I've learned plenty of lessons while on this program. Lessons that
would seem to have nothing to do with my weight loss journey. After
all, we don't come here to restructure our lives, we come here to
lose weight, right?
I mean, it's simple. It's just a diet, right?
Ho boy....if that's what you think, have I got news for YOU!
This program, when you embrace it in its entirety and follow it faithfully, is about much much MORE than a 'diet'.
Yes yes it's a lifestyle, not a diet....yada yada LOL....We've all heard that stuff before LOL -- a diet is something you go "on" and "off" -- and on this program we never truly go "off", instead we change our eating habits completely and start to love to eat healthy food instead of junk. With the end result being sort of a metamorphosis instead of and 'end point'.....
But that's not what I'm talking about.
I'm talking about CHANGING your insides! Truly changing your LIFE!
Now, I know what you're thinking. "OK, Catlover, you've really lost me now....I LIKE my life! I like myself -- well, all except for the FAT on my body of course -- I love my family, my job, etc."
No - I'm not talking about suddenly quitting everything and running away to Tahiti. (although some days...I think about it! LOL)....
No.
I'm talking about a change in your FOCUS.
And on how you handle the problems in your life.
Think about it.
Right now, what's your 'default' action when things go badly in your life?
I don't know about you, but mine was.....EAT!
When times got tough, I hit the refrigerator. Publicly or secretly, "Food solves ALL". It was my confidant, my friend, my secret lover, my passion, my comfort, my shoulder to cry on.
It was what I did. "Whenever".
- Tense? Upset? Anxious?
"Where's the chips? I need to something to CRUNCH".
- Depressed? Sad? Just feeling 'blue' for no reason?
"Ben & Jerry's to the rescue!"
- Angry? Frustrated? FURIOUS?
Time to take a deep breath....and plan a nice long BINGE. "Just for me".
"TO HELL WITH EVERYONE, I'M GONNA EAT!"....that was my mantra.
Even my physical problems....could always be solved with FOOD.
- Headache?
"Ooooh....I must have low blood sugar. I need to EAT".
- Tired?
"A little something" will perk me right up.
- Tensed up?
"Just a spoonful of peanut butter...that's all I need....to 'take the edge off' (you know what? Fat Brain told me that just LAST NIGHT! UGH! This one is deeply, deeply ingrained).
"ONE WON'T HURT" is usually what follows that thought....and we all know that one WILL hurt. BIGTIME!)
My automatic response to just about every bump in the road was to 'eat something, you'll feel better'. Those 5 words were SO indoctrinated into my head that it took me YEARS to undo them. And I still fall back on them sometimes!
I have to catch myself and remind myself that "I don't DO that anymore". PERIOD.
Let's face it. Eating DOES (temporarily) make you feel better. It raises your blood sugar, fills your tummy, relaxes you, and can -- again, temporarily -- take your mind off your troubles.
But it's a "False God!" It doesn't solve the problem.
In fact, it CREATES or EXTENDS an existing problem -- our overweight problem!
It's a LIE.
So what's the solution?
Well, as hard as this is, the solution for me was to find OTHER, healthier ways to tackle my problems. Sometimes head on!
And the best way I found to do that? Since I'm obviously a food addict and obviously as hedonistic as the next guy? -- is to take care of myself. Put myself FIRST instead of LAST. DO what I wanted to to do with my life and with my time, every single day, instead of what others wanted/expected/needed/demanded me to do.
This isn't easy. I won't lie to you. I had to change two very important relationships in my life -- my interactions with my Mother, and my relationship with my DH.
In BOTH cases I had to assert myself and at times, say NO and mean it. Even though I knew they wouldn't be happy about it!
I had to learn to stand up for myself. Once and for all.
And then I had to figure out what it was I REALLY wanted. Get to know ME!
There's a great line in "The Banger Sisters", where Susan Sarandon, who's become "SuperMom" after her past life as a rock Groupie -- says she wants to go out with her friend Suzette (who is still into the rock thing) -- but "Everything I own is BEIGE!"....LOL...
and that she was so busy taking care of her family that she "LOST herself".
She didn't know who SHE was anymore.
Many of us here can identify because we, too, have been guilty of trying to please everyone else at the expense of our OWN emotional health and well being!
It's time to focus on YOU now. If you're here to get this done, once and for all, you need to understand that you will have to stop being a doormat and start living your life for YOU.
Do what YOU want to do, not what others want you to do.
Do what makes YOU happy. And this requires some exploration, some internal soul-searching, and even some trial and error! It's all OK....we're human!....THAT'S WHAT WE'RE HERE FOR. Trial and error!
And I'm not saying run away from your responsibilities. But for many of us, we take on TOO MUCH. We have husbands that can chip in with the housework. Children, sometimes grown children, who we are letting walk all over us. Relatives and friends who figure we'll do it 'their way'. Even sometimes clerks, and people we meet treating us like garbage, and we TAKE it! WHY?!? "Don't make waves". Heaven forbid, right?
Meanwhile we're angry and stuffing our faces in private.
STOP DOING THIS TO YOURSELF. YOU DESERVE BETTER!
You have as much right to a happy life as anyone else. It's not easy, but you CAN change. Open your mouth -- not to put food in it, but to say "NO". Or to ASK for help!
Or to DEMAND time for yourself.
And treat yourself like the worthy, wonderful, unique, special, beautiful person you ARE. Take time for yourself
EVERY. SINGLE. DAY.
Even if it's just 20 minutes to sit and 'breathe'....or maybe take a quick nap....DO IT.
For YOU. Remember, we are human BEings....not human DOings.
And the rest will all fall into place! Because when the focus is on YOU, then YOU start preparing and planning your meals to stay OP, and YOU realize and understand that it's up to YOU to 'just say No' to the food pushers, to make SURE you have what you need to stay OP, whether it's bringing fresh veggies to a barbeque or making a special trip out to the store to make sure you have chicken or fish or whatever it is you need, to scheduling time for exercise, to finding the money for your MF meals, to putting a few MF bars in your purse, to saying 'I don't eat that anymore' (NEVER use "I CAN'T". You CAN....you just CHOOSE not to!)
YOU ARE WORTH IT. Every penny!
Once you approach the plan that way....I promise you, you will be able to 'sail' through a lot easier. Because you're not worried about everyone 'else' anymore. Just yourself. And that doesn't make you 'selfish'. You obviously will continue to do the things that you need to do for your family, your home, and your job. But you can STOP being taken advantage of. Once and for all. You can stand up and say 'NO! I COUNT, TOO!' and mean it.
You can do it! Just like this plan....one day at a time, one event at a time....and the metamorphosis....from a caterpillar into a BUTTERFLY.....will take place!
(Flying is GREAT, by the way, take it from a 'new' Butterfly! LOL)
Keep on keepin' on!
I mean, it's simple. It's just a diet, right?
Ho boy....if that's what you think, have I got news for YOU!
This program, when you embrace it in its entirety and follow it faithfully, is about much much MORE than a 'diet'.
Yes yes it's a lifestyle, not a diet....yada yada LOL....We've all heard that stuff before LOL -- a diet is something you go "on" and "off" -- and on this program we never truly go "off", instead we change our eating habits completely and start to love to eat healthy food instead of junk. With the end result being sort of a metamorphosis instead of and 'end point'.....
But that's not what I'm talking about.
I'm talking about CHANGING your insides! Truly changing your LIFE!
Now, I know what you're thinking. "OK, Catlover, you've really lost me now....I LIKE my life! I like myself -- well, all except for the FAT on my body of course -- I love my family, my job, etc."
No - I'm not talking about suddenly quitting everything and running away to Tahiti. (although some days...I think about it! LOL)....
No.
I'm talking about a change in your FOCUS.
And on how you handle the problems in your life.
Think about it.
Right now, what's your 'default' action when things go badly in your life?
I don't know about you, but mine was.....EAT!
When times got tough, I hit the refrigerator. Publicly or secretly, "Food solves ALL". It was my confidant, my friend, my secret lover, my passion, my comfort, my shoulder to cry on.
It was what I did. "Whenever".
- Tense? Upset? Anxious?
"Where's the chips? I need to something to CRUNCH".
- Depressed? Sad? Just feeling 'blue' for no reason?
"Ben & Jerry's to the rescue!"
- Angry? Frustrated? FURIOUS?
Time to take a deep breath....and plan a nice long BINGE. "Just for me".
"TO HELL WITH EVERYONE, I'M GONNA EAT!"....that was my mantra.
Even my physical problems....could always be solved with FOOD.
- Headache?
"Ooooh....I must have low blood sugar. I need to EAT".
- Tired?
"A little something" will perk me right up.
- Tensed up?
"Just a spoonful of peanut butter...that's all I need....to 'take the edge off' (you know what? Fat Brain told me that just LAST NIGHT! UGH! This one is deeply, deeply ingrained).
"ONE WON'T HURT" is usually what follows that thought....and we all know that one WILL hurt. BIGTIME!)
My automatic response to just about every bump in the road was to 'eat something, you'll feel better'. Those 5 words were SO indoctrinated into my head that it took me YEARS to undo them. And I still fall back on them sometimes!
I have to catch myself and remind myself that "I don't DO that anymore". PERIOD.
Let's face it. Eating DOES (temporarily) make you feel better. It raises your blood sugar, fills your tummy, relaxes you, and can -- again, temporarily -- take your mind off your troubles.
But it's a "False God!" It doesn't solve the problem.
In fact, it CREATES or EXTENDS an existing problem -- our overweight problem!
It's a LIE.
So what's the solution?
Well, as hard as this is, the solution for me was to find OTHER, healthier ways to tackle my problems. Sometimes head on!
And the best way I found to do that? Since I'm obviously a food addict and obviously as hedonistic as the next guy? -- is to take care of myself. Put myself FIRST instead of LAST. DO what I wanted to to do with my life and with my time, every single day, instead of what others wanted/expected/needed/demanded me to do.
This isn't easy. I won't lie to you. I had to change two very important relationships in my life -- my interactions with my Mother, and my relationship with my DH.
In BOTH cases I had to assert myself and at times, say NO and mean it. Even though I knew they wouldn't be happy about it!
I had to learn to stand up for myself. Once and for all.
And then I had to figure out what it was I REALLY wanted. Get to know ME!
There's a great line in "The Banger Sisters", where Susan Sarandon, who's become "SuperMom" after her past life as a rock Groupie -- says she wants to go out with her friend Suzette (who is still into the rock thing) -- but "Everything I own is BEIGE!"....LOL...
and that she was so busy taking care of her family that she "LOST herself".
She didn't know who SHE was anymore.
Many of us here can identify because we, too, have been guilty of trying to please everyone else at the expense of our OWN emotional health and well being!
It's time to focus on YOU now. If you're here to get this done, once and for all, you need to understand that you will have to stop being a doormat and start living your life for YOU.
Do what YOU want to do, not what others want you to do.
Do what makes YOU happy. And this requires some exploration, some internal soul-searching, and even some trial and error! It's all OK....we're human!....THAT'S WHAT WE'RE HERE FOR. Trial and error!
And I'm not saying run away from your responsibilities. But for many of us, we take on TOO MUCH. We have husbands that can chip in with the housework. Children, sometimes grown children, who we are letting walk all over us. Relatives and friends who figure we'll do it 'their way'. Even sometimes clerks, and people we meet treating us like garbage, and we TAKE it! WHY?!? "Don't make waves". Heaven forbid, right?
Meanwhile we're angry and stuffing our faces in private.
STOP DOING THIS TO YOURSELF. YOU DESERVE BETTER!
You have as much right to a happy life as anyone else. It's not easy, but you CAN change. Open your mouth -- not to put food in it, but to say "NO". Or to ASK for help!
Or to DEMAND time for yourself.
And treat yourself like the worthy, wonderful, unique, special, beautiful person you ARE. Take time for yourself
EVERY. SINGLE. DAY.
Even if it's just 20 minutes to sit and 'breathe'....or maybe take a quick nap....DO IT.
For YOU. Remember, we are human BEings....not human DOings.
And the rest will all fall into place! Because when the focus is on YOU, then YOU start preparing and planning your meals to stay OP, and YOU realize and understand that it's up to YOU to 'just say No' to the food pushers, to make SURE you have what you need to stay OP, whether it's bringing fresh veggies to a barbeque or making a special trip out to the store to make sure you have chicken or fish or whatever it is you need, to scheduling time for exercise, to finding the money for your MF meals, to putting a few MF bars in your purse, to saying 'I don't eat that anymore' (NEVER use "I CAN'T". You CAN....you just CHOOSE not to!)
YOU ARE WORTH IT. Every penny!
Once you approach the plan that way....I promise you, you will be able to 'sail' through a lot easier. Because you're not worried about everyone 'else' anymore. Just yourself. And that doesn't make you 'selfish'. You obviously will continue to do the things that you need to do for your family, your home, and your job. But you can STOP being taken advantage of. Once and for all. You can stand up and say 'NO! I COUNT, TOO!' and mean it.
You can do it! Just like this plan....one day at a time, one event at a time....and the metamorphosis....from a caterpillar into a BUTTERFLY.....will take place!
(Flying is GREAT, by the way, take it from a 'new' Butterfly! LOL)
Keep on keepin' on!
No comments:
Post a Comment
Please send me your comments!
I will review and post if relevant...(with your initials only).