Thursday, November 5, 2015
Friday, October 2, 2015
Do you sometimes feel like this couple on the couch? Hearing the latest "revelation" of what is NOW good for you that was BAD for you just YESTERDAY? Coffee is bad for you. No, Coffee is now GOOD for you. Butter is bad for you and margarine is best. No, margarine has trans-fats in causes cancer. Chocolate is good for you but it has to be at least 80% dark to have any benefits. Wine is good for you because of resveratrol so pop this resveratrol pill instead. No, apparently resveratrol pills alone don't have the same effect as the substance does when taken whole with the wine. WHAT is a PERSON to BELIEVE?!? Remember that I'm here to help you get through all the bunk and create the health you want, without having to spend every hour obsessing over what you'll eat next, without the incessant planning, shopping, preparing, who has time for all of that? Our program is clinically proven, and time tested for ACTUAL results. It was developed by Cardiologists from Johns Hopkins University, which is a teaching and research university, and has stood the test of time! We've been around for about 30 years and have been recommended by over 20,000 physicians nationwide. Don't SIMPLY trust the "internet" for your health news. You want a professional in your corner. That professional is me. That's my advice of the day.
I read a great perspective on health today by Kate Skinner, an Australian Dietitian.
"For every good study, there are at least 10 pretty mediocre ones – poorly planned, with uncontrolled variables, small cohort, observational, commercially swayed, etc. For each one of these, there’s dozens of sensationalized media headlines that further compound the confusion. One study that correlates dietary animal fats with heart disease incidence might just as well equate wearing blue jeans with ill health by the same tunnel-visioned logic. The thing is, there’s a million other uncontrolled variables at play. Correlation does not equal causation.
Most health ‘recommendations’ don’t solely have the interests of the individual at heart, or even hard science, for that matter. There tend to be other competing factors involved – marketing, profit, popularity, maintaining current opinions, etc. it’s worth keeping this in mind when you’re evaluating the latest ‘detox’ program, supplement, fitness regime or popular diet – consider where the information is coming from and why, and question accordingly.
The same goes for food labeling. A “gluten-free”/”organic”/”natural” sticker doesn’t necessarily correlate with any increased nutritional benefit of attached food products (although such labels seem to align proportionally with cost, as a rule).The same applies to foods and products touted as “wholegrain”/ “low-GI”/“low-fat”/“sugar-free”/ “vegetable-based”/“Heart Foundation approved” – don’t make the mistake of assuming these terms are synonymous with what’s best for your body. I have seen “health” foods and products, in popular health food shops and aisles, that are some of the worst offenders out there. Generally, the most optimal foods don’t need fancy health claims.
The same goes for food labeling. A “gluten-free”/”organic”/”natural” sticker doesn’t necessarily correlate with any increased nutritional benefit of attached food products (although such labels seem to align proportionally with cost, as a rule).The same applies to foods and products touted as “wholegrain”/ “low-GI”/“low-fat”/“sugar-free”/ “vegetable-based”/“Heart Foundation approved” – don’t make the mistake of assuming these terms are synonymous with what’s best for your body. I have seen “health” foods and products, in popular health food shops and aisles, that are some of the worst offenders out there. Generally, the most optimal foods don’t need fancy health claims.
Really want to jump on the ‘detox’ bandwagon? Educate yourself about how your liver functions to naturally ‘detoxify’ the body each and every day, without the need for some wacky cleansing routine (besides, going on a ‘detox’ suggests an initial ‘tox’ or post-detox ‘retox’, no?).
Even for the dedicated health nuts and health experts, to quote Mark Twain, 'don’t let your education get in the way of your learning'. Scientific progress isn’t made without questioning and critically evaluating the status quo."
Wednesday, July 29, 2015
The Ulysses Contract and the Straitjacket
Do you know what I like?
Metaphors. I am BIG on metaphors and symbolism. Yeah, that is what this blog is about, absolutely.
The metaphor of my straitjacket and how it relates to my health journey.
Yes, you read that correctly, MY STRAITJACKET. Call me crazy, you wouldn't be the first.
Let me explain.
So there are times in my health journey, and maybe you can relate and maybe you can't, where I choose to give up my power to choose. What that means is that there are times where I feel powerless over the unhealthy decisions I am making on a daily basis. When I act on those feelings, I fall back into my unhealthy habits of being sedentary and eating whatever is convenient, whatever I think I "want".
Now, my body is such that WHEN I DO THIS and when I PRACTICE these behaviors and make them my norm, however temporary, there are CONSEQUENCES. Being a post-obese person, I will always have to be mindful of what I am putting into my body and how much I am moving on a regular basis, or I WILL gain my weight back. That's simply science, genetics, and the human body. My body. If these "episodes" of falling back into my unhealthy habits last a day or two, I can recover quickly and continue on relatively unscathed. If these "episodes" last a week or two, or three, or a month or two, or three, then the recovery is much more difficult and puts my entire health journey at risk of continuing on in a direction I know I do NOT want it to go.
In Dr. A's Habits of Health there is a chapter on creating a "micro-environment of health" around ourselves, because if there are unhealthy foods in the house we are more likely to get into them, thereby sabotaging our efforts to create or maintain health in our lives.
Yes. I know the truth of this. I have heard often, and have even heard myself saying at times that "it is SO hard" to stay on an eating program consistently. I have heard, and have heard myself saying in my mind, something like this:
"I just don't understand! I'm SO faithful to my program for half the day, but then 4:00 in the afternoon rolls around and it is like a flip is switched and I act like I don't care, when I KNOW I DO!"
Simply said, we feel at those times that we don't have a choice, that we don't have control, that we are powerless to exercise our self-discipline or "willpower" against the temptations. This can be seasonal, this can be monthly, this can be every weekend, or even every DAY. The mechanism is the same: we act in a manner which is inconsistent with where we SAID we wanted to go in our health.
So, what do we do? Do we give up on our dream of attaining and maintaining a healthy weight? Attaining and maintaining optimal health? Some days it seems that giving up is the only solution. We try to convince ourselves to DECREASE our expectations, to MINIMIZE our dreams, to say "let's be REALISTIC HERE". We say "everybody fails at some point" or "I'm only human".
I say NO. We don't have to give up our power to CHOOSE HEALTH. Even when we feel like we already have.
So, back to the straightjacket. I was joking around with someone who was expressing to me their concept that it is IMPOSSIBLE to get away from temptation. Everywhere you go, unless you lock yourself in your house (in a room other than your kitchen) and strap yourself to a chair, there is temptation. You can't stop living, right? This gave me an idea. The idea of the straitjacket.
I don't know how to word this to make it sound less crazy than it is going to sound, but again, remember that I am speaking metaphorically. However, I DO happen to have a "prop" for my metaphor. Yes, I purchased a straitjacket. It is hanging in my mom-cave, and I'm thinking of taping some bubble-wrap to one of the walls in my mom-cave so I can call it "the padded room with the straitjacket" for fun.
The symbolism is similar to a "Ulysses Pact," or "Ulysses Contract". Three millennia ago lived a man named "Ulysses" who was King of Ithaca and a hero of the Trojan War. Legend has it that after the war, Ulysses was on his sea voyage back to his homeland when he realized he had a rare opportunity. His ship would be passing near the island of Sirenum scopuli, where beautiful Sirens sang their alluring songs which would drive men mad. The problem was, the ships crew would always turn their ships towards the sound, and their ships would be dashed to pieces on the rocks near the island, killing all aboard. Ulysses wanted to hear the siren song, but he knew that he would not be immune to their charms. After all, he possessed a human mind. Wikipedia shares further the origin of the name, and the meaning of "the contract" or "the pact":
The term refers to the pact that Ulysses (Greek name "Ὀδυσσεύς", Odysseus) made with his men as they approached the Sirens.
Ulysses wanted to hear the Sirens' song although he knew that doing so
would render him incapable of rational thought. He put wax in his men's
ears so that they could not hear, and had them tie him to the mast so
that he could not jump into the sea. He ordered them not to change
course under any circumstances, and to keep their swords upon him and to
attack him if he should break free of his bonds. Upon hearing the Sirens' song, Ulysses was driven temporarily insane
and struggled with all of his might to break free so that he might join
the Sirens, which would have meant his death."
Ulysses wisely knew that there was a circumstance that would arise where he would not feel capable of acting rationally, so in making the decision to "bind himself" voluntarily for a season he knew that he would be OK. This was within his control, and he created a "micro-micro environment of health" by putting himself in a circumstance whereby he could continue to live the life he wanted to live.
Sometimes I feel like all the "bargains" I make with myself in the mornings crumble and fall to dust in the evenings. Am I crazy? No. The book "Incognito: The Secret Lives of the Brain" by David Eagleman discusses the science behind the conversations, inconsistencies and battles that we do with ourselves in our brains. These are rooted in neuroscience and in light of the science, contradictory thoughts and/or behaviors are actually perfectly normal. They exist in every individual, to varying degrees, and it is important to understand there is nothing "wrong" with us when we come up against the manifestation of these contradictory thoughts or behaviors. Knowing about them is power in and of itself, because it means that I can arm myself rationally for those times when I may be prone to acting irrationally, or outside of my long-term goals and dreams. Eagle states in his book that Ulysses knew that the "future" Ulysses would be in no position to make good decisions. Therefore, the Ulysses of sound mind structured things in such a way as to prevent himself from doing something foolish when they passed the upcoming island. It was a deal struck between the present Ulysses and the future one. Eagleman goes on to say that this myth highlights the way in which minds can develop a meta-knowledge about how the short- and long-term parties interact. The amazing consequence is that minds can negotiate with different time points of themselves. It is a proactive binding of a future self, a future opportunity or action that you may take but don't want to.
Hence, the symbolism of the straitjacket. You see, I can CHOOSE to have my husband put me IN the straightjacket at 4pm if I feel I am headed for danger. I haven't ACTUALLY done that (had him put me IN the straitjacket), but the sheer knowledge that I DO have a choice even when I don't feel I have a choice is powerful for me.
When that "4pm" rolls around, and I feel like I'm losing control, I can simply go into my Mom-cave, sit in my cushy arm chair, and look at the straitjacket that is hanging on a hangar in there. Simply by doing that, simply by remembering the symbolism of the Ulysses Contract, I can buy myself a few minutes away from the temptation, and I can remind myself that I do, in fact, ALWAYS have a choice. Even if that choice is installing myself in the straitjacket, and having my husband cinch up the buckles and feed my remaining on-plan Meal Replacement and water for the rest of the day. The hilarity of that possibility is enough to make me laugh and snap be back to remembering my health goals and, more importantly, acting in a manner that is CONSISTENT with them for the rest of the evening.
I will never say that attaining and maintaining optimal health is easy-peasy lemon squeezey. It isn't. It has been an intense journey of self-discovery and personal growth, and I actually wouldn't change a thing. It IS a choice. It IS possible. I have the tools, I have the will, I have the understanding, and to the degree which I can have my ACTIONS agree with my INTENTIONS I will continue to succeed in my quest to attain and maintain optimal health.
Oh, and if you need to borrow my straitjacket, just let me know.
Metaphors. I am BIG on metaphors and symbolism. Yeah, that is what this blog is about, absolutely.
The metaphor of my straitjacket and how it relates to my health journey.
Yes, you read that correctly, MY STRAITJACKET. Call me crazy, you wouldn't be the first.
Let me explain.
So there are times in my health journey, and maybe you can relate and maybe you can't, where I choose to give up my power to choose. What that means is that there are times where I feel powerless over the unhealthy decisions I am making on a daily basis. When I act on those feelings, I fall back into my unhealthy habits of being sedentary and eating whatever is convenient, whatever I think I "want".
Now, my body is such that WHEN I DO THIS and when I PRACTICE these behaviors and make them my norm, however temporary, there are CONSEQUENCES. Being a post-obese person, I will always have to be mindful of what I am putting into my body and how much I am moving on a regular basis, or I WILL gain my weight back. That's simply science, genetics, and the human body. My body. If these "episodes" of falling back into my unhealthy habits last a day or two, I can recover quickly and continue on relatively unscathed. If these "episodes" last a week or two, or three, or a month or two, or three, then the recovery is much more difficult and puts my entire health journey at risk of continuing on in a direction I know I do NOT want it to go.
In Dr. A's Habits of Health there is a chapter on creating a "micro-environment of health" around ourselves, because if there are unhealthy foods in the house we are more likely to get into them, thereby sabotaging our efforts to create or maintain health in our lives.
Yes. I know the truth of this. I have heard often, and have even heard myself saying at times that "it is SO hard" to stay on an eating program consistently. I have heard, and have heard myself saying in my mind, something like this:
"I just don't understand! I'm SO faithful to my program for half the day, but then 4:00 in the afternoon rolls around and it is like a flip is switched and I act like I don't care, when I KNOW I DO!"
Simply said, we feel at those times that we don't have a choice, that we don't have control, that we are powerless to exercise our self-discipline or "willpower" against the temptations. This can be seasonal, this can be monthly, this can be every weekend, or even every DAY. The mechanism is the same: we act in a manner which is inconsistent with where we SAID we wanted to go in our health.
So, what do we do? Do we give up on our dream of attaining and maintaining a healthy weight? Attaining and maintaining optimal health? Some days it seems that giving up is the only solution. We try to convince ourselves to DECREASE our expectations, to MINIMIZE our dreams, to say "let's be REALISTIC HERE". We say "everybody fails at some point" or "I'm only human".
I say NO. We don't have to give up our power to CHOOSE HEALTH. Even when we feel like we already have.
So, back to the straightjacket. I was joking around with someone who was expressing to me their concept that it is IMPOSSIBLE to get away from temptation. Everywhere you go, unless you lock yourself in your house (in a room other than your kitchen) and strap yourself to a chair, there is temptation. You can't stop living, right? This gave me an idea. The idea of the straitjacket.
I don't know how to word this to make it sound less crazy than it is going to sound, but again, remember that I am speaking metaphorically. However, I DO happen to have a "prop" for my metaphor. Yes, I purchased a straitjacket. It is hanging in my mom-cave, and I'm thinking of taping some bubble-wrap to one of the walls in my mom-cave so I can call it "the padded room with the straitjacket" for fun.
The symbolism is similar to a "Ulysses Pact," or "Ulysses Contract". Three millennia ago lived a man named "Ulysses" who was King of Ithaca and a hero of the Trojan War. Legend has it that after the war, Ulysses was on his sea voyage back to his homeland when he realized he had a rare opportunity. His ship would be passing near the island of Sirenum scopuli, where beautiful Sirens sang their alluring songs which would drive men mad. The problem was, the ships crew would always turn their ships towards the sound, and their ships would be dashed to pieces on the rocks near the island, killing all aboard. Ulysses wanted to hear the siren song, but he knew that he would not be immune to their charms. After all, he possessed a human mind. Wikipedia shares further the origin of the name, and the meaning of "the contract" or "the pact":
The term refers to the pact that Ulysses (Greek name "Ὀδυσσεύς", Odysseus) made with his men as they approached the Sirens.
Ulysses wanted to hear the Sirens' song although he knew that doing so
would render him incapable of rational thought. He put wax in his men's
ears so that they could not hear, and had them tie him to the mast so
that he could not jump into the sea. He ordered them not to change
course under any circumstances, and to keep their swords upon him and to
attack him if he should break free of his bonds. Upon hearing the Sirens' song, Ulysses was driven temporarily insane
and struggled with all of his might to break free so that he might join
the Sirens, which would have meant his death."Ulysses wisely knew that there was a circumstance that would arise where he would not feel capable of acting rationally, so in making the decision to "bind himself" voluntarily for a season he knew that he would be OK. This was within his control, and he created a "micro-micro environment of health" by putting himself in a circumstance whereby he could continue to live the life he wanted to live.
Sometimes I feel like all the "bargains" I make with myself in the mornings crumble and fall to dust in the evenings. Am I crazy? No. The book "Incognito: The Secret Lives of the Brain" by David Eagleman discusses the science behind the conversations, inconsistencies and battles that we do with ourselves in our brains. These are rooted in neuroscience and in light of the science, contradictory thoughts and/or behaviors are actually perfectly normal. They exist in every individual, to varying degrees, and it is important to understand there is nothing "wrong" with us when we come up against the manifestation of these contradictory thoughts or behaviors. Knowing about them is power in and of itself, because it means that I can arm myself rationally for those times when I may be prone to acting irrationally, or outside of my long-term goals and dreams. Eagle states in his book that Ulysses knew that the "future" Ulysses would be in no position to make good decisions. Therefore, the Ulysses of sound mind structured things in such a way as to prevent himself from doing something foolish when they passed the upcoming island. It was a deal struck between the present Ulysses and the future one. Eagleman goes on to say that this myth highlights the way in which minds can develop a meta-knowledge about how the short- and long-term parties interact. The amazing consequence is that minds can negotiate with different time points of themselves. It is a proactive binding of a future self, a future opportunity or action that you may take but don't want to.
Hence, the symbolism of the straitjacket. You see, I can CHOOSE to have my husband put me IN the straightjacket at 4pm if I feel I am headed for danger. I haven't ACTUALLY done that (had him put me IN the straitjacket), but the sheer knowledge that I DO have a choice even when I don't feel I have a choice is powerful for me.
When that "4pm" rolls around, and I feel like I'm losing control, I can simply go into my Mom-cave, sit in my cushy arm chair, and look at the straitjacket that is hanging on a hangar in there. Simply by doing that, simply by remembering the symbolism of the Ulysses Contract, I can buy myself a few minutes away from the temptation, and I can remind myself that I do, in fact, ALWAYS have a choice. Even if that choice is installing myself in the straitjacket, and having my husband cinch up the buckles and feed my remaining on-plan Meal Replacement and water for the rest of the day. The hilarity of that possibility is enough to make me laugh and snap be back to remembering my health goals and, more importantly, acting in a manner that is CONSISTENT with them for the rest of the evening.
I will never say that attaining and maintaining optimal health is easy-peasy lemon squeezey. It isn't. It has been an intense journey of self-discovery and personal growth, and I actually wouldn't change a thing. It IS a choice. It IS possible. I have the tools, I have the will, I have the understanding, and to the degree which I can have my ACTIONS agree with my INTENTIONS I will continue to succeed in my quest to attain and maintain optimal health.
Oh, and if you need to borrow my straitjacket, just let me know.
Monday, June 8, 2015
It's Hard Sometimes - Redo........
"It's hard sometimes. Realizing that my body has limitations,
that it will always respond to the instructions I give it, I have to
say, sometimes I catch myself having a little pity party with thoughts
such as "Why can I just be be "normal" and eat "normal" and live a
"normal" life? Why do I have to log and measure everything I put in my
mouth? Why, if I go off my eating plan for a couple of days, will the
weight just pop on magically with NO regards to how hard I worked to get
it OFF in the first place?"
Well, to that I have to say "suck it up, Buttercup!" Yep. Then I pull out my Dr. A's Habits of Health book, my "Refuse to Regain" book, my "Why We Get Fat and What to Do About It" book and take some time to reboot my brain.
Because I know when I'm thinking those thoughts I'm drifting down the rabbit-hole of denial and deprivation, and that is NOT the mindset I have trained myself over the years to have.
SO. Let me talk for a moment about what is ACTUALLY hard.
Being FAT was hard. People scrutinizing everything I put in my basket was hard. Not fitting in to a booth seat at a restaurant was hard. Needing to ask for a seatbelt extender on an airplane was hard. My son calling my "Sully" from Monster's Inc. was hard. Knowing I wasn't living my best life was hard.
Being fat is hard. Losing weight is hard. Choose your hard."
I wrote that blog late last week, as I was beginning to struggle with a deprivation mindset. On Saturday I learned about a friend I had made just out of High School, named Patrick Chawki, and the "hard" kind of life he has had since I knew him in 1987. I realized that it is a LUXURY to struggle with the things I struggle with, some people don't even get to CHOOSE which "hard" they want. It made me very mindful of the fact that life can simply be, well, hard.
Here is the link to Patrick's story, as told in 2009 by ESPN.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k5mYQnHoaw8
In 2000 he came down with "Locked-in Syndrome" which is very rare, and awareness of this disease, or syndrome, was raised in 2007 by the movie "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly" which portrayed the experiences someone with Locked-in Syndrome has, from a first-person perspective. If you watch the 14-minute video, I can almost guarantee that you will be crying by the end. I know I was.
It hit me that this young man, with a wife and 2 beautiful children, lost his ability to speak, to walk, and to eat within the span of 20 days. In 20 days his life went from HAVING choices to NOT having choices. Here I was thinking I was struggling with feelings of deprivation because I "couldn't eat what I wanted when I wanted to" and this friend of mine can't even EAT anymore.
Patrick has been in this condition now for 15 years. My heart breaks for him, for his family, but he is an inspiration to me. He didn't choose his "hard" and he is still smiling and giving a "thumbs up" even amidst his present circumstances. Patrick is a lesson to me. A lesson in contentment in our circumstances.
The thing is, my "hard" choice is STILL a choice, and here I am whining over "having" to watch what I eat, "having" to log my food, "having" to say "no" to the "yummies". Wow. How spoiled am I, really? I don't know what "hard" is.
Anyway, I wanted to expound a little on these thoughts today. For anyone who may be able to walk, to eat, to talk, to live the life they choose to live, these things we can never take for granted. I am guilty of taking them for granted.
Well, to that I have to say "suck it up, Buttercup!" Yep. Then I pull out my Dr. A's Habits of Health book, my "Refuse to Regain" book, my "Why We Get Fat and What to Do About It" book and take some time to reboot my brain.
Because I know when I'm thinking those thoughts I'm drifting down the rabbit-hole of denial and deprivation, and that is NOT the mindset I have trained myself over the years to have.
SO. Let me talk for a moment about what is ACTUALLY hard.
Being FAT was hard. People scrutinizing everything I put in my basket was hard. Not fitting in to a booth seat at a restaurant was hard. Needing to ask for a seatbelt extender on an airplane was hard. My son calling my "Sully" from Monster's Inc. was hard. Knowing I wasn't living my best life was hard.
Being fat is hard. Losing weight is hard. Choose your hard."
I wrote that blog late last week, as I was beginning to struggle with a deprivation mindset. On Saturday I learned about a friend I had made just out of High School, named Patrick Chawki, and the "hard" kind of life he has had since I knew him in 1987. I realized that it is a LUXURY to struggle with the things I struggle with, some people don't even get to CHOOSE which "hard" they want. It made me very mindful of the fact that life can simply be, well, hard.
Here is the link to Patrick's story, as told in 2009 by ESPN.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k5mYQnHoaw8
In 2000 he came down with "Locked-in Syndrome" which is very rare, and awareness of this disease, or syndrome, was raised in 2007 by the movie "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly" which portrayed the experiences someone with Locked-in Syndrome has, from a first-person perspective. If you watch the 14-minute video, I can almost guarantee that you will be crying by the end. I know I was.
It hit me that this young man, with a wife and 2 beautiful children, lost his ability to speak, to walk, and to eat within the span of 20 days. In 20 days his life went from HAVING choices to NOT having choices. Here I was thinking I was struggling with feelings of deprivation because I "couldn't eat what I wanted when I wanted to" and this friend of mine can't even EAT anymore.
Patrick has been in this condition now for 15 years. My heart breaks for him, for his family, but he is an inspiration to me. He didn't choose his "hard" and he is still smiling and giving a "thumbs up" even amidst his present circumstances. Patrick is a lesson to me. A lesson in contentment in our circumstances.
The thing is, my "hard" choice is STILL a choice, and here I am whining over "having" to watch what I eat, "having" to log my food, "having" to say "no" to the "yummies". Wow. How spoiled am I, really? I don't know what "hard" is.
Anyway, I wanted to expound a little on these thoughts today. For anyone who may be able to walk, to eat, to talk, to live the life they choose to live, these things we can never take for granted. I am guilty of taking them for granted.
Sunday, May 31, 2015
It's Hard Sometimes!
It's hard sometimes. Realizing that my body has limitations, that it will always respond to the instructions I give it, I have to say, sometimes I catch myself having a little pity party with thoughts such as "Why can I just be be "normal" and eat "normal" and live a "normal" life? Why do I have to log and measure everything I put in my mouth? Why, if I go off my eating plan for a couple of days, will the weight just pop on magically with NO regards to how hard I worked to get it OFF in the first place?"
Well, to that I have to say "suck it up, Buttercup!" Yep. Then I pull out my Dr. A's Habits of Health book, my "Refuse to Regain" book, my "Why We Get Fat and What to Do About It" book and take some time to reboot my brain.
Because I know when I'm thinking those thoughts I'm drifting down the rabbit-hole of denial and deprivation, and that is NOT the mindset I have trained myself over the years to have.
SO. Let me talk for a moment about what is ACTUALLY hard.
Being FAT was hard. People scrutinizing everything I put in my basket was hard. Not fitting in to a booth seat at a restaurant was hard. Needing to ask for a seatbelt extender on an airplane was hard. My son calling my "Sully" from Monster's Inc. was hard. Knowing I wasn't living my best life was hard.
Being fat is hard. Losing weight is hard. Choose your hard.
Well, to that I have to say "suck it up, Buttercup!" Yep. Then I pull out my Dr. A's Habits of Health book, my "Refuse to Regain" book, my "Why We Get Fat and What to Do About It" book and take some time to reboot my brain.
Because I know when I'm thinking those thoughts I'm drifting down the rabbit-hole of denial and deprivation, and that is NOT the mindset I have trained myself over the years to have.
SO. Let me talk for a moment about what is ACTUALLY hard.
Being FAT was hard. People scrutinizing everything I put in my basket was hard. Not fitting in to a booth seat at a restaurant was hard. Needing to ask for a seatbelt extender on an airplane was hard. My son calling my "Sully" from Monster's Inc. was hard. Knowing I wasn't living my best life was hard.
Being fat is hard. Losing weight is hard. Choose your hard.
Monday, March 16, 2015
Who Do I Want to Be Today?
Who Do I Want to Be Today?
This is the question I try to ask myself daily. Why daily? Because on the days I don't ask - and answer - this question of myself I tend to fall into apathy and inaction.
There is a danger in NOT asking myself this question on any given day, because if I don't ask - and answer - this question on a given day, the likelihood I will IGNORE the question again TOMORROW increases exponentially. And it gets harder to ask the question.
And then I don't like the question. And then I don't like the answer. And then....guess what...the weight begins to come on again.
No, I have found that ignoring this question is NOT an option for me. I have learned this, dear readers, through many years of trial and error, and I tell it to YOU because I want to encourage you to guard against apathy.
Apathy and inaction for me go hand in hand. It's like the second law of thermodynamics, in my brain, and then my body.
Kind of a "use it or lose it" sort of scenario.
Establishing the HABIT of asking myself this question, and then continuing in the HABITS I have developed incrementally over time of creating health in my life is vital. It is essential. It is a matter of life or death for me.
When I am actively asking myself this question daily, and when I am taking the actions that agree with my answer daily, I feel at peace with myself, and at peace with the process.
When I am NOT asking myself this question daily, when I am IGNORING the question and not taking some time to THINK about the answer then follow it up with ACTION, I fall into disrepair. Literally.
So what is my answer to this question "Who Do I Want to Be Today?"
I want to BE a fit and healthy woman who is living the LIFE that a fit and healthy woman lives, authentically.
When I don't ask - or answer - that question then my day deteriorates into randomly going from activity to activity, none of which specifically promote any degree of health in my life.
Here is the difference in MY life, in MY day, of asking/answering the question, and of NOT.
ASKING/ANSWERING the question day:
Wake up early-ish. Have a healthy health-promoting breakfast. Go for a run. Engage with my clients. Engage with my family. Go to bed ON my eating plan.
NOT ASKING/ANSWERING the question day:
Hit the snooze button. Hit it again. Wait for my husband to bring me coffee in bed. Drink another cup of coffee. Ignore my run. Binge-watch a few episodes of whatever mini-series I am actively engaged in. Waste the day. Eat off-plan. Feel sorry for myself. Feel bad about myself. NOT want to engage with my clients because I feel like a shmuck. Go to bed feeling defeated.
Now, over time, which of these two scenarios do you think lead to attaining and maintaining a fit and healthy lifestyle? Ding ding ding ding.
So what do I do when I pull my head out of the sand after a few months of the UN-healthy scenario?
I ask the question. I answer the question. I prioritize my day around those actions and activities which will achieve what I want to achieve.
And the great thing is that it is never "too late" to turn the ship around, to halt the tide of what people call the "inevitable weight re-gain."
I absolutely reject the notion that it inevitable for someone who has lost a significant amount of weight to re-gain that weight. Will there be some ups and downs? Sure, because none of us is perfect. But I refuse to allow my imperfections to be an excuse for inaction and plain laziness.
So. There you have it.
Rinse and Repeat!
This is the question I try to ask myself daily. Why daily? Because on the days I don't ask - and answer - this question of myself I tend to fall into apathy and inaction.
There is a danger in NOT asking myself this question on any given day, because if I don't ask - and answer - this question on a given day, the likelihood I will IGNORE the question again TOMORROW increases exponentially. And it gets harder to ask the question.
And then I don't like the question. And then I don't like the answer. And then....guess what...the weight begins to come on again.
No, I have found that ignoring this question is NOT an option for me. I have learned this, dear readers, through many years of trial and error, and I tell it to YOU because I want to encourage you to guard against apathy.
Apathy and inaction for me go hand in hand. It's like the second law of thermodynamics, in my brain, and then my body.
Kind of a "use it or lose it" sort of scenario.
Establishing the HABIT of asking myself this question, and then continuing in the HABITS I have developed incrementally over time of creating health in my life is vital. It is essential. It is a matter of life or death for me.
When I am actively asking myself this question daily, and when I am taking the actions that agree with my answer daily, I feel at peace with myself, and at peace with the process.
When I am NOT asking myself this question daily, when I am IGNORING the question and not taking some time to THINK about the answer then follow it up with ACTION, I fall into disrepair. Literally.
So what is my answer to this question "Who Do I Want to Be Today?"
I want to BE a fit and healthy woman who is living the LIFE that a fit and healthy woman lives, authentically.
When I don't ask - or answer - that question then my day deteriorates into randomly going from activity to activity, none of which specifically promote any degree of health in my life.
Here is the difference in MY life, in MY day, of asking/answering the question, and of NOT.
ASKING/ANSWERING the question day:
Wake up early-ish. Have a healthy health-promoting breakfast. Go for a run. Engage with my clients. Engage with my family. Go to bed ON my eating plan.
NOT ASKING/ANSWERING the question day:
Hit the snooze button. Hit it again. Wait for my husband to bring me coffee in bed. Drink another cup of coffee. Ignore my run. Binge-watch a few episodes of whatever mini-series I am actively engaged in. Waste the day. Eat off-plan. Feel sorry for myself. Feel bad about myself. NOT want to engage with my clients because I feel like a shmuck. Go to bed feeling defeated.
Now, over time, which of these two scenarios do you think lead to attaining and maintaining a fit and healthy lifestyle? Ding ding ding ding.
So what do I do when I pull my head out of the sand after a few months of the UN-healthy scenario?
I ask the question. I answer the question. I prioritize my day around those actions and activities which will achieve what I want to achieve.
And the great thing is that it is never "too late" to turn the ship around, to halt the tide of what people call the "inevitable weight re-gain."
I absolutely reject the notion that it inevitable for someone who has lost a significant amount of weight to re-gain that weight. Will there be some ups and downs? Sure, because none of us is perfect. But I refuse to allow my imperfections to be an excuse for inaction and plain laziness.
So. There you have it.
Rinse and Repeat!
Monday, March 2, 2015
STOP the MADNESS!
Have you ever had to pull yourself back from the brink? Have you ever felt like you were a spectator, just watching yourself spiraling out of control with your eating habits? Wondering "What the heck, what is going on? Why can't I seem to get in front of this freight train that is heading the wrong direction at lightning speed?"
Do you feel like you need Superman to swoop in and save the day?
You don't need Superman. You need YOU.
Weight cycling is a very real phenomenon, and for people who have been significantly overweight or obese in their lifetimes it seems like it happens on a fairly regular basis.
How do you stop the cycle once you feel it has "taken root" in the "wrong direction?"
The skill I have learned and have practiced is to recognize that you have simply fallen back into old unhealthy habits. Unhealthy routines.
After recognizing that you have done that, no matter what STAGE of weight regain you are in, initial intermediate or advanced LOL, you CAN CHOOSE to begin to practice HEALTHY HABITS again.
I'm not saying it is easy. But it IS simple. Engaging in your healthy habits again is definitely some hard work. After all, they aren't habits yet. They WERE habits, but somewhere along the line you forgot them again.
Step 1: Make a fundamental decision to get healthy again
Step 2: Pick up Dr. A's Habits of Health and begin to read it again.
Step 3: Organize your day, choose your 5 portion-controlled meal replacements and plan your Lean and Green.
Step 4: Spend ONE DAY ON PLAN.
Step 5: Go to sleep
Step 6: Rinse and Repeat.
YOU can make the decision TODAY that you will do all of those things TODAY. While it is still called TODAY. Not TOMORROW, not THE NEXT DAY, but TODAY.
What will you choose?
Do you feel like you need Superman to swoop in and save the day?
You don't need Superman. You need YOU.
Weight cycling is a very real phenomenon, and for people who have been significantly overweight or obese in their lifetimes it seems like it happens on a fairly regular basis.
How do you stop the cycle once you feel it has "taken root" in the "wrong direction?"
The skill I have learned and have practiced is to recognize that you have simply fallen back into old unhealthy habits. Unhealthy routines.
After recognizing that you have done that, no matter what STAGE of weight regain you are in, initial intermediate or advanced LOL, you CAN CHOOSE to begin to practice HEALTHY HABITS again.
I'm not saying it is easy. But it IS simple. Engaging in your healthy habits again is definitely some hard work. After all, they aren't habits yet. They WERE habits, but somewhere along the line you forgot them again.
Step 1: Make a fundamental decision to get healthy again
Step 2: Pick up Dr. A's Habits of Health and begin to read it again.
Step 3: Organize your day, choose your 5 portion-controlled meal replacements and plan your Lean and Green.
Step 4: Spend ONE DAY ON PLAN.
Step 5: Go to sleep
Step 6: Rinse and Repeat.
YOU can make the decision TODAY that you will do all of those things TODAY. While it is still called TODAY. Not TOMORROW, not THE NEXT DAY, but TODAY.
What will you choose?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)