Sunday, February 6, 2011

37 Days Down 8 More To Go!!!

What have I learned from all of this?  What have you learned from the last 37 days? I think I learned this was a tiny step for me.  I have seen where I can cut the sugar and soda out and be okay.  But it is not the big challenge it was last year, or the beginning of January.   A friend at church mentioned how I should just "cut back" on the sweets and still enjoy them.  My mouth said, "yeah" but my mind was laughing.  Then Kathy said something that really stuck in me, "all or nothing".  That is me.  I am an all or nothing kind of girl.  So with that said, and looking back here is what I have learned.

1) Support. I have never had much support in my life.  I have always had to do things by myself.  Here when I wanted to quit I couldn't because I thought of all the support that was here for me and everyone else.  I know I have heard to have a support system, a friend to do things with because you will stay more committed and motivared.  But I guess I just figured I could just as easily do it alone.  I can't.  I need all the help I can get and it is okay to ask for that help.

2) Goals.  We all have to have some kind of goals to reach for.  I have never been a goal setter.  I think because if I didn't make them, then I wouldn't feel like such a failure.  For months, I have said I was going to go walking but I never did.  Not until a friend said, "I will go with you."  Last week was only our second week of walking.  On Tuesday when it was cold outside (Cold for Texas anyway) Erika was still waiting for me when I was 10 minutes late and she made me go walking!!!  She told me, I know you can do this.  I know now I can too!!!  So now I need to set my goals for my walking, food, exercise, etc to really make some progress.

3) Emotions.  Man I think this was one of the biggest things I learned this time. It is amazing to me how many emotions go through our mind set that thrust us into high gear to eat.  Last time I did the No Sugar and No Soda, it was to gain some self control.  But this time I can see how emotions played more into it to help us gain that self control.  When I needed to drown myself, it would be nothing to get a huge page of Peanut M&M's and drown myself.  All of a sudden they sound good!!  LOL  But now, I see myself not so much going for food, as taking a step back and figuring out (or trying to) why I got upset by someone's actions or words.  Just last week I did not get all my change back from a drive thru  I went through.  When I asked for the change as well, the employee got a bit perturbed and said, "Gosh it wasn't that much!"  She was right it wasn't. But if I had been asked to I want to donate to something, it would have been a different story.  She did not give me that choice, and so I asked for it.  Normally that would send me through a few drive thru's, but this time it didn't.

4) Ownership.  Maybe I am finally taking responsibility for me.  It's easy for me to say my weight gain is because of all the abuse I have gone through in my life, but eventually if I want to get smaller and healthy I need to stop putting the blame on others and especially my mom. 

5) Read Labels.   Oh yeah I so need to do this!!  It doesn't do me any good to eat it THEN read the label.  Duhh me. The old saying, "it is easier to ask for forgiveness than permission". That is a cop out to me. I have a hard time with reading labels, so I have pretty much decided to stick to the perimeter of the grocery store when  go shopping until I can get better at reading the labels.  I get in trouble on the bread aisle.  =(

I am sure there are other things. I have not learned to write everything down, and my previous goals like no eating in the car  have not been conquered.  But in time I will conquer them.  But I am proud of myself for being able to do this once again.  But again I could never do it without all of your support.  Thank you again for sticking with me!!!

4 comments:

  1. I don't feel as though I should reply, because I didn't follow the challenge. But, I am left inspired by your writings and as you as a person. Like I have said, I do intuitive eating because that is what works best for me with my past of eating disorders. But thanks for this blog. It's been really fun. And, we are all in this life journey together...to support and to lean on each other. You are great!

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  2. Thanks Laura....I have appreciated your comments. I hope this blog can help others get started, inspire them and in some ways educate them. Things won't change overnight, but they can change.

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  3. I will say that this has been a huge challenge for me. I love my soda and I did cut back to 1 a day.
    I miss chocolate so much I really cannot wait till Valentines Day. I am ready for the challenge again whenever you are.
    My life is so chaotic all the time. I am on an emotional rollercoaster that never ends. It was pointed out by someone that even when I seem happy there is a certain amount of sad that is on my outer edges all the time. (and here I thought I was hiding it) Anyway I am signing out for now.

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  4. I have still been doing good with the challenge....I did have a slip up last Thursday at our church meeting. Every Thursday our ACTS team gets together to plan for our Spring retreat. Everyone takes turns bringing food. There is ALWAYS a dessert. I have been really good about not even looking over to see what's there.
    Each week we have to find our name tag at a seat that is where we sit. That way we get to know different people each week.
    After 30 years of running a day care there has only been two times I have had to ask a parent to not bring their child back, and one of these parents is on ACTS team with me. Last Thursday my name tag was next to hers.....and we haven't spoken since the day care incident, so I knew this was going to be awkward. But I also knew God had His hand in this so I was going to go out of my way to be nice.
    When it was time to eat I was good and skipped right past the desserts. Here she comes back to the table with TWO desserts on her plate, one soapapilla cheesecake and the other some sort of chocolate dessert. No, she wasn't bringing them to share one with me, they were both for her. The "cooks" are always recognized and SHE was the one that had brought desserts. After we went to church, we came back to the meeting room and even though I knew I was breaking my no sugar challenge to myself, I went and got me a piece of the cheesecake and told her how wonderful it was. (and it REALLY was!) So, I have slipped up, but it for a good reason, right? Please tell me it was ;)
    Last night there was a delicious looking choc cake and I skipped right past it, so that makes up for it right?
    Oh, and I have to tell you about this.....I think this just shows how sweets can control us....there are three different people each week that bring food. One particular week they needed someone to bring a sweet. The first one to volunteer was the young "fit" girl in our group.She teaches two boot camps a day and is very health conscience. Everyone kinda laughed when she stood up because we all knew what kind of dessert she was going to bring. Her step mom even laughed and said, "what are you going to bring, avacado slices with choc drizzled over them?" Well, it was funny because at our next meeting there were more desserts than ever before! I guess everyone was afraid she was really going to bring avocados so people brought backups.
    I am sooo surprised about the soda....there has only been a few times I have had a bad craving....recently it was in the checkout line at WalMart. Before, just out of habit,I would've grabbed one out of the cooler....but this time I resisted! I am going to do my best to make it a full year...and if I can do that, Hopefully I am done with them.
    I did see on the local news that there is now a 10 calorie Dr. Pepper...too little too late!

    Sorry for such a long post....I am trying to catch up on everyone's blogs.I have been so swamped trying to fill crochet and Mary Kay orders, I barely find time to sleep.
    Congrats to everyone who has made it through the challenge.....when does the next one start??

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