I just read a
fascinating article in
Fitness magazine. It gave some suggestions on how to phrase
things we say
to ourselves when faced with some tough choices...and how the right
wording
can make all the difference.
For example, instead of saying:
"If I deprive myself now, I'll just eat more later"
say
"I'm making a choice, not a sacrifice."
Instead of saying:
"I deserve a treat after the kind of day I had"
say
"I deserve kindness, not calories."
Instead of saying:
"It's a special occasion"
say
"Special doesn't mean stuffed."
And here's a biggie. This statistic JUMPED out of the page at me (well, it also had to do with the large bold type, but still...LOL):
Do you believe it? (WOW! It blows my MIND to think how much damage I've done, chasing that lousy '3 minutes' of pleasure!!!) ...
Although I've gotta say, it make sense, now that I think about it.
Because based on my experience, the pleasure DOESN'T last all that long, does it? In fact, that's why I think once I take that first forbidden bite, it's so HARD to stop. I mean, not only am I fighting that 'I blew it now might as well' logic....(which is NUTS of course but we believe it every time!) BUT....I also tend to 'chase the craving'....looking for that pleasure AGAIN...so I KEEP eating hoping it'll 'get better' and I'll have MORE pleasure!
But the truth is the initial pleasure is 'it'. That's the high. That's all.
All I'm doing after that is .... overstuffing. Going off program. Making myself miserable. Gaining weight (or stopping any loss I might've had that week). And letting myself down.
3 minutes. 3 minutes can literally make the difference between having a slim, gorgeous, healthy body this Summer....and regaining (or NOT making it to goal).
What a revelation!
I don't know about you but I'm going to think about that the next time I have a craving. After all, WHAT is worth 3 minutes of pleasure? Is sacrificing my hard-won slim body WORTH 3 minutes of pleasure?
If you're still on the 5/1, do you really want to jeopardize your weight loss this week for 3 LOUSY MINUTES?
Of course not!
The bottom line is, in order to get to goal and STAY there, you HAVE to be able to make the SWITCH in your head. The switch in your mindset.
FROM:
'I'll just do this until I lose the weight'
TO:
'This is the way I EAT now'.
Not ready to do that? Then I submit that you're not ready for Transition or Maintenance yet. I would say, then, that you have some work to do yet. And that means STAYING OP. It's the only way that 'switch' in your head will happen.
And it WILL happen. Trust me. It's not something you can FORCE...it just 'happens' as you continue to stay OP.
And I know it's not easy to stay OP. I know you're 'ansy'. You're sick and tired of the MF food. You wanna eat a piece of FRUIT, for God's sakes. You are so BORED with it.
So here's some suggestions:
- Switch up some MF meals, and maybe order some new ones.
Have you tried the mac&cheese and ziti yet?
There are two NEW products available starting this Tuesday! (March 18th) - MASHED POTATOES! (either garlic or sour cream & chive).
So order something new for yourself. (it doesn't have to be a large order every time, you know, you can place 'interim' orders).
Or order something you haven't had in awhile (your tastebuds DO change over time on this program).
It's amazing how just having something 'different' can give you a boost in 'mojo' and keep you going!
- Try splitting your L&G if you haven't already...that way, you can have an eggbeater omelet in the morning...or a grilled chicken caesar salad for lunch...or even a tuna 'salad' (made with MF approved healthy fats or dressings or even a light laughing cow)! Experiment with what works best for you.
I find that splitting my lean between lunch and dinner works best for me...because I usually exercise in the morning so by lunchtime I'm STARVED. So I'll have half my lean PLUS my MF meal at lunchtime. It's more food and it keeps me from having cravings in the afternoons which typically is my 'danger zone'.
- Experiment with different flavors. Safely, of course. Torani SF syrups...herb teas...you can have blueberry herb tea if you're craving fruit...or peach (the peach one from Celestial Seasonings is to DIE for). Make a big deal out of it. Sit down, put it in a pretty cup with a saucer, sip it slowly and RELAX. Take deep breaths.
- Try a new recipe. God knows there are plenty of them available! Search the RECIPES forum or RECIPES library. Ask your friends. What have you got to lose? You might just create a favorite that you will rely on, over and over again! Where it's something 'different' to do with your MF meals, or a new L&G, it can sometimes give you that little 'spark' to keep you going! There is no need to live on dry chicken and veggies every day.
- Step up your exercise or begin an exercise program. This can give you much-needed body awareness (so that you don't wind up looking in the mirror and NOT RECOGNIZING yourself...! Seriously it is a problem at certain points in this program because we lose weight so quickly). It can also improve flexibility, strength, give you stress relief and you can even HAVE FUN at the same time! (group exercise classes can be a lot of fun! There's something about 'shared agony' LOL...seriously I LOVE my classes. Pilates, Body Pump, Body Flow, Yoga, Low-impact Aerobics, Zumba...the list goes on and on. You never know until you TRY!)
- If you ARE exercising and the scale 'stopped' moving...try adding an extra 2 ozs. lean to your plan. YES it's OK, and NO the world won't come to an end, it's perfectly 'legal' to do OP and can make the difference on the scale, believe it or not. Your body needs the extra protein if you're working out hard(ER) than you were before or if you just started an exercise program.
- UP your water intake. It can 'jog' the weight loss a bit and give you a better result next weigh-in. Sometimes that's all we need...a little 'bump up' on the scale!
- Take your measurements. It will reinforce 'how far you've come' and also give you some goals to shoot for. WRITE THEM DOWN and compare them to the last time you took your measurements.
Have you lost inches? THAT'S where it's at, isn't it? It's not about 'weight', not really...it's about getting LEAN and HEALTHY! And if your measurements are going down, you ARE losing fat, even if the scale doesn't 'quite' show it yet.
- Mix up your routine. Maybe change when/how/what you're doing for exercise, take a walk outside 'just because', start a new hobby, buy yourself a new book, do SOMETHING different.
- Last but not least....REMEMBER that THIS is where it's at...THIS is when the bulk of your weight loss occurs.
This is where the real work takes place! Through the middle of the program, the day-in, day-out slogging through it. The days where you think you'll go krazy if you see another measuring cup or another MF bar. SWITCH THINGS UP, try new foods and stay OP. Don't allow boredom to take over. There are over 70 meals to choose from, there is no reason on EARTH to get bored.
And as for 'wanting real food', remember what I said about understanding that
"THIS IS THE WAY I EAT NOW"
versus
"I'M JUST ON A DIET UNTIL...."
If you have the 'diet' mentality, you'll gain it back. Because you haven't changed your eating habits!
Conversely, IF you realize and accept that this is the way you eat now, you'll be able to sail through transition and get to goal.
I know it sounds ...almost counter-productive. But it's TRUE!
You MUST ACCEPT that this isn't a short-term thing. It really isn't! No matter how fast the weight comes off, we're still seeking PERMANENT change here. And permanent change takes TIME.
I know it can seem IMPOSSIBLE.
"HOW" will I get my head to that place?"
Well, there is no method I can give you. No magic words.
All I can tell you is it WILL HAPPEN....IF you stay the course.
IF you stay OP.
It is an 'outgrowth' of the process, but there's no magic to it and nothing you can do, say, read, or try to hasten it. Your brain has to change and you can't force that. All you can do it KEEP ON KEEPIN' ON and TRUST that eventually you will start to see changes.
It starts small at first...you go out to dinner and suddenly eating out is 'no problem', you're ordering like a PRO and looking around and realizing, OMG the plates are HUGE, and the forks are even BIGGER, and people are STUFFING themselve with...ugh...grease and GOOP and bread and SUGAR galore....and you're sipping your water and enjoying the grilled salmon you ordered immensely.
Or you go to a friends house and they offer you some treat, and you're able to say 'No thank you' easily...in fact you look up at the clock and see it's time for your next MF meal and you say 'Do you mind if I eat my MF bar? It's time' and you pull our your pbtr crunch bar and enjoy every bite and you're fine! (despite the fact that your friend is putting away the brownies one after another and making comments about how you will definitely 'gain it all back' because she knows someone who did MF and that's what happened to them blah blah blah).
Or you sit down to dinner and think "Wait! Where's my salad?" LOL
Or you go to a party and find there is NOTHING OP for you to eat, so you have a big seltzer with lime and you circulate and enjoy the people and when it's time for your next MF meal you excuse yourself and go into the ladies room and down a bar or a shake or something quick. And you're FINE.
When you REALIZE that sludge is just that...SLUDGE...it's not good for you, it's POISON for you, and that means FOREVER, not just 'until' you get to goal.
When you UNDERSTAND and ACCEPT that when you get to goal? Instead of 'rewarding' yourself with a trip to Dairy Queen, all you really want to do is go CLOTHES SHOPPING. And you seriously want that MORE than the food treats.
It CAN happen for you. It's not a miracle...it's just TIME and PRACTICE staying OP that 'trains' your brain to ACCEPT that this is the way you eat now! And it's OK! In fact you're HAPPY with it!
When you think 'chocolate' you think MF brownie...not Godiva.
When you think 'treat' you think...an apple...not a hot fudge sundae.
When you think 'munchies' you think...MF ranch chips!
How do you get to Carnegie Hall? PRACTICE.
How do you get to GOAL? PRACTICE!!!!!!
Keep on keepin' on!
For example, instead of saying:
"If I deprive myself now, I'll just eat more later"
say
"I'm making a choice, not a sacrifice."
Instead of saying:
"I deserve a treat after the kind of day I had"
say
"I deserve kindness, not calories."
Instead of saying:
"It's a special occasion"
say
"Special doesn't mean stuffed."
And here's a biggie. This statistic JUMPED out of the page at me (well, it also had to do with the large bold type, but still...LOL):
The
article said "Satisfying a craving can give you a quick hit of
pleasure,
but research shows the effect lasts only 3 minutes."
3 minutes! 3 measly MINUTES! That's
all!
Do you believe it? (WOW! It blows my MIND to think how much damage I've done, chasing that lousy '3 minutes' of pleasure!!!) ...
Although I've gotta say, it make sense, now that I think about it.
Because based on my experience, the pleasure DOESN'T last all that long, does it? In fact, that's why I think once I take that first forbidden bite, it's so HARD to stop. I mean, not only am I fighting that 'I blew it now might as well' logic....(which is NUTS of course but we believe it every time!) BUT....I also tend to 'chase the craving'....looking for that pleasure AGAIN...so I KEEP eating hoping it'll 'get better' and I'll have MORE pleasure!
But the truth is the initial pleasure is 'it'. That's the high. That's all.
All I'm doing after that is .... overstuffing. Going off program. Making myself miserable. Gaining weight (or stopping any loss I might've had that week). And letting myself down.
3 minutes. 3 minutes can literally make the difference between having a slim, gorgeous, healthy body this Summer....and regaining (or NOT making it to goal).
What a revelation!
I don't know about you but I'm going to think about that the next time I have a craving. After all, WHAT is worth 3 minutes of pleasure? Is sacrificing my hard-won slim body WORTH 3 minutes of pleasure?
If you're still on the 5/1, do you really want to jeopardize your weight loss this week for 3 LOUSY MINUTES?
Of course not!
The bottom line is, in order to get to goal and STAY there, you HAVE to be able to make the SWITCH in your head. The switch in your mindset.
FROM:
'I'll just do this until I lose the weight'
TO:
'This is the way I EAT now'.
Not ready to do that? Then I submit that you're not ready for Transition or Maintenance yet. I would say, then, that you have some work to do yet. And that means STAYING OP. It's the only way that 'switch' in your head will happen.
And it WILL happen. Trust me. It's not something you can FORCE...it just 'happens' as you continue to stay OP.
And I know it's not easy to stay OP. I know you're 'ansy'. You're sick and tired of the MF food. You wanna eat a piece of FRUIT, for God's sakes. You are so BORED with it.
So here's some suggestions:
- Switch up some MF meals, and maybe order some new ones.
Have you tried the mac&cheese and ziti yet?
There are two NEW products available starting this Tuesday! (March 18th) - MASHED POTATOES! (either garlic or sour cream & chive).
So order something new for yourself. (it doesn't have to be a large order every time, you know, you can place 'interim' orders).
Or order something you haven't had in awhile (your tastebuds DO change over time on this program).
It's amazing how just having something 'different' can give you a boost in 'mojo' and keep you going!
- Try splitting your L&G if you haven't already...that way, you can have an eggbeater omelet in the morning...or a grilled chicken caesar salad for lunch...or even a tuna 'salad' (made with MF approved healthy fats or dressings or even a light laughing cow)! Experiment with what works best for you.
I find that splitting my lean between lunch and dinner works best for me...because I usually exercise in the morning so by lunchtime I'm STARVED. So I'll have half my lean PLUS my MF meal at lunchtime. It's more food and it keeps me from having cravings in the afternoons which typically is my 'danger zone'.
- Experiment with different flavors. Safely, of course. Torani SF syrups...herb teas...you can have blueberry herb tea if you're craving fruit...or peach (the peach one from Celestial Seasonings is to DIE for). Make a big deal out of it. Sit down, put it in a pretty cup with a saucer, sip it slowly and RELAX. Take deep breaths.
- Try a new recipe. God knows there are plenty of them available! Search the RECIPES forum or RECIPES library. Ask your friends. What have you got to lose? You might just create a favorite that you will rely on, over and over again! Where it's something 'different' to do with your MF meals, or a new L&G, it can sometimes give you that little 'spark' to keep you going! There is no need to live on dry chicken and veggies every day.
- Step up your exercise or begin an exercise program. This can give you much-needed body awareness (so that you don't wind up looking in the mirror and NOT RECOGNIZING yourself...! Seriously it is a problem at certain points in this program because we lose weight so quickly). It can also improve flexibility, strength, give you stress relief and you can even HAVE FUN at the same time! (group exercise classes can be a lot of fun! There's something about 'shared agony' LOL...seriously I LOVE my classes. Pilates, Body Pump, Body Flow, Yoga, Low-impact Aerobics, Zumba...the list goes on and on. You never know until you TRY!)
- If you ARE exercising and the scale 'stopped' moving...try adding an extra 2 ozs. lean to your plan. YES it's OK, and NO the world won't come to an end, it's perfectly 'legal' to do OP and can make the difference on the scale, believe it or not. Your body needs the extra protein if you're working out hard(ER) than you were before or if you just started an exercise program.
- UP your water intake. It can 'jog' the weight loss a bit and give you a better result next weigh-in. Sometimes that's all we need...a little 'bump up' on the scale!
- Take your measurements. It will reinforce 'how far you've come' and also give you some goals to shoot for. WRITE THEM DOWN and compare them to the last time you took your measurements.
Have you lost inches? THAT'S where it's at, isn't it? It's not about 'weight', not really...it's about getting LEAN and HEALTHY! And if your measurements are going down, you ARE losing fat, even if the scale doesn't 'quite' show it yet.
- Mix up your routine. Maybe change when/how/what you're doing for exercise, take a walk outside 'just because', start a new hobby, buy yourself a new book, do SOMETHING different.
- Last but not least....REMEMBER that THIS is where it's at...THIS is when the bulk of your weight loss occurs.
This is where the real work takes place! Through the middle of the program, the day-in, day-out slogging through it. The days where you think you'll go krazy if you see another measuring cup or another MF bar. SWITCH THINGS UP, try new foods and stay OP. Don't allow boredom to take over. There are over 70 meals to choose from, there is no reason on EARTH to get bored.
And as for 'wanting real food', remember what I said about understanding that
"THIS IS THE WAY I EAT NOW"
versus
"I'M JUST ON A DIET UNTIL...."
If you have the 'diet' mentality, you'll gain it back. Because you haven't changed your eating habits!
Conversely, IF you realize and accept that this is the way you eat now, you'll be able to sail through transition and get to goal.
I know it sounds ...almost counter-productive. But it's TRUE!
You MUST ACCEPT that this isn't a short-term thing. It really isn't! No matter how fast the weight comes off, we're still seeking PERMANENT change here. And permanent change takes TIME.
I know it can seem IMPOSSIBLE.
"HOW" will I get my head to that place?"
Well, there is no method I can give you. No magic words.
All I can tell you is it WILL HAPPEN....IF you stay the course.
IF you stay OP.
It is an 'outgrowth' of the process, but there's no magic to it and nothing you can do, say, read, or try to hasten it. Your brain has to change and you can't force that. All you can do it KEEP ON KEEPIN' ON and TRUST that eventually you will start to see changes.
It starts small at first...you go out to dinner and suddenly eating out is 'no problem', you're ordering like a PRO and looking around and realizing, OMG the plates are HUGE, and the forks are even BIGGER, and people are STUFFING themselve with...ugh...grease and GOOP and bread and SUGAR galore....and you're sipping your water and enjoying the grilled salmon you ordered immensely.
Or you go to a friends house and they offer you some treat, and you're able to say 'No thank you' easily...in fact you look up at the clock and see it's time for your next MF meal and you say 'Do you mind if I eat my MF bar? It's time' and you pull our your pbtr crunch bar and enjoy every bite and you're fine! (despite the fact that your friend is putting away the brownies one after another and making comments about how you will definitely 'gain it all back' because she knows someone who did MF and that's what happened to them blah blah blah).
Or you sit down to dinner and think "Wait! Where's my salad?" LOL
Or you go to a party and find there is NOTHING OP for you to eat, so you have a big seltzer with lime and you circulate and enjoy the people and when it's time for your next MF meal you excuse yourself and go into the ladies room and down a bar or a shake or something quick. And you're FINE.
When you REALIZE that sludge is just that...SLUDGE...it's not good for you, it's POISON for you, and that means FOREVER, not just 'until' you get to goal.
When you UNDERSTAND and ACCEPT that when you get to goal? Instead of 'rewarding' yourself with a trip to Dairy Queen, all you really want to do is go CLOTHES SHOPPING. And you seriously want that MORE than the food treats.
It CAN happen for you. It's not a miracle...it's just TIME and PRACTICE staying OP that 'trains' your brain to ACCEPT that this is the way you eat now! And it's OK! In fact you're HAPPY with it!
When you think 'chocolate' you think MF brownie...not Godiva.
When you think 'treat' you think...an apple...not a hot fudge sundae.
When you think 'munchies' you think...MF ranch chips!
How do you get to Carnegie Hall? PRACTICE.
How do you get to GOAL? PRACTICE!!!!!!
Keep on keepin' on!
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