Are you enjoying this long Thanksgiving weekend? I pray you are. It's sure been an unusual one around our house. Mom had her 2nd hip replacement surgery on Monday, so we celebrated our family Thanksgiving last Saturday night. Thanksgiving Day we brought Mom home in the morning and then hung out at their house most of the day. Our Thanksgiving Day meat of choice was beef roast instead of turkey. Pretty reminiscent of the day Hannah was born. Six years ago on Thanksgiving Day, we welcomed our little Hannah Banana into the world. Dave and I ate beef roast that day too before we headed to the hospital. This year Hannah's birthday was on Thanksgiving Day again. And we had beef roast again. Maybe that will be our tradition every year her birthday falls on Thanksgiving Day? Probably not. But it was worth thinking about for a second.
Would you like to hear my weight loss total? Up to 16 pounds. I should feel great about that. But instead I am feeling guilty that I haven't gotten on the treadmill in a week. The reasons are legitimate and just part of life. And sometimes "life" just happens. I may still get on the treadmill for a bit tonight. I'm just finding it interesting that I haven't been able to fully enjoy being able to mark off that 15 pound mark on my weight loss chart only because I'm laying an exercise guilt trip on myself! And because I'm still regularly struggling with doubt that this is really going to be different this time. As if I didn't already fully recognize this, it's just been SO obvious that the biggest part of this weight loss journey is dealing with the head stuff. And putting the enemy and his lies in the corner. In some ways, though, it is getting easier. However, I think the enemy has caught me with my guard down a bit lately. Not good! That's part of why I thought it was time to update the blog. It helps me to get my game face back on.
So maybe you're wondering what weight loss program I'm following (I've had a couple people ask me). Well, it's just a compilation of everything I've learned over the years and the dozens of diets I've been on. It's listening to my body and figuring out what really works for me. For the most part, the three biggest keys are: portion control (I realized I was eating WAY too much and thinking it was OK), regular exercise that makes me sweat bullets and makes my muscles burn (not taking the easy way out and thinking that just putting in some time on the treadmill is enough, whether it really pushed my limits or not), and not eating past 7PM. This last one is hard. The time of day where I most want to eat (and probably feel the hungriest) is right after the kids go to bed. Well, that's usually about two hours past the point of when I stop eating for the day. It's definitely gotten easier as I go along. But I'm telling you, breakfast is now my FAVORITE part of the day. I allow myself to eat and enjoy it and not count calories. Now, of course, I'm not pigging out on Krispy Kremes or something. A lot of times my breakfast is a Shaklee Cinch meal bar. But if I feel like eating something a little different, I give myself permission to do that at breakfast. Trying to follow that old adage of eating a big breakfast, medium size lunch, and small dinner is helping out a lot. I know that the better I eat from noon to 7PM, the faster I see the weight loss on the scale.
One more quick note on the whole not eating past 7PM thing. Do you remember a few years ago when Oprah was promoting her trainer's book and exercise program? I'll never forget what he told Oprah. She was complaining to him about how hungry she felt at night. He told her that skinny people know that's your body burning fat. Really?! Do all skinny people know this? Probably not. But, I've never forgotten that fact. So now when I feel like gnawing my arm off at about 9:30 PM, I think of those fat cells getting eaten alive. Makes me almost look forward to that feeling every night! I know if I don't have a slight sensation of hunger when I go to bed, then I ate too much too late in the day.
Which brings me to one more thing: knowing when you're hungry. If you don't have a weight issue, then you may not realize this: most overweight people have no clue when they're really hungry. Why? Because most overweight people never allow themselves to go long enough without eating to feel hungry. And, most overweight people (particularly those of the female persuasion) are huge emotional eaters. Emotional eaters don't eat because they're hungry. They eat because they're: sad, scared, lonely, excited, happy, etc. I tell you, it's a real novel idea to not eat until your stomach growls. Humph. Stomach growling, you say?! Why in the world would I want to make that happen? Because perhaps that's the internal clue God gave each of us to know when it's time to eat. Wow. News flash, huh?! God makes me smile sometimes.
You know another thing I've really been embracing? The fact that I'm not doing these changes because I'm "on a diet" or for a short period of time. I'm adopting a new way of living that is going to stick with me even after I reach my goal weight. In a lot of ways, that has made the step of feeling "empowered" and not "deprived" a whole lot easier. If I'm making good choices for my body that I'm planning to do for the rest of my life, then there's nothing to feel deprived about! I don't have to say no to all kinds of things. I can say yes, and just make sure I have a small amount and eat it earlier in the day. That's empowerment!
There are other things I try to do too (lots of water, good Shaklee vitamins, limit the unhealthy carbs, eat more raw veggies, go organic as much as is feasible)...but those first three things are the biggies that are making a difference on the scale for me. What works for you? Figure it out and do it. I think we can all agree on handling our head stuff together...but the nitty gritty program that works for one of us, might not work for someone else. Find the program you like, stick to it as best you can, and come here for some regular encouragement on the head stuff. Or, better yet, buy the book "Made to Crave" when it comes out in January and participate with me (in person or through this blog) in the six week study. You might be surprised how much God comes alongside you on this journey when you do. And that, my friends, is the ONLY way we'll ever achieve success on the scale and in our minds.
Have a wonderful finish to your Thanksgiving weekend! Until next time...
Would you like to hear my weight loss total? Up to 16 pounds. I should feel great about that. But instead I am feeling guilty that I haven't gotten on the treadmill in a week. The reasons are legitimate and just part of life. And sometimes "life" just happens. I may still get on the treadmill for a bit tonight. I'm just finding it interesting that I haven't been able to fully enjoy being able to mark off that 15 pound mark on my weight loss chart only because I'm laying an exercise guilt trip on myself! And because I'm still regularly struggling with doubt that this is really going to be different this time. As if I didn't already fully recognize this, it's just been SO obvious that the biggest part of this weight loss journey is dealing with the head stuff. And putting the enemy and his lies in the corner. In some ways, though, it is getting easier. However, I think the enemy has caught me with my guard down a bit lately. Not good! That's part of why I thought it was time to update the blog. It helps me to get my game face back on.
So maybe you're wondering what weight loss program I'm following (I've had a couple people ask me). Well, it's just a compilation of everything I've learned over the years and the dozens of diets I've been on. It's listening to my body and figuring out what really works for me. For the most part, the three biggest keys are: portion control (I realized I was eating WAY too much and thinking it was OK), regular exercise that makes me sweat bullets and makes my muscles burn (not taking the easy way out and thinking that just putting in some time on the treadmill is enough, whether it really pushed my limits or not), and not eating past 7PM. This last one is hard. The time of day where I most want to eat (and probably feel the hungriest) is right after the kids go to bed. Well, that's usually about two hours past the point of when I stop eating for the day. It's definitely gotten easier as I go along. But I'm telling you, breakfast is now my FAVORITE part of the day. I allow myself to eat and enjoy it and not count calories. Now, of course, I'm not pigging out on Krispy Kremes or something. A lot of times my breakfast is a Shaklee Cinch meal bar. But if I feel like eating something a little different, I give myself permission to do that at breakfast. Trying to follow that old adage of eating a big breakfast, medium size lunch, and small dinner is helping out a lot. I know that the better I eat from noon to 7PM, the faster I see the weight loss on the scale.
One more quick note on the whole not eating past 7PM thing. Do you remember a few years ago when Oprah was promoting her trainer's book and exercise program? I'll never forget what he told Oprah. She was complaining to him about how hungry she felt at night. He told her that skinny people know that's your body burning fat. Really?! Do all skinny people know this? Probably not. But, I've never forgotten that fact. So now when I feel like gnawing my arm off at about 9:30 PM, I think of those fat cells getting eaten alive. Makes me almost look forward to that feeling every night! I know if I don't have a slight sensation of hunger when I go to bed, then I ate too much too late in the day.
Which brings me to one more thing: knowing when you're hungry. If you don't have a weight issue, then you may not realize this: most overweight people have no clue when they're really hungry. Why? Because most overweight people never allow themselves to go long enough without eating to feel hungry. And, most overweight people (particularly those of the female persuasion) are huge emotional eaters. Emotional eaters don't eat because they're hungry. They eat because they're: sad, scared, lonely, excited, happy, etc. I tell you, it's a real novel idea to not eat until your stomach growls. Humph. Stomach growling, you say?! Why in the world would I want to make that happen? Because perhaps that's the internal clue God gave each of us to know when it's time to eat. Wow. News flash, huh?! God makes me smile sometimes.
You know another thing I've really been embracing? The fact that I'm not doing these changes because I'm "on a diet" or for a short period of time. I'm adopting a new way of living that is going to stick with me even after I reach my goal weight. In a lot of ways, that has made the step of feeling "empowered" and not "deprived" a whole lot easier. If I'm making good choices for my body that I'm planning to do for the rest of my life, then there's nothing to feel deprived about! I don't have to say no to all kinds of things. I can say yes, and just make sure I have a small amount and eat it earlier in the day. That's empowerment!
There are other things I try to do too (lots of water, good Shaklee vitamins, limit the unhealthy carbs, eat more raw veggies, go organic as much as is feasible)...but those first three things are the biggies that are making a difference on the scale for me. What works for you? Figure it out and do it. I think we can all agree on handling our head stuff together...but the nitty gritty program that works for one of us, might not work for someone else. Find the program you like, stick to it as best you can, and come here for some regular encouragement on the head stuff. Or, better yet, buy the book "Made to Crave" when it comes out in January and participate with me (in person or through this blog) in the six week study. You might be surprised how much God comes alongside you on this journey when you do. And that, my friends, is the ONLY way we'll ever achieve success on the scale and in our minds.
Have a wonderful finish to your Thanksgiving weekend! Until next time...
OK, you've inspired me! I'm off to walk on my treadmill (and work up a sweat too!).
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on the victory! May you continue to experience His strength, hope, perseverance, and Truth as you continue on this journey. I'll be back for more encouragement, and commit to cheering you on along the way as well!
Cindy :)
P.S. Very well written post. Powerful stuff! Thank you for your authenticity :)