2
July
2008
Yesterday, I was so full of hope and just knew that my body was lighter. However, the scales had a different idea. I had put on weight. GRRRRR!
My thoughts were enough to cause me to stop at a “See’s Candy Store” and devour a whole box…..until…..I took the time to recognize the circumstance: I was three pounds heavier.
Thoughts: It’s hopeless. I’ll never lose weight. This is a cruel process. It’s not fair. I do everything right and what do I get for my efforts….the scales pointing in the wrong direction. I’ll be in chronic pain forever.
Feelings: Waaaaayyy over the top! Shame, Hopelessness, Heartbroken, Dejected, Frightened
Action: I allowed myself to cry. I was truly upset. I wrote in my journal. I begged God to please reverse this trend. I looked longingly at the candy store, but didn’t stop.
Result: I soaked my sorrows by downing to full glasses of ice water. Shocking! I know!
Again, this is another example of self-coaching. The thoughts brought intense feelings of suffering. Did the feelings lead to a destructive result? No, fortunately, I didn’t down a box of candy. Last year at this time, that would have been the favored solution. The feelings were so “out of proportion” to the three pound gain that this stopped a familiar neural loop. “Danger! Body Attack..Defeated by the Scales Again! Must stop NOW to eat and deal with this tragedy!”
This was a bummer…not a tragedy. I’ve seen tragedy and am very well aware of the difference. So…..I did another round of self coaching and changed the thought.
Circumstance: I gained three pounds according to the scale.
Thought: It could be water retention. I did eat a half bag of almond; maybe that had something to do with it. I really do turn to food when I’m stressed.
Feelings: Sad, powerless,
Action: What I am doing isn’t working? Moved out of denial mode. Really admitted that I turned to food to handle feelings that lead to suffering.
Results: Attended my first 12 Step meeting. I really am powerless to deal with this addiction to food. I’m more than happy to rely on God. Since I’m a Christian, I chose to attend “Celebrate Recovery”.
Stay tuned. I’m working on “Denial”. You’ve probably heard the famous quote “Denial truly isn’t just a river in Egypt.”
If you’ve ever attended a 12 Step program for anything and everything, let me know about your experience. You don’t have to use your real name.
Also, if any of my readers would care for a free self-coaching session, please e-mail me and we’ll set up a time to talk.
My most reliable e-mail is malowry@cox.net
Blessings,
Mary Ann
Posted: Tales from the Scales
21
March
2008
To prepare for another try at losing weight, I really wanted to stop the insanity (doing the same things the same way over and over again even though they don’t work. I’m stilll in the losing game and accepting my body’s own pace in the process.. Reviewing what worked well and didn’t work well in other attempts at weight loss, I had a game plan before starting. Here are the top ten things I’ve done differently, as I continue to be a life long learner, and consider wellness a goal worth working for.
- Set aside time to consider why do I need nourishment when I’m not hungry. Just to breathe slowly and ask myself what I really wanted, gave me the break I needed to stop an emotional eating binge. In the final assessment I realized that each time I wanted to eat to tackle a hurt, my hunger was more of a spiritual hunger and a true need to pursue a relationship with God. There is a bestseller by Elizabeth Gilbert called “Eat Pray Love”. A memoir related to my prior weight loss attempts could easily have been titled “Eat, Eat, Eat, Eat More and Pray”. Sorry to be cliche’ but “God really is the wind beneath my wings” and humbly asking for help via prayer is an invaluable source of comfort and true help to reach wellness. Leaving God out and going for the goal on my own just doesn’t work. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted: Tales from the Scales
20
March
2008
In January I proudly began life as a blogger, by sharing my New Year’s Resolution to go for the same goal, but in a different way. This was the year that I was really truly honestly going to lose weight. Does that sound familiar? Has anyone else been there?
Now that we’ve almost finished the 1st quarter of 2008, I decided to do a bit of self-evaluation. It’s March 17th and I’m still focused and losing. Have I been the perfect model for the perfect dieter? NO! NOT EVEN CLOSE! However, despite binges, Girl Scout Cookies, restaurant splurges, chronic pain and a major life change; I’m still in the race. So, what’s the difference with this go round? This time I invited my mind to become involved.
Viewing my new resolve to get into a healthy weight zone as a gift to myself called “Wellness” definitely is a reframe that led to a huge attitude shift. We inherited some oil landscapes of the Southwest from a darling departed aunt. I liked the paintings, but the frames didn’t match our furnishings and were truly “downright ugly”. It was worth the time I spent at “Aaron Brother’s ” tediously selecting just the right colors and textures for the new frames. When I picked up the newly reframed paintings, it was like seeing our aunt’s work for the first time. Her sweet paintings were absolutely spectacular. Reframing is huge and can be applied to all your life goals….even weight loss.
Prior to changing my eating habits I spent five months getting my mind in gear for the process. Just as if I were training for a marathon, I went through a brain marathon of rewiring I borrowed many of the pages from Martha Beck’s “The Four Day Win”. This is an awesome book that approaches weight loss as highly dependent on reprograming the brain. So what’s different this time………. Later today….Top Ten Changes….. (By the way, I’m not just giving a thumbs up to the book, because I’m a Martha Beck Coach. It really does work).
Posted: Tales from the Scales
