life would change in the process.
Some of you are just getting started on this program and the holidays are staring you in the face. This isn't an ideal time for you to start, either, but it's the right time because you're ready to change your life. Good for you for not waiting until things are perfect . . . you won't regret the choices you're making! Think about how much better you're going to feel on January 2 when you're 10 or 20 pounds lighter than you are today :-).
You've made a great choice in beginning this program, and each choice you make today, tomorrow and the day after that will bring you closer to a healthier future. Choose wisely :-)
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
Three and a Half Years Later
Yesterday was an anniversary of sorts for me. It's hard to believe, but it was 3-1/2 years ago, May 22, 2008, that I finally reached my weight loss goal. During the almost-11 months it took to lose the weight, there were certainly some long days, but the time on plan went fast. As I look back now, 3-1/2 years later, the time spent losing the weight was just a minor blip in time.
So much has changed in my life since then! I am still healthy, still wearing my size 6 jeans, and I'm loving my life. I have had some amazing opportunities to share my story and encourage others and that is actually what I do on a daily basis now as a full-time health coach. If someone would have told me on June 24, 2007, my first day on the program, that I would be where I am today, I wouldn't have believed them. I'm so grateful to God for all of His many blessings, including leading me to this program when He did.
I didn't set out to change my life . . . I just wanted to lose a little bit of weight. But as I learned to make new and better choices, growth happened in ways I didn't expect. I learned how to redefine my relationship with food and, in fact, severed the chains of emotional eating that held me in bondage for over two decades. The shame and embarrassment of living as a morbidly obese women began to heal, to the point I can now talk about how much I weighed, what size I wore, and share the feelings I had - all without hesitation. That would have been unthinkable not that long ago.
Statistics report that 85% of people who lose weight on a diet regain it all, plus additional weight, within two years. I praise God that, because of what I learned on this program and with His help, I have beaten the odds. I don't take that for granted, not for a minute.
Your life is changing on this program, whether you're aware of it or not. I don't know where these changes will eventually take you, but when you reach your goal, you will be in a different place physically, emotionally and mentally. Trust me - it's a GOOD place - and you want to get here :-). And you WILL get here, one day and one choice at a time. Choose wisely :-)
So much has changed in my life since then! I am still healthy, still wearing my size 6 jeans, and I'm loving my life. I have had some amazing opportunities to share my story and encourage others and that is actually what I do on a daily basis now as a full-time health coach. If someone would have told me on June 24, 2007, my first day on the program, that I would be where I am today, I wouldn't have believed them. I'm so grateful to God for all of His many blessings, including leading me to this program when He did.
I didn't set out to change my life . . . I just wanted to lose a little bit of weight. But as I learned to make new and better choices, growth happened in ways I didn't expect. I learned how to redefine my relationship with food and, in fact, severed the chains of emotional eating that held me in bondage for over two decades. The shame and embarrassment of living as a morbidly obese women began to heal, to the point I can now talk about how much I weighed, what size I wore, and share the feelings I had - all without hesitation. That would have been unthinkable not that long ago.
Statistics report that 85% of people who lose weight on a diet regain it all, plus additional weight, within two years. I praise God that, because of what I learned on this program and with His help, I have beaten the odds. I don't take that for granted, not for a minute.
Your life is changing on this program, whether you're aware of it or not. I don't know where these changes will eventually take you, but when you reach your goal, you will be in a different place physically, emotionally and mentally. Trust me - it's a GOOD place - and you want to get here :-). And you WILL get here, one day and one choice at a time. Choose wisely :-)
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
A Safe Investment
In this time of economic uncertainty, most of us want to make sure that we get the best return possible on our investments. Whether it's our 401K or IRA or some other type of investment we've made to ensure our financial future, we want to see growth over time. We review our quarterly reports and look for an increase from the previous quarter and we watch for trends that indicate future growth.
Would you be willing to invest $100 if you could be guaranteed a million dollar return? (Who wouldn't, right?)
That's what you're doing right now. The investment you're making in your health is a small investment when it's compared to your future return - a longer, healthier life. The potential return on your health is worth far more than a million dollars, too!
Yes, there is the financial investment you're making to purchase the products needed to do this program, and there is also the mental and emotional investment. There is hard work involved in ridding ourselves of old habits that didn't serve us well and embracing new, healthier habits. It's not always easy and it's not always fun, but incorporating these healthy habits will pay long-term, priceless dividends.
When we have our health - when we feel as good as we can possibly feel - we're able to enjoy our lives to the fullest. It doesn't matter how much money we have or how much stuff we've collected, if we're struggling with health issues and living in a state of unhealth or even disease, the money and the stuff don't matter. We may be wise with our financial investments, but if we aren't being wise in our health investments, we won't be able to fully enjoy the benefits of our 401Ks and IRAs. If we aren't wise in the choices we make for our health now, those financial investments may end up being drained for medication and other medical expenses. I don't know about you, but that's not how I want to spend my money!
The return on financial investments is a bit uncertain right now, but the investment in our health has a solid track record on its return. This is a long-term investment, and while many of us see almost immediate results and have been able to reduce or eliminate medications, the real returns will be evident in the years ahead.
The choices we make today determine the future return we will receive. Choose wisely :-)
Would you be willing to invest $100 if you could be guaranteed a million dollar return? (Who wouldn't, right?)
That's what you're doing right now. The investment you're making in your health is a small investment when it's compared to your future return - a longer, healthier life. The potential return on your health is worth far more than a million dollars, too!
Yes, there is the financial investment you're making to purchase the products needed to do this program, and there is also the mental and emotional investment. There is hard work involved in ridding ourselves of old habits that didn't serve us well and embracing new, healthier habits. It's not always easy and it's not always fun, but incorporating these healthy habits will pay long-term, priceless dividends.
When we have our health - when we feel as good as we can possibly feel - we're able to enjoy our lives to the fullest. It doesn't matter how much money we have or how much stuff we've collected, if we're struggling with health issues and living in a state of unhealth or even disease, the money and the stuff don't matter. We may be wise with our financial investments, but if we aren't being wise in our health investments, we won't be able to fully enjoy the benefits of our 401Ks and IRAs. If we aren't wise in the choices we make for our health now, those financial investments may end up being drained for medication and other medical expenses. I don't know about you, but that's not how I want to spend my money!
The return on financial investments is a bit uncertain right now, but the investment in our health has a solid track record on its return. This is a long-term investment, and while many of us see almost immediate results and have been able to reduce or eliminate medications, the real returns will be evident in the years ahead.
The choices we make today determine the future return we will receive. Choose wisely :-)
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
Making Decisions
Sometimes we think that what has been will always be, or we think that where we are is "it" and we're convinced that things will never change. If we've had a long history of failed attempts at losing weight, it's easy to believe that our dieting history determines our future. Here's a quote that challenges this kind of thinking:
The decisions we made in the past had a significant impact on where we are today, and many of those decisions became habits over time. But habits are still decisions, even if we aren't acutely aware that we're deciding each and every time. The reason I know these are really decisions is because we have the ability to change them if we choose to do so. We can get rid of unhealthy habits that don't serve us and we can develop an entirely new set of habits that put us on a new path - if we want to.
Going back to Robbins' quote, "your decisions about what to focus on, what things mean to you, and what you're going to do with them" - infused in each of these statements is choice. We choose what we're going to focus on, whether it be past failures or current frustrations or future hopes and dreams that include being at a healthy weight. If we look up and focus on the sky, we can't focus on the ground. If we fix our gaze on the ground, we can't see the sky. Where we choose to focus is critical, and it is a decision we have to make every day.
Robbins says that we decide "what things mean" to us - we attach a value and that value determines what we do with things. Because the focus of this blog is about making healthy choices, let me apply this to the food choices we make. If we value being healthy - if we've made a fundamental choice to get to a healthy weight - then that value will determine the food choices that we make. If we value immediate gratification more than being healthy, that value will lead us to make different choices.
The choices of what we're going to focus on, what things mean to us and what we're going to do with them WILL, in large part, determine the future of our health. That future may seem a long way away, but we're getting there one day and one choice at a time. Choose wisely :-)
***
I'm leaving early tomorrow morning for a conference in Pennsylvania and won't be home until late Monday night. I'll get back to blogging next week! Have a good rest of the week and a great weekend and keep making wise choices!
"It's not what is happening to you now or what has happened in the past that determines who you become. Rather, it's your decisions about what to focus on, what things mean to you, and what you're going to do with them that will determine your ultimate destiny." ~ Anthony Robbins
The decisions we made in the past had a significant impact on where we are today, and many of those decisions became habits over time. But habits are still decisions, even if we aren't acutely aware that we're deciding each and every time. The reason I know these are really decisions is because we have the ability to change them if we choose to do so. We can get rid of unhealthy habits that don't serve us and we can develop an entirely new set of habits that put us on a new path - if we want to.
Going back to Robbins' quote, "your decisions about what to focus on, what things mean to you, and what you're going to do with them" - infused in each of these statements is choice. We choose what we're going to focus on, whether it be past failures or current frustrations or future hopes and dreams that include being at a healthy weight. If we look up and focus on the sky, we can't focus on the ground. If we fix our gaze on the ground, we can't see the sky. Where we choose to focus is critical, and it is a decision we have to make every day.
Robbins says that we decide "what things mean" to us - we attach a value and that value determines what we do with things. Because the focus of this blog is about making healthy choices, let me apply this to the food choices we make. If we value being healthy - if we've made a fundamental choice to get to a healthy weight - then that value will determine the food choices that we make. If we value immediate gratification more than being healthy, that value will lead us to make different choices.
The choices of what we're going to focus on, what things mean to us and what we're going to do with them WILL, in large part, determine the future of our health. That future may seem a long way away, but we're getting there one day and one choice at a time. Choose wisely :-)
***
I'm leaving early tomorrow morning for a conference in Pennsylvania and won't be home until late Monday night. I'll get back to blogging next week! Have a good rest of the week and a great weekend and keep making wise choices!
Saturday, November 12, 2011
Focusing Ahead
I recently read a story about a man who got on a tractor for the first time. He described the thrill of starting up the engine, dropping the plow, and heading out across the field. As he drove the tractor, he marveled at all of the gauges and gadgets on the tractor and enjoyed the feel of the steering wheel. Everything was perfect until he looked back to admire his results. Instead of seeing the straight lines he expected, he described what he saw as resembling a slithering snake, "with more bends and curves than the Indianapolis Motor Speedway." In his excitement to plow a field for the very first time, he forgot the cardinal rule of plowing: plow with your eye on the fence post ahead. On the return trip he did just that and his line was straight. He realized that the first row was messed up because he didn't have a focus point.
Do you have a focus point? Are you keeping your eyes on where you're going, or are you finding yourself being distracted by the details? When we're focused on where we're heading, that not only keeps us moving forward, but it keeps us moving in a straight line to our goal. If we're looking around at all of the things we "can't have" right now, if we're looking at all of the potential obstacles that might come our way, our path to goal may look a lot like the man's first plow line - filled with twists and turns.
By focusing on our goal, we are more likely to get there in a straight line. We are continually reminded of where we're going and what we want, and that reminder will keep all of the distractions and obstacles on the sidelines. We may be aware of them because we see them with our peripheral vision, but they are a blur as we go past them because our eyes are fixed on our goal.
Where are you choosing to focus today? Your choice will determine your path to goal . . . choose wisely -:)
Do you have a focus point? Are you keeping your eyes on where you're going, or are you finding yourself being distracted by the details? When we're focused on where we're heading, that not only keeps us moving forward, but it keeps us moving in a straight line to our goal. If we're looking around at all of the things we "can't have" right now, if we're looking at all of the potential obstacles that might come our way, our path to goal may look a lot like the man's first plow line - filled with twists and turns.
By focusing on our goal, we are more likely to get there in a straight line. We are continually reminded of where we're going and what we want, and that reminder will keep all of the distractions and obstacles on the sidelines. We may be aware of them because we see them with our peripheral vision, but they are a blur as we go past them because our eyes are fixed on our goal.
Where are you choosing to focus today? Your choice will determine your path to goal . . . choose wisely -:)
Friday, November 11, 2011
No Shortcuts
We all want change in our lives, to some degree or another. Everyone on this program wants to change their weight and many want to improve their health - I know I wanted both.
I've often wished that I had either a magic wand or a fairy godmother so that any and all changes could happen in an instant - one wave of the wand and poof! it's done. I'd have the result I wanted without going through the process I needed to get there. Honestly, sometimes that sounds SO good to me!
I watched a program on TV a while back about a man who was obsessed with plastic surgery. He went so far as to get implants that gave the look of bulging arm muscles, because he said he wanted the look but didn't have the time or desire to work out at the gym. So he got the look alright, but didn't have the true muscle mass he needed and he also didn't have the satisfaction that would have come had he built up real muscles over time.
I often hate the process. I'm not a particularly patient person by nature (God is continuing to grow me in this area), so when results aren't almost immediately forthcoming, it's tempting for me to grow weary of the process. That was certainly the case with every other weight loss program I ever went on. They were a lot of work and the progress was agonizingly slow and I lost interest before I ever got very far.
Even on 5&1, though there isn't a safer way to lose weight quickly, it's still a process that happens over time. For me, it was almost 11 months of eating 5 Medifast meals every day and one lean & green, and those 11 months sometimes seemed eternal. Honestly, some DAYS on 5&1 felt like an eternity :-).
What I didn't fully understand at the time, but I see more clearly now, is that those 11 months were a time of sowing seeds of new actions and responses. I was seeing results right along, which kept me motivated, but the process of learning to eat a different way planted seeds that are now bearing fruit. Those seeds planted while I was on 5&1 are now becoming a crop of lifestyle changes and healthy habits that have enabled me to stay in my goal range for almost 3-1/2 years. Had I had the magic wand and reached my goal in an instant, I would not have done the work I needed to do to maintain my weight loss and ensure a healthy lifestyle for the rest of my life.
Planting seeds of new, healthy habits happens one day and one choice at a time, so choose wisely :-)
I've often wished that I had either a magic wand or a fairy godmother so that any and all changes could happen in an instant - one wave of the wand and poof! it's done. I'd have the result I wanted without going through the process I needed to get there. Honestly, sometimes that sounds SO good to me!
I watched a program on TV a while back about a man who was obsessed with plastic surgery. He went so far as to get implants that gave the look of bulging arm muscles, because he said he wanted the look but didn't have the time or desire to work out at the gym. So he got the look alright, but didn't have the true muscle mass he needed and he also didn't have the satisfaction that would have come had he built up real muscles over time.
I often hate the process. I'm not a particularly patient person by nature (God is continuing to grow me in this area), so when results aren't almost immediately forthcoming, it's tempting for me to grow weary of the process. That was certainly the case with every other weight loss program I ever went on. They were a lot of work and the progress was agonizingly slow and I lost interest before I ever got very far.
Even on 5&1, though there isn't a safer way to lose weight quickly, it's still a process that happens over time. For me, it was almost 11 months of eating 5 Medifast meals every day and one lean & green, and those 11 months sometimes seemed eternal. Honestly, some DAYS on 5&1 felt like an eternity :-).
What I didn't fully understand at the time, but I see more clearly now, is that those 11 months were a time of sowing seeds of new actions and responses. I was seeing results right along, which kept me motivated, but the process of learning to eat a different way planted seeds that are now bearing fruit. Those seeds planted while I was on 5&1 are now becoming a crop of lifestyle changes and healthy habits that have enabled me to stay in my goal range for almost 3-1/2 years. Had I had the magic wand and reached my goal in an instant, I would not have done the work I needed to do to maintain my weight loss and ensure a healthy lifestyle for the rest of my life.
Planting seeds of new, healthy habits happens one day and one choice at a time, so choose wisely :-)
Thursday, November 10, 2011
Using Our Brains and Our Feet
"You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose." ~ Oh The Places You'll Go
This is from the great writer and philosopher, Dr. Seuss :-). He had a remarkable gift of putting great thoughts into simple, fun verse, but sometimes profound thoughts come wrapped in simple packages.
We DO have a brain in our head and we DO have feet in our shoes; we really CAN steer ourselves in any direction we choose! We may not believe that we have the ability to steer our lives in a different direction, but we can do just that if we decide that's what we really want to do. So often we tend to view ourselves as hapless, helpless victims - particularly when it comes to battling our weight.
We blame our genetics, we blame our childhood, we blame our spouses or our boss. We may feel that we're hopelessly enslaved to overeating, or we may just think that we have "big bones." I spent a long time and expended a lot of emotional energy blaming other things (pregnancy, returning to the workforce, etc.) for my obesity, and I felt trapped. I remember times at work when I would take a 3rd or 4th doughnut or muffin and surreptitiously eat it in the bathroom, feeling shame while at the same time excusing myself by rationalizing that I obviously had an eating disorder and couldn't help myself. (I want to stop here and say that I recognize that there are true eating disorders that need professional intervention and I'm not for a second minimizing them here. I didn't have a true eating disorder and just threw out that excuse at the time because I was trying to ease my own guilt.) The truth was that it was a choice I made - every time.
That was actually GOOD news, because it meant that when I was ready to make a different choice, I was able to do that. There came a day when, with God's help, I made the decision to get healthy. Because I wanted that more than I wanted the food, I was able to make different choices. I was able to use the brain God gave me and put my feet on a different path, in a new direction. I don't want to sound like this was easy, because it certainly wasn't, but it WAS possible. It's possible for you, too, if you make the choice to change.
Choose wisely :-)
This is from the great writer and philosopher, Dr. Seuss :-). He had a remarkable gift of putting great thoughts into simple, fun verse, but sometimes profound thoughts come wrapped in simple packages.
We DO have a brain in our head and we DO have feet in our shoes; we really CAN steer ourselves in any direction we choose! We may not believe that we have the ability to steer our lives in a different direction, but we can do just that if we decide that's what we really want to do. So often we tend to view ourselves as hapless, helpless victims - particularly when it comes to battling our weight.
We blame our genetics, we blame our childhood, we blame our spouses or our boss. We may feel that we're hopelessly enslaved to overeating, or we may just think that we have "big bones." I spent a long time and expended a lot of emotional energy blaming other things (pregnancy, returning to the workforce, etc.) for my obesity, and I felt trapped. I remember times at work when I would take a 3rd or 4th doughnut or muffin and surreptitiously eat it in the bathroom, feeling shame while at the same time excusing myself by rationalizing that I obviously had an eating disorder and couldn't help myself. (I want to stop here and say that I recognize that there are true eating disorders that need professional intervention and I'm not for a second minimizing them here. I didn't have a true eating disorder and just threw out that excuse at the time because I was trying to ease my own guilt.) The truth was that it was a choice I made - every time.
That was actually GOOD news, because it meant that when I was ready to make a different choice, I was able to do that. There came a day when, with God's help, I made the decision to get healthy. Because I wanted that more than I wanted the food, I was able to make different choices. I was able to use the brain God gave me and put my feet on a different path, in a new direction. I don't want to sound like this was easy, because it certainly wasn't, but it WAS possible. It's possible for you, too, if you make the choice to change.
Choose wisely :-)
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
Too Busy to NOT Eat Healthy!
Happy Wednesday everyone! I have a jam-packed schedule today - it's all good, but it will be a very busy day! I've planned out my meals for the day, however, so the busy schedule won't result in sludge eating :-).
It can be hard to stay focused and stay on plan when things are busy, and if we don't plan accordingly, busy days, accompanied by their own level of stress, make us incredibly vulnerable to off-plan eating. I'm not sure why it is, but put me into a hectic, stressful day and I can almost guarantee that there will be the wrong kind of food lurking around every corner. I don't kid myself, either. If I haven't planned, if I don't have everything I need with me, it's very easy to rationalize and grab the nearest food - and the nearest food-of-choice will be something loaded with white flour, white sugar and fat.
But eating those things won't keep me moving in the direction I want to go, and I'm in pursuit of optimal health. Even though they taste good for a nano-second, I know that those several hundred calories beckoning me won't provide any nutrition and that an hour or so after eating it I'll get a very predictable blood sugar drop. And not feeling my best won't help me get through this busy day!
So I've planned for today because I'm choosing health. I have the food ready that I'll need because I am also choosing convenience.
Those are my choices today - what are your choices? Is this a busy day for you? Are you ready for it? Is this a day with a lot of free time? Are you ready for that? Regardless of what's on your calendar for today, it's a good day to move forward, and you'll do that one choice at a time. Choose wisely :-)
It can be hard to stay focused and stay on plan when things are busy, and if we don't plan accordingly, busy days, accompanied by their own level of stress, make us incredibly vulnerable to off-plan eating. I'm not sure why it is, but put me into a hectic, stressful day and I can almost guarantee that there will be the wrong kind of food lurking around every corner. I don't kid myself, either. If I haven't planned, if I don't have everything I need with me, it's very easy to rationalize and grab the nearest food - and the nearest food-of-choice will be something loaded with white flour, white sugar and fat.
But eating those things won't keep me moving in the direction I want to go, and I'm in pursuit of optimal health. Even though they taste good for a nano-second, I know that those several hundred calories beckoning me won't provide any nutrition and that an hour or so after eating it I'll get a very predictable blood sugar drop. And not feeling my best won't help me get through this busy day!
So I've planned for today because I'm choosing health. I have the food ready that I'll need because I am also choosing convenience.
Those are my choices today - what are your choices? Is this a busy day for you? Are you ready for it? Is this a day with a lot of free time? Are you ready for that? Regardless of what's on your calendar for today, it's a good day to move forward, and you'll do that one choice at a time. Choose wisely :-)
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
How to Avoid the Energy Drain
Staying on plan is a lot of work. There's no getting around it. Opening packets isn't hard, but being surrounded by the ever-present temptations IS hard and it takes constant focus to avoid them. That focus can be exhausting sometimes.
That's true, but did you know that it's even more exhausting to give in to temptation and go off plan?
I recently read that it takes as much energy to avoid a task as it does to do it; procrastination saps energy while completion gives relief.
This was certainly true for me. I cheated miserably on every other program I'd ever been on until I started on 5&1, and the energy I spent cheating really was exhausting and demoralizing. The internal struggle pre and post cheat went something like this: "That really looks good and I want it. I know I'm not supposed to have it, but it really looks good and I'm hungry/tired/stressed and I deserve it. I shouldn't have it . . . I really shouldn't have it. OK, I'll just have a bite. Well, maybe half won't be too bad . . . Ugh, I ate the whole thing. Since I ate one, I'll eat the other one so I won't be tempted anymore . . . Well, I really blew it. How could I be so stupid and weak? I don't even feel good - I ate way too much. I'm never going to lose weight. Why do I even try? I wish I hadn't eaten the stupid thing - it wasn't worth it."
That cycle was repeated over and over again, and it was emotionally exhausting. Every time the cycle was repeated, I felt more demoralized and defeated and reaching a healthy weight seemed just a little further away. Talk about an energy drain!
Contrast that with the energy involved in staying on plan: "That really looks good and I want it. But I also really want to get to a healthy weight and I want that more than I want the food. I can have that if I want, but I am choosing to not eat that right now because it won't get me where I want to go . . . Wow, I did it - I didn't cheat. Whew! I really did it - that feels great!" Instead of feeling emotionally drained, this scenario energizes you - it really does!
I remember really struggling at times to stay on plan and there were a few times when I almost caved. The internal dialogue was certainly more extended than the example listed above. However, there was SUCH a feeling of relief when I walked away - I was flooded with relief and joy once the temptation had passed. The realization that I really could stay on plan gave me hope that I would eventually reach my goal and it also strengthened my "no thank you muscle" for the next inevitable temptation. Knowing that I'd resisted once made it just a bit easier to resist the next time, and that next time made it even easier to resist the time after that.
So how are you going to spend your energy today? It all depends on the choices you make, so choose wisely :-)
That's true, but did you know that it's even more exhausting to give in to temptation and go off plan?
I recently read that it takes as much energy to avoid a task as it does to do it; procrastination saps energy while completion gives relief.
This was certainly true for me. I cheated miserably on every other program I'd ever been on until I started on 5&1, and the energy I spent cheating really was exhausting and demoralizing. The internal struggle pre and post cheat went something like this: "That really looks good and I want it. I know I'm not supposed to have it, but it really looks good and I'm hungry/tired/stressed and I deserve it. I shouldn't have it . . . I really shouldn't have it. OK, I'll just have a bite. Well, maybe half won't be too bad . . . Ugh, I ate the whole thing. Since I ate one, I'll eat the other one so I won't be tempted anymore . . . Well, I really blew it. How could I be so stupid and weak? I don't even feel good - I ate way too much. I'm never going to lose weight. Why do I even try? I wish I hadn't eaten the stupid thing - it wasn't worth it."
That cycle was repeated over and over again, and it was emotionally exhausting. Every time the cycle was repeated, I felt more demoralized and defeated and reaching a healthy weight seemed just a little further away. Talk about an energy drain!
Contrast that with the energy involved in staying on plan: "That really looks good and I want it. But I also really want to get to a healthy weight and I want that more than I want the food. I can have that if I want, but I am choosing to not eat that right now because it won't get me where I want to go . . . Wow, I did it - I didn't cheat. Whew! I really did it - that feels great!" Instead of feeling emotionally drained, this scenario energizes you - it really does!
I remember really struggling at times to stay on plan and there were a few times when I almost caved. The internal dialogue was certainly more extended than the example listed above. However, there was SUCH a feeling of relief when I walked away - I was flooded with relief and joy once the temptation had passed. The realization that I really could stay on plan gave me hope that I would eventually reach my goal and it also strengthened my "no thank you muscle" for the next inevitable temptation. Knowing that I'd resisted once made it just a bit easier to resist the next time, and that next time made it even easier to resist the time after that.
So how are you going to spend your energy today? It all depends on the choices you make, so choose wisely :-)
Monday, November 7, 2011
Don't Forget Your Zzz's
We turned the clocks back this past weekend, which means we had the opportunity to get an extra hour of sleep. Did you take advantage of that?
Did you know that sleep, or the lack of sleep, has a dramatic impact on your health, including your weight? Along with poor diet and inactivity, poor sleep is a major contributor to living in an unhealthy state.
In his book, Dr. A's Habits of Health, Dr. Andersen, Take Shape for Life's co-founder and Medical Director, writes that getting too little sleep disturbs appetite regulation, giving sleep deficiency the potential to be a major factor in obesity. He cites research on 28,000 adults and 15,000 children which showed that less sleep almost doubled the risk of obesity, even in children as young as five. Dr. Andersen explains that when we're sleep-deprived, our body secretes excess ghrelin, a hormone that increases appetite, and less leptin, a substance that tells us to stop eating. Lack of sleep also prevents our bodies from replacing dopamine and serotonin, two brain chemicals that bring comfort and satisfaction. Guess what? If we're low in those two brain chemicals, we will crave sugar and other high-calorie foods.
And we thought getting healthy was just eating right and moving our bodies!
In our fast-pace society, sleep is something we're tempted to compromise. When I worked full-time, I rarely got more than 6 hours of sleep a night because I stayed up too late and then had to get up for work. It wasn't until I went back to work that the weight really piled on, and while I blamed it on inactivity, sitting in front of a computer all day instead of being a busy stay-at-home mom, I now realize that my chronic sleep deprivation may have played a part as well.
We need between 7 and 8 hours of sleep every night. If we aren't getting that, we are not only compromising out health (Dr. Andersen also writes about the link between lack of sleep and increased inflammation and a higher risk of cardiovascular incidents, anxiety and depression), but we may be making it harder to stay on plan and get to a healthy weight.
So as you are making other choices about your health today, what you're going to eat and how you're going to move, what about what time you're going to go to bed? That's another habit of health to develop as you continue your journey! Getting healthy requires a series of choices that, working together, will enable us to create optimal health in our lives. Choose wisely :-)
Did you know that sleep, or the lack of sleep, has a dramatic impact on your health, including your weight? Along with poor diet and inactivity, poor sleep is a major contributor to living in an unhealthy state.
In his book, Dr. A's Habits of Health, Dr. Andersen, Take Shape for Life's co-founder and Medical Director, writes that getting too little sleep disturbs appetite regulation, giving sleep deficiency the potential to be a major factor in obesity. He cites research on 28,000 adults and 15,000 children which showed that less sleep almost doubled the risk of obesity, even in children as young as five. Dr. Andersen explains that when we're sleep-deprived, our body secretes excess ghrelin, a hormone that increases appetite, and less leptin, a substance that tells us to stop eating. Lack of sleep also prevents our bodies from replacing dopamine and serotonin, two brain chemicals that bring comfort and satisfaction. Guess what? If we're low in those two brain chemicals, we will crave sugar and other high-calorie foods.
And we thought getting healthy was just eating right and moving our bodies!
In our fast-pace society, sleep is something we're tempted to compromise. When I worked full-time, I rarely got more than 6 hours of sleep a night because I stayed up too late and then had to get up for work. It wasn't until I went back to work that the weight really piled on, and while I blamed it on inactivity, sitting in front of a computer all day instead of being a busy stay-at-home mom, I now realize that my chronic sleep deprivation may have played a part as well.
We need between 7 and 8 hours of sleep every night. If we aren't getting that, we are not only compromising out health (Dr. Andersen also writes about the link between lack of sleep and increased inflammation and a higher risk of cardiovascular incidents, anxiety and depression), but we may be making it harder to stay on plan and get to a healthy weight.
So as you are making other choices about your health today, what you're going to eat and how you're going to move, what about what time you're going to go to bed? That's another habit of health to develop as you continue your journey! Getting healthy requires a series of choices that, working together, will enable us to create optimal health in our lives. Choose wisely :-)
Sunday, November 6, 2011
Decisions . . . Decisions
"The craving you had for an hour or the body you've wanted for a lifetime - you get to choose."
It really does come down to what we choose, and we will make that choices, and the choices that support that choice, based on what it is that we really want.
Many of us want BOTH the craving we had for an hour AND the body (and the health!) we've wanted for a lifetime. We don't want to choose - we want them both, at the same time. But that's not possible. There may be a few people blessed with a killer metabolism that allows them to eat anything they want and still be thin, but the fact that you're reading this blog is probably an indication that you don't have one of those killer metabolisms - and neither do I. And the reality is that if those rare individuals with killer metabolisms are eating junk all day, they may be thin but still not healthy and may well be on a path to disease.
Every day we have to make choices that will either bring us to a healthy weight and a healthier body or make choices that will lead us down a very different path. That other path is the one that many of us have been on for years, perhaps decades. It is a well-worn path that's been made smooth by the number of times we've been down it. It's an easy path to walk because it's so familiar . . . the problem is that it's taken us to a place we didn't want to be and leads to an even less desirable place if we continue.
Being on a journey to a healthier body isn't easy. The path is a new one for many, and for others it's a path we haven't been on in years. It's a bumpy path with pitfalls and temptations threatening us at every turn. Sometimes it feels too hard and we can question whether it's going to be worth it, especially when the next temptation is staring us in the face.
It's at those times that it's important to take a step back, take a deep breath and ask - for the hundredth time if necessary - what is it that you REALLY want? You will make the choices that support what you want.
You get to choose . . . choose wisely :-)
It really does come down to what we choose, and we will make that choices, and the choices that support that choice, based on what it is that we really want.
Many of us want BOTH the craving we had for an hour AND the body (and the health!) we've wanted for a lifetime. We don't want to choose - we want them both, at the same time. But that's not possible. There may be a few people blessed with a killer metabolism that allows them to eat anything they want and still be thin, but the fact that you're reading this blog is probably an indication that you don't have one of those killer metabolisms - and neither do I. And the reality is that if those rare individuals with killer metabolisms are eating junk all day, they may be thin but still not healthy and may well be on a path to disease.
Every day we have to make choices that will either bring us to a healthy weight and a healthier body or make choices that will lead us down a very different path. That other path is the one that many of us have been on for years, perhaps decades. It is a well-worn path that's been made smooth by the number of times we've been down it. It's an easy path to walk because it's so familiar . . . the problem is that it's taken us to a place we didn't want to be and leads to an even less desirable place if we continue.
Being on a journey to a healthier body isn't easy. The path is a new one for many, and for others it's a path we haven't been on in years. It's a bumpy path with pitfalls and temptations threatening us at every turn. Sometimes it feels too hard and we can question whether it's going to be worth it, especially when the next temptation is staring us in the face.
It's at those times that it's important to take a step back, take a deep breath and ask - for the hundredth time if necessary - what is it that you REALLY want? You will make the choices that support what you want.
You get to choose . . . choose wisely :-)
Friday, November 4, 2011
Staying in the Game
Yesterday I wrote about not quitting half-way through the game. I know that's easier said than done! How do you keep going when you just want to be done?
First of all, I understand completely that feeling. I got tired of eating the food and I got tired of not eating so many other things. It took me two days short of 11 months to reach my goal and while the months went fast, especially as I look back, there were some mighty long days! It wasn't always fun.
I remember that about four months into the program I started questioning how long I would be on plan. It was just before Thanksgiving and I had 26 people coming to my house for dinner that year, so I knew that I'd be doing a lot of cooking and baking. I'd made really good progress with my weight loss and had dropped several sizes, so I was in a much better place than I'd been when I started the plan that June. I toyed with taking a small break to really enjoy Thanksgiving dinner and I also considered taking a break between Thanksgiving and New Years and then starting in again on January 2.
I considered this, but I didn't do it. In fact, I stayed on plan through the holidays and lost 18 pounds between Thanksgiving and New Year's Day. When I reached New Year's Day, I didn't know that it would be over 5-1/2 more months until I reached my goal, but I was really happy that I'd continued to make progress through what is admittedly the toughest time of the year.
So how and why did I do that? Again, it wasn't easy, but I stayed on plan because I knew that what I wanted most was to get to a healthy weight and get on with the rest of my life, and I wanted it more than I wanted the food. I really, really wanted the food - don't get me wrong - but I wanted something else even more.
Chapter 3 of Dr. A's Habits of Health is entitled, "Motivation for Change." He describes a typical and very predictable pattern that most of us will recognize from our past dieting experiences, a pattern based on wanting to change to fix a problem. Here's the pattern:
1. Emotional conflict leads you to act
2. Because you've acted, you feel better - even if the situation hasn't changed much
3. Feeling better takes the pressure off, lessening the emotional conflict
4. Less emotional conflict means there's less reason to continue doing the things that reduced the conflict in the first place
5. Since you feel better, you no longer feel a pressing need to follow through on your actions.
6. And the original behavior returns.
That is how we've ended up in a yo-yo dieting pattern, losing and gaining, losing and gaining over the years. If we are focused on fixing a problem (being overweight and/or unhealthy), the upcoming holiday season is a dangerous one. If you've been on plan for any length of time, you DO look and feel better, no doubt about it. That's why it's important to take a deep breath and focus - focus hard - on what it is that you really want.
I've been talking about the holidays, but this is true regardless of what time of year it is. Life continues to happen and anytime life happens, there is always food . . . always. If we're focused on what we want, and if we're honest with ourselves about what it is that we most want, we will make the secondary choices that support that fundamental choice.
Four years ago, I knew that what I wanted most was to get to a healthy weight. I made some hard choices, but those choices supported what I most wanted. There are no regrets!
What do you really want today? Identify what it is that you want, focus on it, then choose wisely :-)
First of all, I understand completely that feeling. I got tired of eating the food and I got tired of not eating so many other things. It took me two days short of 11 months to reach my goal and while the months went fast, especially as I look back, there were some mighty long days! It wasn't always fun.
I remember that about four months into the program I started questioning how long I would be on plan. It was just before Thanksgiving and I had 26 people coming to my house for dinner that year, so I knew that I'd be doing a lot of cooking and baking. I'd made really good progress with my weight loss and had dropped several sizes, so I was in a much better place than I'd been when I started the plan that June. I toyed with taking a small break to really enjoy Thanksgiving dinner and I also considered taking a break between Thanksgiving and New Years and then starting in again on January 2.
I considered this, but I didn't do it. In fact, I stayed on plan through the holidays and lost 18 pounds between Thanksgiving and New Year's Day. When I reached New Year's Day, I didn't know that it would be over 5-1/2 more months until I reached my goal, but I was really happy that I'd continued to make progress through what is admittedly the toughest time of the year.
So how and why did I do that? Again, it wasn't easy, but I stayed on plan because I knew that what I wanted most was to get to a healthy weight and get on with the rest of my life, and I wanted it more than I wanted the food. I really, really wanted the food - don't get me wrong - but I wanted something else even more.
Chapter 3 of Dr. A's Habits of Health is entitled, "Motivation for Change." He describes a typical and very predictable pattern that most of us will recognize from our past dieting experiences, a pattern based on wanting to change to fix a problem. Here's the pattern:
1. Emotional conflict leads you to act
2. Because you've acted, you feel better - even if the situation hasn't changed much
3. Feeling better takes the pressure off, lessening the emotional conflict
4. Less emotional conflict means there's less reason to continue doing the things that reduced the conflict in the first place
5. Since you feel better, you no longer feel a pressing need to follow through on your actions.
6. And the original behavior returns.
That is how we've ended up in a yo-yo dieting pattern, losing and gaining, losing and gaining over the years. If we are focused on fixing a problem (being overweight and/or unhealthy), the upcoming holiday season is a dangerous one. If you've been on plan for any length of time, you DO look and feel better, no doubt about it. That's why it's important to take a deep breath and focus - focus hard - on what it is that you really want.
I've been talking about the holidays, but this is true regardless of what time of year it is. Life continues to happen and anytime life happens, there is always food . . . always. If we're focused on what we want, and if we're honest with ourselves about what it is that we most want, we will make the secondary choices that support that fundamental choice.
Four years ago, I knew that what I wanted most was to get to a healthy weight. I made some hard choices, but those choices supported what I most wanted. There are no regrets!
What do you really want today? Identify what it is that you want, focus on it, then choose wisely :-)
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
Changing Priorities
"When our old priorities don't go with our new life, we either return to our old life or adopt new priorities."
My old priorities as they related to food and my health were WAY off. I was very much focused on instant gratification and only gave a passing nod to the idea that what I was putting in my mouth today could negatively impact me tomorrow. I was certainly aware of the dangers of obesity, but I always had VERY good intentions to "start being good tomorrow." I can't tell you how many "last suppers" I've had in my life as I tried to eat up all of the "bad food" before starting on the next sure-thing diet. I knew that exercise was important, and I could give a pretty good list of all of the reasons why, but there was never time to exercise today - but I'd promise myself that I'd get started tomorrow. My priorities were pretty much on the here and now, and "tomorrow" never showed up on my calendar. Every day was only "today."
To this day, it amazes me that God led me to the right program at the right time, knowing that I was finally - FINALLY - ready to make permanent changes in my life. I didn't even realize it at the time, and that the thought that I could really make permanent, positive changes seemed impossible.
However, June 24, 2007 was the beginning of what has truly been a life-changing journey, and, with God's help, I have made permanent changes in my life. I know I can never return to that old life, so I've been forced to adopt some new priorities. Many of these priorities flow out of my primary choice/ secondary choice philosophy (are you tired of hearing about this yet?).
Some of my priorities - my most important priorities - remain unchanged: my faith and my family. However, other priorities have been rearranged because being healthy is now one of my new, permanent priorities - a primary choice.
According to the statistics, 85% (or more) of people who lose weight end up gaining it all back, plus some, within two years. I can't help but wonder if many of these people return to their old, overweight life because they never changed their priorities.
Priorities don't automatically change. They only change as we choose to change them. It's never an easy task, but if we don't change our priorities to support our new, healthy life, sooner or later we'll find ourselves in a place we vowed we'd never see again.
Changing priorities happens one day at a time, one choice at a time. What choice are you making today? Choose wisely :-)
My old priorities as they related to food and my health were WAY off. I was very much focused on instant gratification and only gave a passing nod to the idea that what I was putting in my mouth today could negatively impact me tomorrow. I was certainly aware of the dangers of obesity, but I always had VERY good intentions to "start being good tomorrow." I can't tell you how many "last suppers" I've had in my life as I tried to eat up all of the "bad food" before starting on the next sure-thing diet. I knew that exercise was important, and I could give a pretty good list of all of the reasons why, but there was never time to exercise today - but I'd promise myself that I'd get started tomorrow. My priorities were pretty much on the here and now, and "tomorrow" never showed up on my calendar. Every day was only "today."
To this day, it amazes me that God led me to the right program at the right time, knowing that I was finally - FINALLY - ready to make permanent changes in my life. I didn't even realize it at the time, and that the thought that I could really make permanent, positive changes seemed impossible.
However, June 24, 2007 was the beginning of what has truly been a life-changing journey, and, with God's help, I have made permanent changes in my life. I know I can never return to that old life, so I've been forced to adopt some new priorities. Many of these priorities flow out of my primary choice/ secondary choice philosophy (are you tired of hearing about this yet?).
Some of my priorities - my most important priorities - remain unchanged: my faith and my family. However, other priorities have been rearranged because being healthy is now one of my new, permanent priorities - a primary choice.
According to the statistics, 85% (or more) of people who lose weight end up gaining it all back, plus some, within two years. I can't help but wonder if many of these people return to their old, overweight life because they never changed their priorities.
Priorities don't automatically change. They only change as we choose to change them. It's never an easy task, but if we don't change our priorities to support our new, healthy life, sooner or later we'll find ourselves in a place we vowed we'd never see again.
Changing priorities happens one day at a time, one choice at a time. What choice are you making today? Choose wisely :-)
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Setting - and Reaching - Weight Loss Goals
Welcome to November! I am in disbelief as I type "November" - how did we get here so fast? Are you starting November where you'd hoped to be, or is your weight loss lagging behind your projections? For many of you, you knew where you hoped you'd be by the holidays and based on what the scale is saying, the reality is hitting that you may not be exactly where you wanted to be. If that just described you, the question is, what now?
For a variety of reasons, I'm not a proponent of attaching dates to weight loss goals. We simply can't control how fast we release the weight and the scale can be maddening at times; all we can really control is whether or not we choose to stay on program. That said, I DO understanding wanting to hit milestones.
When I was on 5&1, I set up a spreadsheet that projected when I'd reach my goal if I averaged 2 pound losses each week. Each week as I logged my weight loss for the week, the spreadsheet would update. I had a lot of 1 pound weeks and I had three separate weeks when I didn't lose a thing, even though I stayed on plan. I saw my projected goal date repeatedly change. I'll be honest and let you know that my heart sank a bit when I saw my anticipated goal date extended. However, I realized that I was still further ahead than if I hadn't stayed on plan.
Each day that you stay on plan, you are one day closer to your goal. Regardless of how fast the scale is moving, changes ARE happening and you ARE moving in the right direction. You WILL reach your goal - I promise :-).
So if November doesn't find you where you'd hoped you'd be, that's OK. You're getting there, one day, one meal and one choice at a time. Choose wisely :-)
For a variety of reasons, I'm not a proponent of attaching dates to weight loss goals. We simply can't control how fast we release the weight and the scale can be maddening at times; all we can really control is whether or not we choose to stay on program. That said, I DO understanding wanting to hit milestones.
When I was on 5&1, I set up a spreadsheet that projected when I'd reach my goal if I averaged 2 pound losses each week. Each week as I logged my weight loss for the week, the spreadsheet would update. I had a lot of 1 pound weeks and I had three separate weeks when I didn't lose a thing, even though I stayed on plan. I saw my projected goal date repeatedly change. I'll be honest and let you know that my heart sank a bit when I saw my anticipated goal date extended. However, I realized that I was still further ahead than if I hadn't stayed on plan.
Each day that you stay on plan, you are one day closer to your goal. Regardless of how fast the scale is moving, changes ARE happening and you ARE moving in the right direction. You WILL reach your goal - I promise :-).
So if November doesn't find you where you'd hoped you'd be, that's OK. You're getting there, one day, one meal and one choice at a time. Choose wisely :-)
Monday, October 31, 2011
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