I'm not sure I want to be this honest, even with myself!

Barbg... :lol: :lol: :lol:
I thought the same thing last night when I read Key 3 in Chapter one.
"This is is all about burning external bridges" ... I have spent my ENTIRE LIFE NEVER burning bridges behind me. I have passed it on to my kids.... (although they don't listen) :lol:

My Tuesday Tip is... Don't look too far ahead.
Just take it one chapter at a time and one step at a time.
Thankfully I am not there yet. LOL
Chapter one is just a summary of what is to come.
You are not there yet. As your signature says....
HANG IN THERE !!!

Makes Sense But That Have Never Stopped Me Before!
 

I have completed chapter one, but I want to re-read it again, especially the lines that I highlighted in my book. Here are a few things that stood out:

"So decide: do you want to keep fooling yourself or not?" (pg 3) - But it is just so easy!!!!!! I really need to get real.

"All it requires is a willing spirit and an open mind." (pg 5) - He said open mind not mouth. I need to remember that.

"Maybe your weight problem is draining your life energy day by day, and making you feel miserable about yourself and your future." (pg 7) - Numb is the word. I am just existing not really living.

"Because your life is created from the inside out, you must first get right with yourself on the inside." (pg 11) - This is definitely the truth. I sometimes wish that my brain could be instantly reprogrammed so that I wouldn't 'need' food to reduce stress and calm emotions.

By the way, I too really loved Kat's description of Terri letting go of doubt. I am not there yet, but working on it.

Susie

This is what I'm striving for - to live a healthy lifestyle every day without obsessing every day if I've done enough or not eaten too much. For me, having to count points or counting calories can lead up to being obsessed with food still but in a different way. Life becomes about how many points you have left and how many activity points you've earned. I don't want that - I want it to come naturally. And maybe it won't and life will be about counting points every day.

But we do have to retrain ourselves so that this isn't a temporary thing. This does have to be for life.

Boy do I need to say these words several times a day!!"Get real about fat or stay real fat."...I also think Dr. Phil is aggrivating at the very least, but if his words can help so be it..nothing else is working long term for me...

I sat reading your posts in here this morning with tears in my eyes! Kat's description of Terri letting go of doubt was so positive and for a brief moment I felt that I, too, can be free one day! What a joyous feeling that was!

NO MAYBES ABOUT THIS ONE:
Maybe your weight problem is draining your life energy day by day, and making you feel miserable about yourself and your future." (pg 7) - Numb is the word. I am just existing not really living.

It loks like it is going to storm ny minute, and Laura is on my lap because of the thunder...There was so much more I wanted to add....but it will have to weight until next time...Love to all..

7 Keys ...
 

Well, I can't believe it is late Friday night/early Saturday morning and I am just now finishing reading Chapter One. :o It is good that I have made a commitment to this one chapter per week or I would have procrastinated another entire week before finishing the chapter.

I left off at page 9... The Seven Keys to Permanent Weight Loss
The last sentence on this page is highlighted... "commitment to change ... keep moving forward through all seven keys"
COMMITMENT !!! I have made a commitment to do this book study and that is why I am here at 2am.

Page 10 "Even if you are familiar with a certain key, STUDY IT...study it for reinforcement and encouragement ... put into action ....build success ... go through keys in sequence .... resist the urge to jump ahead."

He also talked about our problems with "immediate gratification".
This applies to eating as well as recovery. I want immediate gratification when I want something to eat. One reason I hate cooking is because it takes so darn long and it is so much easier to just grab something. "Immediate gratification"
The same is true for me about exercise. I hate having to dress and drive someplace, park, walk the parking lot, sign in, then hike to the workout area before I even start. :rolleyes: That takes EFFORT on my part. It is not immediate gratification. That is why I am more successful if I can get out of bed and just do it. BUT even then... do I ??
Also... I want immediate gratification as far as RESULTS are concerned too.
I am like a spoiled child. You know the type.... no body likes them. LOL
No wonder I don't like me either. LOL

I can't tell you how many times I have stayed on program for 10 days and "feel" like I should be skinny by now. :o LOL There is that "Immediate gratification" again.
Obviously you can tell.. that hit a cord with me.

page 11 - Key One - Right Thinking
I marked almost this entire page.
Personal Truth.... If you believe it... you will live it.
Your deepest understanding of who you are.
Every thought you have... there is a corresponding physical reaction.
Because your life is created from the inside out, you must get right with yourself inside.
Discard all toxic messages... replace them with realistic, positive thoughts.
Once you step through this step, you will reclaim self control

Wow ... I can relate to all of this. I am not going to go into great details now since this is just an overview of what is to come... but in OA you accomplish this "right thinking" by taking a personal inventory of yourself and giving it to God and another human being. I am curious if this is DrPhils instructions too. ??
As a matter of fact... a lot of what I have read of DrPhils 7 Keys are very similar to AA's 12 Steps.

Page 12- Key Two - Healing Feelings
Many eat as a way to medicate themselves .. eat as a form of celebration.
Learn how to break the cycle of overeating in response to emotions and stress.
This key helps you identify and control
I know I eat for many emotional reasons now. I did not always really know that. I thought I mainly ate for the joy of eating. Hmmm "JOY of eating" JOY... that is an emotion. DUH
But I have become aware more recently I STUFF my food when I am MAD. I don't necessarily eat a LOT.. but I eat "forcefully" if that makes any sense to anyone. I want to jam that sandwich in my mouth.

Key Three - A NO - FAIL Enviroment
External Control ... manage your environment so it is impossible to fail.
Burning bridges....do away with ALL reminders.
With this key you will make your life look, feel, and be different.
I have already written this will be a HARD key for me. I have always lived by "better safe than sorry".... "NEVER burn your bridges behind you". Thank goodness I have time to adjust to this life style before I get to that chapter. LOL

Key Four - Mastery over Food and Impulse Eating
Stubbornly... self destructive ....habits...feeding a need.
It is ESSENTIAL to master over food habits.
Specific ways you hurt your weight loss efforts
I am like a lot of you... I already know I do this.... hopefully DrPhil will help me quit.

Key5 - High Response Cost, High Yield Nutrition
putting taste, convince and instant gratification ahead of nutrition..
There are only two things you need to know about food.. only two.
Gee... I guess I will have to keep reading to find out what those two are.... he is a sneaky little fart now isn't he. LOL
You might have noticed.. I added the "instant gratification" myself. It was not written like that in his book. LOL I am soooooo bad when it comes to "instant gratification".

Key Six - Intentional Exercise
Gee ... does that sound familiar. :lol:
Exercise is now counted as one of the TOP lifestyle factors to help you lose weight and keep it off for good.
Balanced approach of simple strength-building and heart-conditioning exercises
You will be amazed by what your body can do
I did NOT highlight the section about people who get obsessed with exercising..... that is definitely NOT me. :lol:

Key Seven - Your circle of Support
"You must surround yourself with like-minded people"
OUCH !!! Get off my toes Dr. Phil !!!!
I have been one of those people who you should not be hanging out with. :o
And... I get mad at my husband for not being supportive of me... when my example I show him is that I am not "really" that serious about this losing weight.
This Key is a very sensitive subject for me. It fills me full of shame and disgust about myself. It steps on my toes. I keep hearing DrPhil saying "GET REAL GIRL". "GET HONEST".
It effects me soooo negatively I almost want to pack my bags and run the other way.
BUT !!!! I am here to learn. I am here to CHANGE.
My past does NOT MATTER.... only my TODAY counts. Dr Phil told me that already. So... I am not going to put my tail between my legs and run... I am staying here and giving it an honest to goodness HONEST TRY. :yes:

Okay.. there are still 4 more pages to share about.. but that last key did me in. :faint:
I have to recuperate after that one. LOL

End of Chapter One...
 

I know it is after midnight but I have to get this last bit in before I can go on to Chapter 2.

Book Quotes in blue...
Page 16 ..
"You will never be able to change what yo do not acknowledge.
Working interactively.. mentally, emotionally, behaviorally and socially
Figure out obstacles .. match workable solutions.
Action filled steps
Stay accountable
Changes REQUIRED"

Page 17..
"You Don't need Willpower
You believed that you failed because somewhere inside you, you were weak and inadequate.
Willpower is a myth
No one stays fired up continously
The seven keys do not depend on willpower for success."

Page 18....
PROGRAM YOURSELF FOR SUCCESS
I highlighted almost this entire page. LOL But here are a couple of special thoughts I got....
"Developing a lifestyle that creates healthier behavior
PROGRAM YOUR LIFE... remove junk food from your kitchen... arrange your schedule to accommodate exercise and activity.
Say good bye to your old overweight self and behaviors"
I highly recommend you read this page thoroughly.

Page 19...
"We will do this together, so don't feel intimidated...
May be hard at first...
What I want you to focus on is requiring more of yourself, starting right NOW.
This is one meal at a time, one day at a time, one step at a time.
All of that is definitely the same as OA program.

page 20..
If you concentrate on the here and now, the present moment, believe me, your weight will come off.
Set reasonable and realistic goals for change.

I think all of this was pretty self explanatory .. plus I still need to start on chapter two. LOL
I am proud of me :smug: ... I got it all in... and it is before 2am. LOL LOL
I only have 2 more weeks until the wedding and then I hope to post daily and share how I am appling these techniques in my life.
Cheers. :coffee:

2Cute, while reading "your reading" :lol: I couldn't help but think.. This weight issue is the same as our "humans/things" issue except this time we have to put OURSELVES ahead of things.

I do the same things with diet & exercise I do with "humans/things" . I ALWAYS put cleaning the house, mowing the lawn, etc BEFORE getting a healthy lunch ready to take to work and exercising so my body feels better.

I have to work on putting 'this' human before things along with all the others. :( I will need help!!!! :kickcan:

Lucky... while reading "your reading" ... about my reading.... :lol: :lol: ... I see that is true about myself too. Our recovery process has to come BEFORE our.. ooppss ... MY computer games and HGTV. :drill:
Thanks for pointing that out. I forget that sooo quickly. :o