Gaining and Losing

Yes. It has been a long time since I have written a new post. I can find all kinds of excuses for not writing. I have been busy. I haven't had anything new to write. My mind has been on other things. I could make a case for the validity of each of those excuses. The truth, however, is that none of these excuses are the real reason I have for not writing.

The reason I have not written is because I lost my focus and began to gain weight again. Now I have not gained a lot, but the number of pounds I have gained is not the critical issue. The fact that instead of me being in control of the food I eat, I have begun to allow my compulsion to overeat reign once again.

As my weight has gained, I have begun to lose. I have lost a stable blood sugar. Yep, I can feel it. It was about 10:00 this morning and I could feel my blood sugar begin to drop. My hands got shaky. I had a hard time concentrating on my tasks at hand. Fortunately I was able to get something to eat before the symptoms of low blood sugar got too bad. The point - - I do not have problems with fluctuations in my blood sugar when I am eating correctly!

I have traded the good feelings about myself when I am in control of food, for feelings of guilt and self condemnation when food is in control of me.

I have lost the fun of going to my closet and asking myself, "What fits now?" Instead, I am wearing the same old things. Not fun.

I have lost the thrill of writing about losing another pound and sharing with you the thrill of a new victory when I overcame temptation to overeat one more time.

I totally hate writing these things to you. However, I know that being willing to admit a problem, is the first step towards solving it. I also know that I am probably not alone is this dilemma. Perhaps my struggles here, my ups and downs, my defeats and victories will in some way be a source of strength and inspiration to some of you who might be reading this blog.

The one thing I am not going to do, my friends, is 'throw in the towel' and give up. Because giving up is true defeat and the loss of hope for one day being a healthy weight. Oh, no. Instead of quitting, I am going to keep working and fighting. . . and writing.

In my next post, I am going to explore some of the reasons that may have contributed to my loss of focus.

Virtual Makeover, Anyone?

That's right. On my personal Mary Kay website you can do a virtual makeover! You can choose a model whose skin and hair color most nearly matches your own and virtually try different glamour looks, designed by our professional makeup artists, on this model. Great fun!!!

But wait! That's not all! Now you can upload a pic of yourself and then virtually try those same glamour looks on your photo! You can even try different hair styles. Totally amazing! I played with it a couple of days ago and fount it to be a wonderful tool for 'trying' new colors before you buy.

Of course all the products are available for sale from my 'store' and can be ordered off my website. Then I'll ship them to you asap.

But wait! There's more! In addition to the virtual makeover, you can register for a trip to New York City, as well as a secondary prise of a filled compact which be given away every day from now till July 6.

Yes, our Mary Kay websites are great places to visit. So log on now. Do a virtual makeover. Register for the sweepstakes. Learn some great tips for skin care and color application.
See you online!

www.marykay.com/dfoster1

Confession Time

It is not and has never been my desire to present to you the idea that my desire to control my eating and lose weight is always perfectly headed in the right direction. On the contrary, I want to be transparent with you, my readers. I want you to know that gaining my desired weight loss is a struggle for me. I am no different than anyone else with overeating problems. I just happen to write about my struggles on the internet for everyone to see!

The last couple of weeks I have been working at home, doing transcription from my computer. I am sitting at my desk for many many hours a day. There are many things I enjoy about this work. I enjoy the quietness of it. I enjoy not spending money to get to get to work.

My problem is that I am not eating less to correspond with my decrease in physical activity. Therefore, the scales have not gone down anymore. In fact I have gained a couple of pounds. Sigh.

Please understand that I have not given up on losing weight. I am still struggling with it and always will. The defeat will come when I quit struggling because a lack of struggle means that I have given up. I am not ever giving up. As long as I keep struggling, then I have a hope of winning that ability to wear my 'skinny clothes ' again!!!

She's Lookin' Great!

Yes, she is! One of my dear friends, has gastric bypass surgery several months ago and she has lost 65 pounds so far! I am so very proud of her. We talked about what fun it is to be able to get into smaller size clothes. She has lost enough now that she is having to buy more clothes! WoooHooo!
Gastric bypass is not for everyone and it is certainly not the cure for obesity. However, for some people it is an important piece of the puzzle. If you are considering such a procedure, it is my suggestion that before you make your decision, do some serious soul searching about why you are obese in the first place. Get very real with yourself. Ask yourself and answer the hard questions. Get counseling if necessary.
Be prepared to deal with the emotional issues before you decide about surgery. Then if you decided to proceed with gastric bypass or lap band surgery, don't put it off any longer than you have to. Procrastination only allows your obese condition to do further permanent damage to your body. If your gonna do it, then do it as soon as possible.

The Trill of Victory and the Agony of Defeat

Bet you thought this post was going to be about sports. Well, as a life long struggler with the challenge of being an emotional overeater, I have had thrills and felt agony often. In fact, almost every meal ends with one of those emotions. If I quit eating when I am full, then I have won and I experience the 'thrill of victory'. On the other hand, when I allow the food to control me, then I have lost the battle, and feel the 'agony of defeat'.

Fortunately, this last year has been one of more victories than defeats! Yes, my weight loss has been slow, but I decided that I am comparing myself with no one and I will win this race on my own terms and in my own way. Since using Paul McKenna's Golden Rules, it has been easier to stay on track and for that I am very grateful.

Foster Outdoor Products Commercial

We have just put online a new website for outdoor products my husband is making. As a former boyscout, he has always had an interest in camping and survival gear. He developed a compact backpacking stove which uses alcohol for fuel and a hobo/tin can stove. We have sold several of these on ebay and decided to go 'big time' and market them on the web.

www.fosteroutdoorproducts.com

The backpacking stove is very small and easy to use. It would make a great gift for someone who loves to go hiking and camping, or for a soldier who is deployed.

He has also made routed redwood signs for years and we decided to add signs to our list of products. Please log on to his website and take a look around. It is definitely a work in progress, and there will be more products to come later, but I think you will find what we have to be interesting. Then if you are so inclined, please share his web address with friends and family!

There is Nothing Permanent This Side of Heaven

There are many things I can say here. Change is the only constant in life. For every ending there is a new beginning. The one thing in you can count on in life to stay the same is change.
My life has changed. I am no longer a director in Mary Kay. There are many reasons for this, most of which I will not go into here, but I have learned that never getting above the minimums in life will eventuallyresult in defeat. At some point we must begin to reach for the maximum rather than being content with the minimum.
I have come to terms with this change, accepting it for what it is, and ready to move forward to a new challenge in life. I am endeavoring to work from home with my computer as my tool. This website: www.wahm.com contains many ideas for doing just that. If your desire is to work from your home, then check out this website!
FYI. I am still losing weight. This morning I was at a new low! I have lost 33.5 pounds with more to go! wooooohoooo!
I am still working from the Paul McKenna method for this weight loss, and so far, my weight is still slowly, but surely going down.
For lunch on Sunday I had a taste for a hamburger. Oh, it sounded sooooooo good. Rick and I ordered a couple of cheese burgers from the nearby truckstop. When mine arrived, I cut it in half, wanted no chips, took my diet Dr. Pepper (which I rarely drink) and sat down to eat. After eating one of the hamburger halves, I was full. Even tough I dearly wanted to eat the other half, I quickly put it in a plastic bag and announced that I would eat it for dinner! Victory!!!!

Being Naturally Thin

Will I ever be naturally thin? I don't think so. I seriously doubt that the way naturally thin people eat will ever be natural to me. Will I ever be able to leave food on my plate without having the desire to eat it even though I am full? I don't think so. Will I ever completely conquer my obsession to overeat when I am stressed out? Probably not.
However, I do believe that if I consciously, consistently, endeavor to practice eating the way naturally thin people eat, becoming thin and staying is a possibility for me.
I took my grandmother out to eat. We shared a chicken strip plate and took half of it home. I ate dinner with my son. I had a senior chicken fried steak and carried half of it home.
I may never get beyond practicing the eating habits that naturally thin people do naturally, but, you know what, that is OK with me. At least I have the hope of once again being able to wear my 'skinny' clothes!

Stress and Over Eating

I have a friend who is one of those naturally thin people. She is in great shape and always looks wonderful. When she is under stress, eating is the last thing she wants to think about, much less do. When she is under pressure for some reason, her appetite leaves.

No so, for us who fight the downsizing war. We tend to want to eat whenever we feel stress. Our eating patterns may be very well controlled, but then something will happen and then we want to eat whatever we can find. Right?

This falls under the category of emotional eating and Paul McKenna's Techinques for conquering it is at the very least helpful and at the most a way of overcoming this critical eating urge.

Stress happens. Just as sure as the sun rises every morning, stress is going to happen. We must be prepared for it if we are going to be overcomers and victorious in our battles.

By the way, this week I wore a blouse that I had not worn in at least 5 years! The winning and losing continues!

My Eyes Are Still Bigger Than My Stomach

One of the challenges I am having is very much tied to the 'feeding the hungry children in China' challenge. I am still trying to judge how much food it takes to 'fill me up'. When getting a bowl of chili, for example, one ladle full of chili just doesn't look like enough. So when I add another ladle full then I get full before my bowl is empty and then I am faced with the 'feeding the hungry children' challenge---leaving uneaten food, which is still very hard for me to do.
Today I put only one ladle full of chili in my bowl and ate it. I felt satisfied when I finished. Yea!!!
This is all a process. I am working on two different things at the same time. (1) making my eyes accept the fact that a small serving of anything is enough. (2) leaving uneaten food on my plate when I am full.
I know I can do it. When I have completely conquered these challenges then I will be well on my way to permanent weight loss!!

Are you Still Trying to Feed the Hungry Children in China? I Am

Pop, my beloved grandfather, always reminded us to never put on our plates more than we can eat and to always eat everything we did put on our plates, because, as you know, there are children starving in China who would be thrilled to have what we throw away. So we did. The second part. We ate everything we put on our plate. And our waistlines grew. So did our ability to eat large amounts of food as did our inability to leave food uneaten. And, oh my, waste food by throwing it away? We could never do that!
No, I am not blaming my dear grandfather for my eating challenges. After all he was a young man during the depression. He valued everything and wasted nothing. By the way, he did not overeat. He followed the first part of his instructions to us. He didn't put on his plate more than he could eat.
Hmmmm. Things are still going well with Paul McKenna's eating plan. I do, however, have a challenge, a hurdle that I must overcome if I am ever to really reach the weight I would like to be at and have the ability to maintain it.
The problem? Often when I am eating, and by the way, I do now put small amounts of food on my plate, I begin to feel full and I still have food left on my plate!!! Sometimes it is just a few bites, sometimes it is a lot. And oh, it is so hard to stop eating! I realize that I can take my leftovers, put them in the fridge and eat them later, but for some reason making myself stop eating is just hard.
This hurdle will be a dream snatcher if I allow it to be. This realization brings into focus the necessity of conquering it completely now, not later. I am contemplating this dilemma and will write more about it in the coming days.

Food and Family Reunions

You know it's going to be there. You know you will have to face it, and you will win or lose. You will be in a 'slippery place' with 'slippery people' and there is no getting around it. Food will also be there. Family reunions are wonderful. They are precious moments in time when you have the opportunity to be with those you love, but don't often see. The downside for those of us who are trying to downsize our size is that there will lots of wonderful food, especially desserts. Oh, the temptation!

I went to a family reunion today, after spending the night with my precious grandmother who, by the way, is now 97. At this family reunion were aunts, uncles, and lots of cousins of all ages. Our short time together is always wonderful, especially since my parents both passed away. I guess in my parents absence, the rest of the family just seems more precious to me.

Anyway, as always, we have a fabulous meal together. In recent years these meals have been catered by local restaurants, with all of us supplying desserts. This year we had chicken fried steak and grilled chicken, baked potatoes, green beans salad, and garlic bread, and an abundance of homemade pies, cakes, cookies, and cobblers. Oh, my, what was a girl to do?

It was very interesting. Since I have incorporated some of Paul McKenna's techniques into my lifestyle, I realyl didn't have a problem. I didn't deny myself anything, but I knew that I was not going to overeat. I would eat until I was satisfied and then quit.

I asked for and received the smallest chicken fried steak they had, topped with some cream gravy. I got half a baked potato, a serving of green beans, and half a slice of bread. I made sure that I ate slowly, putting down my fork and knife in between bites. I enjoyed visiting with my family and did not rush my meal. I ate almost everything on my place then went to the dessert table. I got a tiny sliver of cheese cake. Yes, it was tiny, just over 1/2 inch in width. I thoroughly enjoyed every tiny bite of the tiny serving. I ate a very small chocolate chip cookie, and then later in the afternoon, I indulged in about 1/3 cup of "Death by Chocolate" pudding. I was then very satisfied and did not feel guilty about anything.

Victory!!! Oh, yes, I am down another half pound!!! 31 1/2 pounds lost!!! Thank you, Paul McKenna!

What Do YOU See When You Look In the Mirror?

Do you see a person that is beautiful, capable, and self confident with a healthy self esteem? Or do you look at yourself and see just the opposite? What do you say to the person you see in the mirror? Do you say things that you would never say to someone else? Why are you so willing to hurt your own feelings and fiercely tear yourself down?

I don't have an answer for you any more than I have one for me. One thing I do know, however. we will never be able to be all we could be, or encourage those in our circle of influence to be all they can be, as long as we insist on being our own most negative influence.

Paul McKenna's video training titled, "Your Perfect Body", on his website, www.mckenna.com, addresses this issue in a powerful way. We don't have to wait till we are thin to begin to love who we are. For me this is wonderful training. I encourage you to watch this video with an open mind, and if it addresses a need in your life, then be willing to seriously give it a try.

What do YOU see when you look in the mirror?

I'll Never Eat Peanut Butter Again!!

I have shared with you on previous posts about how much I love peanut butter. I love to eat it right from the jar. I love to eat it in a sandwich, with or without jelly. I love to eat it with syrup. You know, peanut butter and syrup mixed up and spread on toast or crackers. When I was a kid I loved to eat peanut butter and mayonnaise sandwiches!
Because I have loved to eat peanut butter in large amounts, it has been a real hindrance to my weight loss. I know I shouldn't eat it, but, you know, that peanut butter jar will just call my name and I will give in and eat a lot, not a little straight from a spoon.
Well, I saw Paul McKenna's TV episode on Conquering Cravings, and then watched the video clip he has on his website. On the TV show he featured a woman who ate 5 pounds of chocolate a day and another one who craved cappuccinos. They both had tremendous weight problems and seemed unable to resist when these cravings hit. I totally identify.
I watched his technique on conquering cravings and immediately decided to try it for myself. It is literally mind control and association. If you are craving a particular food or beverage and it is interfering with your weight, I suggest that you read the instructions and watch the video clip on Paul McKenna's website, www.mckenna.com, to get the specifics on this technique.
I used the technique about 2 weeks ago to help me conquer my craving for peanut butter and I must tell you, I seriously doubt that I will ever eat peanut butter again. Since that time, I have had no desire to look at peanut butter, smell it or taste it. I get almost nauseated when I talk about or think about, or even write about what was once a guilty pleasure for me.
In my next post I will begin to discuss my feelings about how well this technique worked for me, and about just how important it is to allow our mind to be a factor in our weight loss.

Breaking News!!! My Losing and Winning Continues!!

That's right. I stepped on the scales and I am now at a new low! I have now passed the 30 pound weight loss level!!! Thank you. Thank you. I appreciate your standing ovation!

I am also winning! I am winning the ability to wear some of my previously too tight clothes! In fact, I have started to get rid of 'fat clothes' I will never wear again. It feels to great to be able to do that, making every weight loss effort so worth it.

Chicken Express just opened in our town. My husband and I went to 'try it out', and I, knowing that eating a small amount was all I would be able to do, ordered a snack pack which consisted of 1 chicken breast, a side order of fried okra, and one biscuit. I ate slowly and consciously. I was only able to eat half of my meal, half the chicken breast, half the okra, and half of the biscuit, and I was satisfied, having no desire for the rest of the food. I took it home and had it for lunch the next day. Victory!!!!

Paul McKenna: "Supercharge Your Metabolism"

This video on McKenna's website talks about the value of exercise and how we are all exercising unless we are bedfast. According to him, getting dressed is a form of exercise. Brushing our teeth is exercise. We all exercise. We just need to do more of it. By doing more exercise, we increase our metabolism rate, and our bodies burn calories and fat more quickly, enabling us to lose weight more quickly, or enabling us to maintain a healthy weight more easily. That's it. Nothing more complicated than that.
In addition, McKenna teaches on this video a technique that will help motivate us to exercise. Again he uses associations to accomplish this, and I believe it will work.

I must admit that the discipline of regular exercise has not as yet become part of my lifestyle. No particular reason. I just find other ways to use my time. I realize that must change if I am to attain and maintain my desired weight.

"Overcome Emotional Eating" by Paul McKenna

Emotional eating is one of the major millstones around the necks of overweight people making it a major obstacle to attaining and maintaining a healthy weight. It is also a very difficult obstacle to overcome. Many of us have been able to do it for a period of time. We have been able to focus so intently on our goal of a downsized size, that our compulsion to emotionally overeat fades away---temporarily. That is until we reach our goal, or until something emotional happens to us, and we just lose all control, and once again we begin to eat everything in sight.
Paul McKenna's technique for overcoming this overeating 'curse' is, ok, I admit, rather strange. He teaches us to use a tapping technique to help us get past an 'emotional eating moment'. I encourage you to log on to his website: www.mckenna.com and click on the "Overcome Emotional Eating" video. After having learned the sequence, I have found that it does help me, and I will use it at least a couple of times a day.
The question is: are you ready to do something about your weight, even if the something you need to do is somewhat strange? I am. And it is working!

By the way, the losing and winning continues in my life. Yesterday evening, I put on a black skirt that is a size smaller!!! WoooooooHoooooo!

McKenna's Techniques

Yes, the rules are great, and they are critical to attaining and maintaining a healthy weight and lifestyle. However, those of us who have an 'over sized' size, need help with other issues related to our desire to eat and not stop until there is nothing left to eat. Right?!?!

Many of us are emotional eaters. We eat when we are happy, or sad, or mad, or anxious, or excited, or, well, you know. Sometimes we don't need and excuse to eat. We eat just because it is there and we walked by it, saw it and smelled it. In fact we seldom eat just because we are hungry because we never let ourselves feel that hungry feeling. We eat before we get hungry.

Sometimes we have certain things we crave. Chocolate, diet drinks, peanut butter, etc. We eat or drink those things just because we want to. We think we can't make it through a day without them. These are major contributers to our lack of control.

Another contributing factor to our difficulty in losing weight is that we sometimes have a slow metabolism. This means that our bodies are burning calories at a slow rate and the extra calories we eat are stored as fat in our bodies.

Many of us have self image and self esteem problems. We feel unworthy of being loved or experiencing love. We look in the mirror and hate what we see, but then tell ourselves that we deserve to look this way. Because we think of ourselves as being a person of no merit or having no worth, and that no one should love us even if we were thin, we eat more which makes us larger, once again confirming our unchanging self loathing. Yes. These are strong word. But some of us experience strong emotions when we think about ourselves.

Yes. Paul McKenna does address these issues in his programs and on his website. Tomorrow I will begin to discuss his techniques.

Why The Golden Rules Are Golden

In the four previous posts, I wrote about Paul McKenna's Four Golden Rules. They are: (1) When you are hungry, Eat. (2) Eat what you want, not what you think you should (3) Eat consciously, and enjoy every mouthful. (4) When you are full, STOP eating.

Guess what? People who are a healthy weight do these things naturally! They don't need these Golden Rules to maintain their healthy weight. It is a natural part of their lifestyle, they don't have to learn it.

For us, however, those of us who eat too much, those of us who crave certain foods and drinks, those of us who are compulsive, emotional eaters, these rules are critical to our ability to attain and maintain a healthy weight. If what Paul McKenna teaches is true, and I believe it might be, we do not have a chance of keeping our size in a downsized state, unless these Golden Rules become 'second nature'.

They will always be 'second nature' to us. Our first nature is to eat everything in sight even though we are not hungry. Our first nature is to completely eat the bag of chips, or candy, or the pan of brownies. We have no natural stopping mechanism in our lifestyle. Therefore, we must consciously follow these rules for the rest of our lives.

This week I have followed the rules, using some of the techniques mentioned on his website as tools to help me stay 'stay in line', and have lost more weight! Yep. More Losing and Winning!! I just know I will be able to fit into that new Mary Kay Sales Director suit when it arrives soon!

I will begin a discussion of some of the techniques mentioned on http://www.mckenna.com in the next post.

McKenna's 4th Golden Rule

Golden Rule #4: When you think you are full, STOP eating. OK, now this is hard. First of all, knowing and accepting that 'satisfied' or 'full' feeling as being our stopping signal can be difficult. As overeaters, we continue to eat until we get that 'stuffed' feeling. Then we force ourselves to stop. That is, unless we continue to nibble while we put away the leftovers and clean the dishes. We are also accustomed to eating until the food is gone. Yep. The old 'clean your plate' habit.
The second part of this Golden Rule that is challenging is to actually STOP eating when we do reach the recognized 'satisfied or full' point. Last night, my husband and I grilled some chicken breasts on our new grill. Yum. It was great. The problem? I got full before I had finished eating my portion! Oh, no! I didn't want to stop. It tasted so good!
I had 3 choices here. (1) eat it anyway and defeat the good McKenna's program is going for me. (2) save it for later. I could have had a small snack before it went to bed. (3) give it to my husband to eat. I chose #3. I won!!! I was satisfied and didn't overeat!!!
If you would like to learn more about this Golden Rule and specifics on how to implement it into your life, log on to www.mckenna.com and register. Then you can read the excellent suggestions contained in the Community section of the website.

Golden Rule #3, by McKenna

"Eat Consciously and Enjoy Every Mouthful" Ok. that sound good, doesn't it? Paul McKenna's reasoning here is that we (overweight people, that is) eat much too quickly, shoveling food into our mouths, and not thinking about the taste or texture of it. He stresses that when we put a bite of food into our mouths, we should put down our fork and knife and put our hands into our laps while we chew. We should also chew each bite at least 20 times before swallowing. (try doing that with cottage cheese!) While chewing, we should think about and concentrate on the bite we have in our mouth. How does it taste? What is the texture?

By eating this way, we consciously savor every bite, not at all eating thoughtlessly. He also says that we should not eat in front of the TV, but at the dining table away from all distractions. My husband said that was a waste of good TV time!!

My question is: What about people that have only a short amount of time to eat? Being a former teacher, I remember what it is like to have to rush through lunch every day. By the time I got my class to the cafeteria, ran to the restroom, got my lunch, heated it into the microwave, I might have 15 minutes to eat before I had to go pick up my class at the end of lunch. That is, unless I had something else I had to do, like make copies, or something. In that case, I might have 10 minutes to eat, if I am lucky. How do you eat at a snail's pace then?

I did some reading on www.mckenna.com, looking for information on this topic. There are some excellent ideas on the forums which are worth trying. Basically it just means being resourceful and creative about how you find the time to eat.

Eating consciously is not something I do easily. I love to watch TV and eat, but have been sitting at the dining table this week, and yes it is making a difference in how much I eat!

WooooooHooooooo!! My weight is once again on the downward slide!!!

McKenna's 2nd Golden Rule

Paul McKenna's Golden Rule #2 is 'music to my ears'. "Eat What You Want, Not What You Think You Should" WooooooooHooooooo! Suddenly carbs and desserts are back on the table. Right?

I totally understand and agree with his reasoning here. Foods we have taken out of our diet are the very ones we want the most. Makes sense. Log on to his website, www.mckenna.com, to read all the information that goes with this rule.

He does have a caveat for people who have special medically required dietary needs such as diabetes. Because I am now diabetic, I fit into this category.

Foods that have a powerful control over us are addressed in his technique to combat cravings. I have used this technique in the last few days, and it has helped me quench my burning desire for peanut butter!!!

Because carbs are an important contributer to high blood sugar, I am still eating only a small amount of them. Otherwise, I am eating what I want!

McKenna's Four Golden Rules; Are They Realistic?

I've read those rules before in other places. You know. The articles in Reader's Digest that share how to lose weight and keep it off. The nutritionist on TV sharing their wisdom with us. I have always listened to and read that information with the attitude of "Yea, right. You don't even know how hard it is to lose weight and keep it off. I bet you have never been overweight one day in your life. I bet you have no clue what it is like to want to eat everything in sight even though you know you are not hungry." Have you ever wanted to tell those people off? I just wanted to say, "SHUT UP!"

Well, when I watched Paul McKenna's show, "I Can Make You Thin", I had already looked at his website, www.mckenna.com,
and knew something about him. I was intrigued by his message. Soooooo when I watched his show I really watched and listened with an open mind. What he says makes sense, so I have started endeavoring to follow his Golden Rules.
If this interests you also, I suggest that you log on to his website. Then read and watch the videos.
I am going to share my thoughts about his rules.

Golden Rule #1, When you are hungry, eat. That makes sense. The problem for most of us compulsive overeaters is that we also eat when we are not hungry. The very sight or smell of food makes us want to eat. Right? However, if we are ever, ever to have a hope of being a normal weight and maintaining that weight, we absolutely must learn to recognize the difference between being physical and compulsive hunger, and then program our minds to only want to each when we are physically hungry. On his website, McKenna does address that issue and even has a technique for helping us work through those horrible moments when we just want to eat. I have used his technique the last couple of days and it does help! Hmmmmmm Perhaps there is hope for me after all!!

Tomorrow: Golden Rule #2

Paul McKenna, and His Interesting Weight Control Techniques

I watched Paul McKenna's show last night. In fact there were two episodes on and I watched them both. I also registered on his website and began reading through the material posted there.
I have found in his program, of which I have only studied a part, to be a combination of techniques I already knew, and some that were totally knew.
When I first heard of him, my fears were that he might be somewhat mystical and 'new age'. However, thus far I've found none of that in his program. For the most part he is teaching people how to reprogram their brains to make positive associations and negative associations.
He also strikes me as one of those people who are trying to tell people how to loose weight and have not one day in their life had a challenge with eating and weight. I would also bet money that he is hyperactive. He does have tremendous energy and enthusiasm.
In spite of these things, I have decided to 'give his program a go'. One step at a time.
He has Four Golden Rules listed on his website which should result in weight loss. There are additional techniques for stopping emotion eating, stopping cravings, increasing metabolism, and improving self esteem.
His website once again is: www.mckenna.com

It's All in Your Mind!

Well, perhaps that is over simplifying it. I have just learned about the new TV show which is coming on TLC: "I Can Make You Thin". My Mary Kay Senior Director shared with us the highlights of two of the episodes she had seen, and everything sounded very interesting.

This afternoon I located the website of the man who hosts the show. Though I haven't had the time to really read and study the principles of his program, it seems to me that from his perspective, weight control will be attained when we have mind control.

I am looking forward to learning more about his program.

http://www.mckenna.com/

Checking Back In

Yes. It has been several days since I have posted on this blog. I have been with my precious grandmother, celebrating her 97th birthday. In addition I have been to Dallas for Career Conference in Mary Kay. It is always an eating challenge for me when I go to both of these places. Yep. They are both slippery places, making it difficult for me to be true to my healthy eating commitment. But now I am back home, ready to return to my daily routine of making wise food choices! Ready to continue downsizing my size!!!

Positive Foods? Negative Foods?

Hmmmmm. I just had a thought. Suppose we divide foods into two groups.....positive foods and negative foods.
Positive foods---those foods which bring good things into our lives. Foods which are part of a healthy lifestyle are positive. Foods which help us reach or maintain a heathy weight are positive. Foods which help us feel better about ourselves because we know we are taking care of our bodies by eating them, are positive foods.

Negative foods---those foods which bring 'bad' things into our lives. Foods which promote a unhealthy lifestyle are negative. Foods which keep us from attaining or maintaining a healthy weight are negative. Foods which help make us feel worse about ourselves because we know we are NOT taking of our bodies by eating them, are negative foods.

I can give specific examples of both types of foods, but you know what they are as well as I do. There are also foods which might be positive, unless we eat toooooooo much, then that very same food becomes negative.

Let's focus on eating positive foods---one meal at a time!!!

Let the Losing and Winning Continue!!!

Yes!!! I have lost a couple more pounds!!! AAAAAnnnnnnnddddd my weight now went into a lower number bracket. You know. Those numbers that end in 0. Those are the milestone weight numbers in my mind. It is the same with weight that has been lost. The numbers that end in 0 are markers of progress. I am one pound from having lost 30 pounds!!!!

In order to fit in my new smaller Directer's Suit (haute chocolate, in color) by the end of July, I must lose 2 more dress sizes which will require a weight loss of 20 more pounds, I think. I have four and a half months to do that. Just over a pound a week. I can do that!

If I just stay focused on what it will feel like to wear that smaller size dress to Mary Kay Seminar in Dallas, then it will be easier to lose the necessary pounds. I know that accomplishment will feel better than dessert will taste during the next few months!

Mary Kay Sales Director Suit--In a Smaller Size

February is the month we order new suits, Mary Kay Sales Director suits, that is. Our suits are always wonderful. Since these suits will be worn countless times for a year, they are well designed and well constructed. They look good on everyone, large and small.
I am currently wearing my second sales director suit which plum colored. I ordered it a year ago when I was larger than I am now. Because I have lost weight, it is large and loose on me. Yea!!!
We begin wearing our new suits in July, at the beginning of our seminar (fiscal) year, four months from now. Hmmmmmm. I didn't want a suit that would be 'large and loose' for this next year sooooooo I ordered my suit two sizes smaller than I am now!
I will let you know how I am progressing toward my new goal: Fitting......no, not just fitting.....But lookin' good in my new haute chocolate colored suit in July!!!

My Daughter: The Caveman? Cavewoman? Caveperson?

What???? Yes, Lisa has been on the Paleolithic Diet, otherwise known as the 'Caveman Diet' long enough to 'win' some of the benefits that come from 'losing' extra pounds.
She writes articles for the website www.thisisby.us and has written a couple of articles about her diet. I thought you might be interested in her progress and find inspiration as I did from what she has written.

This is her first article. http://www.thisisby.us/index.php/content/the_doctor_and_the_caveman_diet

This is her second article.
www.thisisby.us/index.php/content/i_can_fit_back_into_my_fat_jeans_again

Paleolithic Diet

I was introduced to this diet by my daughter. When she first told me about it, I felt it to be one of those quirky, faddish diets that is here today and gone tomorrow. About a month ago Lisa, my daughter started following the diet and has done very well. Her weight loss has been slow, but steady, and she is feeling great.
This diet is built on the premise that our bodies have not evolved to the point of being able to tolerate our modern day eating habits, and that is why we are afflicted with many of the diseases which are common today. Therefore, the proponents of this diet say that our diet should be patterned after the diet of the caveman!! Perhaps we should talk to the men on the Geiko commercials! Just kidding.

I have included to today's post websites which give solid basic information about this diet.
What do you think, Readers?

http://www.thepaleodiet.com/

http://www.mult-sclerosis.org/Paleolithicdiet.html
This website gives information about the Paleolithic Diet and Multiple-sclerosis connection. Very interesting.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paleolithic_diet
This website from Wikipedia presents very interesting 'pros' and 'cons' about this diet.

http://www.paleofood.com/
Need meal ideas for this diet??? Well, look no further. I am very impressed with this website.

We Give Power to What We Focus On

I was talking with a friend yesterday about Lent. She said she chose not to give up anything for Lent, but instead chose to use this Lent season to become a better person. She is getting up earlier every morning and spending time reading scripture, meditating and praying.
My immediate response was, "Oh, yes, you are giving up something for Lent. Sleep!". She agreed, but said that she didn't think of it that way. She just knew that she was benefitting from the extra time spent with God and the Bible.
What a wonderful perspective! By focusing on what she was getting rather than what she was giving up, she gave power to the positive aspects, becoming a better person, rather than the negative, giving up sleep, to her choice for Lent.
We can use this way of choosing our focus to help us with our weight loss challenges. By focusing on how wonderful we are going to feel and look when the downsizing is completed, rather than the 'poor me. That cake looks delicious, but I can't even have a bite. sigh", we give power to the positive feelings rather than the negative ones. WoooooHooooo!!! We become a happier person. Our outlook on life is better and we get more done when we choose to focus on the positive outcomes rather than the negative sacrifices.

Here are a couple of useful websites I have found:
http://www.cspinet.org/nah/10foods_bad.html
http://www.whfoods.com/foodstoc.php

Is Gastric Bypass Surgery the Answer?

Have you felt like diets just don't work for you? Tried them all? You lose weight only to gain it back? Are you looking for an answer? You are not and never will be alone. There are multiple scores of people just like you who want and need an answer to their heath threatening obesity.

Gastric bypass surgery seems to be an 'answer' that many people have chosen. They choose it because it appears to be a permanent fix to what feels like a permanent problem. After all, how can you keep from losing weight if your stomach only holds a tiny amount? Why not have this surgery and be done with this overeating thing for good? Makes sense to me.

Except that it doesn't seem to be that easy or that simple. I have heard several reports about gastric bypass surgery and about the necessary post surgery adjustments, as well as talked with people who have had the procedure done.

It is true that gastric bypass surgery does reduce the amount of food your stomach can hold making it difficult to eat more than only tiny amount of food at a time.....for a while.

The problem is that for many of us, we must have more than gastric bypass surgery. We need 'surgery' on our relationship with food. You see, the reason we cannot permanently lose weight is because we are emotionally tied to our overeating. Food is our friend. It comforts us when we are sad. It calms us when we are upset or nervous. It is almost like a companion when we are lonely. That relationship is much harder to change than the size of our stomach.

I believe that for a person to have a successful gastric bypass surgery that permanently fixes their obesity, counseling and behavior modification is as necessary to the recovery process as sutures are to closing the incisions. Their relationship to food must change or the obesity problem will not change.

I am not saying that gastric bypass surgery is unnecessary or will not work. Actually, I have seen it work well when used in tandem with counseling and/or therapy.

If you are considering having this surgery done, I encourage you to actually begin the counseling before surgery. Don't wait until after surgery, thinking that you can 'go it alone', only to find out that urge, no, drive to overeat is still present, and your newly tiny stomach will expand to accommodate your compulsion.

Lost more.....Won More

My weight had stabalized for a while when my eating habits moderated during the recent Mary Kay Leadership Conference. The worst violations were a couple of hamburgers during the week. When I got back home, I again returned to my previous low/no processed carb and no sugar eating plan, and my weight loss began again.!!! I am sooooooo glad that I didn't delay in getting back on board. In my mind that was an important thing to do. Waiting a few days would have made it harder to transition back.
It feels to good to get on the scales and see another half pound disappear from the total. It feels better than any brownie or hand full of sour cream and onion chips can taste. It feels good to have more energy. It feels good to put on clothes and see the extra roominess in them. It feels good to have people notice my downsized size.
Those are all things that I am winning with every pound I lose. Soooooo worth the effort.

Out of Sight, Out of Mind

One of the things that has helped me in my quest for a 'downsized' body, is a little technique I call, "Out of sight, out of mind". If I leave the peanut butter jar, or the bag of chips out on my kitchen counter, then begin to they 'call my name' over and over again every time I walk into my kitchen. Eventually I will decide to have just a handful of chips or a spoonful of peanut better. Then you know what happens. One handful or one spoonful becomes two or three or four. I will just keep eating until one of two things happens. Either they are all gone or I put them away.
If I keep them put in the cabinet with the door closed, then I can't see those foods, and I can't hear them calling me. I won't think about them or want them unless I open the door and see them.
Soooooo my suggestion is this, if there are foods that tempt you to overeat, put them away!!! Don't allow the sight of them to visually stimulate your desire for 'just a taste'. Especially if 'just a taste' can turn into a major over eating moment.

Mary Kay Leadership Conference

It has been several days since I wrote a post for this blog. I have been doing Mary Kay 'things'. Our Leadership Conference, for directors, was in Houston this year. It was an awesome three days with Mary Kay Directors from all over the country. The presentations, the training, the motivation, the inspiration were all wonderful, once again making me very proud to be associated with this company.

Three Overeating Triggers

I read this article yesterday and felt that it had some good information for us. However, sometimes these types of articles make me feel like (and I could be wrong in this case) they were written by a person who had training and education in nutrition and weight control, but has never been overweight a day in their life! These triggers are definitely true and the suggestions are constructive, but there is much much more that goes into making a person overweight, that I think suggestions like this are chipping away at an iceberg with a kitchen sized icepick.

Overeating Triggers

by Karen Asp

from the CNN website

Emotions can drive you to overeat. So, too, can other triggers. Learn how to spot them, and you'll learn how to beat them.

Dim lighting: The dimmer the lighting, the higher the likelihood of overindulgence, says a study from of California at Irvine. Why? "Brighter lighting forces you to be more aware of what you're eating," says Joe Kasof, Ph.D., lead study author. Beat it by: Sitting outdoors or near windows, using brighter bulbs in your lamps, adding lighting to eating areas, or moving to a brighter room.

Distractions: In another study, when women who normally watched what they ate listened to a taped detective story, they consumed more calories. Researchers suspect the story interfered with the women's focus on keeping calories in check. Beat it by: Clearing all distractions; let the enjoyment of the meal provide your focus.

Low energy: "When your energy's low, you may look for food to pick you up," says Robert E. Thayer, Ph.D., professor of psychology at California State University at Long Beach. Unfortunately, most people reach for calorie-laden treats instead of an apple or banana. Beat it by: Identifying your low-energy times of day and substituting other activities for eating. Take a 10-minute walk or a water-cooler chat break.

Tomorrow I will begin to list some of the things that have helped me. Perhaps you will have more suggestions to add to the list. Let's support each other with ideas that come those of us who have 'been there and done that'.

Flylady

From time to time I plan to discuss websites that I find to be supportive of our need and desire to downsize our size. Some of these websites will be posted on my blog for your future reference.

www.flylady.com
is a wonderful website that is just fun. The Flylady, in a lighthearted, nonthreatening way, provides structure to the way we organize our daily lives. If you adopt even a few of her suggestions, you will have a cleaner house and more organized way of living. And you will do it in a way that, again, is just fun.
There is a section of this website devoted to "decluttering our bodies". Included here are tools that you may find useful. I encourage you to check it out!

Diabetes and Stomach Band Surgery

The report, which was about using stomach band surgery, often called lap band surgery, as a treatment for diabetes, got my attention. The results of a study done in Australia, showed that those who had lab band surgery had their Type 2 diabetes go into remission at a rate of 5 times more than those who treated their diabetes in traditional ways, i.e. diet, exercise, diabetes medication.
It was a small but definitive study, and its is getting quite a bit of attention in our national news. A manufacturer of lap bands funded the study, but had no input at all in how the study was conducted or its results.
There are many questions still to be asked and answered which will undoubtedly be the focus of future studies. For example, who would benefit the most from the surgery? How long will the lap band enable diabetes to remain in remission? Is the costs and risks of the surgery outweighed by the benefit of avoiding the health complications brought on by diabetes?

Yes, this report got my attention. However, it wasn't the study and its results alone that made me stop in my tracks. It was a comment made by the doctor presenting the information.
He said, "Diabetes is a very aggressive disease. It causes people to die at a much higher rate from heart related problems than the regular population." He continued on by discussing other serious aspects of the disease and the shortened life expectancy that diabetes brings.
That got my attention. Higher death rate. Shortened life expectancy. Aggressive disease.
I knew all of these things, but to hear them come so emphatically from this doctor's mouth brought it all to a new level of reality for me.
The other thing that got my attention was that diabetes can be cured or brought into remission for many of us simply by weight loss. In my mind that comment brought my weight loss, again, to a new level of necessity.
Another thing to win by losing. Lose weight---gain a longer life, and no diabetes complications because that disease is in remission!!!

What Are You Willing to Lose In Order to Win?

Hmmmmm. What? I know that when I lose pounds, I win many things such as a smaller body, better health, more self esteem and self confidence, and more energy. But there is more?
Yes. In order to 'win' at the 'losing weight' game, we must be willing to lose (give up) things that stand in the way of our victory.

For me there are many things I must lose (give up). As a compulsive overeater, there are foods that are 'slippery' for me. Foods that could cause me to 'slip' back into my old eating habits and gain back every pound I have lost and more.

I could list these foods for you, but I won't. There are too many of them. However, I will use one as an example. I love peanut butter. I don't just like it. I looooooove it. Peanut butter is good for you, right? Well, not in the amounts I like to eat. What is this eating only a tablespoon? I certainly can't do that. Not consistently anyway. No. No. I like, no, love to take a tablespoon, dip it in the peanut butter jar and load up that spoon with as much peanut butter as possible. Then I will sit and eat it from that spoon. See I told you I live peanut butter.
Eating that amount of peanut butter frequently is counterproductive to weight loss. Even if I ate properly for the entire day, except for the loaded spoonful of peanut butter, my weight loss will be much slower than it would be otherwise.

The truth here is that peanut butter is a dangerous food for me. I can not eat one 'measly' tiny spoonful. It is again one of those times when 'ONE is at the same time too much, yet not enough'.
In order to WIN at downsizing my size, I must be willing to LOSE (give up) permanently foods such as peanut butter that fit into the category of 'slippery foods' in my life.
What are you willing to LOSE in order to WIN???

"Miss Deborah, You are Losing Weight!"

Don't cha love it? Those words were music to my ears.

This past Wednesday I was at church, preparing to teach Children's Choir. As I walked down the hallway, one of the other workers who was following me, said those beautiful words, "Miss Deborah, You are are Losing Weight!"

My response was, "Thank you!!! There is more weight to go!" By losing weight, I have finally won the recognition of that loss by my friends and family. It feels so good! Those words make every time I turned down carbs and sugar totally worth it.

Remember: every 5 pounds you lose shows more than the 5 pounds before it!

Announcing a New Blog.....

Blogging has caught on in our family as the new hobby of choice. My husband has recently begun blogging. His blog is going to cover a variety of subjects. Because he is a Chaplain, he will be sharing his thoughts about faith in God and our relationship to Him. Because he knows more about various guns than anyone I have ever known, he will be sharing information and his opinion about firearms.

His blog address is myuniversalmusingsblog.blogspot.com

Take time to check out his blog and then share it with your family and friends.

Nutrisystem

Oh, yes, the commercials began increasing just after Christmas. You know. The ones about how much I have lost and how much you can lose. The ones about how easy it was for me and how easy it will be for you. Just call. Just log on.

I must insert a disclaimer here. I have not tried theses diets and indeed have not studied them. My opinions here are just that--opinions which really have no basis in fact. Keep that in mind as you read further.

Nutrisystem is a weight loss program in which you must eat their food. They send you your diet. As long as you eat just those things, then you will lose weight. I'm sure that is true. Most diets will work if you stick to them. You must play by the rules of the diet.

I am concerned about what happens after the weight is lost and you must return to eating 'pre-diet' food. Will you have sufficiently formed new eating habits with 'regular food', will you be able to make your own choices after so long of having them made for you, will you be able to maintain your new weight and down sized size? I am wondering........

For me, I think it is best to learn to healthy eating habits, and to gain strength from making good dietary decisions using food that I choose, prepare and eat, not what someone has chosen and prepared for me.

Illness and Blood Sugar

Rash, fever, headaches, cold symptoms, etc. I have had a virus the last few days and felt pretty bad. Today my fever is down, the rash is better, so I feel better! This morning I decided to check my blood sugar. I hadn't checked it in several days, because I had been to sick to care. Mistake.

My blood sugar this morning, before eating anything, was 160 which is very high for me. I was shocked. There was no telling how high my blood sugar had been the last few days. I will never know.

Because I am diabetic and because we have Blue Cross Blue Shield insurance, I am part of a program called LifeMasters. On a regular basis a LifeMaster's nurse calls me and checks on how I am doing. They check on my medications, whether or not I have been sick, and they always ask about my blood sugar levels.

This morning just before I got out my glucose monitor, I remembered their comments about consistently checking my blood sugar, knowing for sure whether or not it was in the low, normal or high range.

Probably the infection of this illness had shot my blood sugar levels to the upper ranges of my glucose monitor the last few days. Again, I will never know. Lesson learned