Good things today: no bad snacks at work; no bad snacks this afternoon; did 15 minutes of the muscle toning section of my exercise video; didn't have a nap this afternoon
Bad things today: still stuck on the same breakfast because I can't think of something else (3 pieces of toast with PB & J); no good snacks at work; no good snacks this afternoon; it's 5:30 and I haven't had any water yet;
Stuff I've been thinking about today:
I've been thinking today of things I'm tired of. I'm tired of my stomach being so evident when I'm sitting. I'm tired of worrying about whether someone is going to assume I'm pregnant (yup, happened just last week!). I'm tired of my stomach getting in the way when I want to bend over. (Can you tell this is my #1 weight issue: I carry a large proportion of my extra weight in MY STOMACH!! Aaargh! Not good for a woman of youngish or even middle age. No one asks Barry if he's pregnant, or my Mom if she's pregnant, even though we carry our extra weight in the same place.)
I realize, though, that for me to do something, I have to first be able to visualize myself doing it. The decision to do something comes first from how I perceive. How do I explain? I perceive myself as sedentary, so I am. I perceive myself as a lover of chips, so I do. I perceive myself as having no will power over certain "temptations" and so I don't.
It's related to time as well, in a sort of foreseeing way. I foresee that I will be too tired this evening to get into the garden and plant those plants, so I choose laying around options instead of getting out to the garden. I foresee relaxing with a movie as more doable or desirable than going for a walk so I watch instead of walk. It's hard for me to be motivated to be healthier when I don't foresee that each little step is making a difference. Does it really matter if I eat a few chips tonight? I didn't have any yesterday!
So, one of the first things I need to do is to "change the tapes" in my head. I tell myself certain things about myself (as we all do), and as far as lifestyle choices, the tapes are mostly wrong! I need to begin to see myself as a person who makes healthy choices (sometimes at my own and others' inconvenience). I need to begin to see myself as someone who cares about what food goes into my body (something I have seen as a little dogmatic until now: "come on, lighten up, it's just food!). I need to begin to see myself as someone who chooses activity over inactivity.
I think that making these changes in the way I think about myself will make the longest-lasting changes to my health and weight. I am thinking about ways to remind myself regularly about the bigger picture of what I desire for myself so that the smaller decisions will be easier to make. (I guess that's part of what this blog is for!) I'm thinking about what motivates me: a picture of the real me now, to remind me of what i don't like; a picture of the body I used to have, to remind me of where I could get to; both; motivational messages on the bathroom mirror; messages inside the fridge and cupboards.
Lots of thoughts! Well, it's a beginning! Supper is coming up, so here's to making good eating decisions!
~Heather
PS Supper: homemade hamburgers, fresh cut carrots, pickles, tomatoes & cheese. I had a burger, a big slice of tomato, about a carrot's worth of cut carrots, a small piece of cheese and several small pickles. I stopped eating before the burger was done!! I find that sooo hard to do: I have been programmed to finish what is on my plate, and it is so hard to leave something there. Water to drink.
Tomorrow: more water!!
PS Supper: homemade hamburgers, fresh cut carrots, pickles, tomatoes & cheese. I had a burger, a big slice of tomato, about a carrot's worth of cut carrots, a small piece of cheese and several small pickles. I stopped eating before the burger was done!! I find that sooo hard to do: I have been programmed to finish what is on my plate, and it is so hard to leave something there. Water to drink.
Tomorrow: more water!!
