The Scale: Agony or Ecstasy?

I’ve had a love/hate relationship with the scale for most of my life.

For years, the scale wielded enormous power over me. The scale controlled whether I had a good day or a bad day. The scale dictated whether I was happy or sad. The scale determined my level my self-esteem and self-worth and self-confidence. If the number on the scale was a number I liked, I was happy. If the number on the scale was a number that I didn’t like, I was sad, or depressed, or frustrated, or hopeless, or angry.

That scale was my sovereign. I was its servant.

And the scale determined whether I was winning or losing the battle of the bulge. Usually, I lost.

As I began to transform my thoughts about my body, I began to transform my thoughts about the scale as well, and I found other ways to measure my progress.

I knew I was doing well when I began. . .

. . . to measure my success by considering how I felt rather the number of pounds I weighed.

. . . to feel like I was brimming over with energy and vitality.

. . . to eat when I was hungry and stop when I was satisfied.

. . . to move a little bit more than I had been moving.

. . . to feel my clothes getting a little looser.

. . . to take pride in the number of fruits and vegetables I was eating each day.

. . . to look forward to my daily walks (which morphed into daily runs).

. . . to receive complements from my friends on how I looked.

. . . to tie my esteem to my inherent spiritual core rather than an external physical measuring device.

. . . to feel good about myself because I was alive!

Up Next: Stress Eating

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Lose Weight On Your Vacation!

 

If you’re headed away for jaunt by the lake or some time in the mountains this summer, here are a few tips to keep you focused on your weight-release desires!

Tip One:  Ask yourself what you really, really want?  What will bring you the most pleasure?  Do you want to return from your vacation having maintained your weight?  Would you be happy if the scale reflected a gain of a couple of pounds or so?  Or do you want the scale to continue to show a decline?  Only you can answer those questions, but before you head out on the road, think about what you want.

Tip Two:  Enjoy yourself--and your food!  If you’re traveling to a different part of the country, or maybe an entirely new country, use this as a chance to escape from your regular food routine, and try new, yummy, and unusual food.  Try things that you wouldn’t normally try. Experiment, and have fun! 

Tip Three:  Maybe you’re going on a road trip?  If so, consider declaring your vehicle a fast food free zone and instead, pack a cooler with fresh fruit, lots of veggies, bottles of water, yogurt, granola bars--delicious, healthful food that will help you achieve what you really, really want.

Tip Four:  Pay close attention to what your body is telling you.  Listen to your body’s hunger signals.  Avoid becoming famished.  And avoid becoming stuffed.  And use all five senses to enjoy what you’re eating.   Enjoy the way your food looks on your plate.  Enjoy the way it feels in your mouth.  Enjoy its aroma.  Enjoy all the flavors it delights you with:  sweet?  salty?  bitter?  sour?  And enjoy any sounds it makes--does it crunch?  does it crackle?  does it sizzle?  

Tip Five: Our bodies are designed to move, so enjoy moving your body in a different physical space!  Use all five senses to take pleasure in whatever space you’re in, whether it’s a fun hike in the mountains or stretching out on the beach.  Have fun moving your body!

Up Next:  The Agony and the Ecstasy of the Scale

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The Power of Desire

Desire. . .

. . . one of the most powerful forces in the universe. . .

. . . that urge, hunger, thirst, or yearning that moves you in the direction of your dreams. .  .

. . . a driving, creative, and passionate force at the core of your being. . . 

. . .the food that nourishes your soul. . .

How can we get in touch with our deepest, most-heart felt desires?  What does desire have to do with releasing weight?  How can we channel the power of our desires? 

Within days of my 45th birthday, I experienced my first mammogram.  This mammogram resulted in an ultra-sound examination.  And this ultra-sound examination resulted in a biopsy of my right breast.  

In the days and weeks surrounding the biopsy, I gave serious contemplation as to what I wanted for my life.  At that time,  I was 45 years old, and by my best guess, I was about halfway done.  The thought that my body might be manifesting cancer at this, the halfway point in my life, propelled me into deep consideration as to how I was living, what I was doing, and most importantly what I was thinking.

During this time, I discovered that I had not been living my life the way I really wanted to live it.  Consequently, during the next year or so, I put a lot of attention on my thoughts--my thoughts about my body, my thoughts about what I was eating, my thoughts about being physically active, and my thoughts about my impact in this world.

As as I was considering my thoughts, I also began to consider my deepest desires--and I began a practice of writing them down, in great detail and enormous depth.  This process of taking pen to paper, and writing down what I really, really wanted was one of the most powerful tools in my being able to release weight in a pleasurable and fun way.  Writing down my desires for my body my life was clarifying and gave focus and direction to my weight-release process.  

“We move toward what we picture in our mind,” someone said.  

That is one of the guiding principals of my life.  

What are some of the guiding principals of your life?  Please leave me a comment below!

Up Next:  Losing Weight on Your Vacation

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Thoughts On Commitment

Creating a healthy committed relationship with our bodies is a lot like creating a healthy committed relationship with another person. You know, the whole loving, honoring and obeying thing.  While I’ve never been big on “obeying” anyone, I do believe wholeheartedly in loving and honoring those we are close to.  And who are we closer to than our own bodies?

My body and I are in this together.  We’re in it for the long haul.  She has been here for me throughout my life, and the more committed I am to her, the more I discover that she will reward my loyalty and my commitment and attention by absolutely meeting whatever expectation I have of her.  She always rises to the occasion.

My body wants to know that she can depend on me.  She wants to know that I will take care of her when she needs care and listen to her when she needs to be heard and adore her when she wants adoration and move her when she wants to move and let her to rest when she wants to rest.  

My body wants me to trust her.  She doesn’t like my denying, ignoring, or repressing the messages she gives me.  She wants me to listen closely to what she is saying to me.    Sometimes she whispers, sometimes she nudges, and sometimes she yells.  But she always wants me to listen to her.

My body wants me to appreciate her.  She waited patiently for 45 years for me to figure this one out.  But the more I appreciate every magnificent thing she does for me, the more she rewards me by doing magnificent things.  

My body wants me to be committed to her.  She is committed to me.  She does her best to serve me, and she is happiest when I do my best in return.  The more committed I am to loving my body, the happier she is--and the happier I am.

Maybe loving our bodies is the key to happiness!

Up Next:  The Power of Desire

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Emergency Interventions, or What to Do When You Feel Fat

A little over a year ago, I wanted to get in the best shape of my life. And so I did. The culmination of this desire was my participating in, and completing, my first race ever. I loved the experience of the half marathon: the joy of the crowd, the thrill of the race itself, and the exhilaration of finishing.

In a cruel twist of irony, a few days after the race, I saw myself in a few photographs. Were my first thoughts “Kristin! Look at you! You ran a half marathon!” or “Good for you, girl!” or “You met your goal! Way to go!” Unfortunately, no. When I saw myself in those photos, all I could think about was how fat my behind was. Here I was, in the best shape of my adult life, having just run 13.1 miles, and I was still “feeling fat.”

I knew that my “feeling fat” was a demand for emergency intervention, and here are some that interventions that have worked for me:

1.Ramp up your self-care. Know that “feeling fat” is, in reality, a call for compassion, gentleness, self-care, and self-love. Indulge yourself in things that bring you pleasure, in things that make feel good. What makes you happy? Is it long, luscious bubble baths? Is it delicious, nutritious food? Is it filling your mind with positive, uplifting ideas, messages, and thoughts? Consider what makes you happy, and then do it!

2. Call a friend. Indulge yourself in the sympathetic, empathetic support of people who love you and care about you and who understand. Having supportive people in your corner makes all the difference. People love to be needed and to be helpful, so don’t hesitate to ask for what you want from your friends the next time you’re “feeling fat.”

3. Pay attention to reality rather than fiction. Know that little voice inside your head is lying to you. It’s not telling you the truth. Contemplate, affirm aloud, and write down what you know, in your heart, to be true.

4. “Feeling fat” is temporary. Like all feelings, it will soon pass.

And remember that “feeling fat” is simply a fantastic opportunity for you to learn more about how to love and accept yourself in a deep and profound way.


Up Next: Thoughts On Commitment

Changing Your Thinking

If I had a dime for every time I’ve heard these encouraging words, “Don’t diet. Change your lifestyle instead,” I’d be rich. In fact, wasn’t my blog from yesterday called Change Your Lifestyle? I know, in my heart, that small, subtle changes in lifestyle can lead to profound changes in our bodies.

But before we can ever change our lifestyle, we must change our thinking.

Before we can ever change our behavior, we must change what we think about our selves and say to ourselves.

Before we can ever change our bodies, we must change what goes on in our heads!

Diets fail us because they fail to address the root cause of the problem. They address food and exercise, but many diets do not address the emotional component of our relationship to food. Most diets don’t ask us to examine how we think about ourselves and our bodies, and so consequently, because we haven’t made profound internal changes, the external changes are, in many cases, short-lived. Diets fail us because they lead us into a cycle of deprivation and bingeing but they do not teach us how to change our view of our bodies.

And when we change how we view our bodies, then everything changes. Our food choices change. Our activity level changes. But first, we need to change our thinking.

Up Next: Emergency Interventions, or What to Do When You Feel Fat

Changing Your Lifestyle

As I was sorting through some papers the other night, I came across this. Haven’t we all been there?

Portia Nelson’s Autobiography in Five Short Chapters

i
I walk down the street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I fall in.
I am lost--I am helpless.
It isn’t my fault.
It takes forever to find a way out.

ii
I walk down the same street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I pretend I don’t see it.
I fall in again.
I can’t believe I’m in the same place.
But it isn’t my fault.
It still takes a long time to get out.

iii
I walk down the same street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I see it is there.
I still fall in. . . . It’s a habit.
My eyes are open.
I know where I am.
It is my fault.
I get out immediately.


iv
I walk down the same street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I walk around it.


v
I walk down another street.





Up Next: Changing Your Thinking