So I've learned a couple of things over the past few months and thought it might be fun to write it down:

1. My salad bowl should be bigger than my popcorn bowl. I used to make these huge (HUGE) bowls of popcorn, popped in oil and slathered with butter. It went into my biggest mixing bowl and I could usually finish off the whole thing. Now my popcorn bowl is my tiniest mixing bowl, which is the perfect size for a 100-calorie bag of popcorn. I don't eat a HUGE mixing bowl of salad, but the salads I do eat would not fit into my now-popcorn bowl!

2. Being mean to myself is counter-productive. It doesn't help me to feel better about myself and it sure doesn't motivate me to do anything other than cry, so why waste time telling myself how fat, ugly, stupid, etc I am? Besides, it's not true (well, the fat part is but I'm working on that!). So negative self-talk is no longer allowed, even when I eat a bacon cheeseburger and fries. I might give a little speech to myself about how that is not going to help me lose weight ,but then it's over. Done. Move on.

3. Cookies are not food. Neither are potato chips, cake, french fries, or chocolates. They are non-nutritional items to be consumed rarely, if ever. This was a hard one for me; I would eat 2 or 3 pieces of cake for breakfast and then wonder why I felt sick and hungry.

I'm sure there is more, but those are the things that are coming to mind right now. So, share with us--what have you learned?

I've learned that I can be athletic. I grew up in a house where physical activity was NOT encouraged. DH grew up in a house where they all ran and played soccer and other sports. I missed out on the whole organized sporting thing, but now I lift weights and I run (and I race), and I play soccer and volleyball with my kids. My trainer had me doing a plyo type exercise that I associate with football player training and I was cracking up. I said, "I feel like an athlete," and she said, "You are an athlete!" Never too late!

I am braver than I think. I overcame a bike phobia last year to my utter shock and amazement.

Insurmountable obstacles can be surmounted a little bit at a time. It is not all or nothing. It is chipping away, climbing on step at a time, always moving forward.....I am far more capable than I would have guessed.

I feel good when I eat healthy. I smiled at your point "Cookies are not food" cause I used to eat horrendously.....I thought I had IBS.....nope, I just ate crap. Eating well keeps my systems running smoothly---all of them.

Platueas are not evil

This makes me sound crazy and also sorry if I spelled plateau wrong. But when I was heavier, every week I didn't lose or even two weeks sent me on this spiral of self destructive behavior. What I realized is that I would rather be 190 and plateauing then 230 and never given the opportunity to maintain a lower weight.

To appreciate my natural shape

Its easy to be down on yourself when you are younger and are striving for the ideal bodytype, but the truth is bodies range and there is nothing wrong with being a natural ten versus a natural five. To bad I didn't know that when I was skinnier lol!

To eat only when I am hungry

Some days I am just not hungry...so what do I do? I don't eat lol. Most people would say "duh" but it took me years to learn to just chill and listen to my body.

And most importantly

That I can eat carbs, sugar and all that good stuff but I have to moderate it. Going on extreme diets has done nothing but set me off track and given me mixed emotions about food. My policy do nothing crazy and you get nothing crazy in return

This is a really good topic. I'll have to think about it a bit!

I've learned that this is a process.

I've learned to love my body just as it is right now.

I've learned that I can live without soda pop.

I've learned that athleticism never left me, I left it.

I've learned that:

I control the jelly beans, the jelly beans do not control me.

Sounds simple and silly, right? But I put this weight on one jelly bean at a time, and that's how I'm taking it off.

It isn't about motivation, it is about commitment.

Progress, not perfection is the goal.

This is a journey, and we should enjoy the journey.

Balance - I must balance my mind, body, and spiritual well-being. I must balance my eating. I must balance my life.

Exercise is NOT a four-letter word.

Planning and accountability are important.

Spending quality time (hiking, walking, skiing, etc.) with my family is so much more rewarding than food!

Maintenance is an important part of the journey.

To be successful, I needed to change my life-style. Every change I made, had to be one that I could sustain.

The story of The Tortoise and the Hare is applicable. It matters not, how long it took me to reach goal. It matters only, that I reached it.

Love that one!


What I have learned...

It's not a diet, it's a lifestyle.

It's a process, take one baby step at a time.

Tomatoes are lethal, lol, I eat them all the time now.

Trying new things won't kill me.

Eating right and moving more actually makes me feel better.

It's not how fast I get there but that I eventually get there.

Small goals build up to big goals.

My weight loss will always be a constant battle. Me vs. Food. It has always been and will continue to me. Why it took me 33 years to realize that I am the one in control is beyond me. I have had major gains/ major loss and I have stayed the same for years. I will never be a super model or a size 4 but I can be a better version of me. What works for everyone else does not usually work for me. There will be those that loose 6 pounds in a week and me that lost .6 pounds a week. Weight loss is just like everything else, if you keep at it eventually you will be successful, but for me as well as many of you it will be something I will struggle with for the rest of my life. I have accepted that and moved on to: I am the one who is in control I can make excuses or I can make things happen. there will be slip ups and success but ultimately it is always up to me.

I also recently realized yes I can do push ups!!!

What a great idea! I am going to give this some thought and post later.

I would love to be able to do even ONE pushup. I think the last time I did one was in high school! I should put that down as one of my goals, huh.

That was my first exercise goal. It has taken me 3 weeks to be able to do the Push ups with my exercise DVD. It was the hardest part but well worth it. Now when i move up to the next level I am sure there will be more challenges.

I have learned SO much. Hundreds of things, maybe thousands. It would be impossible for me to list even a sprinkling of them. About myself. About life. About love. About food. About nutrition. About priorities. About what matters in life.

Just a few things I've learned.

-Taking ones health for granted is/was a HUGE mistake. HUGE.
-Not making your health a number one priority now seems absurd to me. Absolutely, positively ABSURD. What WAS I thinking?
-It's not okay to be overweight. It's just not. Health wise, I'm speaking about of course.
-It's not okay to abuse myself. Overeating is a form of abuse.
-Being fat is a choice.
-Being thin is a choice.
-I am an important member of my family.
-"It" is worth the effort. I am worth the effort.
-Hard work pays off and is EXTREMELY, EXTREMELY gratifying.
-That you don't have to be "perfect", but that you must always be mindful. Always.
-Quality of life really, really, REALLY matters.
-Exercise is important.
-Food doesn't make me happy.
-Food shouldn't be used to combat boredom, loneliness, depression, stress, etc.
-It's one thing to have a "special celebratory" meal once in awhile, it's another thing to "splurge" day in and day out.
-Food without a doubt does NOT provide comfort.
-I have to look at my long term satisfaction instead of my short term (immediate) gratification.
-Calories add up, whether I'm keeping track of them or not.
-I can't have it both ways - eat what I want AND be fit and trim and healthy.
-I will always, always have to be mindful about what I eat. And sensible.
-I don't need to rely on food in order to have a good time.
-Food is not the end all be all and is a LOT less then it's cracked up to be.
-Food does not equal happiness.
-That I am a strong person and when I put my mind to it, I am capable of a LOT.
-The second I STOP making this work, it'll STOP working.
-I don't do moderation well.
-I don't do well eating the "white" stuff. And - get this - I can survive, thrive and thoroughly enjoy my life without it.
-I don't have to go hungry in order to be at a healthy weight.
-I LOVE food and still need to get pleasure from it. BUT, it doesn't have to be high calorie/high quantity.
-Healthy food is delicious. DELICIOUS.
-Life is easier being a thin person. And more joyous. And better. It just is.
-When you look good, you feel good.
-Feeling good - is really, really GREAT.
-I AM vain. (I actually didn't know this)
-Being a woman is really, really cool.

You can't live in a constant state of self-denial and misery. So, you have to change what you like and want. And you CAN re-train yourself! Exercise can turn from a chore into a fun outlet, the best thing you do for yourself all day. And food can stop ruling your life, and be placed back into its proper perspective - healthy fuel for a healthy body. It's a matter of reprogramming your brain and attitude.

This is going to sound really sophomoric, but the biggest thing I learned was that if I decided I wanted to lose weight badly enough, I could, and can, do it. There's been a lot of posts from LoriBell, Kaplods, and Robin and more these last few weeks about determination and wanting it enough - and they've really hit home. I've read a lot of books on nutrition and healthy living, but it's more real and more meaningful when it's coming from people who have been to the brink, done the hard work, and are showing us that it's not just text and case studies.