05/15/2011 00:37
Another Good Day
Stayed on track with the eating, and got lots of exercise at work, where we were really busy. The trucks just keep arriving!
It waited until just before I came home to start really raining, and by that time I was in the store, making coffee and popcorn until it was time to leave. I got damp, but not wet.
Posted By: Helen Wheels
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05/14/2011 17:09
The First Four Days: Why They're So Hard
The first four days are the hardest part of any weight loss program. So what's the difference between people who get "over the hump." and those who give up during that first week?
It's more than willpower. In fact, I believe it has nothing to do with willpower, and the more we try to exert willpower, the more likely we will fail to follow through and lose the weight.
It has to do with fear. Once we have become dependent on overeating as a surrogate problem-solver, attempts to lose weight are threatening to our mental wellbeing. Like an alcoholic who turns to the bottle instead of facing his problems, we turn to food for comfort to hide from our own. The weight loss regimen becomes a threat. We can even get a little anxious at the prospect of losing the mental peace we find in food.
And what do we do when we get anxious? Like Pavlov's dog, we turn to food, because it's what we do in response to emotions. Thus the battlefield reveals itself, and we don't know what to do to ease our minds, instead of eating. The more we tell ourselves "Don't do it!" the more our brain tells us to ignore that negative message, stripping out the "don't" and telling us, "Do it!" Our brains, programmed through the centuries to protect us against famine, are all-too-willing to help it along. We feel the fear of hunger deep in our reptilian brain. So we try to overcome the fear and anxiousness with willpower, telling ourselves not to do it more and more. If the diet is overly-restrictive, it only magnifies the problem.
It brings out the rebel in us.
Our brains become so resistant during those first few restrictive days, it nearly assures failure. There is only one way to overcome it, and that is to avoid restrictive thinking. Rather than telling ourselves that we must restrict ourselves during those first days, we can dispassionately observe the situations in which we want to turn to food, acknowledge that it exists, and then tell ourselves that we can have the foods we are craving—later. We accept postponement much more easily than denial.
So extend it into the future. From the very first day, plan one meal per week as a splurge. Then when the urge for fries hits, we can make a bargain with ourselves. If we put it off until the end of the week, we can promise ourselves a reasonable serving of whatever we are craving. Chances are that craving will change many times during those first days. By the end of the week, that one splurge meal will be well-planned, and there is success to build on!
Complement the postponement by planning alternate activities for when the cravings hit. Make a list and turn to it. My own list includes meditation, gardening, taking a walk, working on a hobby, doing a jigsaw puzzle, and cleaning a closet. What are yours?
After the first four days, continue this response until it becomes a habit. It's so much easier than that white-knuckled deprivation approach!
Posted By: Helen Wheels
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05/14/2011 17:05
Iffy Weather
Well, at least it's not raining, so we should be busy at the garden center today. It's overcast and a little cool—perfect weather for planting.
With graduations, weddings and Memorial Day coming up, I'm sure there are many people who feel the need to get their gardens in order for festivities. I noticed my neighbors are busily putting down mulch and weeding and removing dead stuff—heir son graduates college at the end of the month, so they will be having lots of guests over.
I decided to stop taking the allergy meds. They were bloating me and making me feel like crap. Now I remember why I stopped taking them years ago. I'm already feeling better, and for the last two days, I've been shedding water like mad—3 1/2 pounds worth. I'm already feeling a lot less sluggish.
Was 100% on track with food yesterday, and doing well with it again today so far.
Posted By: Helen Wheels
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05/14/2011 02:26
Bridesmaids
If you want a lot of good laughs, see Bridesmaids. It was laugh-out-loud funny from beginning to end. I'm glad I went.
I came home and got some gardening done, too. I re-lined two of my coco fiber hanging baskets, got two of my pots planted up, watered everything else that needed it, and planted some Japanese sedge in one of my planter boxes.
Now I'm just waiting for the artichoke I'm having for dinner to bake. All in all, it has been a pretty good day.
I stopped by the garden center, and the boss told me to come in tomorrow and Sunday, so it looks like I will get a few more hours this week.
Posted By: Helen Wheels
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05/13/2011 20:34
Guilty
I'm feeling a little guilty because I decided to indulge in a movie this afternoon. I have so much to do, but I don't feel like doing it!
To be fair to myself, I did go out this morning and got the deck cleaned, which was a pretty big job. I want to go see something wacky, and Bridesmaids opens today. So off I go!
Posted By: Helen Wheels
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05/13/2011 20:27
Whre'd Everybody Go?!
I was just doing a little EP "housekeeping," and was amazed at all the people who have disappeared in the last six months or so. What happened to everybody?
I cleaned out my friends list, because so many were inactive for so long. Sad.
Posted By: Helen Wheels
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05/13/2011 19:10
Here Comes the Sun!
At last the overcast skies have broken, and we have sunshine again!
We're supposed to get rain again tomorrow and Sunday, so it looks like I won't be working again until next week. I'll have to be extra careful with managing my pennies this month!
I'm having to work really hard on my mindset right now. This ferocious bout with allergies this spring has left me feeling lethargic and it's difficult to get enthusiastic about anything. It's been difficult to focus, and when I got on the scale this morning, it has been inching upwards again. ARGH!
OK. So this morning, I am feeling more positive (thank you, Mr. Sun!) and all the rain seems to have cleaned the air a little so I'm breathing easier and my eyes aren't running constantly. I still get somewhat short of breath, but it is definitely better. Hopefully, the trees are about done doing their spring thing. There has literally been a coating of yellow dust on everything every morning, and the high winds haven't helped things, either. I hope that's behind us, because I'm tired of not feeling my best.
Anyway, today is a new and sunshiny day, and I'm feeling like I'm ready to tackle it all again. I know what I'll be eating for today, and I'm wrapping my head around the idea that I'll be eating that, and nothing else! I still have plenty of fresh salad from my garden, and I'm looking forward to eating it.
Posted By: Helen Wheels
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05/13/2011 18:58
The Rebel Within
We're so good for such a long time, and then it happens. One meal or one day away from the strict guidelines of our eating and exercise program, and the floodgates open. We struggle and struggle to get back on track, but time and time again we fall right back into those old patterns that got us fat in the first place.
This over-reaction is because we have been restricting ourselves too much by doing what we think we
should do, as opposed to what we
want to do. We are reluctant to give up that familiar old way of doing things, that carefree lifestyle that doesn't involve planning or thinking about what's going into our mouths.
At some level, we were denying ourselves, rather than making free choices. We are resisting returning to what our heart of hearts feels is overly-restrictive. It's time for a change in attitude.
We need to spend some time thinking about how we can accommodate the things we want to do—planning for occasional treats in measured amounts, or finding calorie-friendly serving sizes of our favorite foods.
The truth is, we can go out and enjoy one slice of pizza and one light beer, and still meet our fat loss goals. It will be enough to satisfy hunger. What needs further examination is if we think we need more than one slice and one beer, because that is the problem, not the food or drink itself. We can have what we want in the amounts we need, and we don't have to deny ourselves that pleasure.
When we want to eat and drink more than what we need, it needs further examination. Why do we want more? It is because we feel nervous or bored dealing with social situations? Is it because we had a hard day and are seeking to reward ourselves by overindulging? It is when we examine and resolve those conflicts and find alternative activities to eating to manage emotions, that it becomes a little easier to manage the food.
Posted By: Helen Wheels
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05/13/2011 02:04
Shame on ME
I was feeling sorry for myself today. I always get disappointed in myself when I do that. So I sat down and counted my blessings. In so many ways, I have it so much better than so many other people, and I need to appreciate it more. I was feeling today like I wanted to have it better than myself.
I have a nice house. I have some money in the bank. I have a job I love with coworkers I love. I have good friends to help me straighten my head out when I need it. I have two wonderful grown children and a wonderful son in law I love dearly. I have three affectionate well-behaved pets. Now why should I be feeling sorry for myself?
Truth is, there are other things I'd like to have in my life, and if I want them so bad, I need to do positive things to get them. Sitting around feeling sorry for myself is not the way to get them. So now I'm done with that!
Posted By: Helen Wheels
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05/13/2011 01:54
The Purpose of It All
Once I knew that I had been fooling myself big time when I told myself I was eating out of hunger when I over-ate, I knew it was necessary to do something about it.
For years, I had told myself that I had a big appetite, and I couldn't really help eating too much. I took the easy way out, and convinced myself that I was powerless to control my appetite. It was so much easier to fall into victimhood than it was to identify it for what it was, and take action.
The alienation I felt sent me to food for comfort. It temporarily gave me good feelings. Again, it was easier than facing up to the real problem; which after all, was not facing up to my problems.
This was a good thing, because it led me to the realization that I was a person with a lot of work to do, and that I had a specific purpose for that work. I had to stop letting hurt and anger build until it erupted into a binge. I had to learn how to forgive, and to give the other guy a break. And to give myself a break.
Posted By: Helen Wheels
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