How to change your habits - One baby step at a time!

Good morning, gang!

I've been MIA for a little bit....Winter doldrums, what can I say? ... and feeling, well...just a little uninspired.

But this morning I checked out http://www.success.com and it led to my finding an article that really resonated with me and made me realize, it was something I'd been doing without realizing it that helped me reach goal! So I'm hoping I can pass this along to those of you who may be struggling.

From the website:
"Anyone who’s achieved success knows it’s more than a matter of mere luck. When I prepare to succeed by consciously scheduling my workout time in advance, and I commit to it just as I would an important business or doctor appointment, I find it easy to follow through; no “thinking” is required. I do the same with my meals. When I schedule what I’m going to eat, what time and in what quantity, before the day begins, I don’t waste any time or conscious energy figuring it out on the fly."
Here's the thing. It's not ABOUT the 'big' changes. The huge announcements or resolutions....you know, things like "I'm going to stay 100% OP no matter WHAT this year, I'm going to get to goal, PLUS I'm going to work out 3x a week FOREVER!"

When we set huge goals for ourselves, they don't work.

Why?

Because it's TOO MUCH. It's too high a goal. It may be doable for a day or two, or even a week or two, but sooner or later you get sick and tired of it all .... Medi-fatigue sets in (LOL)....and we give up.

And then we hate ourselves. How could we be so STUPID? We're so WEAK, we can't do this, we'll NEVER do this, we might as well give up and be FAT. Right?

...or we tell ourselves that maybe this plan isn't for us. Maybe we need to try something different. So we run around buying diet pills or supplements (amazing the claims these companies make....mostly UNTRUE!) and we try crazy diets or waste a lot of money on some new 'weight loss breakthrough formula' that does absolutely NOTHING.

And then we feel like a failure again.

So what's the answer?

Does it ever get any EASIER?

As we all begin our new year, many of us are 'restarting' or 'rebooting' after some not-so-good eating over the holidays.

And it can be HARD to get back OP. Very very hard! Especially if you aren't seeing the scale move as fast as you'd like...and you're working as hard as you do to 'Just say NO' to the sludge!

So...does it ever get any EASIER? What IS this all about, in terms of our eating habits? Will we have to "DIET" or live on MF meals the rest of our LIVES?

The answers? In my opinion?

YES, it does get easier. Because we 'train' our brains to eat a NEW way. We get used to eating smaller portions and more frequently. In fact, I'm at the point now where every 3 hours, almost on the DOT, my stomach goes 'Time to eat'! LOL...
and so I pull out a bar or open a bag of pretzels or whatever, and go on with my day.

It DOES get easier. It becomes second-nature to order OP at restaurants (or make do with what offerings they have...or even change the restaurant altogether and suggest a different one where you can get what you want!)

You begin to view sludge as....well....sludge! You realize that it's POISON for your body. All that sugar, fat, and processed junk....who needs it?

You start experimenting with ... vegetables! Really! And things like (gasp) TOFU!

I made a meal with tofu the other night and it was awesome. And I wondered "what took me so long?" LOL

We all do that. Change is hard. But once you START changing, and your body realizes you're shedding FAT, you'll start feeling better, which leads to making MORE good choices, which leads to feeling even BETTER, etc.

It's a cycle of GOOD things happening instead of a bad cycle.

And our brains really CAN be trained. They say it takes 6-8 weeks to establish a habit; but I submit that you can get into a routine of eating your MF meals, logging, and planning much much sooner than that. If you have the tools (and we all do) you can quickly and easily log your foods and keep track of what you're eating, and plan your meals. It only takes a few minutes every day.

So DO IT. For YOU!

What about this 'dieting' the rest of your life crap? Do we really have to LIVE like this 'forever'?

That was a question that really bothered me when I first started. I wanted the weight off, and I realized that I had to make some changes, but I was really worried that I'd have to give up my 'goodies' permanently.

I didn't want to go there. Didn't want to think about it.

So I ...didn't think about it. I just worked the program. Day after day, week after week, month after month, I put my head down and DID It. THAT's what it takes, by the way. Consistent dedication. NONSTOP OP days...not 3 days on, then the weekend 'off', or going 'off' just for an event or something. I knew I had to TEACH myself a new way of eating, and the best way to learn something? Is to DO it! So I just did it. I didn't even think about 'when' I would reach goal....I just kept fixating on staying OP until I GOT there.

The problem was....once I got there, it was like, 'NOW what?'

I still hadn't gotten the final lesson, and that is, YES, you WILL have to WATCH what you eat the rest of your life.
You won't have to live on MF meals...there ARE ways to get the right combo of protein/fats/carbs in for meals that AREN'T packets....but it takes planning and it takes discipline, just like the discipline you used when you stayed OP to get to goal. It takes ... food logging (yep!)....to see what WORKS in terms of your TEE (total energy expenditure;
basically the total amount of calories you can eat every day to MAINTAIN your weight), and what doesn't.

It takes SAYING NO....STILL!....to the sludge. For some, they can eat 'some' sludge...once in a blue moon...and get away with it. For me? It's not possible. Simply because as a food/sugar addict, sludge awakens Fat Brain and I'm off and running on an eating binge.

I can't go there. I've been there TOO MANY times...more than I can count. So I can't do it.

Is that HARD? Not really. Not when you think about the REWARD I get in return!

The reward is a healthy, slim, active, ENERGETIC body that does what I want it to do without complaining or aches or pains or pulling muscles. The reward is fitting into EVERY SINGLE ITEM IN MY CLOSET (!!!)
The reward is NEVER having to 'hide' from a camera again.
The reward is KNOWING I'm eating healthy and treating my body RIGHT...taking care of it properly.

And that is WORTH it. Boy is it worth it! Every single time I look in the mirror it's worth it. Every morning I wake up it's worth it. And stepping on the scale becomes MUCH less agonizing and more head nodding "Yep, I'm maintaining..doing well....good!" or "OK so the scale went up 3 lbs, no biggie I'll watch closer today and keep tabs on it".

But CONSTANT VIGILANCE -IS- the price you pay to keep that healthy, slim body.

And OK, I could walk around going 'It's not FAIR!' because my thin friends never have to worry about it like I do.
They are 'normal' eaters. They just NATURALLY cut back when they need to. They know when 'enough is enough'.

I don't. And may NEVER. And my body is super-efficient at storing...FAT! So...it's different for me.

But that's OK. As I've said before, EVERYONE has their particular 'cross' to bear. Mine is my weight and my food addiction.

That's OK. I know how to take care of it. I can't make it go away completely, but I can CONTROL it.

And it's WORTH IT. Most definitely!

Keep on keepin' on....

BMI versus Body Fat....What's the Difference?

OK...this morning I want to talk about BMI versus body fat....because I finally broke down and bought a Fitbit ARIA scale. I had heard so many good things about it....and I knew it linked up to my Fitbit (I have the FLEX), and it measures BODY FAT! COOL!

So I gave myself a delayed Christmas present and ordered it. (My husband said, 'What was wrong with our old scale?'...and he was right, of course....but of course our old scale didn't measure body fat. Also the ARIA is personalized for up to 6 users, so I was able to add HIM in, and it'll help keep track of HIS weight, too. It addresses you by initials! And it 'knows' who is who somehow. (apparently it can be wrong, though, but you just 'tap' it and it'll cycle through the users until you find 'you').

We got the black one and it's sleek looking....it's really a beautiful scale. I even kept it 'out' in the bathroom, it's so pretty! LOL...(doesn't take much to make ME happy LOL).

Anyway....but the first time I stepped on it, I nearly DIED of shock when the body fat percentage came up at like, WAY higher (sorry, I won't say what it was, it's too embarrassing) than I thought it would be!

And I was like, "HUH?".....I mean, I KNOW I gained weight over the holidays....I'm now back OP and working to get it back off again....but I didn't gain THAT much. My BMI is still pretty good! So what's the deal?

Well, BMI is a standard measurement - a calculation, an equation that computes a number based on how much you weigh and how tall you are, that most doctors and professionals use to measure your Body Mass Index (that's what it stands for). TSFL uses it to guide people to a 'healthy' weight...or rather RANGE of weights, because even though it takes into account your height, it still has a range because there ARE differences in body frames. There IS such as a thing as a 'large frame'. If you have large hands and feet, if your wrists and ankles are large (the bone itself), then you've got a large frame and can 'carry' more weight.

Here's the National Institutes of Health BMI chart:
http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/educ...MI/bmi_tbl.htm

A healthy BMI for a woman around 5'7" is 24 or less, and what that corresponding weight is depends on your height. When you initially join Medifast or TSFL, you will choose your goal weight....and a goal will be recommended for you. You may or may not shoot for this goal. Some people like to start out higher, and see how they feel when they get lower. I think this is a great idea, especially if you have a lot to lose, so you won't get depressed thinking about how far you have to go. Take it in smaller chunks and it's easier!

But BMI doesn't measure the FAT on your body. And there's a difference!

BODY FAT, on the other hand, is what your personal trainer is going to be concerned with if you join a gym. It's what she's measuring with those calipers....it's that exact amount of FAT in your body that you can even have calculated exactly by more exact means, i.e., going to a University and having them do it in a water tank (too much trouble, in my opinion). It's also a calculation but it's your total amount of body fat divided by your weight....so it tells you how much of YOU is pure FAT.

"Those jeans"

We all SAY we are doing this program because we have lofty goals....to be healthy and fit, to live longer, to take care of our bodies, yada yada.

But let's face it, we don't start this to 'reach a healthy BMI'. (Although we may SAY so...LOL).

We do it because of ....
THOSE JEANS.

THAT's why we do it.

You know the ones I'm talking about.

The ones hanging in your closet or folded carefully in your bottom dresser drawer.

Your absolute, all-time, FAVORITE pair of jeans.

You haven't been able to get into them since 1982, but hey, where there's LIFE, there's HOPE, right?

So you carefully preserved them....and you remember how wonderful you FELT when you wore them because Man, they made your butt look AMAZING.

4 little words that can change EVERYTHING!

I have an idea.

Let's BANISH the words

"I want to be thin"

from our vocabulary....and instead make it:

"I WILL be thin".

Why? Well, two reasons, really...

First of all, if you say 'I will' versus 'I want to', it puts you into a statement of COMMITMENT.

That's the old 'commitment versus willpower' thing....Willpower doesn't last....it's 'grit your teeth and hold on', and you can only do that for so long...whereas COMMITMENT takes you all the way there and THEN some, because your brain works FOR you, it comes up with ways to MAKE IT WORK for you.

It's no longer an 'iffy' situation...it's a FACT. You WILL be slim! And therefore you'll do whatever it takes to get there.

Challenges? Diet bets? Why I'm not playing!

So everyone's into doing these 'Challenges' lately.

TSFL even has one going on....a January "Healthy Games" Challenge. There are Coaches who are participating, hosting a 'hotel room'...but I will not be one of them.

WHY NOT?

Well, let me explain why (and this comes from not just my opinion, but my actual experiences with Challenges like these).

These types of challenges are 'hot' right now, In fact they are everywhere you look! Websites like Dietbet.com, TheMeltdownChallenge.com, and others offer 'diet bets' or 'diet games' like this where you compete with others, and/or swear
you're going to lose 'X' amount of lbs.in 'X' amount of days.

And if you do, you 'win'. Money, bragging rights, whatever. Free MF meals? Sometimes.

I've even done some of these challenges for my own clients!

But they always backfire.

WHY?
.

On HUNGER!

 
As many of you know if you've been following my blog, I believe very strongly in the power of Addictive Voice Recognition Technique (AVRT) to CHANGE my eating habits and lose weight.  

AVRT, combined with the Medifast meals program, is UNBEATABLE in my book, because it gives you a 'one-two punch' combination of fighting what's going on in your HEAD....controlling those impulses to eat eat eat....with the RIGHT nutrition!  If you have the right nutrition, your body can run better and have more energy, and STILL lose weight.  And if your head is in the right place, it becomes....EASY!  (REALLY!)

If you're struggling with hunger issues, here's an excerpt from "Taming the Feast Beast"  by Jack and Lois Trimpey:

BELIEFS:  "Uh-oh, I'm hungry.  I NEED something to eat.  But it's not time to eat!  But I've GOT to have something.  I feel miserable.  I can't STAND this feeling.  I can't put up with it.  What is there to eat?  Something little.  Anything.  Soup.  No.  Too much trouble.  Just something little.  Quick.  A nibble.  Ah!  Crackers!  Yes!  Where are they?  On the counter.  No.  The cupboard.  There they are.  Ugh.  Dry.  Put something good on them.  What? Cheese spread!  Where is it?  Fridge.  There it is.  Still good?  Yep, most of it.  Knife.  There.  Now see if it's good.  Hmmm.....not bad.  That'll hold me until my next meal."

Now,  contrary to what a lot of overeaters SAY, this wasn't something that couldn't be controlled, it wasn't a 'trance' that overcame us, it was a DECISION...in fact, a series of decisions!

There is LOTS of thinking here, and the decision to eat was very consciously made.  The idea that one is MYSTERIOUSLY 'driven' to eat irresponsibly is an illusion that is perpetuated by overeaters themselves.  Some dependency programs for overeaters even require members to confess that they are powerless over their impulses to eat incorrecty and therefore must rely on something other than or greater than themselves to eat correctly. From a rational standpoint, that is about the WORST thing to tell someone who is already having trouble with impulse control.

Instead, DISPUTE the reasoning of Fat Brain by INTERRUPTING the thought process when you first have that 'I'm hungry and I NEED to eat' feeling, this way:

DISPUTE IT:  "If I'm hungry, does that mean I NEED to eat something now?  Or do I merely WANT to eat something?  MUST I eat right now, really?  Of course I don't absolutely have to eat right now.  I wouldn't die for over a month if I started a total fast right now.  Is this feeling of hunger really miserable?  Is this feeling of emptiness INTOLERABLE, so that I CAN'T STAND IT?  If I can't stand this feeling, then what am I doing right now at this very second?  I'm standing it!  And I'm not miserable in the least.  I'm just a tad hungry, that's all!  It's NOT the end of the world.  Why can't I be hungry for a few hours?  Am I an infant who can't wait for the bottle?  Am I really so deficient that I can't be hungry for a few minutes or even a few hours? Of course not.
Being hungry is what I've been waiting for, because that means I'm using up my fat reserves.
Therefore, I'll choose to VALUE my hunger feelings instead of hating them.  I can desire hunger the same way athletes desire fatigue.  No pain - no gain.  Only here it's no pain - no loss.  To destroy a pleasant hunger once I've worked all day to develop it is stupid, so I'll CULTIVATE my present hunger and make it last until my next scheduled meal.  And that's that!"