Sometimes staying on plan can be as basic as the following scenario:
Wake up: Make decision to eat 1st Medifast Meal within 1 hour of waking. Then do it.
Drink 15 ounces of water.2-3 hours later: Make decision to eat next Medifast Meal. Then do it.
Drink 15 ounces of water.
2-3 hours later: Make decision to eat properly weighed and measured Lean and Green Meal with the appropriate number of healthy fats added. Then do it.
Drink 15 ounces of water.
2-3 hours later: Make decision to eat next Medifast Meal. Then do it.
Drink 15 ounces of water.
2-3 hours later: Make decision to eat next Medifast Meal. Then do it.
Drink 15 ounces of water.
2-3 hours later: Make decision to eat next Medifast Meal. Then do it.
Drink 15 ounces of water.
This is the dynamics of the plan, and if we can manage to have our Medifast routine running in the background (like a constantly cycling computer program) while we fully live our lives in the foreground, then we aren't missing out on ANYTHING, but we ARE creating something amazing in our lives. One decision at a time.
Happy Medifasting! Rinse and Repeat!
Wednesday, December 26, 2012
Thursday, December 13, 2012
You CAN do this, but only YOU can do this!
This was a brand new concept for me when I learned it, but it has changed my life.
Ever feel like the cards are just stacked against you? Ever feel like everyone in the office is out to sabotage your weight loss efforts? Ever feel like your MIL made that lasagna out of spite, that she doesn't want you to succeed? Ever feel like your cat who just hurled a big juicy one on the kitchen counter where you make your morning shake is determined to see you fail?
Well, I have one concept for you to remember which will especially come in handy for the next 3 weeks of seemingly endless office potlucks, open houses, and family get-togethers.
Are you ready for it? Well it's in the title so I already gave it away.
You CAN do this, but only YOU can do this. It isn't your co-workers responsibility to throw down rose petals in front of you as you walk, or stop making microwave popcorn on the break because it might throw YOU over the edge. It isn't your MIL's intent (well maybe it is, but you don't have to let on that you are aware of it) to sabotage your weight loss efforts, and even if it IS, isn't the best response to get healthy anyway? Your cat is just your cat, and is disinterested at best. =)
So let me ask you, are you at the point yet where you are realizing that this journey is up to NO ONE BUT YOU? That YOU determine how you will act today? And that your body will respond to what you put into it today, whether it be a perfectly 100% On Plan Day or whether you throw yourself under the bus before lunch with those Starbucks Cake Pops? Yeah I'm talking to YOU LOL.
And I'm talking to myself also. I am going on a cruise this next week, and I have planned to set myself up for success. I already know that wine is my weakness, I already know that chocolate mousse has the power IF I ALLOW IT THAT POWER, to charm me right over the edge. I could blame it on the waiter for asking. I could blame it on the menu for listing it. I could even blame my sweet Father, who is taking my sister's family and my family on this wonderful cruise, and say he is really out to get me. Sure, I could do all of that. But at the end of the day, my success depends solely on the decision I am willing to make at any particular moment.
No one is duct taping me to a chair and forcing me at gunpoint to say "I'd like a glass of house red please". Not one person. Well, I could argue that my inner brat has secretively been taking target practice lessons without my knowledge, she does seem to get smarter every day, but no. I digress. My point here is that no matter what happens to ANY of us over the next 3 weeks, it is our responsibility and ONLY our responsibility to make our OWN decisions.
So, come January 1st, what will you be able to say? Will you say "I did it!" and be down 5-10 pounds from where you are right now?
Or will you be one of the ones who say "Blah blah blah stressful blah blah blah my sister blah blah blah my MIL blah blah blah stupid cat blah blah blah wine blah blah blah office party couldn't offend blah blah blah no one knows I'm on Medifast blah blah blah couldn't blow my cover blah blah blah?"
Cuz you know it is only YOU who can do this. You do know that, right?
(And just one more afterthought....if no one knows you are on Medifast then you may as well NOT lose weight. So you are kind of shooting yourself in the foot there.)
Happy Medifasting!
Ever feel like the cards are just stacked against you? Ever feel like everyone in the office is out to sabotage your weight loss efforts? Ever feel like your MIL made that lasagna out of spite, that she doesn't want you to succeed? Ever feel like your cat who just hurled a big juicy one on the kitchen counter where you make your morning shake is determined to see you fail?
Well, I have one concept for you to remember which will especially come in handy for the next 3 weeks of seemingly endless office potlucks, open houses, and family get-togethers.
Are you ready for it? Well it's in the title so I already gave it away.
You CAN do this, but only YOU can do this. It isn't your co-workers responsibility to throw down rose petals in front of you as you walk, or stop making microwave popcorn on the break because it might throw YOU over the edge. It isn't your MIL's intent (well maybe it is, but you don't have to let on that you are aware of it) to sabotage your weight loss efforts, and even if it IS, isn't the best response to get healthy anyway? Your cat is just your cat, and is disinterested at best. =)
So let me ask you, are you at the point yet where you are realizing that this journey is up to NO ONE BUT YOU? That YOU determine how you will act today? And that your body will respond to what you put into it today, whether it be a perfectly 100% On Plan Day or whether you throw yourself under the bus before lunch with those Starbucks Cake Pops? Yeah I'm talking to YOU LOL.
And I'm talking to myself also. I am going on a cruise this next week, and I have planned to set myself up for success. I already know that wine is my weakness, I already know that chocolate mousse has the power IF I ALLOW IT THAT POWER, to charm me right over the edge. I could blame it on the waiter for asking. I could blame it on the menu for listing it. I could even blame my sweet Father, who is taking my sister's family and my family on this wonderful cruise, and say he is really out to get me. Sure, I could do all of that. But at the end of the day, my success depends solely on the decision I am willing to make at any particular moment.
No one is duct taping me to a chair and forcing me at gunpoint to say "I'd like a glass of house red please". Not one person. Well, I could argue that my inner brat has secretively been taking target practice lessons without my knowledge, she does seem to get smarter every day, but no. I digress. My point here is that no matter what happens to ANY of us over the next 3 weeks, it is our responsibility and ONLY our responsibility to make our OWN decisions.
So, come January 1st, what will you be able to say? Will you say "I did it!" and be down 5-10 pounds from where you are right now?
Or will you be one of the ones who say "Blah blah blah stressful blah blah blah my sister blah blah blah my MIL blah blah blah stupid cat blah blah blah wine blah blah blah office party couldn't offend blah blah blah no one knows I'm on Medifast blah blah blah couldn't blow my cover blah blah blah?"
Cuz you know it is only YOU who can do this. You do know that, right?
(And just one more afterthought....if no one knows you are on Medifast then you may as well NOT lose weight. So you are kind of shooting yourself in the foot there.)
Happy Medifasting!
Thursday, December 6, 2012
We were emotional eaters....
We were emotional eaters.....
Ever wake up and just not feel it? Not be "in" to it? Not be "excited" to do it? Not be "jazzed" about it? Ever wake up and feel...ambivalent about what you will eat today, ambivalent about your Lean and Green?
CONGRATULATIONS!
Why do I say that? Because you are now beginning to understand that this process does NOT have to be an emotional roller coaster in order to work. We don't HAVE to feel all gung-ho and motivated and rah-rah every single day or risk crashing in to the gutter.
We CAN continue to decide, on a rational basis not an emotional one, that we will go about our 5&1 day anyway, no matter whether we "feel" like it or not.
And it is imperative that we do exactly that. Because we were emotional eaters, we don't have to be emotional dieters.
What is an emotional dieter? Someone who only sticks to the plan if they are feeling like it. Tell me, do you consult your feelings when you fill up your car with gas? Do you consult your feelings every morning when you wake up, to determine whether you feel like staying married to your spouse today or not? Do you consult your feelings when you go to brush your teeth? No? Then don't consult your feelings every day regarding whether you will stay on plan. Just stay. On. Plan.
"But my motivation, my resolve, what do I do when it isn't there?"
Simple. You do the plan. Just like any other day. That is, if you desire to achieve your goal of attaining and maintaining a healthy weight. Quit relying on your emotions all the time to determine your action. Emotion actually FOLLOWS action, and sometimes it doesn't. But either way, your fat doesn't care how you feel. Your fat responds to what you do or don't put in to your body. Simple.
So determine with your MIND that this is a commitment, whether or not you are "feeling" it, you chose this. YOU chose this, it wasn't foisted upon you by someone else. So stick with your commitment and do this thing.
Happy Medifasting! Rinse and Repeat!
Friday, November 16, 2012
Tecumseh: Shawnee Chief Warrior
Tecumseh: Shawnee Chief Warrior
"So live your life that the fear of death can never enter your heart. Trouble no one about their religion; respect others in their view, and demand that they respect yours. Love your life, perfect your life, beautify all things in your life. Seek to make your life long and its purpose in the service of your people.
Prepare a noble death song for the day when you go over the great divide. Always give a word or a sign of salute when meeting or passing a friend, even a stranger, when in a lonely place. Show respect to all people and bow to none.
When you arise in the morning, give thanks for the food and for the joy of living. If you see no reason for giving thanks, the fault lies only in yourself. Abuse no one and nothing, for abuse turns the wise ones to fools and robs the spirit of its vision.
When it comes your time to die, be not like those whose hearts are filled with fear of death, so that when their time comes they weep and pray for a little more time to live their lives over again in a different way. Sing your death song and die like a hero going home."
"So live your life that the fear of death can never enter your heart. Trouble no one about their religion; respect others in their view, and demand that they respect yours. Love your life, perfect your life, beautify all things in your life. Seek to make your life long and its purpose in the service of your people.
Prepare a noble death song for the day when you go over the great divide. Always give a word or a sign of salute when meeting or passing a friend, even a stranger, when in a lonely place. Show respect to all people and bow to none.
When you arise in the morning, give thanks for the food and for the joy of living. If you see no reason for giving thanks, the fault lies only in yourself. Abuse no one and nothing, for abuse turns the wise ones to fools and robs the spirit of its vision.
When it comes your time to die, be not like those whose hearts are filled with fear of death, so that when their time comes they weep and pray for a little more time to live their lives over again in a different way. Sing your death song and die like a hero going home."
Thursday, November 15, 2012
Are We The Victim or the Heroine?
Are We The Hero/Heroine or the Victim?
A blog this morning reminded me that our
stories are yet unwritten. That WE determine how the story of our
life, the narrative, will go. WE determine the storyline, the
characters, all of it.So let me ask, are we writing the story of our lives in such a way that it is a great adventure and we are the hero/heroine? Or are we writing the story of our lives in such a way that it is a greek tragedy and we are the victims?
I used to be a victim in my own greek tragedy. 272 pounds, walking with a cane, not able to fit through the turnstiles at Disneyworld. Unable to go on carousels, helicopters, or anything else with a 250 pound weigh limit. I wouldn't have even been able to get an MRI locally if I had needed one. I was the classic victim. Life had taken it's toll on me. And I was listless, and being acted UPON instead of ACTING UPON LIFE.
One day, I decided to write a different ending to my story. I decided it was my choice to do that, so I took myself up on that offer and I DECIDED to believe in myself, and in the power of my decisions. I charted a course, and I have implemented the action steps necessary to get me there.
Fast forward: I am happy. I am my own heroine. I showed up for myself in ways that I could only hope and dream of in the old days. But you see, hopes and dreams are NOT strategies. Hopes and dreams are good places to begin, but if we never put action steps to those hopes and dreams then we will NEVER accomplish any of those things.
So what are your action steps today? You know what mine are?
Have a daily plan and carry it out. Don't let the day act on YOU, YOU act on your day. Make things happen. Write your own ending. Stay on your plan, because one of these days your outsides will match your insides. And YOU will be at your goal, and YOU will be the hero/heroine of your OWN story.
What will you choose?
Friday, August 31, 2012
What's Wrong With This Thinking?
Let's say I have a friend named
Janice who decides to become a writer. Every morning she gets up at
5:00 am to write for 2 hours before work. Every single morning. In six
months, she has written 2 Children's Books, and has begun working on
her Novel. Every morning she gets up and writes. She is a writer.
One morning she fails to get up. Her alarm clock doesn't go off because for one single night she forgets to set it, and she wakes up in a panic at 7:15.
She is devastated. She determines that she must not be a writer after all. She determines that it is all for nothing, she'll never TRULY succeed at writing. She has broken her routine for one day, and throws the towel in, deciding that even though being an author was the most important thing in the world for her, since she has missed a day she may as well give up.
What would you tell this lady? Would you point out how ridiculous it is that she even think that way?
Would you point out the success she's had? The progress she's made? The 24 weeks that she HAS been working diligently towards her goal? She made one mistake. She forgot to set her alarm. That does not change the essence of who she is or what she wants.
And the same thing applies to us. Janice is an example of all-or-nothing thinking as applied to something neutral, something other than food and "dieting" otherwise we would not have recognized the erroneous thinking.
We are Janice, aren't we? With our programs? We have one off day, or one discouraging weigh in, or we make one choice as regards our food intake which doesn't line up with where we said we wanted to go, and we go from having ALL hope to LOSING all hope. We go from SUCCEEDING to DESPAIR.
I'll let you in on a little secret. I used to be an all-or-nothing gal. I was Janice. And I was usually left with nothing.
So I decided that it is more important to continue to decide today, right now, which direction I will head. The fact that I forgot to set my alarm clock and get up at 5:00 yesterday to write doesn't mean I don't want to be a writer, or I won't succeed at being a writer. Yet we tend to ascribe to that way of thinking with our health.
As Epictetus says, "First say what it is you would be. Then do what you have to do."
So forget any lapse of program or judgment you may have made yesterday, or last weekend, or a month ago that you may not have recovered from. Did it deal you a blow? Well, sure it did. But it doesn't have to mean you put the ka-bosh on all of the hopes and dreams you have for yourself as regards your weight, as regards your health, does it?
Does it?
One morning she fails to get up. Her alarm clock doesn't go off because for one single night she forgets to set it, and she wakes up in a panic at 7:15.
She is devastated. She determines that she must not be a writer after all. She determines that it is all for nothing, she'll never TRULY succeed at writing. She has broken her routine for one day, and throws the towel in, deciding that even though being an author was the most important thing in the world for her, since she has missed a day she may as well give up.
What would you tell this lady? Would you point out how ridiculous it is that she even think that way?
Would you point out the success she's had? The progress she's made? The 24 weeks that she HAS been working diligently towards her goal? She made one mistake. She forgot to set her alarm. That does not change the essence of who she is or what she wants.
And the same thing applies to us. Janice is an example of all-or-nothing thinking as applied to something neutral, something other than food and "dieting" otherwise we would not have recognized the erroneous thinking.
We are Janice, aren't we? With our programs? We have one off day, or one discouraging weigh in, or we make one choice as regards our food intake which doesn't line up with where we said we wanted to go, and we go from having ALL hope to LOSING all hope. We go from SUCCEEDING to DESPAIR.
I'll let you in on a little secret. I used to be an all-or-nothing gal. I was Janice. And I was usually left with nothing.
So I decided that it is more important to continue to decide today, right now, which direction I will head. The fact that I forgot to set my alarm clock and get up at 5:00 yesterday to write doesn't mean I don't want to be a writer, or I won't succeed at being a writer. Yet we tend to ascribe to that way of thinking with our health.
As Epictetus says, "First say what it is you would be. Then do what you have to do."
So forget any lapse of program or judgment you may have made yesterday, or last weekend, or a month ago that you may not have recovered from. Did it deal you a blow? Well, sure it did. But it doesn't have to mean you put the ka-bosh on all of the hopes and dreams you have for yourself as regards your weight, as regards your health, does it?
Does it?
Tuesday, August 28, 2012
If You Are Reading This And Feel Like a Failure...
......Then this blog is for you.
I know how you feel. But I want you to know this. It doesn't matter how much weight you have gained back. It is NEVER too late to start again. To make the decision. To grasp on to hope. To try it ONE. MORE. TIME.
If you are going to attempt it, though, you will NEED to get a copy of the book "Dr. A's Habits of Health".
It is the best tool you can have in your arsenal to beat this thing and adopt Healthy Habits which will carry you to your dreams.
I've been where you are. I gained ALL my weight back. All 140 pounds. After white-knuckling it and having a steely resolve for 14 months I had lost 140 pounds. Then my life fell apart and I did not have the coping mechanisms in place to deal with it. So up I went. All of it. +4 more pounds just to add insult to injury.
Then one day I found the courage to try again. So I did. I got the extra support I needed, I bought the book. And I did it.
One day at a time, but it did start with that decision to not treat this as another diet, but instead to make it a way of life.
I see all of the eye-rolls out there, the "Yeah, I've heard that over and over and I don't even GET what you MEAN by saying that! It is so cliche!"
I did not grasp fully what that meant until I made the decision to find out. To read the book. To get rid of my "diet" mentality and shift to small incremental sustainable changes in my day that I could repeat daily for the rest of my life. Moving more. Eating 6 times a day. Eating breakfast, etc.
What I DIDN'T do:
*Kill myself at the gym or start any extreme exercise regimen that I could not sustain for the rest of my life
*Beat myself up if I slipped here or there
*Give up
So be encouraged. If you are lurking on these boards, having lost XXX amount of weight on Medifast, or any other program a year or a few years ago, and wishing you could "get back there" and have that zeal you had the first time FORGET THE ZEAL. I never experienced that "Go get 'em I'm super hyper motivated" feeling the second time....but I still did the work. Because it is the WORK, the DAILY ACTION that gets you there, based on your quiet commitment, based on doing what you said you were going to do. You don't have to be super enthusiastic about it. So don't wait for that feeling. Just rip open a Medifast Meal, if you have a few in your pantry....just open what you have and START. It will work whether you feel like it will or not, provided you do the work. =)
So contact me, let's order your next month of supplies right away, and you can also be on your way. My website is www.healthcoachstacyphillips.tsfl.com and when you order through that site I become your Health Coach! I'll contact you after receiving notice of the order, and we can get going! And don't forget to add Dr. A's Habits of Health in your order. You won't regret it. =)
I know how you feel. But I want you to know this. It doesn't matter how much weight you have gained back. It is NEVER too late to start again. To make the decision. To grasp on to hope. To try it ONE. MORE. TIME.
If you are going to attempt it, though, you will NEED to get a copy of the book "Dr. A's Habits of Health".
It is the best tool you can have in your arsenal to beat this thing and adopt Healthy Habits which will carry you to your dreams.
I've been where you are. I gained ALL my weight back. All 140 pounds. After white-knuckling it and having a steely resolve for 14 months I had lost 140 pounds. Then my life fell apart and I did not have the coping mechanisms in place to deal with it. So up I went. All of it. +4 more pounds just to add insult to injury.
Then one day I found the courage to try again. So I did. I got the extra support I needed, I bought the book. And I did it.
One day at a time, but it did start with that decision to not treat this as another diet, but instead to make it a way of life.
I see all of the eye-rolls out there, the "Yeah, I've heard that over and over and I don't even GET what you MEAN by saying that! It is so cliche!"
I did not grasp fully what that meant until I made the decision to find out. To read the book. To get rid of my "diet" mentality and shift to small incremental sustainable changes in my day that I could repeat daily for the rest of my life. Moving more. Eating 6 times a day. Eating breakfast, etc.
What I DIDN'T do:
*Kill myself at the gym or start any extreme exercise regimen that I could not sustain for the rest of my life
*Beat myself up if I slipped here or there
*Give up
So be encouraged. If you are lurking on these boards, having lost XXX amount of weight on Medifast, or any other program a year or a few years ago, and wishing you could "get back there" and have that zeal you had the first time FORGET THE ZEAL. I never experienced that "Go get 'em I'm super hyper motivated" feeling the second time....but I still did the work. Because it is the WORK, the DAILY ACTION that gets you there, based on your quiet commitment, based on doing what you said you were going to do. You don't have to be super enthusiastic about it. So don't wait for that feeling. Just rip open a Medifast Meal, if you have a few in your pantry....just open what you have and START. It will work whether you feel like it will or not, provided you do the work. =)
So contact me, let's order your next month of supplies right away, and you can also be on your way. My website is www.healthcoachstacyphillips.tsfl.com and when you order through that site I become your Health Coach! I'll contact you after receiving notice of the order, and we can get going! And don't forget to add Dr. A's Habits of Health in your order. You won't regret it. =)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)