Weighty Wednesday V

This is no longer a diet. This is going to become my lifestyle. I have to quit looking at people and thinking "I will never get that thin". I will. I can. I am.


Well, I'm back at it. I'm feeling good, and getting control of my unhealthy eating habits. A few things have helped me this past week in getting back on track:

#1~ I started and am completing a 9 day cleanse (Isagenix). It is 2 days of a really horrible juice, 5 days of 2 shakes & 1 small meal per day, and another 2 days of juice at the end.

This cleanse has really helped me get a handle on my appetite. I feel much more in control, and am really thinking alot about the strategies that I will employ once this cleanse is over. It is giving me an opportunity to really get in tune with my body and hunger cycles. I am learning what I really feel like when I'm HUNGRY, and what I feel like when I just have an "urge" to eat. So much of my eating is habit, and out of boredom.

#2~ A couple of articles in the June Good Housekeeping Magazine: "The Constant Food Critic" and "I'm Done With Diet Pills".

The first article is about taking control of the power that is within you and owning your own choices. Not eating to meet anyone else's expectations, but just eating for yourself. For example, if I am eating healthy, small meals in front of people simply because I know they think that's what I should be eating, then later (when I'm alone) I will just binge on whatever I can get my hands on. But if I will just eat what I feel like having (in moderation of course) then I will be satisfied, and not feel compelled to pig out as soon as my food critic's back is turned. It's an interesting article, and it really resonated with me.

In the second article, there was just one little quote that hit me over the head. One woman's cravings cure said " I need to know that if I am desperate for a treat, I can have one. If I want M&M's, I just eat them. Not every day and not the entire bag, but I will have a handful and count that as my snack."

That quote was liberating to me. I have tended to have an "all or nothing" philosophy. That if I'm going to lose weight, I can not have any of my favorite treats, meals, diet drinks. The idea is that if I get in tune with my body, I will naturally crave healthier options the bulk of the time, but if I want a candy bar, or an indulgent meal, I can have that too. What a concept!

I'm excited!

I'm on day 5 of my shake days (day 7 total) so I go back on my juice tomorrow and Friday. I've lost about 6 pounds so far, and hope to get it up to about 10 by the time this whole cleanse process is done. And then the next step is to keep it off, and build upon it.

I feel very empowered, and like this cleanse was the first step to getting me out of my old habits and to give me a chance to really think about some of the real reasons that I overeat.

I will be going into that probably next week.

Thanks so much for all of my "cheerleaders"! I am so lucky to have such amazing friends!

**by the way - the sciatic update is that YES, there is a bulging, herniated disc. I will be getting a cortizone injection next week, and the chiropractor still thinks we are on track to fix this without surgery.

Here's hoping that injection lessens the pain!