The following is a letter from my divine self to me! I got this idea a couple of months ago from one of our members (I am sorry, I forget exactly who) I thought I would post my letter and give some of you some ideas. I printed it off and I put it on my fridge all folded up...so when I am feeling down, stuck or unmotivated I can whip it out and read it. I wanna see some of your letters.....
Dear Gina,
You feel like giving up don’t you? It is just getting so difficult. You feel hungry and grouchy (well, more than before…ha!) You just want to eat like everyone else and not think about it. Well, you know what…you can’t eat like everyone else because it did not work. In fact, not thinking about eating and a food plan drained you just as much as sticking to a plan and exercise program. I know you pretty well, and I bet you’re feeling kinda sorry for yourself huh? Poor thing…playing victim today, eh?
But that attitude will get you nowhere. QUIT IT!!!!!
You Can Do This! Repeat after me…
I am healthy and strong.
I am physically active.
I am ……
I want you to think back to why you started this whole journey in the first place. Recall, if you will:
• You need to do this for your overall health and well being.
• Your kids and family. They deserve to have a happy and healthy mom.
• You weighed the most you ever have. You actually weigh more than most football players.
• What about feeling like a stuffed sausage, feeling bloated most of the time.
• What about your dad and his diabetes, heart disease, and high blood pressure. What about not being able to stand up from the floor with any kind of grace whatsoever because of your weight? What about just feeling like a hippo all the time?
• What about being able to do the things you want to do and buy the clothes you want to buy? Remember the great feeling of shopping in your closet? Don't you want to shop in normal stores? Take trips without worrying about flights and seat sizes and accomodations?
• Your self esteem and self confidence. Where did they go. Stop hiding behind the fat!
• And while we’re at it, let’s talk about food. I know you think that those Doritos and cookies and especially that chocolate and Macaroni and Cheese give you comfort, but they don’t. No one’s saying you can’t have them – you will have to moderate them. And believe me when I tell you that you LOVE fruit! And yummy veggies, and Kashi cereal!!! You’re not giving up foods you love, you’re finding new food friends. And I bet you miss that feeling of control you had about those trigger foods too.
• And exercise! You didn’t always like starting, but you really liked walking to the music, using Tae Bo, releasing some stress, feeling what you body could do!
• Oh, and what about how you feel at the end of the day? Are you tired? Taking naps again? Well, when you ate better, you didn’t get so many low blood sugar dips!! You can be that way again!
• You’ve been in control of your health before and loved it! You can love it again!
Okay, I know, it’s not so easy. Nothing in life that is worth it is easy. The problem is you think it’s all insurmountable. Something little happened, and you got off track, and then something else, and then it snowballed and pretty soon there went all the good habits right out the window. I know all about it, because it’s happened before!
So, how can you get it back? Baby steps! Remember…a journey of a thousand miles starts with just one step.
• Take back your attitude about food. Keep asking yourself: is this worth it to me in the long run? Sometimes the answer will be yes, but often it will be no, and you’ll feel proud of yourself when you resist!
• And get moving again. You may not love it all the time, but it helps you so much!!
• Remember, you don’t have to make changes all at once. Gradually build in more healthy behaviors. But don’t wait for some mythical “better” time in the future. Take control now!
• Finally, go back to reading 3fc! You were inspired by those stories, and talking about your story helped keep you going too! There’s support there for you.
Remember your pledge to yourself: to be healthier at 30 than you were at 20. That’s what’s important, not the taste of that food or the TV shows you're probably watching too much of.
And you can do it. I, more than anyone else, know you can!! It's easy: Eat Less food, eat less sugar and move, move, move some more.
Good luck!
Love and Light,
Your Divine Self.
