Topic : Breaking Unhealthy Habits

I'm going to share these words with my WLC support group.  We are going to start up again this September and we all have been tackling our life events slowly but we are making headway! 

  

  

Marcia, I took too long on the previous answer and got kicked off, so I will edit this one.
First, yes I used journalling extensively. I used a daily food journal, and I also had a weekly one where I would record my weight and measurements and what I had done as far as exercise that week. In this weekly journal I also recorded any emotions or physical differences, like battling seasonal allergies. This kind of journalling can be invaluable to gaining insight into your triggers and blind spots.
The first major piece of my puzzle was discovering adequate protein, low carb diets. I won't go into depth, there is such controversy surrounding diets these days. I will say this, it saved my life and my health, cured many discomforts and ailments that doctors try to push medications for. The research is out there, look it up for yourself. Or better yet, try it, the change in the way you feel can be profound, depending on the amount of carbs you used to consume.
The next piece was a weight loss hypnotherapy class I attended. It basically was a short cut to mastering the Keys in the ULTIMATE WEIGHT LOSS SOLUTION, which was not out when I was losing weight. I took this class because I realized that I was sabotaging my efforts by using food to cope with emotional issues. It was invaluable, but there was still something missing. I was hovering just above the healthy range of weight for my age and size. I found the reasons in SELF MATTERS. I won't go into it here, I have documented my pay offs for staying overweight and my struggles with  my past on other boards. But after an emotional week shut in room writing page after page of memories and his other inventories, I came out a much wiser person. I gave myself not only the permission to lose the weight I wanted, but the self love I had needed all my life. It's not selfish or vain to love yourself and care for yourself. You really CAN'T give away what you don't have. My whole life changed when I revised my opinion of myself. Hope yours does too.

It sounds like we both are using the same sort of tools - except I've been using the Weight Loss Solutions book to help me work thru Self Matters. I know it sounds strange but every time I re-read Key 4, Step 2, I kept asking myself - so what are my urges/impulses and I'm off healing another memory/past pay off.  I just finally am able to read the book without bringing up STUFF. 

  

I too journal and I have been shutting down for whole weekends at a time when I hit the "wall" where I have to deal with my faulty thinking. 

  

Thank you for writing me - now I know I'm on track! 

I too have a father who had a heart attack last year but I was lucky he survived.  Now I found out my mother has a high cholestral problem which was inherited.  I had gestational diabetes with my third child but not type two diabetes.  This was strong motivation for me to smarten up and watch what I eat and start to exercise regularly on a regular basis.  And I would say Dr. Phil's book was the strongest motivation for me to start correcting my bad behaviours.  I lost 25 lbs and the inches came off like crazy.  And I also do stability ball classes and I swear the inches came off so rapidly.  My personality changed and I can actually say I love myself.  So make your self number one priority and start reading Dr. Phil's weight loss book.

I started to read WLS in October 03.  When I read Keys 1 & 2, I really got overwhelmed!  I couldn't focus on weight loss but my work events.  By January, I was just starting on Key 5 and joined a support group.  Once again, I had to re-read Keys 1 & 2 and realized that I had to stop and face the overwhelming emotions - I turned to Self Matters to learn more about internal dialogue which lead me to spending February 03 thru May 05 working on listening to myself.  I used WLS to help me - I discovered that everytime I re-read Keys 1 & 2 & 4, I found myself I still couldn't hear myself read those keys.  It got to the point that I felt such anxiety that in May, I was going to DIE!  I then went after that DIE feeling and named it fear.   I used all sorts of books to help me thru the process because Dr. Phil said - until I become educated and gain the knowledge, I will go around and around in circles!   

  

I experienced the overwhelming anxiety in May, June, July - each time I wrote down my plan on what I was going to do the next time.  So when my monthly goal review time came, I was able to pick up from where I left before!  In August, I experienced it so bad - yet, I was able to name it!  I gave it the name of PIG PEN - cause that's what it felt like - I felt that I was surrounded by this cloud of emotions and those emotions actually were like a tape/script because I had memories of it in my life.  

  

Now, I pick up the book and it's all about adapting a healthier life style!  It's so unreal!  I keep expecting to run away screaming NO NO NOT AGAIN!  Yet, it's not like that at all.   Yesterday, I actually told myself -- No, going to the store for a candy bar is just an impulse - I can handle impulses.  DUH!!  No fear, no anxiety - just a truth statement!!   

  

I'm so glad that I choose to spend 3 years of my life to committing to adapting healthier life style which meant healing myself of old emotions & feelings and allowing myself to live in the NOW! 

I'm not sure what's going to happen this time.  I feel rather uncomfortable about it all.  I'm sort of the leader and only 1 member seems to have done any of the WLS key work.  And she's only been doing Key 6 - Exercise.  She doesn't see how Key 1 or 2 can help her because she's normal - the rest of us have issues from childhood.   

  

I'm going to do something different, take a risk - I really have a lot of nasty little tapes running in my head; however, I feel that I can do this.  That I have the necessary skills to pull together a workable solution for the group.   It is the end of year 2 for the group and so far NONE of us are living the life style.  Even the member who has lost the weight and mastered Key 6 -- she's always talking about falling off the wagon - yet when questioned, she has maintained.  But she's got no internal dialogue going on in her head.  She's really close to her ideal weight now and she refuses to look at developing her maintenance plan.  She forgets to do it.   

  

This time, I'm going to focus on living the life style -- I have some real issues; however, that's okay.   I'm learning to be nice to me because I'm not a cook and I don't have the desire to cook meals.  It's not that I don't want to; it's because I've been living in interia for so long that it's just a habit.  I can deal with it slowly as I go.   

  

I'm going to introduce Harriet Lerner's FEAR AND OTHER UNINVITED GUESTS to the group.  It will introduce them to FEAR, ANXIETY, and SHAME.  Then we'll do 1 more FEAR book while we are at.  Maybe they will be interested in doing Self Matters too.   I'm going at it differently this time.  I'm going to bring in other books to help us thru this coming year.  We should be able to make headway; unless they prefer not to.   

  

It is my last year - I'm tired of being alone on this endeavor.  I want to find a buddy - I want to be able to talk to them one-on-one; not sit back and listen to their tapes & scripts running 24/7.  I'm not a professional - yet I understand what is going on. 

  

Harriet's Chapter 2 says I have to take a BIG RISK - stepping up and changing the format of the group is it.  It's my test.  If it works, we will finally begin our 3rd year (1/06) prepared to take on the world.  It will be hard; however, I know that we can do it. 

         I have known I am overweight . This past Spring I went to see the Doctor, that's the only time I get weighed. I stepped up , ashamed and scared of what that scale was going to say . It read 242lbs. I thought ok I can lose this . Then, my little kids took pictures at a family outting we were on and I was devasted.......      I came home and cried I couldn't let my husband of two years look at me . 

   I am still over weight . I guess the first step and the hardest step was getting rid of all things sugar in the house.I am down to 215lbs. But I don't know ..... this is hard to do. 

  I don't know why I can't get out and move more.Anyone have advice they would like to share with me? 

 Make a commitment to do something EVERYDAY, but start small. In the beginning, its more important to get into the habit of exercise, than to break a sweat. That's also why you want to do something everyday, its easier to cement a habit when you do it everyday, than 3 or 4 times a week. (Like brushing your teeth.)
What I started with was grocery shopping and other types of shopping and housework. I would park at the very end of the lot so I had to walk farther, then I would whizz around the outer edges of the store a couple of times with the basket before starting on my list. When I had to go upstairs for any reason, I would run up and down once or twice before going up for my errand. If you work little things like that into your regular schedule, its easy. I'm sure you can think of a few on your own. The idea is to be more active all day. Then, as you lose more weight, you will want to do the more strenuous and strength building type of exercise.
Its easy to build up to doing a little more every week, so START SMALL.
Good luck!

Starting small is the key.  It has been the key for me personally.  I have lost 130 lbs.  I started changing my eating habits one habit at a time.  I changed my exercise habits slowly, very slowly.  I did what this author suggests.   

  

I parked as far away as possible.  I did each errand the long way by making extra trips.  If I needed 3 things from upstairs, I made 3 separate trips.  I began fidgeting in the car, in the cashier lane at the grocery store, everywhere.  I would tap my toes, wiggle my fingers, shift weight from one foot to the other. 

  

When I was heavy, I was so sedentary.  Now I have so much energy, and I feel great. 

  

I wish you the best of luck. 

 I couldn't let your post go unnoticed!  CONGRATULATIONS!! That's an incredible amount of layers to say goodbye to and you are great!
Thanks for reinforcing my advice. That's how I started too, but I only had to lose 50lbs. It's all in those life-long you replace the eating and feeling sorry for yourself with.