January00

Journal for the month of January, 2000

January 27, 2000

This week I had a gain of one pound ... I know I can do better than that!! Lately (since right before the holidays) I have felt like this is a real struggle - but it is one that I am not prepared to give up!! I need to try to keep the big picture in mind because I tend to look at things as "just this once" but reality is that it is not just this once, it is becoming more often -- I am gonna whip this if I die tryin!!!!

     This week I wanted to touch on habits! There are habits that we want to make and habits that we want to break. There are four phases to making and breaking habits to make a habit follow phases 1 to 4, to break a habit follow phases 4 to 1
.
                         1. unconscious ignorance
                         2. conscious ignorance
                         3. conscious knowledge
                         4. unconscious knowledge

Lets make a new habit of exercising -- at phase 1. you don't exercise and you dont think about it.
Phase 2. you still aren't exercising but you are thinking about it.
Phase 3. you are now exercising but you have to make a big point of doing it.
Phase 4 you just do it, don't really think about it, it has now become routine!

Lets break the habit of rummaging through the cabinets and eating when we are bored or not hungry.
Phase 4 -- you go to the kitchen and eat when you are bored, at the end of the day you usually dont even recall having done this - you were on auto -pilot!
Phase 3 -- you are still going to the kitchen and eating when you shouldn't be -- but you are now aware of it, and thinking about it.
Phase 2 -- you intentionally stay out of the kitchen so you don't eat extra stuff when not hungry. You need to think through what else to do and make an effort to do so.
Phase 1 -- you have broken the habit - when bored you automatically do something else without even thinking of heading toward the kitchen.

My weight watchers leader discussed this with us this past week and I found it to be good food for thought!

More next week!   Chel

January 20, 2000

Hi all! This week I feel that I did much better. I had a no loss no gain week -- I think being off track the last few weeks has caught up with me! I have printed up my sticker chart for the week and plan on having a sticker in every single box! I made mine in word and made rows for each day of the week, and each day has 5 boxes - one for planning my days food, one for drinking all my water (which I used to find so easy!) one for exercising, one for staying in my point range and one for getting stickers in all of the others!!! If at the end of the week I have stickers in all of the last boxes (which I titled Reward) I will treat myself to something special. I haven't decided what that wil be yet -- I need to decide by tomorrow.

This week I wanted to yap on about taking your new and good eating habits out to eat. Whether you are doing Weight Watcher's 123 success or any other program, eating out can be a real challenge to those of us trying to eat a healthier diet!

What are these challenges?? For me --
     ** The servings are often much larger than one should have for a meal.
     ** Restraunts often do not have non-fat dressings, mayo's etc.
     ** One does not know how the food is prepared - fried, grilled (with butter?) or how much oils and fats etc they are using.
     ** I often find that once I am sitting there I lose my resolve to do it "right" and just eat what ever!!

Soo. what can we do about it??
     ** Ask for a to go box right away and box up whatever portion you do not want to eat with the meal. Order a lunch plate instead of dinner - ask for a half order - share one meal with your dining partner.
     ** If you usually eat nonfat dressings or mayo and (like me) refuse to eat the calories that the regular versions provide - bring you own!! I am not telling you to tote half of the fridge in with you, but there is no reason you can't be discreet.   Tupperware makes great little containers called midgets. I put my non-fat dressing, non-fat miracle whip etc inside and put them in my purse! I save several hundred calories that way when eating out. If you can be discreet no one really cares!
     ** If you do not know how the food is prepared simply ask! the wait person should be delighted to get this info for you -- it IS their job! Then you are almost always welcome to make any special requests you like, they can usually accomadate you. I generally ask to have my burger buns toasted rather than slathered with butter and grilled! You can usually ask to substitute also!
     ** The only way for me to stick to my guns and not go all out wild and just eat what ever I want when I get to the restraunt is to visualize before hand. I sit back and play a movie in my mind. See the restraunt, where you are sitting, smell the smells and hear all that is going on in the busy restraunt. What is your dining partner having??   See all the choices on the menu -- I can see my self ordering -- "I'll have the chicken barbeque burger - but please leave off the mayo and only use half the cheese, also could you please give me just half the order of fries?"   If you play the movie for your self over and over, it WILL help you play it out for real once you are there!!

Hope that this has been of some help to those of you who enjoy a meal out once in a while!!

Have a good week! Chel

January 13, 2000

    Hi!! I can't believe that I haven't checked in for so many weeks -- the holidays were hectic, but blessed with family and freinds! In the past 6 weeks I lost the 1.5 pounds I had gained at my last posting plus 1.25 pounds more.
     One of the things I have done to help keep my motivation up for the new year is to print out a page for a binder that has a picture of me at my heaviest and a recent picture of me so that I can see the difference everyday when I get into my binder. I also made a checklist for daily use. (In my binder again) One page covers one month and is numbered for the days of the month. For each day there is 4 small boxes -- one for staying in my points, one for drinking all my water, one for exercising and one for eating all 5 fruits and vegetables.   Each day I put a sticker in each box if I have completed that task. It is very visual and I find quite helpful. Also at the bottom I have put spaces for the results of each weigh in.
     I have done a slow job over the past few weeks, but plan on having that pick back up. Sometimes it is frustrating and I want to say that I "only" lost a quarter pound -- but I know that it is a move in the right direction. My weight watchers leader told the story of his mother who picked up every penny and coin that she found. The neighbor kids thought she was rather crazy so they would leave change laying around for her to "find" and laughed at her. Peter, my WW leader, said that he rolled the coins she found for her every Thursday, and at the end of each year she donated the "pocket change" to an orphanage - usually over $1000 dollars!!! That not only inspired me to start picking up pennies, but reminds me everytime I find one that I am making steps in the right direction every day even if it is only a penny!!
     You all have a beautiful week!
Chel

Back to my weightloss page Email me Pictures/my story Weightloss chart Why/how