Good article on how to lose weight

I just read this article on line about how to lose weight.  It was written by a person who creates nutrition plans for Beach Body workouts.  It is simple and to the point.  This is what I am trying to do and it seems to be working.  Hope that you enjoy it!!

The problem with all or nothing thinking

As I have mentioned in the past, both my mother and grandmother were anorexics.  Being raised by two woman with this condition seems to have shaded how I relate to food.  I've been so proud of myself for giving up sugar that I have lost count of how many days I have gone without it.  It is well over 40 days now.

The program that I used to give up the sugar was a very good hypnosis program by a company called Thinking Slimmer.  It is meant to give you control over having sweet treats so you can easily give them up.  But, it is also meant to give you greater control over the issue so that you can have them if you want them in moderation.  Today I really wanted a treat.  I saw some nice items at the grocery store today and thought that it would be nice to have something.  But, it became a huge issue for me.

I sat for several hours today going back and forth about if I should break down and allow myself a treat or not.  So far, I haven't given in to the desire for a sweet treat and I am not certain if this is a good thing or not?  The fact that I have had to sit and debate it in my mind like this tells me that I now have a problem.  This has become for me another example of the "all or nothing" thinking around food that being raised by an anorexic can create.

On one hand, I am grateful for how much better I feel since giving up sugar.  My blood sugar is stable and I am have lost some weight.  But, to live in fear (as I now seem to) of eating a sweet treat seems ridiculous.  Yet, I do.  In fact, I have even felt guilty for even imagining eating a sweet treat.  So, as you can see, this has gotten out of hand.  Time to figure out a solution.

Update
So, I broke down and had a small container (5 oz. mini-container) of Edy's ice cream.  I don't even believe it was a full cup's worth of ice cream.  It made me realize that I had made a huge thing out of nothing.  The ice cream didn't actually taste that good to me.  After I had eaten it I thought that I would have rather had a baked apple.  I am now happy to return to not eating very much sugar.  It feels better knowing that I can decide for myself when and if I really want a sweet treat.  And, that I have one it won't spark a binge.  I feel much happier now.

30 days of no sweets

Today I have officially not had sweet treats for 30 days.  I am feeling really good about this.  I have been addicted to sugar since I was a little kid.  Going without it literally seemed impossible.  And, if anyone had suggested giving up sweets to me I would have thought they were totally nuts.  But, I decided enough was enough and I gave it up.  Now I realize I am capable of a lot more than I ever realized. 

From here on out I won't want to eat sugar.  There are just too many benefits of not eating it.  But, it is not my new religion.  If I am in the mood for something and if there is a sweet treat that truly seems worth it, I will eat it.  But, for now I am very happy continuing as I have been.

Now that I realize I am capable of so much more than I ever thought, it is time to come up with another goal to tackle.  I will think on that and get back to you.....

Stunning

I got on the scale this morning and yet another pound has gone!  Can you believe that???? That is 6lbs. since giving up sugar.  I am dumbfounded. 

In the past, in order to have lost 6lbs. I would have had to go zero carbs and exercise an hour a day.  That of course would only last a few days as I would eventually rebel against the strict regiment and go back to carbs, especially sugar.  Then literally, in one day, the weight would come back and usually doubled itself.

Now I think I am getting the hang of what my body wants.  I don't need to go no carb (although I am still pretty low in carbs) in order to lose weight. It seems my body just wants very low sugar.  But, it is fine with a piece of fruit a day and sometimes a potato.  And, I can still have a cup of coffee or tea with sugar or honey (only a teaspoon though).  Life is good.  Really good.

Another result of giving up sugar is how much less I want to eat in general.  I am convinced that sugar creates false hunger.  I recently read an article on the topic and wanted to post it here but after looking for it for an hour I must admit defeat.  If and when I find it again I will post it.  But, the reality of why I am losing weight without starving myself or feeling deprived is that I gave up sugar. Once the detox process was done I no longer really wanted it.  I absolutely don't miss it one bit.  In fact, foods made of sugar now gross me out a bit.  If I am really craving something special I will bake an apple for myself.

Many of you know that I was able to get past my sugar  addiction by using a hypnosis program by a company called Thinking Slimmer.  Previously I had tried another hypnosis product from the same company called a "Slimpod" which is excellent for general weight loss.  While it helped my self-esteem greatly, I couldn't lose weight using it.  Now I know why, my real problem was the blood sugar roller coaster that consuming sugar had put me on. 

Speaking of self-esteem, the other thing this process has taught me is that I am worth taking the time to cook for.  I never cooked for myself before.  I made certain my husband had his food prepared and organized.  But, I never did it for myself.  Now I am purposely making time daily to have all my meals organized.  This way I am not tempted to give in to poor quality food when I am hungry.  My old viscious cycle was not to do anything to prepare food ahead of time, get super hungry, rip the house apart looking for something I can eat, and then end up eating something less than healthy.  I finally feel like I deserve to eat healthy food and I deserve to take the time to care for my own health.  This is something I also attribute to "Thinking Slimmer".

So, all in all, I am feeling really happy and grateful for the weight loss.  Now all I have to do it keep up the good work.  6lbs down and only 144lbs to go.......

Clutter and weight

Being married to an architect, our house is always in a state of remodel.  Due to this, there are times when the house isn't as organized as I would wish.  It drives me nuts but over the years I have learned to ignore it in a way.  Recently, I've decided that I just can't take it any more.

For my birthday, I asked my husband to help me create some organizational spaces in this house so I can get things neat and tidy.  We've been working on this all weekend.  We re-did a huge closet down stairs. Now that it is completed, I can now spend this week getting things organized.

Why I am writing about this in this blog? Because there seems to be a direct relationship between household clutter and weight.  At the end of this post I will give some links to articles on this issue.  There is even a book on the topic.  I am not certain that getting rid of clutter in this house will ensure that more weight will come off for me.  But, I can guarantee that I will be a much nicer wife if things are better organized.  This might be a place that you want to evaluate in your own life.  Good luck!

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/01/health/01well.html

http://www.amazon.com/Does-This-Clutter-Make-Butt/dp/1416560165

http://www.aarp.org/health/fitness/info-09-2010/Kick_Clutter_And_Lose_Weight.html