171.8 Better than Good Enough

On the long road of dieting that I have traveled throughout most of my life, I always knew it was possible to lose some weight. And, I always thought that was good enough. I also knew that I would put weight back on, because that was the only way I knew how to think. It was as if the yo yo syndrome was to be expected, and dealt with as desired :).

What I have learned and practiced through hypnosis during this "weight loss adventure" is that there is a much different, much better result that can be had. I'm really aware of it now as I am in the situation of dealing with so many Christmas treats, parties, dinners out, etc. I have gained a little, but I am not depressed, not frightened by the really small amount of weight gained. I am not saying oh well, here we go again. I am saying okay, get moving, be aware, and enjoy life. I'm saying stay optimistic and full of energy and life and all will be well.

I hope you had a wonderful Christmas and are looking forward to a very happy, very healthy New Year!

185.4 A New Look at Books!

I have just added something new to this blog, a way for you to go directly from the post to learn more about books that I mention.

Recently I wrote about Geneen Roth's book entitled Women, Food, and God. Several of you have bought this book and from what I'm learning, have found it to be quite fascinating and full of good ideas to think about and possibly put into practice. I know I have some new ways of thinking about food and when/what I eat since reading it.



And yesterday as I was driving through our gorgeous desert, I heard an interview on the radio about the new book Mindless Eating. So much of what I have posted in this blog has been all about being aware and eating mindfully. This sounds like a great book and I am looking forward to delving into it.



If you are interested in learning more about the books I cite in this blog, all you have to do is click on the image of the book, and Amazon.com will take it from there. And, if you have some ideas for books that you think might be helpful for the faithful on this blog, please let me know. (I am not in the business of selling books, but if you order through this blog I do get a little kickback, and obviously will appreciate it.)

Hope you are having a great weekend.

185.8 Awareness

I write a lot about awareness while I'm eating, about what I'm eating, how fast I'm eating, and how my body/hunger level is doing while I'm eating.
















This morning, I got caught being extremely unaware. No, not about food, but about my surroundings. Living here in the desert has caused me to be much more alert to where I am in space when I am near the many cactus plantings in our yard, or when I go walking. Since balance is one of my issues, I have to be careful not to lose it while walking by one of the beautiful or not so beautiful cacti that seem to be every where out here.

As I was finishing dead-heading a large geranium plant I backed right into this cactus! Suddenly I was very aware of that plant and very aware that I had been stabbed in my arm. One thing I didn't know until recently is that you can get terrible infections if a cactus needle breaks the skin. Oh, it did break the skin and that area is now covered with antibiotic ointment.

So, I have a new respect for awareness! (Sometimes I wish there was an ointment I could apply when my food/eating awareness gets away from me!)

188.0 Tired or Hungry?

Oh, I'm tired! It's been a good day and a busy one so I'm not complaining. I am just tired.

One of the things I've come to recognize while losing weight is that when I am tired I'm much more tempted to eat, and it's not because I am hungry. I think that I think (there must be a better way to express this) if I eat, I won't be tired anymore. That works when your body really needs food, but I don't think it helps if fatigue is the problem, not hunger.

Stretching out for a while or getting involved in doing something is a much better option than heading to the pantry or refrigerator. This is all part of being aware that I write about frequently. When I go into a zone where I don't think first about what I'm doing is when I can really sabotage my efforts. And, I did that just before I sat down to write this blog. Obviously, I'm still learning.

202.4 Keeping Compliments Compartmentalized

I just returned from the workout room at the community center and I have a mixed report to report! I did 12 minutes on the treadmill and I got my heart rate up to 131 which is close to death for someone of my age. Oh, no it's not, (silly me) because this morning on the Wii Fit my age was 45 after I did the evaluation which is optional every time you get on. I did get the treadmill up to 3 miles an hour. For some of you, you are wondering what the big deal is, but for me it is very big because the fastest I ever had gone was about 2.6. So, progress is being made on the treadmill front. However, the elliptical did me in again today. I see my PT tomorrow and maybe she will have some magical technique known only to experienced ellipticalists that she will share with me so I can spend some time on that *#^?/ machine.

But before I hit the machines I went to a magnificent Holiday Brunch. Several people ooohed and aaaahed about my weight loss, but mainly because they hadn't seen me in a while. I have to keep the compliments compartmentalized so I don't think I am done. I took a good hard look at myself in the mirror today before getting all la te da for the party and there is definitely lots of work to be done. It is good to get down to basics in this process of losing weight. After all, I had deluded myself for several years that I either couldn't or didn't need to lose weight and I don't want to fall into that trap again. Again, staying present, being aware of where I am and where I want to be is so important. Compliments are wonderful, but not the same as achieving my goal!