Busy Grandmother

Weight 253  -  3 lbs lost this week.

I was really hoping for 4 lbs this week, but 3 is good.  Ok, I know these are only numbers, but you all know that I like numbers.  What is really exciting is that I am getting some really great insight on why I have not been able to get the weight off and keep it off in the past.  Each day, I study Habits of Health and I am amazed by what I DIDN’T know.

Read my post from yesterday on motivation.  It is no wonder that so many of us put our weight back on, we are setting ourselves up by using the wrong motivation.  dahhh.

Ok, so this weeks goal is 4 lbs, which will put me at an even 30 lbs lost ( I like even numbers ).  Even if I don’t make it, I know that I will lose at least 3 lbs and hey, 29 pounds lost in 5 weeks is still pretty darn good.

What I learned today

I tend to set my goals by what I don’t want or to solve a problem, i.e. I don’t want to be overweight: I don’t want to look bad, my clothes are too tight, I am uncomfortable in an airplane seat.  Good modivation, Right?   Not!

If I am using a problem as my motivator, the minute I no longer have the problem, my motivation is gone and I go right back to the habits that caused the problem in the first place.  This has already happened to me.  When I lost 100 lbs, everyone said (over and over again),” I can’t believe how good you look”.  Also now my clothes were not just no long tight, they fell off of me.  And for the first time in my life, I flew in an airplane without a seatbelt extension.

I lost my motivation and of course, the weight started coming back on.  I need to use “a desired state” for my motivation, rather than “solving a problem”.  My “desired state” is Optimal Health (being as healthy as I possibly can).  For someone in their 20′s optimal health may be running marathons, but from where I am (senior citizen) optimal health looks a lot different.  Now I am not just striving to “Lose weight”, which once lost, goal met, it’s back to old ways.  Now I am striving to bring a state of optimal health into my life, which requires continuing effort.

btw: I still like to be told that I look good. Please don’t stop. I just am no longer baseing my motivation on it.

** What I learned today from my reading of Dr. A’s Habits of Health, The Path to Permanent Weight Control and Optimal
Health., by Dr. Wayne Scott Andersen.

According to my Optimal Health Plan, for that last 3 weeks, my body has been undergoing metabolic and behavior changes.  During this time, all of my focus has been on the changes to my eating.

But now that my body has adjusted itself to the new food intake, it is time to begin to gradually add in some mild exercise.  Baby steps. Baby steps.  I keep repeating that to myself.  This is a life change and the best way to approach it is one little step at a time.

So, for the next week, I am going to workout to Leslie Sansone’s Walk-Away-the-Pounds DVD.  I will start with one mile each day for a week.  Then, if I am totally comfortable with that, I am going to up it to two miles for at least the next 2 weeks.

I know that I am physically able to do 3 miles right now, but the most important part of this is lifestyle change.  The exercise is not as important as the lifestyle change of working a daily workout into my busy day.  So it is more about starting with 15 minutes of exercise and working up to 30 to 60 minutes in later weeks.

Here is a link to a two minute mini-workout by Leslie.  Give it a try.

Total loss now stands at 25 in just over 3 weeks.  I love it when I get on those scales after 3 days and get to move the bar down 2 lbs.  So far, I have been averaging 4 lbs a week.  The first week, I lost 15 lbs, but I figure 11 lbs of that was water.  Now as I approach the end of my 4th week, I am hoping for a total of 27 pounds lost ( 4 lbs a week for 4 weeks = 16 lbs plus 11 lbs of water ).

It is so easy to stick with this when I am seeing actual results.

I need to focus on creating new healthy habits rather than wasting energy trying to get rid of the things I don’t want.  I will find that over time my old habits, which no longer server me, will lose their power and simply slip away.

Performing actions over and over actually causes the neurons in my brain to create programmed pathways that enable me to automate most of my behaviors.  These programs are vital because they prevent me from becoming overwhelmed by the stress of continuous decision making.  But, if these pathways no longer support my goal of a healthy lifestyle, I need to find a way to stop using them.

These neuron pathways are like ruts in a dirt road.

I begin by traveling down a road because, at the time, it makes sense. Example I am watching TV and I get hunger, so I make a bowl of Popcorn.   As I travel down this road, repeating this action, I begin to develop a rut in my road.  As I continute to follow this rut, it becomes so deep that it is now automatic and NOW when I set down to watch TV, I eat popcorn, even IF I am not hungry.  The rut has become so deep that I no longer need the hunger to cause me to do the action.

My lesson tomorrow is going to show me how to remove these deep ruts, or how to stop myself from slipping into them.  I will let you know what I find out.  See you tomorrow.

Weight 256    down 4 lbs this week.

This week has been great, no issues or problems.  I have been weighing every morning and I am finding a pattern to it.  I will lose a pound each day for a day or two ( or three ) and then I will stay the same for a day or two.  I think this may be affected by what I eat for dinner.  If my main meal is perhaps heavier, like a large salad, or saltier, my weight stays the same.  I am still losing about 1/2 lb a day, everyday, but it only shows on the scales every so many days. Gee, let me see, 3 to 4 lbs a week, I think I can handle that. lol

I only do the ketosis check every 4 or 5 days now, just to make sure I am still in the “Fat Burning” state.  I don’t think, at this point I really need to check anymore, because I am sure I will know if I am not, because my appetite and hunger will return and I will have cravings (which, thank you Lord, I don’t).

Well enough for this week.  btw: I am considering training to be a Health Coach for this program.  If you think you may be interested in trying it, let me know, I would love to have you join me on this journey.

It’s all about my daily habits -   Habits of Disease  OR Habits of Health

What are these Habits of Health?

• Healthy Eating
• Moving my body
• Strategic behavioral habits
• Support through vitanutrients
• Reduce dangerous inflammation
• Good sleep
• Positive environment
• Support

Well I HAVE TRIED to improve a few of these in the past, but maybe not very successfully.

I want more – I want it ALL

This time I am going to take “baby steps”, little by little, through a plan that is logical, doable, and effective.  One step leading to the next, and soon I will have that firm foundation for optimal health that I truly desire.

** What I learned from my reading of Dr. A’s Habits of Health, The Path to Permanent Weight Control and Optimal Health., by Dr. Wayne Scott Andersen.

Non-sick is NOT the same as healthy. 

Non-sick is:     simply surviving

• Muscles becoming weak and flabby
• Not enough sleep
• Way too much stress
• A progressive dependence on Medications to relieve symptoms (symptoms that are merely my body’s way of telling me “I am NOT healthy”)

Living non-sick often leads to life-threatening illness over time.  Time is against me.  It may go unnoticed until one day. . . . I am not feeling “well”.  I finally go to the doctor and find out I am no longer “non-sick” but now I have become sick.  Obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol are all possible negative results of the Non-sick lifestyle.

Am I non-sick?

• Overweight
• Not sleeping well
• Fatigued
• Weak or flabby
• Stressed Out
• Taking lots of over-the counter medications

** What I learned from my reading today of Dr. A’s Habits of Health, The Path to Permanent Weight Control and Optimal Health., by Dr. Wayne Scott Andersen.

Weight 260  -  4 lbs this week - wonderful.

After 2 weeks, I am developing my favorites in my new eating lifestyle.  I love the Chicken with wild rice soup.   I mixed it up at work and took it back to my desk.  From the people around me, I hear “Someone is cooking something that smells awefully good” and then another “yeah it sure makes me hungry”.  I agree, this tastes really good and it’s on my program – win – win.

I ontinue to feel great.  Still no cravings and that’s a real relief.  I am studying my Habits of Health book and learning some new stuff and reinforcing some old.

I can’t wait to see what next week brings.  The scales go down a little each day.  I feel like my fat is just magically melting off.

Even if you figure that 9 lbs of this is water, 6 pounds in one week is pretty great.

Best of all, I feel great.  No cravings, no hunger.  In fact, I often forget to eat.  I will be working away and then feel that little growl in my belly, saying “Feed Me”.   I look up and sure enough, it has been about 3 hours since I last ate.   I grab a bar, some crunchy snack or soup and munch away that growl.  It is soooo easy, simple and quick.