Where is your Focus?

Part of the challenge of attaining and maintaining a healthy weight is dealing with your thought life.

The first time I did Medifast, back in 06/07 and lost 140 pounds, I white knuckled it all the way to goal.  I was rigid and disciplined.  HOWEVER, I was still OBSESSED with food.  I would buy cookbooks.  I would watch the cooking channel.  I would prepare tasty treats for everyone else, then sit back and admire my own self-discipline. 

I remained FOOD FOCUSED for the entire journey. 

It was a massive lesson in DEPRIVATION.  And I learned that lesson well.  That lesson was that I could not eat what everyone else could eat, and probably never would be able to.  That I could NOT partake in the movie theater popcorn.  That I could NOT have a piece of my own birthday cake.  That I could NOT have that signature piece of cheesecake from The Cheesecake Factory.  Until, maybe, maintenance and THEN what excited me about maintenance was that I WOULD be able to have an occasional piece of SOMETHING or other.  And THAT would make me happy.

Food.  Centric.  To. The. Core.

The first time I did the plan, those were my thoughts.  And guess what? 

I gained ALL of my 140 pounds back within 12 months of reaching my goal.

Does that scare you?  I don't mean it to, what I DO mean to do is to juxtapose my mentality the FIRST time with my mentality my SECOND AND LAST TIME, because my thought life was SO DIFFERENT the second time around.

How so?  Health.  The first time I did the plan I was focused on food.  The second time I did the plan, I did it with Take Shape For Life and I was focused on HEALTH.

I trained myself INTENTIONALLY to focus on what I wanted to CREATE with this process the second time, NOT what I was having to DEPRIVE myself of.

I did it mindfully.  I did it by reading Dr. A's Habits of Health.  I maintain my weight by CONTINUING to read Dr. A's Habits of Health, and staying connected with my Health Coach.  Yes, I call her every single week.  I did it by deciding NOT to watch the Food Network or the Cooking Channel anymore.  I gave away all my cookbooks that were not health-oriented.  Yes I did.  Even my "Cake Bible".  Extreme?  No, it was a lightening of my load.  I was unloading that life.  I didn't need it anymore.  I didn't need the "Ben & Jerry Ice Cream Cookbook" anymore, or the "International Cookie Cookbook".  I didn't need "Southern Cooking" or "A course in Candy Making". 
What I am saying is this:
If we don't take the time to develop a fit and healthy  mind then this will be just an exercise in futility that we will likely have to repeat.  Again, and again, and again.  But there IS hope to break that oscillating pattern.  But you don't just "fall" into it, you develop it.

So what are YOU creating with this process?  What healthy habits are YOU introducing into your life incrementally, then MASTERING them?  Do you even HAVE Dr. A's Habits of Health?  Or are you "doin' fine, don't need it?" 

Where is your focus?  Because where your heart is, there your treasure is.

Is food your treasure?  Is your stomach the most important organ in your body?  Are all of your thoughts guided by your stomach? 

Or is health your treasure?  Is your most important organ your brain?  Who is driving the bus?  Who is in control?