"Few things are harder to put up with than a good example."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.
32 comments:
Pat! Thank you! And like I have told you you are such an inspiration to me! To see your perseverance, and how you continuously push yourself to the next level; breaking PR's and challenging yourself always, you are AWESOME!!!!!
Well I have been avoiding the scale after a week of bday celebrating, decided to get on this morning and thankfully I did not gain anything, surprise for me! I have been taking with me the little suggestions from this site, I can not seem to pry myself away from my protein pudding shake snack ( I have found an all natural protein powder with no artificial sugars and hormone free cows, that tastes yummy!)
I have started today with a food/calorie journal this is the best way for me like Erica said, I stress too much with the zone, and I feel I already eat the right foods, it is just the calories.
Good luck to all, see some of you for the Filthy Fifty tonight!
I'm looking forward to having a good week! Hope everyone else does too. I hope to post the sugar-free challenge soon...for any who want to participate.
Thanks, Pat! And I certainly agree that I am not "lucky." I'm still on track for now but I am finding that the little doubts are starting to creep in. I'm hearing thoughts pop up like, "There's no way you can keep this up," "sure you're making progress now, but you're just going to plateau like you always do," "you've set your sites too high and your goal is unattainable..."
I'm trying to use awareness to squash these thoughts, but they are sneaky. Hopefully, I'll be able to prove them wrong!
Melissa, if you're allergic to dairy should you be having whey protein...?
Good morning everyone. Hope everyone had a great weekend. PatC~ loved the blog over the weekend. I actually forgot about it and forgot to post. SOrry, it's still new to me. ANyhoo, I am doing Paleo but with a couple modifications for now. I still have my coffee in the morning with plain soymilk and splenda. And I had whey protein this morning. Other than that, everything else is fresh veggies, fruits, raw nuts & seeds, and lean meats and fish.
I am one of those people, like Erica, who have kept a food journal for many years now. Sometimes I have a week or 2 where I may stop writing, and that is usually when i have fallen way off track. I actually like writing things down. It's my OCD. I LOVE LISTS!!! It also helps me keep track of how much water, fruits & veggies, and healthy oils I have had throughout the day. That way, if I am hungry, I can try and base my snack or meal on what I might be missing for the day, instea of just eating something just because.
I cleaned out my fridge and freezer and went shopping last night. Spent way too much money, but it is all healthy food, that is good for me, so I guess I might be worth it.
I probably shouldn't, but it's one of those products that i bought and feel like I should use up. I don't seem to have an immediate reastion to it, like I do with all other dairy products. Doesn't make my nose run and it doesn't make me cough. I won't be having it every day. Because of my "Leaky-Gut", I really have to try and do at least a 4-day rotation diet, so I don't become allergic to the foods I eat daily. )o:
I thought about getting soy protein powder, but with Paleo, you're not supposed to have soy either. So, this morning I was in a rush and whipped up the chocolate protein powder with 1 punnet of raspberries, 1 tbsp of greens powder (whole foods), and 2 tsp almond oil. It was tasty and quick. Don't know that it was actually ZONE-perfect, but I am just trying to get used to all the Paleo foods first.
I second what Rachel said, Pat! Just thinking about your journey and the progress you've made in the last year is SO inspiring. You are always so positive and encouraging...truly the kind of person I enjoy working out with.
I am taking Shana's advice and NOT getting on the scale today. In reality, the number there has only mattered to me when I know I'm not doing what I should be doing: eating nutritious food and working out consistently. It's like I want to punish myself for bad behavior -- crazy, I know -- so I get on the scale and then end up upset, disappointed, more emotional, and further off-track.
So instead of focusing on a number I see on the scale, I'm going to focus on going all out in the gym and doing the best I can (for real) with eating for the next month. After that, wherever I am with the number is where I am. If I'm working hard and eating right, there's no room for disappointment. That's my new approach.
Shana, it's LIES, all LIES! Don't listen to that little voice telling you that you can't do it. Listen to your "inner-Shana" who doesn't take "no" for an answer, accepts no excuses, and believes anything is possible when you set your mind to it.
DaniB, that's good stuff you wrote about not focusing on a number but on behavior.
Rae, I'm glad you enjoyed your b'day week. Congratulations on getting right back on track after a week of fun.
Melissa/Partner, let's exchange phone #'s if you don't mind. I might have done even better this weekend if I had committed to check in with you while I was away. Let's exchange this evening at the gym ...or email it to me.
Okay PatC, no problem. I'll give it to you this evening. I think I'm going to have to modify the Filthy 50 this evening. )o: My shoulder(s) are hurting.
I just ate an apple and some raw pistachios. I feel so healthy today. Other than my shoulder pain of course.
Okay, so after looking at the WOD again for the 50, I'm thinkin maybe I can just suck it up and not modify.
I just noticed a comment from Miki under yesterday's blog post. She's asking for satisfying, vegetarian breakfast ideas.
Miki, here's what I have routinely. It's zone balanced and vegetarian.
3 Morningstar Farms Veggie Sausage Links
1 slice Ezekiel Raisin Bread, toasted
1/2 T peanut butter
Note: for those of you zoning, that's a 2 block breakfast. For the weight watchers out there, this is 4 points. You can cut it back to 2 sausage, and it reduces it to 3 points, but then it's not perfectly balanced from a zone perspective.
Shana, I hope that we can do for you what you do for the rest of us. You are the one who doesn't let those thoughts enter our minds that tell us we "can't" do something. You just give us that look like "I'm not going to give in to that negativity - get up there and do it!"
By going through life coaching and now being trained in life coaching, I have learned that these thoughts that creep in are often called "gremlins," and you are right they are very sneaky. They serve only to make you miserable by hampering your productivity, driving you into low-down funks, and causing anxiety. There is a great book out there to help you deal with these negative thoughts that stand in the way of you and your goals. It is called "Taming Your Gremlin: A surprisingly simple method for getting out of your own way" by Rick Carson. I suspect we all stuggle with gremlins - and I highly recommend this book as a means of tackling this problem.
Miki, vegetarian lunch idea:
-cottage cheese and fruit with a sprinkle of slivered almonds or other nuts. You can use applesauce or a chopped apple or whatever fruit you like. Go easy on the nuts. Nuts are high calorie and meant to be consumed in small amounts.
When I think of more, I will post them.
I'm so tired of chewing!!
Shitake mushrooms look weird. Just sayin...
Miki~ Good for you for going for a walk! That should definitely help take your mind off of it.
So, my lunch was tasty, but way too much to chew. I guess that's good in a sense as I don't feel like eating anything else for the rest of the day because I don't want to chew!
I'm sure I'll change my mind later when I get hungry yet again.
Miki~ I'm trying to think of some vegetarian meals that are warm. Have you ever seen the show "You Are What You Eat" on BBC? She has some vegetarian recipes that are warm and healthy.
I just finished reading through the blog from fri afternoon and sat since I was out of town. It is so tempting to commment on everything but I MUST get back to work so I'll just say this for now.
1. Thank you Pat for putting this together - for me it's a great way to share my passion as well as get continued support from a group of strong women who are facing their struggles head-on.
2. Thank you to all of you for such a warm welcome onto the blog. I know we can all learn from each other.
3. Make sure that in all of this you still find a way to enjoy food. I am a food lover and i can't turn that off, nor do I want to. Had I not found a way to meet my goals while still enjoying foods I love in moderation- even if they are not the best choices - I would never have been successful.
Miki, I have to prepare my breakfast the night before. It sounds like you're pretty certain your dietary needs are more complex than balancing macronutrients so it's going to take a little extra work on your part. Maybe you could prepare multiple portions of tofu to have at your lunch, and get some of those steam in bag veggies to cook in the microwave at lunch... you are going to have to be creative.
Pat and Erica, thank you both for all your support. You are so right! If I can maybe take a more "Suck it Buttercup" approach to nutrition, I'll get as good at that as I am at cleans!
Shan~ LOVE the "Suck it up buttercup!!" Need to do that myself!
Miki~ I set my DVR to record that show and I watch it everyday! I LOVE IT!
She has an aduki bean shepard's pie that looks pretty tasty.
I also prepare a lot the night before, or even the weekend before. I know you don't eat meat, but I cooked 3 pieces of salmon and 2 huge chicken breasts last night as well as a huge stir-fry to use for lunches this week. I made a spinach salad this morning. Just added a piece of salmon. And I made a little fruit salad or pineapple, strawberries, 1/2 avocado, lime juice, and pepitas. Pineapple was already cut, strawberries and avocado were quick, and pepitas were already portioned out into a serving.
I also set my coffee pot every night and make sure my travel mug is clean and ready to go for the morning.
I need a t-shirt with 'Suck it Up, Buttercup'.
Still tired of chewing...yet...I am eating again. Oh yay.
Miki~ You an do it. Drink some tea or some water. I usually end up eating about every three hours or when I get hungry. Helps me to know that my next little meal/snack is just around the corner. It may not be exactly what I want to eat. But it is what I need to eat for the fuel.
(Alrighty not having a little picture makes me really upset HAHA)
I don't weigh on the scale, it freaks me out. I try to hard to gauge by the fit of my clothes. I'm a recovering bulimic so I struggle with the whole gamut of SCHTUFF.
However, right now I'm trying to zone(ish) for my xfitting, and I talked to a nutrition-guru-dude to get on some good supplements to hopefully cure this lupus (bullshit) (I hope I can say that on your blog Pat hehe) -- and meet my body's nutritional needs so I can cut down on whacky cravings.
I started a food journal too.
Chain -- the voices usually come on STRONGER after you've done good. So see it as a positive sign... it's good to laugh at their taunting.
It is going to be GREAT to talk about the reality of this stuff and not be thought of as "crazy". ...well, any more crazy than what I AM lol.
Kath
lemme try this again, hopefully it will be a ta-da moment...
Pat, thanks for starting this. Your posts have been great.
Last week was a hectic work week so I didn't get on the blog til this weekend. Wow. I spent Sat. through today catching up. Like everyone else I have strong feelings about some of this. But first, have to go hit Filthy Fifty. See (some of) you at the gym. Then tonight...I blog.
Welcome to the blog, Kath! I love the picture!!!! Thanks for being so honest. It has helped me so much to know more people's real story.
Coffee was ready this AM when I got home so I got off to a good start and only had 1 can of diet coke today.
I'm zoning but not counting blocks currently and can tell a difference. Having a history of a all or none mentality for the past 6 weeks I have been working at eating in the zone 80% of the time. It has really helped my outlook to know that I have ~4 meals per week that I can go off zone and still meet my goal. Definitely has given me a much better perspective than trying to be "good" everyday.
I definitely am feeling and crossfitting better at this point.
Miki for a warm lunch I love Imagine Organic soups there is a broccoli one that is so yummy and healthy, with a sprinkle of nutmeg it is awesome! I also made a batch last week and put extra broccoli and cauliflower in it. I love having that with two 2 slices of Multigrain or Flaxseed Corn thins, with a slice of Rice cheese in between.
I know the scale is not a friend, and I am learning to step away from it, it is not worth stressing all day over a couple pounds. I am actually becoming more accepting of myself, I have to stop saying I wish I was the size I was 6 years ago. If I was still that size I doubt I could throw around the weights I do now or do all the other things I do at Crossfit and still feel healthy!
Like Marshall's link today, we are all beautiful, strong woman, we should be proud of ourselves!!!!
This blog is wonderful. I love the support and motivation it provides.
Let's commit to making sure we stay part of the solution and not part of the problem. For example, the woman on the NorCal site -- awesome! And I'm talking about the before pictures. Three kids including one just three months before the picture was taken! What's a little pooch and a couple of rolls? More power to her. Good for her if her goal was to shake the rolls and flatten the pooch, but not because she now looks more like the "idiot stick figures" in Cosmo, but because she had the drive to achieve her goal.
Let's not let the media dictate what our body shapes and types should be. I will never have washboard abs short of surgery. And I'm ok with it. And on my good self-esteem days, more than ok. I have never been a size 4. As far back as I can remember (H.S.)the smallest I've been was an 8 with several 6s thrown in. Lucky for me, in my circle I was average to slim. I didn't even know 0, 2 and 4 really existed as sizes. Jordache and Ooh la la Sasoon (for us late 70s ladies) never fit me because of the booty and thighs.
I want to eat healthier (Melissa, I'm so impressed). I want to eat for performance sometimes (Meeks, the 80% seems like a great idea). I want to determine how different foods, eaten at different times affect my mood and attention span. To do this I think my goal should be to keep a journal. But I am not looking to be somebody else's body-type idea. And for the moment, I'm not overly conscious about my weight(don't know why exactly, until about 5 weeks ago I was stepping on the scale every. single. day. Twice if I wasn't happy with the morning weight.)
Let's stay true to supporting each other in our committments and goals and make every effort not to enable each others' weight conscious obsessions.
Sheryl, I love your post. And I totally agree. This site is about being healthy...not about numbers on the scale. I almost thought of changing the title of the blog from 'Losing It' because I don't want to give the wrong impression. But 'Losing It' is all about losing the "baggage", whatever it is, that is keeping you from reaching your goals.
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