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?
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!
20 comments:
I've been sugar-free for 5 days now. I'm very pleased about that. I really want to get through the weekend without having sugar...that is a big challenge for me. I want to relax and have fun without relaxing my efforts to eat right.
Wow Pat! That's great!!
I know you can get through the weekend. Just eat some fruit if you REALLY must have something sweet. Ripe plums are great right now!
Shana~ I totally agree that Erica should be on this blog as well!!
So Pat...I think you wrote this blog today just for me! Hah!! It fits me to a "T".
It fits me to a "T" also. I found it very interesting that this was the topic at yesterday's WW meeting. I was so inspired that I decided to write about it for the blog.
I emailed Erica, and she said she would participate in the blog.
Oh good. I'm sure Erica will be a wealth of information.
Hi Everyone! Pat, Thanks for inviting me. Great job with the site - and with the 50 pounds! You are an inspiration. I think this is such a positive approach to reaching your weight loss goals. Collaboration changes everything. I just read through the posts from yesterday and I have a few comments:
1. Negativity/guilt: I agree with all of the comments you all have made about this being destructive to any goal you set. What's done is done. Every meal and snack you eat is a new opportunity. Praise yourself for what you are proud of (there is always something), acknowledge the poor choice you made, and take responsibility for that choice by doing better the next time.
2. Keeping a diet journal: Just the ACT of writing down what you eat will result in greater weight loss. This is proven. But this means writing down everything, which requires owning up to the slip-ups. Everyone has a million reasons why they can't do this. But you can, and if you do, you will be more successful. I have been writing down what I eat for over 10 years. It's not always pretty and not always complete. But when I can feel my clothes fitting a little tight, I get stricter with myself about writing it down and it works.
3. The sweets thing: The post-meal sweet craving is a very real thing; so real that your mind makes it feel like real hunger - something you must feed or you just won't make it! And the worst part about the sweet craving is it comes after you've already eaten, and tempts you to ignore the hunger cues that indicated you were full enough to stop eating dinner. But the amazing thing about the sweet craving is that it goes away very quickly if you don't feed it. I don't mean give up sugar entirely (unless you want to but I don't think it's realistic or necessary). I mean when you get that sweet craving after a meal, don't feed it. So for those of you who have the dreaded sweet tooth, I have a challenge for you. For the next 2 weeks, commmit to not feeding your sweet craving. I don't mean have fruit, a yogurt, or a piece of gum in lieu of dessert. If you do that, while you may stay on track calorie-wise, you will fight that same urge the next day, and eventually the urge will win. If you don't give into the craving, it will go away within a week - at most. For me, and most people, it happens in about 3 days. It's not easy during those 3 days, but I know you all have committed to much more difficult things (crossfit) and you can do it if you decide to. Now that doesn't mean you're never going to want something sweet again, but you won't be a slave to that craving. I have so much more to say about this...but this is getting really long!
4. It's rarely about nutrition. It's psychology, really. I find that in working with clients, I spend at most 10% of our time teaching them about nutrition and setting them up on a plan, and 90% of the time being their coach, cheerleader, and trying to help them figure out why they undermine their own success. No diet, even the zone, which I happen to think is quite good, is the answer if you don't have a handle on the psychology behind your eating. For example, the zone diet is one of the best out there for making it easy to eat the right combination of carb, protein, and fat to keep your blood sugar and insulin levels stable and keep you from feeling hungry. But that assumes that hunger is what primarily drives us to eat. Unfortunately, that is not the case. Emotions are a more powerful driving factor than hunger. I have a history of compulsive eating, so I have some insight into this. When I struggled with this, I took in most of my calories when I wasn't hungry, engaging in binge-type mindless eating, and then spent most of my "hungry" time trying not to eat, and starving myself in the name of willpower and punishment for my earlier actions. So no matter how great the diet, it will not work if you don't shift your perspective on food. If you want help changing your perspective on eating and your relationship with food, I highly recommend anything written by disordered eating specialist Geneen Roth, especially her book, "When you eat at the refrigerator, pull up a chair." This book is amazing and it changed my life.
So sorry for the long-windedness of this first post. Nutrition, healthy living, and the power of postive thinking is my passion, and I hope that I can spread some of my excitement about it. I promise to keep future posts shorter! Erica
Erica, please keep your posts as long as you want! That was great and very helpful. If you want to write something for the main post one day, feel free, and I will post it...anytime, as often as you like, whatever topic moves you.
Since you've read all the comments, you know I'm working on the sugar issue. I haven't eaten any refined sugar all week, but I've still been having fruit and yogurt. It's helped a lot to step back from the refined sugar. The cravings have lessened, and I feel much better. It's scary to think about not having anything sweet at all. I'll give that some thought. I guess you would say don't even have stevia, right? (I realize you are not saying to give it up forever, just for a while to break the cycle.)
Thanks so much for participating. We can have a much better blog with your involvement.
Miki, welcome to the blog. I applaud you for taking care of the weight issue while it's 10 pounds. Losing weight is hard, and it's harder when you don't have as much to lose. I know I lost a lot easier when I was heavier. But we CAN lose weight, regardless of age or the amount we have to lose. We CAN do this.
Yes, Miki, ignore it. I'm not saying it won't be hard, but it will go away if you stick with it for a few days. First, take great pleasure in your meal and eat in mindfully with no distractions. Then, as soon as you are done with a meal, get out of the kitchen or away from any temptations. Walk around the block, start a project - do something that will take your mind off of it (anything that relates to exercise will also supress the craving -doesn't have to be strenuous. do some double unders or something). These are ways you can make it easier, but basically I'm saying suck it up for a few days (pardon my bluntness) and keep the bigger picture in mind - the desire to be free from something that controls you like a sweet craving does. You can and should eat sweets in moderation - but you should be in control of the situation and not have the situation controlling you. Everyone that I have ever challenged to do this has been amazed how quickly they conquer this craving (not that it doesn't come back when you start allowing yourself more sweets - but if you feel it's getting out of control again, you just go through the same exericse again. It's easier than the first time because you already know you can do it). The only people who have not been successful have been those who chose not to commit to not feeding it for a few days - up to a week. They would say they "couldn't" do it, I would say they "chose not to." It's differene in perspective, and a perspective shift can often make all the difference. If you acknowledge that you have the choice and you choose to do it, you will. It's only a few days!
Pat, what you are doing is even harder than I am suggesting, so I am very impressed with your effort. I am only talking about restricting sweets when you are craving them to overcome the craving. You absolutely should continue eating fruit and yogurt, just not in response to a craving that is tempting you to eat when you are not hungry, like after a meal that you already know was calorically adequate. As for stevia, maybe giving it up is the right answer, but that is not going to make or break anything. I am not a purist, I am a realist when it comes to nutrition and good eating. Just don't try to do too many things at once. I would love to talk to you more about all of this.
Maybe I'll set up a little challenge for all of us next week with some guidelines and we'll all do it together. How does that sound?
For now, I've got to run because I have a flight out in a few hours and I haven't even showered yet!
Finally Pat, thanks for your warm welcome onto the site. I would love to post some things on the main site from time to time. I'll come up with some things, or if you have anything in mind just let me know.
Have a great weekend everyone.
Erica, thanks for the explanation/clarification. That makes so much sense. I think doing a group challenge next week is a great idea. I'll email you about it. Have a good trip.
Yayay!! Erica is here. Wooo-hooo. See...wealth of information! :o)
I'm up for a joint challenge too.
Wow! SO glad Erica has joined us!! Some valuable tips! The dessert monster is what gets me! I mainly want it after dinner and it's mostly been undeniable. Last night we had absolutely NOTHING sweet in this house and I made it all the way through posting the blog to be with NO dessert (Not even apple slices!!! - we ate them all the night before.)
I had fish AGAIN for breakfast this morning ... good news I am still going strong on my block goal (10.5-11 a day).
This is hilarious though, I just woke up from my nap and in my sleep I was dreaming of eating french fries and drinking sweet tea!! Oh my gosh! I woke up starving and Jonathan could hear my stomach growling. I KNOW it's just carb cravings but I immediately got up and fixed a salad with shaved almonds and, guess what, fish.
Phew. I can do this... I think I can, I think I can...
Looks like I jumped back on this blog at just the right time, Erica than you so much! What great advice, and the sweets after each meal (even though they are things like chocolate protein powder and cottage chz with stevia) I know have been my diet downfall. Each week I say I don't need to buy an after meal treat, but yet that is I end up getting as some sort of reward, for eating right, than I overconsume. I agree with the psychology aspect and I plan on getting the book you recommended. I often remind myself it is mind over matter, what a battle!
One more thing: props to Erica for CLEARLY having a passion for her chosen profession! It really shows and is SO inspiring!
I think a group challenge is a GREAT idea! DaniB and I were discussing doing a challenge with a pretty big reward at the end, the idea needs some fleshing out but we'll brainstorm on it some more and see what we come up with...
I wanted to second Erica's comment about Geneen Roth's books. I have a lot of her books, and they are very good.
My sweets problem only seems to rear its ugly head when I am SLEEEPYYY!! Like right now. I am a little hungry too though. I am just gonna eat a nectarine. Not to substitute the sweet, but because it is what I have in my lunch bag, it will go bad if I don't eat it, and it is better than anything other option from the vending machine.
I would really like to take a nap instead though. Just sayin...
Well, nectarine was bad. On to carrot sticks now. Oh yay.
Miki, it's good to confess! Step away from the granola! Better yet, don't buy it anymore!
Dinner tonight: 2 blocks - 2oz bison jerky (I didn't cry!) and a granny smith apple. Never thought that small amount of food could make me full but, hallelujah! - I'm full!
Jerky is a great protein that travels really well. I suggested it to Meeks 'cause I know she has to eat on the run a lot. PatC was right about the bison - they had mainly bison steak (no ostrich) at the Farmer's Market and I don't think I'm ready to prepare steaks, yet. The jerky was perfect! I haven't eaten mammal in 6 years ya'll ... I'm not even sure how I feel...
Y'all thanks for sharing. Erica you are so right. It is not what I eat when I'm well rested and going about my routine that hurts me it is the mindless eating that happens most often when I am sleep deprived/over scheduled and forget to take time to take care of myself.
I haven't had jerky in lots of years but I'm going to try some to substitue for my only current snack which is a balance bar.
In terms of my other addiction- diet coke. I only had 1 can today!!!! Now I think i had 2 large cups of coffee but those are straingt black ie no artificial sweetner.
Definitely would embrace a challenge with all of the strong CFED women who would get on board. I made a big milestone this summer with my pull-ups and next would like to embrace better eating habits to go with my new found strength!!!!
The only bad thing is that I can't access the blog from work:-(
Meeks, I changd a setting on the blog access. Try it again next time you are at work.
Shana, you are doing great! I'm hungry just hearing what you had for dinner. Sounds tiny. I had a salad with grilled chicken. I was able to fill up on the veggies. I'm not hungry, but I do want to eat. Trying to get my mind off of it.
hang in there, pat! you can do it!
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