Well, Happy New Year everyone. If you're back at work, I hope it's not too arduous and, as the Expert Friend reminded me, don't think of it as a Monday (when I get the blues) but as a Wednesday (which it is) and, therefore, closer to the weekend. Yay!
I'll come clean; I've written several posts but am not ready to publish them. Yet. The holiday season was...different. Some good, some bad but, most important (since this is a VLCD/weight-loss blog) I am a whole fat stone away from my ideal weight. That's a bitch, I've got to be honest, particularly since the Spice Girls' gig is just six days away. Even with complete abstinence, the most I could lose is 7lbs. So I am debating whether or not to jump back in to the just say no (to food) and really try to get to my goal weight of a five stone loss.
In the meantime, what has struck me is that many, many, many old habits and behaviours made guest appearances over Christmas and New Year. And do you know what? I just didn't have the energy to fight them or deal with them, face on. But now I am. And I have decided that I am going to isolate my triggers and see if I can break them down, reframe them and equip myself with an armour-plated alternative. Because, one thing's for sure, what I did at Christmas DID NOT WORK. I didn't binge but I picked and grazed and ate a lot of things because they were there. As a result, I have put on weight. And from where I am standing now, most of it (the food) really wasn't worth the extra calories.
So, the very first Bad Habit to Break is the "It's a new day, I've got a lot to do (that I don't want to do) therefore what I can eat to help me get through?" train of thought. Do you recognise this?
I've got to find a way of not being overwhelmed before I even start and thus set myself up for failure (by eating more than I need).
Yesterday, I got an email (one of my many subscriptions), which reminded me that a successful approach could be to Begin With the End in Mind. In his book, The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, Stephen Covey coined the phrase, "Begin with the end in mind."
I think this is an approach that could work for me. The absolutely critical end for me would be to have NOT stuffed my face because I didn't want to do a specific thing, however hard it may seem and eating a tasty snack was a great diversion. Several times over.
I'd like to go to bed tonight with my 'to do list' completed and with a sense of achievement ie that I was one step closer to getting to my goal. I don't want to think about all the things I shouldn't have eaten or wished I hadn't consumed.
My next 'bad' habit to tackle will be the see food and eat it one. Sounds familiar?
Have a great day everyone and welcome to 2008!
** A little caveat - I appreciate the language seems quite negative and stern (Critical Parent to you TA fans) - bad habits, foods I shouldn't eat, etc. But here's the thing - the food that I ate over Christmas was not 100% healthy. I was not treating myself with kindness by eating more than I needed. I really want to learn how to do that.
Snap! I'm a stone over too, for the same reasons. My jeans are tight and while it's not a disaster (my sister in law was going on about how slim I was yesterday and I managed to just smile and not mention the fact I'd put on a stone!) I need to get to grips with the situation. This means concentrating on my eating and daily weighing. I don't want to be obsessed but perhaps it's the only way for me. I did it last January-September so I can do it again! (but with food this time) As for critical parent language - sometimes we do things which need a bit of stern talking! I tend to ignore the more gentle approach.
Looking forward to tips on breaking the 'see food and eat it' habit!
Posted by: goombagirl | January 02, 2008 at 09:58 AM
I don't like that critical parent voice. But maybe that's just because I tend to be rebellious child...
Mrs - you may be a stone over but is it really that obvious to anyone else? I've put on more than 10kgs and it is noticeable but only by one size. I'm a tight 18 now where I was a tight 16 before. So you cannot have suddenly become fat. Try to put it into perspective.
Abstinence works to lose the weight quickly but it's not a forever lifestyle choice. I do worry about people who go back to it regularly because how is that different from a new fad diet every couple of weeks?
If you feel you must go back to abstinence for the Spice Girls gig, at least be sure that you appreciate it's a quick fix... One of these days, you me and the rest of us will all have to deal with food choices.
Hugs...
Posted by: Sandra | January 02, 2008 at 11:38 PM
Just to say that although I've not commented recently (haven't got anything interesting or pertinent to say) your blog does keep me going and I check it almost every day.
I think you're doing really well - keep it up.
love
Peridot x
Posted by: Peridot | January 04, 2008 at 10:17 AM