In keeping with my last post, “The Unconscious Mind”, I am setting some short and long term goals. According to Tom Venuto (see earlier post again), a good goal must be specific, measurable, personal (emotionally attached), positive, and deadline-driven. It should be written as an affirmation in the present tense - as if you have already achieved it. It should also be read/written every day.
So, here are my goals:
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Posted on September 9th, 2009 by hotwings
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I have been reading about the power of setting goals in Tom Venuto’s The Body Fat Solution. The unconscious (sub-conscious) mind is fascinating. Our brains are like a goal-seeking supercomputers. Like a computer, we can program and re-program our brains. Because of this, our minds work like a guidance system - like a torpedo that hones in on its target. A torpedo locks on to its target and the “servo-mechanism” recognizes if it is off course and constantly corrects it to guide it back to its target. Now, what if you were a torpedo launcher and your mission was to enter the right coordinates into the guidance system? If you launched the torpedo without programming the coordinates, what would happen? It would surely go in any number of directions or hit something it wasn’t supposed to.
As Tom says:
“Firing a torpedo with no target would be ludicrous, but that’s exactly what you’re doing every day if you don’t program your mind with goals. Goals are your personal life targets, and that includes your ideal body and ideal weight… First you must choose a target and second, you must program that target into your mental computer.”
The real secret to being successful lies in understanding the unconscious mind and in using it to your advantage.
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Posted on September 9th, 2009 by hotwings
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Last weekend was my son’s 8th birthday. We went to a city about 2.5 hours away so that we could go to the zoo and stay overnight in a hotel. So, that night I decided to have my free meal for the week - I usually save it for the weekend. I was really hoping my husband would choose where to eat, but he insisted that I choose since it was my free meal. I chose Ruby Tuesday’s, one of my all time fave restaurants. Definitely not a good idea! We ordered the spinach/artichoke dip appetizer. Then, we also had the salad bar and a meal. We shared the appetizer and I had a lettuce salad w/ a scoop of potato salad from the salad bar. I had ordered the 12 oz ribeye steak (shared about 3 oz or so with my son) which came with a serving of white cheddar mashed potatoes & a serving of broccoli. I was eating and talking & having a good time. I realized at the end of the meal that I felt really, really full. Stuffed full. OVER full.
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Posted on September 5th, 2009 by hotwings
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I am leaving about 90% of my eating plan as “whole foods” or “a clean diet” .. whichever you prefer. But I have noticed that in order to not get tired of the same types of foods, I need a little pizzazz. I don’t have much time to spend cooking, so I have been sort of stockpiling things in the fridge that will last me 3-4 days. Like baking a whole cookie sheet of chicken breasts in the oven and fridging them, same with brown rice - make a whole pot and fridge it. That has helped me tremendously to stay on my plan. As before, I will allow myself a “free meal” once per week. Within reason!! The portion sizes need to be controlled. (see my other post from today as to why) What I have added is twice per week (sometimes 3 times) I am having one of the low calorie frozen meals. Some of these are really very tasty - I am surprised at the quality. I have found, though, that ones that have a veggie side (like broccoli) are not my faves. The veggies taste pretty yucky compared to fresh or frozen (steam-in-the-bag type). Doing this is allowing me to keep enjoying the healthy whole foods, while still feeling like I am getting some of the things I did love before, and without getting anywhere near going over on my calories. It’s been interesting this first two months - I have learned quite a bit about me and what I need to make this a lifestyle.
So, in this post I am going to list the most delicious low cal frozen meals I have had. Then I’ll have a running list toward the bottom of the post of frozen meals recommended by people on the 3FC forum in this thread that I really want to try. This is mainly for myself to refer to, but I thought others might like recommendations, too.
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Posted on September 5th, 2009 by hotwings
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.. I will be able to do the following:
1. Squat down easily to help my kids do things at their level
2. Actually jog around the track instead of just walk
3. Wear cute shoes that have heels instead of just flats
4. Cross my legs!
5. Admire my accomplishment in the mirror, instead of avoiding it
6. Be able to look at pictures of myself without physically wincing =)
7. Wear cute jewelry more
I have a thing with the jewelry. I don’t mind wearing earrings right now, but wear nothing else. I feel like rings make my fingers look fatter, a watch makes my arm look fatter, and a necklace makes my neck look fatter. LOL! That is just so twisted. And I know I am worth it, but right now I feel like wearing jewelry other than to a special occasion is just like trying to polish a turd. It’s still a turd, just shinier. LOL! Yes, I went there. And yes, that was gross.
Posted on August 23rd, 2009 by hotwings
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Have you ever seen one of those movies or shows where the person is trying to make a tough choice, and they show a little angel self sitting on one shoulder and a little devil self on the other? That about sums up how I feel every now and then.
For example, yesterday I stopped to get gas at the little convenience store here in town. Well, of course, they had just made donuts & pastries and the whole place had this fantastic “just baked” smell.
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Posted on August 21st, 2009 by hotwings
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It dawned on me that summer is about to end. Kids are going back to school and that usually marks the end of total freedom. =) I have to say that I am very glad to have gotten a foothold on my eating before summer’s end. The first week of September, my schedule will change and that always seems to throw me for a loop for a couple weeks. Usually, I am loving September - the cooler weather & promise of changing leaves. This year, I am digging my nails into summer and feel like I am having to be pulled kicking and screaming towards September.
I homeschool my kids - I have a daughter who is 6 and a son who turns 8 at the end of this month. I love teaching them, but preparation for it takes time. This week I will need to get our curriculum ordered and my homeschool papers filled out and sent to the local public school. The first week of September, we’ll be starting off a new year. That means, no more sleeping in AT ALL.. for any of us. In fact, I might have to get up an hour and a half, maybe even two hours earlier to get my morning routine done (exercise, a good breakfast for all of us, & school setup for the day).
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Posted on August 20th, 2009 by hotwings
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This is a catchup post about how my eating/exercise plan has evolved since I started on July 5, 2009.
At first it was just all about my weight. I started out counting calories. I knew this had worked in the past, and it was very flexible regarding food choices. I figured I would need to keep this up for life, so it had better be flexible. I loaded up on little frozen Weight Watchers, Healthy Choice & Lean Cuisine meals. Grabbed some fruit, fresh veggies & lots of lean chicken breasts - and away I went! I also knew from previous attempts that water was vitally important. So, my goal was no less than 64 ounces of water per day. I started tracking all my calories on SparkPeople, and gave myself a range of between 1500 and 1800 calories per day. I also knew I would be needing to watch my portion sizes, so I decided to measure everything - at least at first.
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Posted on August 17th, 2009 by hotwings
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The majority of this entry was posted on the 3FC forums earlier today. But, as it sums up what I have learned so far quite nicely, it will be my first post here.
July 5, 2009 I started on my final weight loss journey. I know it is the final journey. I have changed dramatically in the way I see weight loss for me - and all the past few months.
I have tried to “diet” my way thin many times in my life, only to fail each and every time and regain the weight. And though I have only lost 23 pounds so far in my final journey to being healthy, I have gained knowledge about myself that I did not have before. I had a lot of knowledge before regarding how to actually lose weight. But the missing piece, which I only realized this time around, was knowledge about my SELF.
I read a lot of posts on the 3FC forums. I don’t respond to all, but I read *a lot*. Over and over again I see people struggling to stay afloat on their eating plan. I see people who have fallen and are finding it hard to get back on. I see people with stress in their lives that find it difficult to stay on their eating plan at those times. I see people who eat their feelings. And, I see people with medical issues who have to deal with those along with trying to lose excess weight. The one thing that all of these seem to have in common, is that it’s a struggle - some days on plan, some days not. Some days wanting to give up, some days perfectly happy.
Why is this? What really makes us grab that donut? Is it just because we haven’t removed it from our house? Is it because of the food industry making things so tempting? Is it because there are fast food places on every street corner? Is it because we are stressed or emotional? Is it our environment? Is it because of the co-worker that keeps bringing in the tempting food?
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Posted on August 17th, 2009 by hotwings
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