Many, many of us have 'been there'. And it's not the end of the world. You CAN get through it...out to the other side ... you CAN get back OP.
Here are the things that helped me:
- Keep Reading Blogs...
(go to www.medifastcommunity.com, JOIN, and go to BLOGS). READ them.
It will give you 'hope' and may give you ideas. This is my #1 tip!
I know, you're thinking 'Why should I read about how GREAT someone did? Or how they lost 6 lbs this week? That's only going to make me feel WORSE!
...So don't READ those!
Read the ones from people who are struggling. (the comments from others ALONE may spark an idea or two).
Read the ones with titles like 'I made it through', or 'I did it'....they just MAY give you a GREAT idea to try to get your 'mojo' back.
Read the ones where they sound 'down' (you'll feel LESS ALONE). And read the ones from the veterans whose advice you always get something out of....the ones who 'speak to you'...who you 'get'.
When I had a problem getting back OP (on program) last year, I kept reading....even while I was bingeing! I just read and read and sometimes I felt like there was something wrong with me, here were all these people doing it and I just COULDN'T seem to get back on track....but I kept reading and my brain sort of worked 'despite myself'. Later on, as I'd be getting ready for bed or cooking dinner or whatever, I'd suddenly have an idea or two to help myself....maybe a new way to store my meals, or a new L&G to spark my interest again, or a new goal I could set for myself.
Even just a new way of LOOKING at the program! Sometimes it's all in just how we phrase things to ourselves.
I was browsing through the forums the other day and I ran across a girl who said,
DON'T SAY "I can't have that."
SAY "I can't have that, I only eat what's on my food plan."
Sounds stupid, but JUST the simple addition of that second half of the sentence can make all the difference!
Because your brain, in the first sentence, just sees the "I can't" (and therefore immediately WANTS it more LOL).
But in the second sentence, your brain sees an 'out' clause...."only what's on my food plan"....and thinks 'AHA! So I could have...' and thinks about the food plan...and that's what you WANT, right? LOL
Sounds weird....but it works.
(go to www.medifastcommunity.com, JOIN, and go to BLOGS). READ them.
It will give you 'hope' and may give you ideas. This is my #1 tip!
I know, you're thinking 'Why should I read about how GREAT someone did? Or how they lost 6 lbs this week? That's only going to make me feel WORSE!
...So don't READ those!
Read the ones from people who are struggling. (the comments from others ALONE may spark an idea or two).
Read the ones with titles like 'I made it through', or 'I did it'....they just MAY give you a GREAT idea to try to get your 'mojo' back.
Read the ones where they sound 'down' (you'll feel LESS ALONE). And read the ones from the veterans whose advice you always get something out of....the ones who 'speak to you'...who you 'get'.
When I had a problem getting back OP (on program) last year, I kept reading....even while I was bingeing! I just read and read and sometimes I felt like there was something wrong with me, here were all these people doing it and I just COULDN'T seem to get back on track....but I kept reading and my brain sort of worked 'despite myself'. Later on, as I'd be getting ready for bed or cooking dinner or whatever, I'd suddenly have an idea or two to help myself....maybe a new way to store my meals, or a new L&G to spark my interest again, or a new goal I could set for myself.
Even just a new way of LOOKING at the program! Sometimes it's all in just how we phrase things to ourselves.
I was browsing through the forums the other day and I ran across a girl who said,
DON'T SAY "I can't have that."
SAY "I can't have that, I only eat what's on my food plan."
Sounds stupid, but JUST the simple addition of that second half of the sentence can make all the difference!
Because your brain, in the first sentence, just sees the "I can't" (and therefore immediately WANTS it more LOL).
But in the second sentence, your brain sees an 'out' clause...."only what's on my food plan"....and thinks 'AHA! So I could have...' and thinks about the food plan...and that's what you WANT, right? LOL
Sounds weird....but it works.
NEVER reject the 'weird'. LOL! Seriously! You never know what little trick is going to help you.
- Go to the forums on behavior....
You may get ideas there! (click on MF Community website on the right-hand side of this page and JOIN! You don't have to buy a thing....you can 'lurk' all you want).
Specifically, Nick (the behavior guru) has some things in his 'answered posts' section that are pure GOLD, in my book. And they may help you! You may go 'AHA! That's exactly what I'm dealing with!' and there you go....there's your answer, something to think about and maybe try. (and pssst...when you find something that's 'golden'? COPY it, PRINT IT, and post it on your frig or cabinet or someplace you can SEE it OFTEN so it sinks into the grey matter LOL).....
- QUESTION how you're physically storing your meals, your food, EVERYTHING...
Sometimes just a physical change can help....my 'shoe organizer' storage idea with my 5 MF meals a day in each 'slot' (I bought a new one of course) worked like a CHARM, that was ALL I could have every day...plus my L&G....I woke up, took the day's meals out of
the slot, and there was NO BARGAINING, THAT'S WHAT I ATE.
Again, it sounds 'weird'....but it WORKED! When I restricted myself to just those 5 meals physically....sort of 'made a deal with myself' that I ONLY ate those 5 meals that were in the slot for the day....I was able to stay OP. Because if it wasn't in that slot or it wasn't my L&G, it wasn't 'on my radar'. PERIOD. It was OFF LIMITS.
- I made a 'deal' with myself to do just ONE DAY OP (On program)....
I had gotten to the point where I couldn't even get through ONE DAY OP. So I made a deal with myself. I said I'm going to put ALL MY EFFORT into just doing ONE DAY OP. That's all. One day. I'm not going to think about the months ahead, I'm not going to worry about ANYTHING ELSE today, all I'm going to do is eat my 5 MF packets and my L&G and that's it and I'm going to DO IT. (Oh - and drink all my water, too).
I didn't worry about exercise. I didn't worry about anything else in my life....everything else could wait (it wasn't earth-shattering anyway)....all I was going to concentrate on was STAYING OP.
For just one day.
So I did whatever I needed to do to stay OP. I kept busy.....I took a nap...I went to bed early...I ate my MF meals S-L-O-W-L-Y but didn't even THINK about eating anything else (and didn't stand around in the kitchen, either...I spent as little time a possible there).
Once I got through ONE day? I told myself, "OK, so you did ONE DAY, you know you can do it. Now try for TWO days".
And I fought and fought and finally was able to do two days. And then three days. And so on. Until I finally got to ONE FULL WEEK OP.
(believe me this took MONTHS....when you're really binge-eating, it can be very, very difficult to break free of that behavior...but it CAN be done, one step at a time)....and when I finally was able to string together a full 7 days OP. knew I would be OK. From that point I was sailing...back in the groove!
- While I was struggling to do this? I bought GOLD STARS at the store and put one on my calendar every day I stayed OP
Again, sounds stupid, sounds weird...but it WORKED. I liked seeing those little gold stars on my calendar! I wanted to see 'more' of them! A SEA of gold stars! LOL...but the only way I could put one up is if I EARNED IT. I had to stay 100% OP to 'earn' it. AND drink all my water.
- I planned my L&Gs (Lean and Green meals) like KRAZY....and made sure I had them all set to go every day when I got home
Face it, all the best of intentions will EVAPORATE if you aren't prepared when you come home after work. Making that L&G (lean and green) can just seem like too much of a chore. So don't DO that to yourself! Set yourself up for success. PLAN IN ADVANCE. Get your chicken out of the freezer in the morning, make sure you have the salad fixings really easy to get at in the frig....if possible even make extra portions so you have leftovers when you just can't handle cooking at ALL.
Then all you have to do is grab a container and microwave it, and maybe throw together a salad (and there's no excuse to not having a salad...you can buy PRE WASHED, PRE CUT UP lettuce for pete' sakes! LOL). All you need is an MF approved salad dressing, and there are plenty to choose from, look at the condiments list. Copy and paste the below link and SAVE it as a bookmark:
http://www.medifast1.com/support_tools/nutritional_information.jsp
Click on the third item on the list... the condiments list....scroll to the last page...voila, there's your list of approved MF salad dressings. PRINT THIS LIST. Take it with you to the grocery store. The requirements for a healthy salad dressing are:
< 5 grams fat AND
< 6 grams carbs per serving
So when you're at the grocery store, check the labels. TRY different dressings until you find one you ADORE! You'll never have to force yourself to eat your salads again!
- I SPLIT MY LEAN...
It may help you. It helped me, bigtime, with hunger in the afternoons (I was starting my binges around 1-2 pm; mornings I was OK, but I'd fall apart every afternoon and just be unable to stop eating all night long!). Just remember to have HALF your lean with your dinner....and all 3 veggies (if you haven't had a veggie at lunch as well).
And don't forget that 5th MF meal...i.e, if you split your lean, you should be eating 1/2 your lean at Lunch PLUS an MF meal.
Got it?
Ideas:
4 oz. Ps ricotta (I mix with a little splenda and vanilla extract);
2 string cheese;
4 ozs. cottage cheese (see above, add cinnamon, try different spices)
3 ozs. cooked chicken breast (cut into pieces and use a fork and take your time);
1 Boca Burger (watch the ketchup!)
3.5 ozs. tuna in water (try with a bit of approved ranch dressing and/or balsamic vinegar, maybe some celery...you DON'T need a ton of mayo)
- I DRANK EVEN MORE WATER
Again, sounds stupid...but WORKS. Also what works? Lots of liquids in general....low or no calorie ones, that is. Herb tea, crystal light, coffee (in moderation, caffeine can make you hungry), sparkling water, diet soda (again careful with this, see below)....especially with your meals. Fills you up and makes it seem like 'more' food.
- I found things to keep my fingers busy...
Typing in the community website...doing my nails, even playing PS3 games! They kept me busy and involved so I didn't THINK about food.
BUSY IS GOOD. Busy makes the time go faster. Busy = "Oh look, it's time for my next MF meal!" LOL
- I FORCED myself not to get on the scale until my weekly weigh in
Why torture yourself? ESPECIALLY if you've been binge-eating. "It is what it is". WAIT until your weekly weigh-in to see how everything 'shakes out'.
- I take baths to soothe myself and reduce stress
STRESS is a big factor in my overeating. When I'm stressed or upset, I reach for 'comfort'....i.e, FOOD. So the more I can reduce my stress level, the LESS I'm thinking about eating something.
And the only way to see what works? Is to try it. Exercise, painting, writing, baths, taking a nap, deep breathing, meditation, going for a walk, singing at the top of your lungs, reading, whatever works!
I found myself getting into a lot of meditation style CDs .... and they really soothed me and calmed me down. Sometimes they even put me to sleep! But that was a GOOD thing. There's nothing wrong with a nap in the afternoon if you're tired...your body is under stress from ketosis anyway. GIVE IT A BREAK. Treat it well. Just don't FEED the stress!
In line with stress AND 'more liquids', I believe in herb teas...I've said it over and over again. A cup of tension tamer or sleepytime vanilla soothes me and makes me go "AHHHH....."...and suddenly I can resist my cravings a LOT easier.
- I didn't have a Coach (then), so I journalled a LOT, wrote a lot of blogs....and asked for help all over the website.
Don't be shy, take a deep breath and ASK FOR HELP. Talk about your feelings...what is happening inside your head that seems to be BEGGING you to 'feed' it? Don't just say 'This is just the way I am'.
YOU DON'T HAVE TO STAY THAT WAY! Change IS possible.
- I stopped buying ANY trigger foods...
If you've identified a food that's a trigger...(i.e., it's something that once you start eating it? You CAN'T STOP...and/or it leads to you eating OTHER things)....then STOP BUYING IT! Get rid of it. Pour it down the drain, throw it in the garbage, do whatever you have to do but GET IT OUT OF YOUR HOUSE.
When I was binge-eating I even had some MF meals I was overdoing....I had to stop buying the choc chip soft bakes, for instance, because I was eating them like 'raw cookie dough'....and I was eating like 4, 5, 6 packets at a TIME! Nope...no more...they are OFF.MY.LIST.
It's amazing and surprising sometimes to find which foods are your triggers...and sometimes foods you MAY have been doing OK with rear their ugly heads and BECOME triggers! Watch out carefully....and get rid of them. I mean, think about it, what's more important, continuing to eat that food or your weight loss and your health and peace of mind?
- I stopped chewing SF gum and drinking diet soda
For some reason, sugarfree chewing gum...AND diet soda...were both causing me to get hungrier. I can't explain 'why'...some say the artificial sweeteners, some swear it's the sodium in the diet soda and/or the caffeine (although this happened even if it was caffeine-free diet soda)....but whatever the reason, I got HUNGRIER.
So I got rid of them. I finally gave up my lifelong diet soda habit and it helped me BIGTIME.
And I stopped buying sugarfree gum.
You may be OK with these things...but then again, you may not. Think about it. And if they make you hungry, GET RID OF THEM.
- I went through my closet and lined up the clothes that were too small but I LOVED....
At one point, I had about 3 different 'categories' for my clothes' sizes....'fits now but I hate them' (i.e., sizes 22-24W)....'USED to fit but still a larger size (sizes 20, 18, and some 16s)...and 'FANTASYLAND' (clothes that were size 14, some small 16s that I loved, and 12s....basically clothes I either wore when I was a LOT younger and thinner or clothes I bought 'for when' I lost the weight...(I didn't have many of these).
So I went through my entire closet. RUTHLESSLY. I donated EVERYTHING that was too big. And I mean EVERYTHING. And I donated EVERYTHING that was 'getting to be' too big that I HATED. These had to go, too.
I even donated some of the 'fantasyland' clothes if I felt they were just the wrong style for me. But I KEPT the ones I LOVED...even if they were 6 sizes too small. And I put the ones I REALLY REALLY loved...in FRONT. I put my favorite 'chemise' that my husband had bought for me years ago (that never fit, to be honest...poor thing 'thought' I was smaller than I was ...GOD BLESS HIM LOL)....on a hanger on the OUTSIDE of my closet. That was my GOAL.
I also found my wedding dress (that's me in it on the right in my profile pic) from 1986. It was a size 12. I knew I couldn't fit into it but I made it a goal that I WOULD someday. And I put that 'front and center', too.
When I got up every morning I saw that chemise and I saw that wedding dress....and it inspired me.
(PS I fit into BOTH that chemise and the wedding dress now).
I also had NO MORE FAT CLOTHES to 'fall back' on. And this was CRUCIAL. I finally, once and for all, decided that 'this was IT', no more backsliding, no more screwing around....I was going to DO THIS and once I got to goal I was going to STAY THERE.
So no 'well maybe....'....clothes.....no 'But if it's 5 degrees out and I need to wear 16 layers' clothes...NOPE. OUT THEY WENT.
Last but not least....
Have FAITH in yourself....and PATIENCE with yourself.
"Rome wasn't built in a day", and everyone's journey here is different. There is no time limit to this thing. No one is going to say 'Well you didn't lose the weight and it's been two years so...goodbye!'...LOL...NOPE! You can take as long as you NEED to take....and if need be you can fall down, get back up, fall down again, get back up....over and over again...because THAT'S HOW WE LEARN.
If you fall down enough times you start putting the pieces together. You start REALIZING some of the LIES that you've been telling yourself all these years and believing (that's Fat Brain talking!!!). You STOP making excuses for yourself...but at the same time you treat yourself with LOVE and RESPECT and understand that chastising yourself, 'punishing' yourself, or trying to 'undo' your behavior by being even MORE strict (I was a big one for this in my 20s, Oh YEAH I was....if I ate too much I'd KILL MYSELF at aerobics class the next day...like that was going to solve everything)....is just counter-productive. BE KIND TO YOURSELF.
If you've made a dream board? If you've got ideas, goals, dreams in your head of what size you want to be or how you want to look or things you want to do that you can't right now? The only way to achieve them is to work on them TODAY. What are you doing TODAY to reach your goals? Are you making excuses, procrastinating, giving up? Or are you TRYING? Every day you try....and every day you succeed....you take one more 'baby step' towards your DREAMS.
I hope these ideas help you....and my heart goes out to you if you're struggling, because I KNOW how awful it can be.
TAKE HEART. Remember, the difference between someone who reaches goal and someone who doesn't? Is just that the person who reached goal fell down 8 times and GOT UP 9 times!
If you KEEP GETTING UP, you will have NO CHOICE but to win this battle....ONCE AND FOR ALL. NEVER EVER EVER give up on yourself.
Remember, you are NOT alone. Others have walked a similar path before you and they've done it...so YOU can, too!
Keep on keepin' on...!
- QUESTION how you're physically storing your meals, your food, EVERYTHING...
Sometimes just a physical change can help....my 'shoe organizer' storage idea with my 5 MF meals a day in each 'slot' (I bought a new one of course) worked like a CHARM, that was ALL I could have every day...plus my L&G....I woke up, took the day's meals out of
the slot, and there was NO BARGAINING, THAT'S WHAT I ATE.
Again, it sounds 'weird'....but it WORKED! When I restricted myself to just those 5 meals physically....sort of 'made a deal with myself' that I ONLY ate those 5 meals that were in the slot for the day....I was able to stay OP. Because if it wasn't in that slot or it wasn't my L&G, it wasn't 'on my radar'. PERIOD. It was OFF LIMITS.
- I made a 'deal' with myself to do just ONE DAY OP (On program)....
I had gotten to the point where I couldn't even get through ONE DAY OP. So I made a deal with myself. I said I'm going to put ALL MY EFFORT into just doing ONE DAY OP. That's all. One day. I'm not going to think about the months ahead, I'm not going to worry about ANYTHING ELSE today, all I'm going to do is eat my 5 MF packets and my L&G and that's it and I'm going to DO IT. (Oh - and drink all my water, too).
I didn't worry about exercise. I didn't worry about anything else in my life....everything else could wait (it wasn't earth-shattering anyway)....all I was going to concentrate on was STAYING OP.
For just one day.
So I did whatever I needed to do to stay OP. I kept busy.....I took a nap...I went to bed early...I ate my MF meals S-L-O-W-L-Y but didn't even THINK about eating anything else (and didn't stand around in the kitchen, either...I spent as little time a possible there).
Once I got through ONE day? I told myself, "OK, so you did ONE DAY, you know you can do it. Now try for TWO days".
And I fought and fought and finally was able to do two days. And then three days. And so on. Until I finally got to ONE FULL WEEK OP.
(believe me this took MONTHS....when you're really binge-eating, it can be very, very difficult to break free of that behavior...but it CAN be done, one step at a time)....and when I finally was able to string together a full 7 days OP. knew I would be OK. From that point I was sailing...back in the groove!
- While I was struggling to do this? I bought GOLD STARS at the store and put one on my calendar every day I stayed OP
Again, sounds stupid, sounds weird...but it WORKED. I liked seeing those little gold stars on my calendar! I wanted to see 'more' of them! A SEA of gold stars! LOL...but the only way I could put one up is if I EARNED IT. I had to stay 100% OP to 'earn' it. AND drink all my water.
- I planned my L&Gs (Lean and Green meals) like KRAZY....and made sure I had them all set to go every day when I got home
Face it, all the best of intentions will EVAPORATE if you aren't prepared when you come home after work. Making that L&G (lean and green) can just seem like too much of a chore. So don't DO that to yourself! Set yourself up for success. PLAN IN ADVANCE. Get your chicken out of the freezer in the morning, make sure you have the salad fixings really easy to get at in the frig....if possible even make extra portions so you have leftovers when you just can't handle cooking at ALL.
Then all you have to do is grab a container and microwave it, and maybe throw together a salad (and there's no excuse to not having a salad...you can buy PRE WASHED, PRE CUT UP lettuce for pete' sakes! LOL). All you need is an MF approved salad dressing, and there are plenty to choose from, look at the condiments list. Copy and paste the below link and SAVE it as a bookmark:
http://www.medifast1.com/support_tools/nutritional_information.jsp
Click on the third item on the list... the condiments list....scroll to the last page...voila, there's your list of approved MF salad dressings. PRINT THIS LIST. Take it with you to the grocery store. The requirements for a healthy salad dressing are:
< 5 grams fat AND
< 6 grams carbs per serving
So when you're at the grocery store, check the labels. TRY different dressings until you find one you ADORE! You'll never have to force yourself to eat your salads again!
- I SPLIT MY LEAN...
It may help you. It helped me, bigtime, with hunger in the afternoons (I was starting my binges around 1-2 pm; mornings I was OK, but I'd fall apart every afternoon and just be unable to stop eating all night long!). Just remember to have HALF your lean with your dinner....and all 3 veggies (if you haven't had a veggie at lunch as well).
And don't forget that 5th MF meal...i.e, if you split your lean, you should be eating 1/2 your lean at Lunch PLUS an MF meal.
Got it?
Ideas:
4 oz. Ps ricotta (I mix with a little splenda and vanilla extract);
2 string cheese;
4 ozs. cottage cheese (see above, add cinnamon, try different spices)
3 ozs. cooked chicken breast (cut into pieces and use a fork and take your time);
1 Boca Burger (watch the ketchup!)
3.5 ozs. tuna in water (try with a bit of approved ranch dressing and/or balsamic vinegar, maybe some celery...you DON'T need a ton of mayo)
- I DRANK EVEN MORE WATER
Again, sounds stupid...but WORKS. Also what works? Lots of liquids in general....low or no calorie ones, that is. Herb tea, crystal light, coffee (in moderation, caffeine can make you hungry), sparkling water, diet soda (again careful with this, see below)....especially with your meals. Fills you up and makes it seem like 'more' food.
- I found things to keep my fingers busy...
Typing in the community website...doing my nails, even playing PS3 games! They kept me busy and involved so I didn't THINK about food.
BUSY IS GOOD. Busy makes the time go faster. Busy = "Oh look, it's time for my next MF meal!" LOL
- I FORCED myself not to get on the scale until my weekly weigh in
Why torture yourself? ESPECIALLY if you've been binge-eating. "It is what it is". WAIT until your weekly weigh-in to see how everything 'shakes out'.
- I take baths to soothe myself and reduce stress
STRESS is a big factor in my overeating. When I'm stressed or upset, I reach for 'comfort'....i.e, FOOD. So the more I can reduce my stress level, the LESS I'm thinking about eating something.
And the only way to see what works? Is to try it. Exercise, painting, writing, baths, taking a nap, deep breathing, meditation, going for a walk, singing at the top of your lungs, reading, whatever works!
I found myself getting into a lot of meditation style CDs .... and they really soothed me and calmed me down. Sometimes they even put me to sleep! But that was a GOOD thing. There's nothing wrong with a nap in the afternoon if you're tired...your body is under stress from ketosis anyway. GIVE IT A BREAK. Treat it well. Just don't FEED the stress!
In line with stress AND 'more liquids', I believe in herb teas...I've said it over and over again. A cup of tension tamer or sleepytime vanilla soothes me and makes me go "AHHHH....."...and suddenly I can resist my cravings a LOT easier.
- I didn't have a Coach (then), so I journalled a LOT, wrote a lot of blogs....and asked for help all over the website.
Don't be shy, take a deep breath and ASK FOR HELP. Talk about your feelings...what is happening inside your head that seems to be BEGGING you to 'feed' it? Don't just say 'This is just the way I am'.
YOU DON'T HAVE TO STAY THAT WAY! Change IS possible.
- I stopped buying ANY trigger foods...
If you've identified a food that's a trigger...(i.e., it's something that once you start eating it? You CAN'T STOP...and/or it leads to you eating OTHER things)....then STOP BUYING IT! Get rid of it. Pour it down the drain, throw it in the garbage, do whatever you have to do but GET IT OUT OF YOUR HOUSE.
When I was binge-eating I even had some MF meals I was overdoing....I had to stop buying the choc chip soft bakes, for instance, because I was eating them like 'raw cookie dough'....and I was eating like 4, 5, 6 packets at a TIME! Nope...no more...they are OFF.MY.LIST.
It's amazing and surprising sometimes to find which foods are your triggers...and sometimes foods you MAY have been doing OK with rear their ugly heads and BECOME triggers! Watch out carefully....and get rid of them. I mean, think about it, what's more important, continuing to eat that food or your weight loss and your health and peace of mind?
- I stopped chewing SF gum and drinking diet soda
For some reason, sugarfree chewing gum...AND diet soda...were both causing me to get hungrier. I can't explain 'why'...some say the artificial sweeteners, some swear it's the sodium in the diet soda and/or the caffeine (although this happened even if it was caffeine-free diet soda)....but whatever the reason, I got HUNGRIER.
So I got rid of them. I finally gave up my lifelong diet soda habit and it helped me BIGTIME.
And I stopped buying sugarfree gum.
You may be OK with these things...but then again, you may not. Think about it. And if they make you hungry, GET RID OF THEM.
- I went through my closet and lined up the clothes that were too small but I LOVED....
At one point, I had about 3 different 'categories' for my clothes' sizes....'fits now but I hate them' (i.e., sizes 22-24W)....'USED to fit but still a larger size (sizes 20, 18, and some 16s)...and 'FANTASYLAND' (clothes that were size 14, some small 16s that I loved, and 12s....basically clothes I either wore when I was a LOT younger and thinner or clothes I bought 'for when' I lost the weight...(I didn't have many of these).
So I went through my entire closet. RUTHLESSLY. I donated EVERYTHING that was too big. And I mean EVERYTHING. And I donated EVERYTHING that was 'getting to be' too big that I HATED. These had to go, too.
I even donated some of the 'fantasyland' clothes if I felt they were just the wrong style for me. But I KEPT the ones I LOVED...even if they were 6 sizes too small. And I put the ones I REALLY REALLY loved...in FRONT. I put my favorite 'chemise' that my husband had bought for me years ago (that never fit, to be honest...poor thing 'thought' I was smaller than I was ...GOD BLESS HIM LOL)....on a hanger on the OUTSIDE of my closet. That was my GOAL.
I also found my wedding dress (that's me in it on the right in my profile pic) from 1986. It was a size 12. I knew I couldn't fit into it but I made it a goal that I WOULD someday. And I put that 'front and center', too.
When I got up every morning I saw that chemise and I saw that wedding dress....and it inspired me.
(PS I fit into BOTH that chemise and the wedding dress now).
I also had NO MORE FAT CLOTHES to 'fall back' on. And this was CRUCIAL. I finally, once and for all, decided that 'this was IT', no more backsliding, no more screwing around....I was going to DO THIS and once I got to goal I was going to STAY THERE.
So no 'well maybe....'....clothes.....no 'But if it's 5 degrees out and I need to wear 16 layers' clothes...NOPE. OUT THEY WENT.
Last but not least....
Have FAITH in yourself....and PATIENCE with yourself.
"Rome wasn't built in a day", and everyone's journey here is different. There is no time limit to this thing. No one is going to say 'Well you didn't lose the weight and it's been two years so...goodbye!'...LOL...NOPE! You can take as long as you NEED to take....and if need be you can fall down, get back up, fall down again, get back up....over and over again...because THAT'S HOW WE LEARN.
If you fall down enough times you start putting the pieces together. You start REALIZING some of the LIES that you've been telling yourself all these years and believing (that's Fat Brain talking!!!). You STOP making excuses for yourself...but at the same time you treat yourself with LOVE and RESPECT and understand that chastising yourself, 'punishing' yourself, or trying to 'undo' your behavior by being even MORE strict (I was a big one for this in my 20s, Oh YEAH I was....if I ate too much I'd KILL MYSELF at aerobics class the next day...like that was going to solve everything)....is just counter-productive. BE KIND TO YOURSELF.
If you've made a dream board? If you've got ideas, goals, dreams in your head of what size you want to be or how you want to look or things you want to do that you can't right now? The only way to achieve them is to work on them TODAY. What are you doing TODAY to reach your goals? Are you making excuses, procrastinating, giving up? Or are you TRYING? Every day you try....and every day you succeed....you take one more 'baby step' towards your DREAMS.
I hope these ideas help you....and my heart goes out to you if you're struggling, because I KNOW how awful it can be.
TAKE HEART. Remember, the difference between someone who reaches goal and someone who doesn't? Is just that the person who reached goal fell down 8 times and GOT UP 9 times!
If you KEEP GETTING UP, you will have NO CHOICE but to win this battle....ONCE AND FOR ALL. NEVER EVER EVER give up on yourself.
Remember, you are NOT alone. Others have walked a similar path before you and they've done it...so YOU can, too!
Keep on keepin' on...!
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