Hello again. I love your comments - keep 'em coming. To "lovetoeat" - I understand just what you're saying...but the mistake, I think, is when we think that there's a"there". There is no there; it's just the day-to-day operation of our lives and looking for the joys in the small things that are not so small - zipping up a skirt without straining, looking in the mirror and liking what we see, receiving an invitatioin and actually wanting to go, feeling "powerful" with our food decisions and eating behaviors. I think we sometimes overlook and don't appreciate those little moments. "Weight", a "number on the scale" is not THERE. What do you think?
We seem to play out three themes of our lives.
1) We eat when we're not hungry
2) We dont eat when we are hungry because we're dieting and
3) We start to eat when our bodies are hungry but carry it out far beyond the point of satisfaction.
Very often we don't realize that it is our own negative attitude and our choices that determine our eating behaviors and our weight. It is all about US. Here are some "secrets" to changeing attitudes:
THE SECRET OF NO VOTING - your weight is not a democacry - it is a dictatorship and YOU are the dictator. No one gets a vote on if you eat, when you eat, whether you eat, how much you eat, if you are losing weight too slowly, too quickly, what program you should be on, blah, blah, blah. Someone will always have something to say - YOU have to be satisfied with what YOU are doing.
THE SECRET OF IT'S MY CHOICE - chronic dieters often believe that their weight is a result of "fate" and that we overeat because of outside influences (the kids, the job, etc.). Actually we choose how we feel - low self-esteem, crankly, edgy. We choose not to be an exerciser or take care of our bodies. Beating ourselves up and abusing ourselves wont make the situation better.
"Today I choose to like myself" "Today I choose to take care of ME" "Today I choose to exercise for my mind and my body"
THE SECRET OF THINKING YOU ARE FINE THE WAY YOU ARE TODAY - We always think weare going to be "better" when we lose the weight - that gives us the message that we are not OK today. We see ourselves as flawed and unworthy, so why bother to try? The secret is that you are the best person you can be today! You do this not because of what you will become but because you love yourself NOW!
THE SECRET OF SELF-MOTIVATION: SELF-NURTURANCE - It's always important to ask ourselves "what is best for me today" "what nurtures me?" it is neither nurturing or motivating to overeat, to judge ourselves harshly and punish ourselves, to feel guilt-ridden about eating, to deprive yourself of enjoyment,to neglect to exercise - why not choose to feel good?
THE SECRET OF CONQUERING THE INTERNAL SABOTEUR - so many things can act as sabotage to our program - people, places, things, situations and events - BUT - the biggest sabotage is inside of ourselves - that little voice that says "it's too hard" "you can't do this" "just this once". Ignore the message!! After being ignored the voice gets fainter and fainter. If you give in, that voice becomes more powerful and louder. Just refuse to act on the message....
The SECRET IS STICKING TO YOUR COMMITMENT!!
What SECRET has worked for you?