"There's only one thing you have to do, and you only have to do it one time. You just have to say no to the off plan food in front of you right this second."
I'm not sure where this quote came from. I didn't make it up, it isn't mine. But it is a quote I have saved in the Notes app on my phone, from when I first started losing weight. It really helped.
See, when you are first starting out losing weight, you look at yourself, and you think, "OMG, I have to lose ___ pounds. I will be dieting for such a long time! I'm never going to get to have french fries (or ice cream, or chocolate, or whatever) again!!!" and it all just becomes too much. It's overwhelming. Looking at the big picture when you are just getting started often leads to frustration, a sense of impossibility, that you just can't do it.
To change that, you simply have to change your focus. You have to look at THIS choice, not the whole string of choices you will have to make over time. Focus on staying on plan THIS TIME, not being 100% compliant. All the "this times" will add up in time. Have faith. But it's much, much easier to make the right choice for yourself when you haven't given yourself the pressure of making the right choice forever.
I did that today. When I leave work is a really tempting time for me. As I'm leaving the office, I am just across the parking lot from a couple of my favorite fast food places. And I was SO tempted today to stop at McDonald's and get an apple pie, because, you know, it was right there, and it would be easy. I've already lost my weight. What does an apple pie matter? But sometimes an apple pie is more carbs or calories or whatever than I feel like I should eat at any given moment, so today, I decided to have a Medifast caramel crunch bar instead. I didn't have to give up apple pies forever. There will be a day when I've run a half marathon or gone on a long hike, or haven't had a sweet treat in a while, and I can eat an apple pie without feeling like I shouldn't, and then I will. But instead of worrying about all that, I just focused on that decision, on whether I should have an apple pie right then, and I decided, no, I shouldn't and I wasn't. So I didn't.
Especially when I was still on plan, this idea worked. I knew that all those individual times of not eating off plan, of choosing to stay on plan, would pay off, but I didn't focus on that. I kept my focus on what was right in front of me right that moment. It's way easier to say no to one thing one time than it is to say no to all the things, all the time.
Have you tried this way of thinking? Has it worked for you? Let me know!!
I am an independent health coach with Take Shape For Life, fueled by Medifast. If you want help losing weight, email me at iloseitwithlori@gmail.com. I'd love to help you!!
Tuesday, June 2, 2015
Saturday, March 14, 2015
A hard truth
In my last post, which admittedly was a while ago, I talked about what, for me, was the last straw. The impetus for finally taking my health into my own hands and doing what it took to lose the weight and get my health back. I know, from first hand experience, that it is a hard decision. It takes a LOT to get to the point that you are ready to really do it.
Most people yo-yo. What do I mean by that? You know, actually. You've probably done it. You go on a new diet, and you lose some weight. You stop dieting, fall off the wagon for whatever reason, and the weight comes right back. And sometimes with some extra to go along with it. Some time goes by, and you try again. Maybe you lose more, maybe not. But once again, something makes you lose your momentum, you get discouraged, give up, and before you know it, you are right back where you started. And this happens again and again. You think that no diet is really going to work for you, and eventually become convinced that you are just stuck being fat, . Or worse, you blame yourself. You think you are not good enough. Or that you don't have enough will power to stick with a diet. So you eventually become convinced that you are stuck being fat.
Does this sound like you? Are you convinced? Do you feel like you are stuck being fat? I was. That was totally me. I had tried so many diets. I would lose a little weight, then gain it back. I was SO SICK of that cycle!! I thought diets wouldn't work for me because I was too busy to prepare healthy food, and too busy to do anything but hit the drive-through for lunch every day. When you are working and raising a family, you want food that's on the table right now, that your kids will eat, regardless of healthy, right??? That was my excuse for being overweight. I didn't have time, But guess what??? I was WRONG. And so are you. You are NOT stuck.
Let me say it again. You are NOT STUCK.
But what I am going to say next is hard. And you are going to disagree with me, and say, no that's not true. But is it really? Ok, deep breath. Here goes.
YOU ARE NOT STUCK. Whatever reason you have in your head that has let you convince yourself you are stuck is JUST AN EXCUSE.
Now, I know there will be some of you that say you have a slow metabolism, or your thyroid is out of whack, or you have a health problem so you can't exercise, etc, etc. I admit that occasionally, that is true. But 9 times out of 10, you are overweight because you are eating fuel than you use, or you are eating too much of the wrong things.
All excuses do is get in your way. If you accept that you are not stuck, that your "reasons" for being overweight are just excuses, you are on your way to fixing the problem. Once you recognize that excuse for what it is, you can work around it. And you can be successful.
One of the things that helped me the most was my health coach. Let me say straight out, I am a health coach for Take Shape For Life, and I help people accomplish the same thing I did. I do this because my health coach was so critical to my success. You know what she did that helped me the most? When I had an excuse for why I wasn't doing what I needed to do, she called me on it. She would be like, "EXCUSE!!!!". I'd get all defensive, and be like, "no it's not, it's my life". Then I'd think about it for a while, and she'd be right. Every time. I was (and still am) really good at excuses. I am good enough at making excuses that I believe my own most of the time. Having someone outside my head to call me on it was invaluable. But, I'm digressing a little.
The point of this post is that one of the things you really, really have to do in order to be successful long term at losing weight is to recognize your excuses for what they are. If you have to, make a list. Write down all the reasons that you struggle to lose weight. Write down every thing that gets in the way. That's step one.
Step two is to write down a solution, any solution no matter how trivial, a way around each of those reasons.
Part of my list looked like this:
And yes, those are real examples. Ask my coach.
Once you realize that your reasons are not insurmountable, you can see that all they are are excuses that you are letting hold you back from what you really want. Once you realize that they are only excuses and not actual barriers, you are on your way to success. Good luck!!
Most people yo-yo. What do I mean by that? You know, actually. You've probably done it. You go on a new diet, and you lose some weight. You stop dieting, fall off the wagon for whatever reason, and the weight comes right back. And sometimes with some extra to go along with it. Some time goes by, and you try again. Maybe you lose more, maybe not. But once again, something makes you lose your momentum, you get discouraged, give up, and before you know it, you are right back where you started. And this happens again and again. You think that no diet is really going to work for you, and eventually become convinced that you are just stuck being fat, . Or worse, you blame yourself. You think you are not good enough. Or that you don't have enough will power to stick with a diet. So you eventually become convinced that you are stuck being fat.
Does this sound like you? Are you convinced? Do you feel like you are stuck being fat? I was. That was totally me. I had tried so many diets. I would lose a little weight, then gain it back. I was SO SICK of that cycle!! I thought diets wouldn't work for me because I was too busy to prepare healthy food, and too busy to do anything but hit the drive-through for lunch every day. When you are working and raising a family, you want food that's on the table right now, that your kids will eat, regardless of healthy, right??? That was my excuse for being overweight. I didn't have time, But guess what??? I was WRONG. And so are you. You are NOT stuck.
Let me say it again. You are NOT STUCK.
But what I am going to say next is hard. And you are going to disagree with me, and say, no that's not true. But is it really? Ok, deep breath. Here goes.
YOU ARE NOT STUCK. Whatever reason you have in your head that has let you convince yourself you are stuck is JUST AN EXCUSE.
Now, I know there will be some of you that say you have a slow metabolism, or your thyroid is out of whack, or you have a health problem so you can't exercise, etc, etc. I admit that occasionally, that is true. But 9 times out of 10, you are overweight because you are eating fuel than you use, or you are eating too much of the wrong things.
All excuses do is get in your way. If you accept that you are not stuck, that your "reasons" for being overweight are just excuses, you are on your way to fixing the problem. Once you recognize that excuse for what it is, you can work around it. And you can be successful.
One of the things that helped me the most was my health coach. Let me say straight out, I am a health coach for Take Shape For Life, and I help people accomplish the same thing I did. I do this because my health coach was so critical to my success. You know what she did that helped me the most? When I had an excuse for why I wasn't doing what I needed to do, she called me on it. She would be like, "EXCUSE!!!!". I'd get all defensive, and be like, "no it's not, it's my life". Then I'd think about it for a while, and she'd be right. Every time. I was (and still am) really good at excuses. I am good enough at making excuses that I believe my own most of the time. Having someone outside my head to call me on it was invaluable. But, I'm digressing a little.
The point of this post is that one of the things you really, really have to do in order to be successful long term at losing weight is to recognize your excuses for what they are. If you have to, make a list. Write down all the reasons that you struggle to lose weight. Write down every thing that gets in the way. That's step one.
Step two is to write down a solution, any solution no matter how trivial, a way around each of those reasons.
Part of my list looked like this:
- Problem: work is too hectic so I go through the drive-through at lunch
- Solution: Keep a Medifast bar in my purse, or a Medifast meal that is faster than sitting in line at Taco Bell in my desk.
- Problem: I like McDonald's breakfast burritos
- Solution: Eat scrambled eggs with salsa before I leave the house, OR eat a cinnamon roll flavored Medifast bar (cinnamon rolls are breakfast food, right?) or hot cocoa in the car as I'm driving to work, and turn on the road before the McDonald's so I'm not tempted by the simple fact that I'm driving past it)
And yes, those are real examples. Ask my coach.
Once you realize that your reasons are not insurmountable, you can see that all they are are excuses that you are letting hold you back from what you really want. Once you realize that they are only excuses and not actual barriers, you are on your way to success. Good luck!!
- I am an independent health coach with Take Shape For Life. If you would like help losing weight, feel free to contact me at iloseitwithlori@gmail.com
Monday, January 12, 2015
The Last Straw
I was 43 years old, and happy with my life. I'm happily married, with 4 wonderful children. I have a satisfying, although highly stressful and demanding job, hobbies that I enjoy, lots of yarn, friends, etc, etc. A home, a garden, two cats and an aging dog. And... I also had an extra 40 or 50 pounds.
Most of the time, I was able to ignore the fact that I was overweight. I didn't like it, but I was resigned to it and tried to not let it bother me. I'd been overweight to one degree or another for most of the last 20 years. I'd dieted before, with varying degrees of success. I'd tried lots of different diets. I'd reluctantly decided I needed to just make peace with my body the way it was. And then I ran into a couple that I hadn't seen in a while.
They have both been inactive and overweight since I've known them. And they were suffering because of it. Between the two of them, they have diabetes, high blood pressure, and asthma. One of them has to wear a machine when she sleeps to help her breathe. The other recently had a stroke and has a hard time just walking around. They get hot easily, get tired easily, and generally seemed physically uncomfortable most of the time.
Looking at these people was profoundly difficult for me. For the first time, I actually thought about my age. I was 42 at the time, and my life was half over. And if I didn't want to end up like one of them (and I didn't want that, although I love them dearly), I knew I had to make some major changes in my life.
(Me, before...and after)
Most of the time, I was able to ignore the fact that I was overweight. I didn't like it, but I was resigned to it and tried to not let it bother me. I'd been overweight to one degree or another for most of the last 20 years. I'd dieted before, with varying degrees of success. I'd tried lots of different diets. I'd reluctantly decided I needed to just make peace with my body the way it was. And then I ran into a couple that I hadn't seen in a while.
They have both been inactive and overweight since I've known them. And they were suffering because of it. Between the two of them, they have diabetes, high blood pressure, and asthma. One of them has to wear a machine when she sleeps to help her breathe. The other recently had a stroke and has a hard time just walking around. They get hot easily, get tired easily, and generally seemed physically uncomfortable most of the time.
Looking at these people was profoundly difficult for me. For the first time, I actually thought about my age. I was 42 at the time, and my life was half over. And if I didn't want to end up like one of them (and I didn't want that, although I love them dearly), I knew I had to make some major changes in my life.
Now, seeing these people didn't propel me into instant action. I thought about it, I dithered, I procrastinated. I tried a diet for a week or a few days, then saw something I wanted to eat, and bye-bye diet, over and over. With the help and support from an amazing health coach, I finally got motivated enough to actually stick with something, and on June 24, 2013, I began changing my life. I simultaneously began the Take Shape for Life program that would help me shed 40+ pounds, and began getting active.
(I feel so much better now!!!)
I found myself quickly falling in love with yoga, and slowly, with running. This past summer, I ran three half marathons, and did a lot of hiking. I love the freedom of movement and the sheer ability to DO things that I haven't felt since I was much younger. I've kept the weight off for over a year now, and I have found that I really want to share my success and see other people succeed as well, and so I became a health coach for the same program that worked so well for me.
I find that I LOVE it when my clients succeed at losing weight. I LOVE hearing the pride and excitement in their voices, and the shock at how easy it can really be.
If you are ready to make that change, I can help you too. Email me at iloseitwithlori@gmail.com, or text me at (907) 982-6646.
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