Well, I've lost 43 pounds so far, and am within 10 or 12 pounds of my goal. Even though I'm not a big believer in the BMI measurement, I'm pretty excited, since I'm no longer considered "overweight" by BMI standards, but on the high end of "normal." I can get the rooster pants and my skinny jeans on, but I can't close them quite yet.
I am at the home stretch…on Tuesday we start transition.
The first stage of transition is taking away one product and replacing it with "real food", which consists of 220 calories' worth of lean protein and 1/2 cup cooked veggies. We can have that meal any time of the day. I have decided on a veggie omelet, eaten at dinner time, since that is the time I can really relax and enjoy it.
Some of my cohort mates started planning elaborate menus consisting of something different every day; our lovely facilitator, N, suggests that we "keep it simple" for the first week at least, and have the same thing (or close to it) every day. So I bought a dozen eggs, some broccoli, a bag of spinach, and some mushrooms. I'll be making a veggie omelet every night and alternate the broccoli and the spinach so it doesn't get boring.
I have a little gadget called a "Stone Wave Cooker" (you might have seen it on late night TV commercials) which cooks up a yummy little omelet in the microwave, using no fat or oils, and it doesn't stick to the pan. I can go to the gym after work, come home, and have dinner ready in a couple of minutes.
Last blog post I mentioned that I joined a gym. I've been going almost every day and I really do love it. It feels so good to move! I've taken a couple of days off here and there, and when I do, I miss it. It is part of a chain that is establishing itself in my area, and I found out yesterday that they acquired another gym that is within walking distance of my home. I will have two gyms to choose from and take Zumba and yoga classes, etc.
Now that I am 43 pounds lighter, it is much more fun to walk and move around.
N has told us that the "product only" phase is the easiest part of the whole journey, and the challenges begin during transition. I believe her! Just walking through the market, looking at all the food, I can really understand why people get fat. From now on, I can only make good choices and watch everything I eat – weighing, measuring and tracking – if I want to keep this weight from piling back on
I was worried about having the food in my fridge until Tuesday, when I am finally allowed to eat it. Now it doesn't phase me; I know I can hold my horses until then. Eating product only is so simple! I am looking for ways to simplify my eating habits during transition and maintenance, and make sure I always have healthful food on hand.
Showing posts with label personal responsibility. Show all posts
Showing posts with label personal responsibility. Show all posts
Sunday, May 4, 2014
Thursday, April 3, 2014
Week 11, Day 3: Personal Responsibility, or I'm The Boss Of Me
The past two cohort meetings have centered around personal responsibility; both admitting why we got fat and dealing with the times that we slip (and we all will, sooner or later). Someday, something will weaken my resolve and I'll have to work that out when the time comes.
I made myself fat. No one held me down and stuffed food down my throat. If someone made me feel bad, and I reacted by eating a bag of cookies to make myself feel better, that's on me. The other person didn't do it TO me.
That being said, our facilitator, J (our regular leader, N, was absent that night) talked about the Failure Cycle and the Success Cycle. If I'm on the Failure Cycle, I think negative thoughts, don't track my calories, don't exercise, eat too much and gain weight. On the Success Cycle I pick myself up, I acknowledge that I slipped, write it down in my food journal, then keep on tracking and exercising and making good choices.
The emotions on the Failure Cycle are depression, anger, frustration and powerlessness.
The emotions on the Success Cycle are awareness, commitment and self-forgiveness.
But the trick with self-forgiveness is not to make excuses for myself, or justify my actions. It is to acknowledge my mistake, write it down so I don't forget, and move on.
J also talked with us about "black and white thinking", or extremism, where things are good or bad, on or off. Food isn't good or bad, it's just food. I am in control; I choose what to eat or not eat.
When I was growing up, wasting food was tantamount to sinning. My parents were born during the Great Depression; then when they were children, World War II broke out. My father lived in England and my mother in Scotland, and food was rationed (when it was even available).
In our house, we didn't throw food away. My mother cooked healthy and balanced meals, and my parents never got fat (my father is 82 and has always been thin). My brothers and I were on the slim-to-average side because we ran around a lot and didn't get much candy, or any fast food to speak of.
One time, when my brother and I were teenagers, we threw a few eggs at another kid's house. We were found out, of course, and my father was more upset about the wasted eggs than he was about the vandalism.
I gained weight later, much later, after I was older and had been out of the family home for many years. I visited my father the other day, and he told me that he no longer worries about throwing excess food away. He said, "I used to think it was terrible to do that. But it will do no harm to the garbage can, and it might do some real harm to me."
Truer words were never spoken.
Someone brought some Marini's walnut fudge to the office the other day. There was one little piece left, and it would be a shame to let it go to waste.
Of course I didn't eat it! You guys know me better than that! :)
But...boy, for a minute I sure thought about it!
I'm in control. I'm in charge here. I'm the boss of me.
It has occurred to me that it's time for me to go out into the world and look for activity partners who want to live in a positive, life-affirming, healthy way. There is a yoga studio about a mile from my home, and I haven't been to a yoga class in about three years. Maybe it's time to try again.
I love this blog because I can share my ideas. I'd love to talk with you about yours! Please share, either by PM or in comments.
I made myself fat. No one held me down and stuffed food down my throat. If someone made me feel bad, and I reacted by eating a bag of cookies to make myself feel better, that's on me. The other person didn't do it TO me.
That being said, our facilitator, J (our regular leader, N, was absent that night) talked about the Failure Cycle and the Success Cycle. If I'm on the Failure Cycle, I think negative thoughts, don't track my calories, don't exercise, eat too much and gain weight. On the Success Cycle I pick myself up, I acknowledge that I slipped, write it down in my food journal, then keep on tracking and exercising and making good choices.
The emotions on the Failure Cycle are depression, anger, frustration and powerlessness.
The emotions on the Success Cycle are awareness, commitment and self-forgiveness.
But the trick with self-forgiveness is not to make excuses for myself, or justify my actions. It is to acknowledge my mistake, write it down so I don't forget, and move on.
J also talked with us about "black and white thinking", or extremism, where things are good or bad, on or off. Food isn't good or bad, it's just food. I am in control; I choose what to eat or not eat.
When I was growing up, wasting food was tantamount to sinning. My parents were born during the Great Depression; then when they were children, World War II broke out. My father lived in England and my mother in Scotland, and food was rationed (when it was even available).
In our house, we didn't throw food away. My mother cooked healthy and balanced meals, and my parents never got fat (my father is 82 and has always been thin). My brothers and I were on the slim-to-average side because we ran around a lot and didn't get much candy, or any fast food to speak of.
One time, when my brother and I were teenagers, we threw a few eggs at another kid's house. We were found out, of course, and my father was more upset about the wasted eggs than he was about the vandalism.
I gained weight later, much later, after I was older and had been out of the family home for many years. I visited my father the other day, and he told me that he no longer worries about throwing excess food away. He said, "I used to think it was terrible to do that. But it will do no harm to the garbage can, and it might do some real harm to me."
Truer words were never spoken.
Someone brought some Marini's walnut fudge to the office the other day. There was one little piece left, and it would be a shame to let it go to waste.
Of course I didn't eat it! You guys know me better than that! :)
But...boy, for a minute I sure thought about it!
I'm in control. I'm in charge here. I'm the boss of me.
It has occurred to me that it's time for me to go out into the world and look for activity partners who want to live in a positive, life-affirming, healthy way. There is a yoga studio about a mile from my home, and I haven't been to a yoga class in about three years. Maybe it's time to try again.
I love this blog because I can share my ideas. I'd love to talk with you about yours! Please share, either by PM or in comments.
Tuesday, April 1, 2014
Week 11, Day 1: Thirty pounds released into the wild
I've been a very bad blogger. Week Ten got past me and I didn't make an entry. Nothing much really happened, EXCEPT LOSING 3.6 POUNDS! Bwahahahaha! April Fool!
It's official…I'm now 30 pounds closer to my goal. I'm very pleased about that.
On a sadder note: Our Kaiser cohort group has become very tight and we all try to support each other. A couple of people have left the program for various reasons. One of our cohorters had to leave the program this week, as she has been diagnosed with a serious illness and must start intensive treatment right away. This news hit us all very hard. It is a somber reminder that everything is temporary; nothing is static.
I hope and pray for a miracle -- that our weight-loss friend will be fully cured and able to resume her MWM program next year.
I'm getting used to consuming the meal replacement "products". They are my comfort food, in a way. Most of the others are looking forward to being allowed to have "real" food, but I would be very happy to stay on product indefinitely. It has become my security blanket. We start transition in four weeks, and I need to really look at why I'm clinging to my product. Part of it is laziness…there is nothing easier. No grocery shopping, no decisions to make, nothing to do but add water and stir (or blend).
Being on product and not obsessing about food gives me room in my life for other activities. Like walking! Like movies! Like crafts! I'm signed up for two knit-alongs and one crochet-along for the month of April. Yes, I'm crazy. That is a lot of projects, in addition to a full-time job and other things to do.
The other part is: I'm losing weight. I don't want to put myself in a place where I might slip, or eat something I shouldn't. If I stick to product I can't go wrong. "Real" food is still a minefield for me.
I might have mentioned this before, but I was told that we could opt for an eight-week transition, as opposed to four. A lot of participants are excited to wean themselves away from product because purchasing the products is an additional expense alongside the family grocery budget. But because I live alone, the product replaces my groceries, and cost-wise it's not that much different from when I was cooking and buying food.
So I am hoping that they will okay an eight-week transition for me. Maybe that way I'll be able to prolong the weight loss mode and get close to my goal before having to eat food again.
I have a lot more to say, but it's late and I need to get up early for a 7:15 a.m. meeting at work. Two cohorts ago our group talked about personal responsibility (a favorite topic of mine). Yes, I made myself fat. Not my parents, not my exes, not my boss, not Presidents Bush or Obama.
I eats the food, I pays the price.
More on that enlightening topic next time! :)
It's official…I'm now 30 pounds closer to my goal. I'm very pleased about that.
On a sadder note: Our Kaiser cohort group has become very tight and we all try to support each other. A couple of people have left the program for various reasons. One of our cohorters had to leave the program this week, as she has been diagnosed with a serious illness and must start intensive treatment right away. This news hit us all very hard. It is a somber reminder that everything is temporary; nothing is static.
I hope and pray for a miracle -- that our weight-loss friend will be fully cured and able to resume her MWM program next year.
I'm getting used to consuming the meal replacement "products". They are my comfort food, in a way. Most of the others are looking forward to being allowed to have "real" food, but I would be very happy to stay on product indefinitely. It has become my security blanket. We start transition in four weeks, and I need to really look at why I'm clinging to my product. Part of it is laziness…there is nothing easier. No grocery shopping, no decisions to make, nothing to do but add water and stir (or blend).
Being on product and not obsessing about food gives me room in my life for other activities. Like walking! Like movies! Like crafts! I'm signed up for two knit-alongs and one crochet-along for the month of April. Yes, I'm crazy. That is a lot of projects, in addition to a full-time job and other things to do.
The other part is: I'm losing weight. I don't want to put myself in a place where I might slip, or eat something I shouldn't. If I stick to product I can't go wrong. "Real" food is still a minefield for me.
I might have mentioned this before, but I was told that we could opt for an eight-week transition, as opposed to four. A lot of participants are excited to wean themselves away from product because purchasing the products is an additional expense alongside the family grocery budget. But because I live alone, the product replaces my groceries, and cost-wise it's not that much different from when I was cooking and buying food.
So I am hoping that they will okay an eight-week transition for me. Maybe that way I'll be able to prolong the weight loss mode and get close to my goal before having to eat food again.
I have a lot more to say, but it's late and I need to get up early for a 7:15 a.m. meeting at work. Two cohorts ago our group talked about personal responsibility (a favorite topic of mine). Yes, I made myself fat. Not my parents, not my exes, not my boss, not Presidents Bush or Obama.
I eats the food, I pays the price.
More on that enlightening topic next time! :)
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