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?
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