Think Thin Challenge-Day 12
 

Good morning all you thin thinking troops! :drill: This week we are going to be talking about "thinking thin" and what we can learn from people who don't have a weight problem.

I'm not talking about people who can eat anything and not gain weight, or the people who eat like rabbits every single day. I'm talking about people who are at a normal weight, eat normal meals, and have a healthy attitude about their bodies. These are the people I feel we should be emulating. :cool:

There are some myths associated with slender people that I would like to explore. When you see a slender person eating a high calorie snack do you assume they eat like that all the time? Do you suspect your slender co-worker never thinks about her weight? Are you convinced your slender neighbor doesn't work out because he obviously doesn't NEED to? If you pay close attention, you'll know that this just isn't the case for most people.

I think the biggest difference between slender people and people struggling with their weight is their relationship with food and exercise.

Think thinkers have a healthy relationship with food. Now, what does that mean? To me it means:

...they know the difference between mouth hunger, stomach hunger and emotional hunger. Do you?

...they know when they are satisfied, not stuffed. Do you?

...they enjoy food when it is appropriate, without guilt or self-recriminations. Do you?

...they see the "big picture" and don't obsess over every morsel that passes their lips. Do you?

So how do we start "thinking thin?" Let's start with recognizing the different types of hunger and learning to know when we are satsified. Towards that goal, here are some examples of the different types of hunger:

Mouth hunger: This is what I think of as eating out of habit. You're watching TV and you go into the kitchen for a glass of water but return with a bag of chips. No thought, no planning...it just happens.

Stomach hunger: When your body sends you physical signals that it needs nourishment.

Emotional hunger: You had a rotten day and got into an argument with your DH, so you NEED that cookie.

Thin thinkers experience all of these types of hunger, and they do eat because of them. The big difference? They KNOW when they are eating because of emotional hunger or mouth hunger! By knowing WHY they are eating they have a sense of control over WHAT and HOW MUCH they put in their mouths.

What about being satified versus full? Thin thinkers eat less because they KNOW when they have had enough. Not too much, but enough. Here are some tips for learning to recognize when you are satisfied:

Rate your hunger-give your hunger a rating of 1 to 5 before you eat. Stop halfway through the meal or snack and do it again. When in doubt, STOP! If you are still physically hungry in half an hour, have a small snack.

Make your meals last at least 20 minutes-give your mind a chance to catch up with your stomach.

Pay attention to your food-don't eat in front of the TV or computer, or standing up at the kitchen sink.

:drill: Your assignment for today is twofold: Come up with examples of the different types of hunger and ways to deal with them, AND try at least one of the techniques for learning how to recognize when you are satisfied.

I would also love to hear your observances on "thinking thin" and the results of your observations of slender people.

So, get out there and THINK THIN!

Don't forget the trinity while you work on the mental aspects of getting fit! I'll be tallying activity minutes for the week starting with yesterdays figures.

Day 11 activity: WATP 4 mi = 60 minutes

franny, what an amazing post!! Are you sure you're not an addiction counselor in your free time?? You are so right on the money with what you've said this morning!!!

I have to get ready for work now, but will be back later to share my thoughts and observations. I'm really excited about our think thin challenge for this week, I know I'm going to learn a lot of valuable lessons and insights during this challenge.

Franny, darling, that's a heck of a lot for reading for a girl who's only had one coffee so far. :lol:

Did I tell you I walked over 18 000 steps yesterday? :D

Okay... "Think Thin". Today I'm going to pretend I'm my Dad. He has a scornful attitude towards fat people (snob :lol: ) because he's never had a problem with it. He eats to live. Today I'm going to have a scornful attitude; not towards fat people, but towards bad food. It's junk. It's there to tempt me, and I will not be tempted. I am a strong, intelligent, practical woman, and I don't need to feed my emotions.

Again... what's the trinity?

Good luck Franny and everyone... have a wonderful day! :grouphug:

Oh Ellis, where have you been? Hiding out in the latrine, darling? :drill:

The trinity:

1. Food- stay on plan
2. Exercise- get some
3. Water-drink a lot

It seems we all have the same set of goals every day, so "the trinity" is just shorthand to save room on the boards. ;) As you can tell from my posts I am loathe to be too verbose! :D

I'm off to the "gym," formally known as the upstairs bedroom.

Wow! This is heavy material for so early on Monday.........

But...Private Deets reporting for duty!!:D

You really hit the nail on the head for this week. I love what you wrote about the different types of hunger and eating.

I am off to teach my Women's Bible Study class, and then to my exercise at the gym. I will report in later with more observations, minutes of exercise, and all the other details of the day!

Thanks for great mental reminders for the day...Sir!:drill:

~Sharon:flow2:

Sarge...I need a medical for a few days. I wrenched my leg over the weekend and can not put any weight on it. So for the next few days I will hop & think thin. I am so proud of you all keep up the good work :grouphug:

Sflake.....mend quickly. I hope you're not in too much pain.
I tore a cartilage in my left knee in June, and it took
me a month to heal!:cry:
Healing hugs to you!:grouphug:

My "thin thinking" report for the day...
I observe my naturally thin husband in control of what he eats all the time. I don't know why I can't seem to learn from
example....but I don't:dizzy: He's always been the kind of person
who only allows himself 1 cookie, or a Tb. of nuts, etc. I, on the other hand, cannot allow myself only 1 of anything for fear of eating the whole package!!!:nono: Herein lies the difference between "us" and "them.";)

Anyway, I stayed OP today, thought thin thoughts, drank my water, and exercised an hour at the gym + I began Phase 2 (sort of) and added blueberries as a snack this afternoon. Yum!!
Signing off duty, Sir :drill: Franny!!

Not eating when you are doing anything else makes a big difference, when you are reading, watching tv, etc you aren't really paying attention to what's going into your mouth; aren't really enjoying what you're eating. I really make an effort to sit down at the table while doing NOTHING else and eat ... it makes a big difference.

The thing I don't know how to stop or identify is just WANTING something; not because I'm hungry but just because I FEEL like having some M&Ms or a cookie ... even though I know it's not the last bag of candy or last cookie in the world and it will still be there tomorrow ... sometimes I just want a cookie, but if I eat it I will obsess about the stupid thing for hours ... oh my gosh, I ate a cookie ... if I don't eat it I'll hear it calling me for hours til I finally do eat it ... talk about a no win situation. I don't know how to change that ...

On a more positive note ... did eat op all day, drank all my water and did 45 minutes on the treadmill before work ... 3.5 mph at a 6% incline, then after work went to the gym and did 45 minutes on the elliptical trainer and 20 minutes of weights ... (should have eaten that cookie today damn it!!!)

Have a nice evening beauties!!!!

Kathy

Hi Everyone,
This was a long work day and I just got home. Sorry it is so late in the day for me to try to take advantage of the challenge. Fran, your assessment of different types of hunger is right on. I know it in my head, but the question is, can I put it into action?
I did some "thin observations" today. I work at a university and most of my colleagues are the age of my children. I work with lithe young things who wear low slung pants and short shirts. They can let it all hang out because they don't have anything that will hang out.
The first lesson I have learned in this week of thin observations is that thin people DO think about their weight and exercise to stay in shape. One of my young colleagues who is particularly thin is a vegan. I thought that explained her thinness, but my eavesdropping revealed that she works out at the gym every morning. That was a revelation to me.
I will continue to see what I can learn from observing thin people this week.
Koalabear