Topic : 05/26 Summer Slim

Hi there, 

My sister and I are doing great with our new ways of eating, and we're exercising a whole lot.  I don't remember what it feels like to have legs that aren't sore!!!  We're still competetive, but I haven't sent her any M&M's, and she hasn't bribed my kids into anything.  We're having a lot of fun, and we really enjoyed the show, it's done wonderful things. 

Since I've changed my 45-day focus from eating heathly to dealing with my financial chaos, I've not eaten properly.  I've had ice cream, donut holes, & cake.  I haven't eaten a candy bar.   

  

I want to let go of focusing on what I'm eating, when I'm eating it, and why I'm eating it.  I just want to just forget that it even exists right now.  I want to let go of my addictive self-talk and do other incompatible activities.  Then when this 45-day focus period is over I can see where I stand. 

  

I'm really curious to see how much I've actually adapted and how much more I have to practice practice practice until it becomes automatically.  I already have seen major improvement in my eating habits and exercise -- well, I love it.  It's really great fun to work in the yard or go to the gym. I see so many improvements in my body and health.  It's such a cool place to be. 

I was wondering how everyone was doing on Dr. Phil's Summer Slimdown Challenge?  I started the day of the show.  Two things he said on the show really hit me.  I have heard them before but they didn't register, I guess.  They are:  Don't start tomorrow start today. I had plans to start when all the kids are in school in the fall but that was just putting it off and another excuse.  The other was: Why not lose the weight the right way one time.  That's what I want.   I have been on a roller coaster with my weight due to various excuses but this time I really think I got it.  Every year my number one New Years resolution is to lose weight.  I'm excited because I will be at my goal weight before the end of the year and I will get to pick a different resolution.  I have never really thought of any different personal resolution because my weight has been it for so long.  I have been working through the seven keys very throughly and WOW.  The change is amazing.  You can only do the eating plan in the book without the other keys for so long.  (I tried that last year.  I did a hit and miss approach and lost 15 pounds but gained it back when things got hectic, which they always seem to do.)  The seven keys are so powerful if you will let down your walls and get to know your true self.  I'm down 20 pounds and have 30 more to go.  I can't wait to see his follow-up show because this time I won't be sitting on the couch thinking, " I wish that were me"  because this time it will be. I wish everyone the strengh to keep going.  We are worth it.

I'm so proud of you .... I've been using Dr. Phil's WEIGHT LOSS SOLUTIONS to change my life style.  I made weight loss a goal for years and years; and right now, I'm not caring 1 way or the other if I lose a pound or not. I'm practicing maintenance and so far, no weight gain.   

  

I'm with you. with so many years of having LOSE WEIGHT in my thoughts, it's just so hard to imagine a time when it's not there.  Like what will fill in the space ... Key 4, Step 1 activities will.  Took me a while to figure that one out. 

  

I've read & re-read the book 5-6 times now.  I actually had to stop counting ... and I know nearly all the keys by heart!  when I started back up after x-mas, I simply cleaned out my cabinets again and this time, they have stayed safe.   It's such a wow moment for me. 

  

How did your kids like your focusing on healthy eating?  Did you have a hard time of it or did you simply start off small and allow them to adjust? 

Well, I started off kind of slow in the fact that I quit buying junk but I didn't throw out the junk in the house at first.  I just let them finish eating what we already had.  They know I don't buy junk anymore.  Although I still buy white bread, but I now buy half the bread wheat and half the bread white and the white usually goes first and then they have to eat the wheat because it's what's left until payday.  I also buy white some white tortilla etc but gradually I'm buying wheat product.   They eat alot of the good stuff, so it's just basically getting them off so many treats and switching over to whole grains.   I don't make a fuss about them going to the corner gas station and buy a candy bar or something because it's about a mile back and forth and they have to use their own money.  They don't do it that often. I figure if they want to walk a mile for a treat then "go for it".  We had a birthday party for one of our sons and I did buy chips but only two bags for about 15 boys and I did have a birthday cake, which I only had a bite.  I'm learning to buy the regular bags and smaller cakes for special occassions so there isn't anything left over. I'm trying really hard to focus on the "healthy" part of this because I want them to learn healthy behaviors.  My dad had a heart attack a couple of years ago and my mom was recently in the hospital and found out she had diabetes.  We have 5 sons and 1 daughter and they are all slim.  They can eat anything and not gain a pound.  I also want our daughter to know that it's not the size that matters but the health and exercise.  The size will fall into place.  She is slim also but I was when I was growing up.  It wasn't until I had 6 kids that I realized some of my self-esteem came from being a normal size and that I was an emotional eater.  It really did a thing on me when I gained weight.  I want her to always knows she important not because she is slim but because of who she is and want she does and that eating healthy makes us feel better.  I also don't reward them with treats too much anymore.  I didn't realize that I did that so often.  So for the most part they are ok about everything.  They know they have to walk and get it with their own money or make it from a box and clean up after they make it.  Sometimes I think the effort involved is too much and they would rather do without it.  But it's not off limits.  Tonight I did have leftovers for myself and I was tired.  One of my sons works at McDonalds so I let them each pick two things off the dollar menu.  I didn't let them have a soda, hamburger, fries and ice cream like usual.  They just had a sandwich and a hot fudge sundae.  I do that about 1 or 2 times a month.  So we are making better choices and not doing the junk food as often.  I'm trying to have a calm attitude about this so they don't feel deprived and start hoarding or rewarding themselves with treats and junk.  It seems to be working and getting better all the time.  Have a great day.

Have you noticed a change in their behaviors when they eat healthier foods than when they don't?  I saw that my energy levels leveled out and I had more of it when I started to wean myself away from the processed foods. 

  

And with you not depriving them of their junk foods, you aren't turning on their GOTTA HAVE mode.   I know that I've had to deal a lot with that.  I gave up chocolate so many times and always ended up binging on it.  Finally last x-mas, I gave myself permission to just eat it whenever I wanted to.    

  

Then I got hit with pre-diabetes and the beginning of high cholesterol ... and finally the connection that my eating caffeine before any thyroid blood test always blew the test for me.  (I've been keeping a food log off and on since I started Dr. Phil's program back on 11/18/03 and when I reviewed it, I saw there was a link between me passing and failing.  For my last test, I decided to just test it out.  And I came back normal ... 

  

So I made the sacrifice to keep my thyroid alive and well in my throat and not to have them radiate it and kill it.  Just the thought of having a dead thing hanging around in my body just makes me ill! 

  

Anyway, my need to chocolate has gone .... now I'm working on ice cream.  I'm down to the local Dairy Queen's vanilla medium size cone.  I started to deny myself and had to quit that!  Now, I'm able to really ask myself -- do I really want this?  I don't.  I think Friday was my last one.  And I usually only want it when I'm over heated.  I don't sweat so it really cools me off fast! 

  

And you seem to be doing what I'm doing ... taking it slow and steady ...  I'm in this for permanent healthy life style. I really don't care right now if I lose weight or not ... I just love the major changes that are going on in my life since I've been working towards this HEALTHY LIFE STYLE. 

  

Are you using WEIGHT LOSS SOLUTIONS to help you change your life style? 

You know I've never thought of watching to see if my kids have behavior changes from not buying as much processed foods.  I'll have to watch for that.  Well, now that you mention it, they don't seem to munch as much.  Whether that's due to reducing the process foods or just not having the munchies stuff handy, I don't know. I did buy ice cream for them last night, not for me though.  I found some fruit bars with no added sugar and they have only 30 calories, so that' my cooling off treat. We are trying to grow a garden and the weeds were way beyond control so we were out pulling weeds for about 4 hours.   

   

Yes, I am using the Weight Loss Soluiton.  I read it everyday.  I even put it on my ipod so if I have a busy day I can listen to it.  I'm on the third time reading it.  I find that I don't grasp everything the first time.  It's interesting that when you keep reading it, you find things that you are now doing and find others things to work on.  I also find that I keep getting into the deeper reasons why I do things.  

   

Since May 25th with the "Summer Slim" I have been realy strict on not having processed foods, or white sugar or white flour.  I have decided that I want the outcome of better health more than the junk, but I also remember a story in his book about his girl who would eat a piece of pie and then feel so guilty that she would eat the whole thing.  Sometimes I feel like that, so this last week I have had a couple of things like a 1/2 of chocolate chip cookie.  I went to my sister's house and she had made homemade cookies.  She didn't offer one to me, but I did.  I want to know that I can trust myself and have a treat without going overboard or feeling guilty.  I had 1/2 of cookie and ate it slowly.  I thought that tasted good, but I want my health more.  I didn't eat it to reward myself and I didn't feel guilty either.  I just came home and stayed on the plan.  I also went to a meeting and they had m&ms.  I love M&Ms!!! or at least I have in the past.  I ate about 15 and that was enough.  But that is far better than the big bag  I usually buy.    

   

I have also been exercising.  Exercising has always been a very beneficial thing for me.  I haven't always been successful at being consistence, in the past, because I always just think, "I'll do this until I loose weight."  But then I give up the diet so the exercise goes out the window too.  This time I have been trying to find things that I can keep up.  I found these Walking Tapes that are good because I'm not very consistent.  I could follow his eating plan to the letter but if I don't exercise nothing happens.  What do you do?  

   

   

I've read and re-read the book now so many times.  If you ever saw it you would just laugh .. it has papers sticking out of it, it has writing in the empty spaces ....  it's definitely seen better days. 

  

My re-reads occur 1x a year or maybe 2x.   I know the book by heart now - well except keys 5 & 6.  I was amazed when I finally connected Chapter 2 - goals with how he set up the book.   I found that the Keys and Steps were actually the goals structure. 

  

I'm really good a keeping my environment clean now.  Every time I re-read the book, I discovered that I was practicing a much healthier life style .... now, I'm still practicing ... 

  

I just had a major set back today --- I don't care .... tomorrow, I know i'll do better and I know that the stress that I've experienced over the last few days / weeks was something I needed to walk thru --- Key 4, Step 2 and Keys 1 & 2.   They are the hardest for me.   

  

For me, I'm now using other stuff to help me switch from eating 1 food for another.  It took me a couple of months before I found a real whole wheat bread ....  I do good for a few weeks and then purchase white bread.  then go back to the whole wheat again ....  It usually occurs when I'm stresed out .... hmmmm    an AHA MOMENT!!! thanks !!!!  I love writing about what's going on cause I sometimes realize that I'm putting together the facts....  isn't that cool. 

  

when I purchase white bread instead of whole wheat, I'm stressed and giving in to my triggers! 

What are you doing when you have those impulses? For me I jump on my gazelle that I have sitting next to my couch or pick up Dr. Phil's book and start reading it.  I also will read my personal statement and goals or I chew a piece of gum. I will substitue a food too, like sugar-free jello or sugar-free fruit pop.  I also have a new outfit that is just a bit too small sitting in my closet so I can keep looking at it.  I pick a date that I want to fit in it.  It's only one size smaller so it won't seem overwhelming. I try it on every week.  

  

I know working on the first few keys is important but why are you waiting to do key 5,6 and 7?  I know your're trying to get the first few down.  But I don't think you have to wait to go on.  I keep reading the book also and keep refining and adjusting as I go.  The eating plan is so well-balanced.  It helps you not feel hungry because your body is getting the nutrtion it needs and on a consistent basis-that will help with the cravings and impulses.    

  

Intentional exercise is good also because it gets your metabolism going and gives you energy and those feel good hormones.  Exercise has been so good for me and my moods.  I think if it wasn't for the exercise I wouldn't be doing as well.  It has just seemed to get things going.    

  

I will admit that Key 7 is my hardest.  We just moved here a year ago and I don't have any real close friend that i would confide in.  My husband is a support to me but, he doesn't do the same things as I do.  I haven't found any who wants to do this with me, so I have been on my own. I even bought a second set of books that I keep at my mom's house in case I can find anyone who wants to do this. I guess that's why I read his book so much.  I feel his support.  But as I really stick to this and have results people around me are noticing and I'm starting to see a few changes.  My husband got his bike tuned up and has started riding a little bit.  My mom has been learning and following the diabetes diet which is very similar to this.  I've tried to get her to read Dr. Phil's book for awhile and she is now reading it.  She even called me last night to ask where I was in the book.  She was a little overwhelmed by the all the weight she needs to lose and i was able to tell her some of the things he has said in his book.  Hopefully by doing this together we can give each other support.  

  

Have a good day.   

  

Have a good day.  

When I read the book the 1st time I couldn't focus on wt loss, it just kept bringing up my horrible life I was living.  By the time I got to Key 4, Step 2 (Triggers & Urges) I was using a food log (11/18/03).  I was in emotional turmoil.  Then I joined a Dr. Phil support group and had to re-read the book for a 2nd time and became even more stressed out.  I finally realized that I was attempting to do too much and that I needed to step back and DO SOMETHING DIFFERENT. 

  

So I started with Key 1 and Key 2 -- he didn't give me enough to work with so I turned to SELF MATTERS ...  I spent from Feb to March reading Self Matters and doing the exercises.  Then I chose to pick 1 goal I've been wanting to do -- it was dance or sewing (Key 4, Step 1) - both of these goals were easy to write out in a goal format.  Finally I chose sewing and then spent 2 months (the time I took to take 2 classes) to just listen to what I was saying to myself and practicing the COGNITIVE BEHAVIORAL TECHNIQUES taught in Keys 1 & 2; & Self Matters. 

  

And I was able to use my food log to help me see when binges ocurred that were triggered by stuff I hadn't closed (that's Key 2 -- MER) ... have you done MER?  

  

By August, I was ready ... I picked up the book again and started to re-read it again and got lost in doing goal work. I mean, I've done it so many times and my life just wasn't anywhere but on the same stupid list that I've been writing over and over again for over 20 years. So I DID SOMETHING DIFFERENT - I read Stephen Covey's book:  7 HABITS FOR HIGHLY EFFECTIVE PEOPLE.  He's the guru of goals.  Then I re-read chapters 3, Keys 1, Keys 2 ... and began to map out my goals for Key 3. 

  

Key 4 - triggers and urges -- caused me great duress because every time I read it, I realized that my food log was showing me my triggers so I focused on my triggers.  As I slowly began to face what made me over eat, I was able to focus on eating properly. 

  

I've done Key 5 exercises for a long time.  In fact, way too many times -- I had to bring more into my life.  Like when I was diagnosed with high cholesterol and insulin levels, I chosed to educate myself ...  I went to a nutritionist and she said I had to lower my saturated & trans fat as well as cholesterol I was eating.  I chosed to read a book by Dr. Weil & 2 by Dr. Katz.   I checked out the new food pymraid because Dr. Phil's plan has me eating 10-12 svgs of protein a day and most animal proteins have saturated fats ---  I've bought down the levels of my saturated fats I eat ... and discovered that my knowledge of eating vegetables wasn't too good.  So now, I'm giving myself permission to eat 2 svgs of dark greens a week.  It's not easy; however, it's a start. 

  

I got the portion sizes going too. I do measure my foods and I got a deck of cards and dice sitting on a shelf for me to see.  And exercise wasn't easy either. 

  

I was really doing good until one day, I had charlie horses in my toes which went to my arches which went to the back of my calves ...  it took weeks for them to go away.  I went to a foot specialist who told me I had flat feet ...  then winter hit and it was a nasty winter ... 

  

I went back to walking, to going to the gym ...  now, I'm doing yard work and discovered that pulling weeds in strength training and I need to do it only every other day ...  too late for me ... I had to take a week time out to help relieve the soreness from my tennis elbow.  I walk my dogs 5x a week; I go to the gym 1x a week, and weed my yard 3-4x a week. 

  

For me, it's been a journey of re-education.  As I adapted 1 new behavior / habit from his book, another one popped up that I had to deal with.