Happy Grateful Bits

The ageratums are blooming!

I walked through my garden yesterday and found the ageratums in bloom. As I paused to take them in, a butterfly floated by and settled on one of the lavender flowers. I thought to myself, "how beautiful!" For a moment, I just focused on this peaceful scene. As I turned to walk back into the house, I realized that I was smiling "for no reason." I felt good and unburdened.

I call this a "happy grateful bit" -- just one of those small things that is easily overlooked if you aren't careful, but can change your whole outlook if you let it. It reminded me that I should collect happy grateful bits everyday -- a bouquet of gratitude for each day. Here is yesterday's bouquet:

1. The ageratums are blooming!
2. Melvin is dreaming of chasing squirrels. He's barking under his breath in his sleep, and his little paws are in motion.
3. As I passed a neighbor's house on my walk this evening, he came over to the street to just say hello and catch up. He patted Melvin on the head, and I stroked his cat, Murray.
4. The neighborhood hawk swooshed down into my yard again today and landed in the crape myrtle out front. He's so handsome!
5. Clean, neatly folded laundry!

If you slow down and take notice, you will realize that happy grateful bits are all around. Share yours!

Dream a New Dream

I've been thinking a lot lately about self-image and taking stock of how I see myself -- physical attributes, personality, and capabilities. And I'm considering how I formed these beliefs and ideas. Not surprisingly, it goes waaayy back. When I think about my body-image and weight issues, three people come immediately to mind: my grandmother, my crazy aunt, and my 2nd grade teacher. These three women seemed to have had a vested interest in making sure that I knew I was bigger than all the other girls my age and that this was not good. What's crazy is that when I look back at pictures of myself at that age, I was just a sweet, beautiful little girl with all the potential in the world. What's even crazier is that 40 years later, I'm still carrying around the image these three women defined for me.

We become what we believe, and when we are 7 years old, we believe what we are told. But thankfully, when we are 47, we can think a new thought and dream a new dream.

"Our subconscious minds have no sense of humor, play no jokes and cannot tell the difference between reality and an imagined thought or image. What we continually think about eventually will manifest in our lives."

Sidney Madwed

My Best Laid Plan

I was inspired by Melissa to plan ahead for next week. So I drew up a menu for Monday through Friday, made a shopping list, and actually went to Publix yesterday to buy what I needed. I decided to make three items over the weekend: vegetable soup, chicken chili, and roast turkey breast.

The vegetable soup is an old Weight Watcher standby recipe. It's made with all "zero-point vegetables" (that's the non-starchy ones). Having this soup on hand allows me to have a bowl with lunch everyday if I want; somehow the bowl of soup is a lot more satisfying than munching on raw carrots and celery. I made a pot of this soup yesterday along with Crock Pot White Chicken Chili. The chicken chili recipe is also from Weight Watchers, but this is the first time I've made it. I threw everything in the crock pot yesterday morning, and had a bowl for dinner. It's pretty good, but I had to spice it up more than the recipe indicated. Today I plan to cook the turkey breast, and then I'll be set for the week. It's kind of nice having home-cooked food in the house.

If you are interested, click here to see the menu I put together for next week. Since I'm doing Weight Watchers, I included the weight watcher points values. But I try to keep zone-style eating in mind so you'll notice that most of the meals and snacks include protein, complex carbs, and healthy fats.

Girls Bite Out

Shana Performing at Java Monkey

A bunch of us went to Java Monkey last night to hear Shana peform. I was impressed again with how talented she is. I felt an undeserved sense of pride -- like I wanted to poke the person next to me and say, "I know that girl; she's my coach and my friend" -- as if being her friend gives me permission to bask in her glow. But bask I did.

My favorite song of the evening was If I had a Boat. I just listened to Lyle Lovett's version on YouTube; and I like Shana's performance much better. She sang that song like she crossfits -- balls-to-the-wall and with so much heart.

Midnight Train to Georgia and Stand by Me seemed to have been the crowd favorites. That's when the dancing and singing-along started. I think that's about the time that Sheryl could no longer remain in her seat and Erica demonstrated the burpee (while wearing a short little black dress)!

It was a nice change to see everyone in real clothes with coiffed hair and their makeup on. Everyone was "lookin' good" and having fun.

It was a great night out with friends. Let's make a habit of it!

A Girl's Best Friend

I’ve been on this journey towards improved health and fitness for a while now. And one thing I’ve learned, and been reminded of again lately, is that losing weight and getting a handle on emotional eating is not about removing food from my life as much as it is about adding joy to my life.

One of the great additions to my life in recent years is my dog, Melvin. For years I had wanted a dog. Like some women covet other women’s babies, I coveted other people’s dogs. My busy career and travel schedule did not allow room for a dog. I remember traveling to Paris a couple of times and being so taken with all the dogs. They were everywhere, even in the cafes! It seemed everyone in Paris had a dog. I remember thinking to myself, “someday I will have a dog, and I’ll walk him through the streets of Decatur; we’ll sit outside the coffee shop, drink coffee, and read the paper." On a trip to Boston, as a business colleague and I were leaving a restaurant after dinner, we passed a very handsome man walking a beautiful German Shepherd. She commented on the man; I commented on the dog. “I’m not sure there’s a man in my future, but there’s definitely a dog in my future,” I said, and we laughed.

When I left my corporate job in 2000, I was finally able to get a dog. Melvin came to live with me in November, 2000, and he has brought me so much happiness. I’ve met neighbors because of him; heck, I’ve had total strangers stop me on the street so they could meet him. And he’s brought me love: he loves me, and I love him. He’s a great joy in my life.

Feeding the Hungry Heart

The following is excerpted from Feeding the Hungry Heart by Geneen Roth.

Emotional eating is not about lack of willpower and will not be solved by dieting. While overeating (as well as under-eating) can become a life-threatening health concern, the roots of the problem are rarely physical. We eat when we are lonely. We eat when we are sad. We eat when we are bored. We eat when we are angry, grieving, frustrated, frightened, or even happy. We eat because we don’t know what to do with our feelings and food is here, there, everywhere. It’s cheap, tastes good, and doesn’t talk back. If we are ever going to solve the serious problems that result from emotional eating, including anorexia, bulimia, and obesity, we need to understand that the main reason people eat is to feed their hungry hearts.

Until the hunger of the heart itself is named and touched, no amount of advice—no matter how medically correct—will enable someone to stop eating destructively. If someone is using food [in a destructive way], giving her an exercise-and-food plan will not turn her around. …we need to see her eating as a way of expressing what she doesn’t know how to say any other way. We need to touch the ground of the pain, dissolve its roots. If you simply cut off a branch here and there, bringing about a quick fix—for six months or a year—the problem will only come back with renewed vengeance.

…We keep looking in the wrong places to solve the problem. If you want to find your keys, you need to look where you left them. If we want to solve our obsession with food and body size, we need to look at the longings, the desperation, the beliefs, and the images from which it grows.

When, for any number of reasons, we feel separated from ourselves and the life we know is possible, we feel hollow and empty. We feel lonely. We feel worthless. Those of us who are emotional eaters turn to food to anchor us and fill the empty spaces. After developing an eating problem, we then focus on dieting, food plans, elaborate schemes for losing weight and gaining the perfect body, a sense of meaning and a feeling of accomplishment. But no system built on deprivation….will ever work—and this includes diets—because it does not recognize the fundamental reasons behind emotional eating.

[But] change is possible when the truth of what you want to change is fully understood. It is possible.

Living the life you were given, feeling an internal freedom of movement, expressing your capacities without always keeping part of them bound in obsession—these are birthrights. These are what you deserve. … These are what feed the hungry heart.

Just the Way You Are

“I like you just the way you are.”

This fabulous line is from the movie, Bridget Jones’ Diary. Mark Darcy (Colin Firth) says these words to Bridget (Renee Zelwegger) despite her being a little awkward, unsophisticated, and not perfectly thin.

Isn't that what we all want? Acceptance. Freedom to just be who we are and have that be enough. If we are lucky we'll have friends, and maybe even a "Mark Darcy," who will love us just as we are. But "being enough" begins with self-acceptance, with loving yourself despite your flaws. One of the great gifts of growing older is that you come to understand that your imperfections are what make you perfectly wonderful and worth knowing.

Love and accept yourself just as you are. And oddly enough, that's where you will begin to find the source for true, lasting change.

Sugar Craving Crackdown

Do you have a sweet tooth? Does the mere thought of chocolate make your mouth water? Are you rendered helpless at the aroma of fresh baked cookies and brownies? Do you remember the dessert from your last party but can't for the life of you recall who was in attendance? Is your meal not complete without a sweet ending? If any of these ring a bell, you might be a sugar addict. The inability to control sugar cravings is a stumbling block for many and can keep us from reaching our goals. Erica Lesperance, Registered Dietian and Research Nutritionist has put together a program to help us get control of our sugar cravings. We're calling it the Sugar Craving Crackdown, and here's how it works.


Objective: To eliminate the craving for sugary foods that often follows a meal.


Description: Eliminate refined sugar and artificial sweetners from your diet for the duration of the Crackdown. Do not feed your sugar cravings, even with fruit or other naturally sweet foods. (You can eat fruit; just not in response to a sugar craving). Click here for specific guidelines and details of the Crackdown.


Timeframe: Tuesday thru Friday (9/23 - 9/26). Erica says 3 days is really the minimum time required to break the cycle, and she often recommends following this program for two weeks. But for now, try it for 4 days if you need to curb sugar cravings. Of course you have the option to continue after 4 days and to use this tool in the future whenever you need to get a handle on sugar cravings.

Blog About It: Be sure to post questions, comments, crys for help, whatever, to the blog. Let us know how it's going.

This is 100% optional. It's just a suggestion to help those who struggle with sugar cravings. If sugar cravings are not a problem for you or now is not a good time for you to do the Crackdown, DON'T WORRY ABOUT IT. Remember, this is a no-pressure, no guilt forum.
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Erica Lesperance is a Registered Dietician, Research Nutritionist amd CrossFitter. She is passionate about nutrition, healthy living, and the power of positive thinking. Erica crossfits at CrossFit East Decatur.

Good Examples

"Few things are harder to put up with than a good example."

Mark Twain

One thing I truly appreciate is the example set by other women. If I didn't know the women pictured above, it would be easy to judge them based on appearance and assume that they are "lucky". "They must be naturally trim and fit; they just don't share or understand my struggle with food and weight; somehow it comes easier for them." But I know each of these women, and I know each one of them fights the same battle that I fight. It doesn't come easy for them. They don't always make perfect choices, but more often than not, they make "pretty good" choices. I draw strength and encouragement from these women (Rachel, Shana, Erica, Danielle) and others. If they can win their battle with food and body image, so can I. If they can make good choices most of the time, so can I. So can you.

Keep Monday in Mind

"…but whenever Monday comes, you can find me cryin’ all of the time.”

from “Monday, Monday” by the Mamas and the Papas

Aah, it’s the weekend, and not just any weekend; it’s a beautiful fall weekend. It’s time to kick back and relax. I’m going to my cabin this weekend. I’m looking forward to spending Saturday afternoon at the cabin and then heading over to my parents in the evening to watch the UGA-Arizona State game. Honestly though, I have a wee bit of anxiety because I don’t want to “blow it” this weekend. I’m on a good roll, and I want to keep it going. I don’t want to undo what I’ve accomplished this week. So I’m keeping Monday in mind. How will I feel on Monday morning if I have a major food-fest this weekend? I’ll feel terrible; I will be full of regret. I know this feeling well, and I don’t like it! On the other hand, if I make good choices this weekend, I’ll feel GREAT on Monday morning! I’ll have more confidence in my ability to make changes and reach my goals. The Monday WOD will not be nearly as painful. I won’t have to post a confessional update to the blog; I’ll be able to share my success with all of you rather than my shortcomings. Hmmm, let’s see, which will I choose? Which will you choose?

I Think I Can, I Think I Can...

Henry Ford said, “Whether you think you can or you think you can’t, you’re right.” Our thoughts, more than anything else, determine our success. In 1954, Roger Bannister made headlines worldwide with one of the landmark achievements in sports history. At the time, it was widely accepted as impossible for a human being to run a mile in under four minutes. The world record of 4:01.3 had stood for nine years, and experts regarded this as an insurmountable human limitation. But Roger Bannister didn’t accept the prevailing wisdom. He believed he could break the four-minute barrier, and he worked towards doing just that. On May 6, 1954 Bannister ran the mile in 3:59.4. Interestingly, within ten years of Bannister's achievement, over 300 others did "the impossible". How do you explain this? Bannister paved the way, proving it could be done. The barrier to running a four-minute mile was in the athletes’ minds!

The same applies to our efforts to reach our goals. The barrier is in our minds. Do either of the following sound familiar?

• All or Nothing Thinking: Have you ever had a slip-up and then had this thought? “I’ve already blown it so I might as well enjoy myself and start again on Monday.” This perfectionist thinking, thinking that you must do everything right or nothing at all, is not helpful. We need to see our slip-ups as feedback, not failure. Just get back on track at the next meal and forget about it!
• Self-fulfilling Prophecies: “Whether you think you can or you think you can’t, you’re right.” Be careful what you think, and especially what you speak and write. When negative or limiting thoughts come to mind, challenge them and replace them with a different message. Over time, you will retrain your mind.

Take notice of your thoughts. What do you say to (and about) yourself? Would you say this to or about a best friend? What would a best friend say to you in the same circumstance? Be your own best friend by changing the way you think, and then watch yourself change!

Begin Now!

Need some motivation to get started? Having trouble being consistent with your nutrition and exercise routine? Check out this article from CrossFit Norcal about the progress one of their clients made in just a few months. The "before and after" pictures are amazing. The moral of the story: Begin Now and Be Consistent!

http://www.norcalsc.com/index.php/post/what_are_a_few_months_if_its_important_to_you_begin_it_now


Shana, thanks for sharing this article!

Remember How Far You've Come

That's me 50 pounds ago.

It's important to remember how far we've already come. It's easy to get discouraged when progress slows and motivation wanes. Today let's focus on how much we have accomplished. In doing so, we will be reassured of how far we can go in the future.

Watch Your Ass

Tee, hee. It's important to keep a sense of humor. Laughter is good for the soul and burns calories too!

T-114

One-hundred, fourteen days from today is my 48th birthday. Yikes! It's time for me to get serious again about losing weight. My weight loss has stagnated in recent months. Complacency has set in; I have lost my motivation. I've exchanged what I really want for what I want at the moment. This blog is my attempt to get re-motivated and re-energized. My hope is that it will help me garner support to move forward and at the same time serve as support and encouragement for others.

I'm currently working on going Sugar-Free. I have a real problem with sugar so I have decided to lose the refined sugar altogether for a while. I have one sugar-free day under my belt; I managed to make it through yesterday without having any refined sugar. Can I make it through today with no sugar? That's my goal for today. What's yours?