Why Attitude Changes Everything

Pattie has invited us to write a post about why and how attitude has made a difference in our weight loss journeys. Here goes, Pattie...

This is certainly not my first thrill ride when it comes to losing weight. In fact, I've ridden the weight loss roller coaster ever since seventh grade. I still remember the day my dad first commented on my weight, which by then, had already crept up to 145 - the same number my P.E. teacher pronounced loudly enough for the entire class to hear when I stepped on the scale.

Ironically, the only place I felt comfortable during those years was at the local YMCA, where my athletic build wasn't out of place. In fact, I practically lived in a swimsuit, working as a life guard and swimming instructor all the way through high school.

I'm not sure what happened after college when I got married and birthed a baby, except that aerobic exercise of any kind fell completely off my radar. Whenever I needed to lose weight for a special event, I simply picked from the current menu of gimmick diets and practically starved myself back into a random size.

Looking back over the past 30 years, I realize that even when I got my weight back down to seventh-grade level, I still FELT FAT. Consequently, my thoughts always sounded like this: You look fat. Your thighs are huge. You don't even have a waist. You'll always be fat.

In response, my body simply manifested my thoughts. It worked hard to make me fat, to make my thighs large, to increase my waist size and to keep me overweight. Eventually, I reached a point last year when I finally threw in the towel and said, "What the heck? I'm fat and I know it. I might as well enjoy eating."

To get started, I took everything off my "prohibited foods list." I stuffed myself over and over, eating foods I had avoided most of my life - pizza, doughnuts, desserts, pastas, etc. As I packed on the pounds, I became more depressed and more miserable than ever...afraid I would never be able to stop the vicious cycle of destruction that consumed my waking moments and disturbed my sleep at night.

Somewhere toward the end of last year, I read Wayne Dyer's book, "Being in Balance." I was challenged by Dr. Dyer's assertion that I am not WHAT I eat so much as I am what I BELIEVE about what I eat.

Finally, on January 15, 2008, at home with the flu, I watched Oprah's show for the first time in my life. I heard Bob Greene describe what he termed "The BestLife." I cried as Oprah said loving yourself means honoring yourself and your own feelings first.

I agreed with Bob: "Losing weight is not that complicated. You simply have to eat fewer calories than you burn." But I also knew that logic alone would not get me off the killer coaster ride. I knew I had to change my thinking. I knew had to change my attitude. For that, I turned to Oprah's other buddy, Dr. Phil McGraw, and his book, "The Ultimate Weight Solution: The 7 Keys to Weight Loss Freedom."

Having already signed the BestLife contract with myself, I worked through Dr. Phil's book like an alcoholic works the 12 steps. Six months later, I still keep the book within arm's reach at my desk because I've been at this weight before - although I'm in better physical condition than I've been in 30 years - and I don't want to slide back to where I started.

During the last six years, I've learned that the only way for me not to get drunk is never to take the first drink. I'm learning that the only way for me not to regain the 50 pounds I've lost is to monitor my eating and exercise habits as consciously as I avoid alcohol.

The difference this time is I'm no longer afraid. I'm willing to be honest with myself. I'm willing to step on the scale once a week. I'm willing to 'write what I bite.' I'm willing to maintain a no-fail environment. I'm willing to exercise regularly. I'm willing to be accountable to a support team.

Has my attitude changed? You bet. How has it changed? I'm no longer moaning over the past. I'm not anxious about the future. Today - right now - is what's important. And the right decisions I make right now are the ones that will add up to right thinking and right habits. And when it's all said and done, everything will be all right.

Resources:
Being In Balance: 9 Principles for Creating Habits to Match Your Desires

The Ultimate Weight Solution: The 7 Keys to Weight Loss Freedom

Tuesday Weigh-In: A Mixed Bag

Yesterday afternoon, I made it a point to watch Oprah's interview with six people who accepted the 2008 BestLife Challenge.

"Everyone had different results from a weight loss standpoint. But I think across the board, everyone here had a revelation inside and made some changes," trainer Bob Greene said. "It's more about inside. If you start to [think], 'Oh, I'll be happy when I'm this weight,' that's when problems start because one of two outcomes: You never reach that weight and you're not happy, or you reach that weight and realize it had nothing to do with your happiness." Good advice.

Well, my own computer trainer is red-faced this morning because I didn’t meet my exercise goals for the week. I admit: bad planning on my part.

Although I walked the neighborhood regularly, I shaved extra minutes from my schedule by not going to the gym every day. Not a very good excuse, actually, when I promised to make exercise a daily priority. And after doing a little clothes shopping earlier this week, I can see why I need to keep exercise a daily priority!

The good news is we’re still celebrating a three-pound and 1.75-inch loss this week (go figure!) bringing the Healthy You Challenge totals since January 15 to 47 pounds and 39.75 inches.

BMI: Start 33.9 /Current 26.3 /Goal 23.4 or less
(D-a-n-g, this thing goes down slowly!)

Waist-to-hip ratio: Start .94 /Current .83 /Goal .80 or less
(At least we’re still making progress!)

Beginning Friday, I’ll be on the road again - for nearly two months! Back to the hotel fitness centers!

Bob Greene's Cure for Emotional Eating

Fitness expert Bob Greene acknowledges emotional eating is a common way we sabotage our efforts to keep off the weight we have worked so hard to lose. Here's his remedy:

"Draw a large circle on a blank sheet of paper," he says. "Divide the circle into several sections so it resembles a sliced pie. Each section represents an area you feel is an integral part of a fulfilled life, such as career, family, health, fitness, friendship, romance, finance, relationships, etc. Aim for at least six categories and write them in each pie slice.

"Next, ask yourself how everything is going in that area — and be brutally honest. Going well, write a positive sign; not so well, make a negative sign. Examine the slices with a negative sign. How could you improve that area? What is something you can do every day to stimulate positive change? Write at least one item in each section that you can do right now to improve that category, and then commit yourself to it...

"People who struggle with weight gain often want instant gratification," he concludes. "But if you're patient and take small steps every day, the results can be powerful. If you can consistently do at least one thing daily to change a negative to a positive, I promise that powerful change will occur in your life after one year. If you can do three things daily you won't recognize your former life. The philosophy is similar to losing weight. If you eat healthy and exercise, you don't feel any change on a day-to-day basis. Yet, you can look back a year later and see a profound transformation. You'll also discover that since you addressed negative feelings about a relationship or money worries, your emotional eating episodes have vanished."

Making random lists, then prioritizing daily tasks keeps my mind out of the fridge and on productive action. Whenever I feel disorganized, I recognize my tendency to pick up food. Instead, I pick up a pencil and a pad of paper.

What works for you?

Three Cheers for HYC Bloggers!

One of the things I love about the Healthy You Challenge bloggers is the group's way of celebrating success - large or small. All of us like to post badges for ANY reason!

Bob Greene reminds us dramatic change doesn't happen in one day or even a month. For some, that can be discouraging if your used to (and long for) immediate gratification. It's easier, though, to be patient when you feel as if you're reaping some kind of reward for your efforts; that's why it's so important to enjoy the process of positive change rather than focusing on the end result.

"Find joy in each triumph, big or small," Greene advises. "Don't take for granted turning down a piece of cake, eating a healthful breakfast, or going for a walk at lunch - or any other of the small but significant efforts you make as a part of your commitment to this program. They all count, and with continued patience, perseverance and a positive attitude, they're all going to add up to a big payoff."

The secret to success, he says, is this: "Be honest with yourself and those around you. Take responsibility for your actions and your life. Think of the commitments you make to yourself as sacred, and honor them in the way your honor commitments to other people. Identify what it is you really want from life, realize you deserve it, and think positively about your ability to get it. Make your plan, have the inner strength to stick to it, and claim the life you deserve!"

***So, in honor of small victories, I am pleased to report another one-pound loss for today's HYC Weigh-In. Oddly enough, that one-pound loss translated into another 2-1/2 inch loss, bringing the totals since January 15 to 38 pounds and 34.25 inches lost. WAHOO!

What's even MORE exciting is that through the C25K training program, I am now jogging 25 minutes without stopping at a 4.2 mph pace. Wa-TWO!

And as part of my commitment - not just to a diet program, but to a healthy lifestyle - I have entered my name in the hat TWICE for Scale Junkie's free bike giveaway. Winning would pull that prized item right from my vision board and put it under my diminishing derriere!

Quotes from The Best Life Diet

Working Hard or Hardly Working?

Bob Greene says a workout that feels too easy (little sweating, no huffing and puffing, for example) won't produce any real results. So how do you know if your sweat sessions are challenging enough to help you slim down? You can rely on the perceived exertion scale, a tool that uses your breathing to determine how hard you're working out. Ideally, you want to be exercising at a 7 or 8. Here's a look at what each number represents:

0 This is how you feel at rest. You're not tired and your breathing is normal.

1 This is how you feel while working at your desk or reading. There is no fatigue and your breathing is normal.

2 This is what you feel like when you're getting dressed. There is little or no feeling of fatigue, and your breathing is still normal.

3 This is how you feel while walking across a room to turn on the TV. You may feel a bit fatigued. You may also be aware of your breathing, but it's still natural and slow.

4 This is the way you feel when you're walking slowly outside. There is a slight feeling of fatigue and your breathing is slightly elevated, but you're comfortable. You should experience this level at the start of your warm-up.

5 This is how you feel while walking at a normal pace. You're aware of your breathing, which is now deeper, and there is a slight feeling of fatigue. You should experience this level at the end of your warm-up.

6 This is how you feel while walking to a meeting that you're late for. There's a feeling of fatigue, but you can maintain this level of exertion. Your breathing is deep and you're aware of it. This is how you should feel as you transition from warm-up to your regular exercise session.

7 This is how you feel when you are exercising vigorously. There's a feeling of fatigue, but you're sure you can maintain this level for the rest of your session. Your breathing is deep and you're aware of it. You could carry on a conversation, but would probably not choose to do so. You should try to maintain this level during your workouts.

8 This is how you feel when you're exercising very vigorously. You're feeling fatigued and if you asked yourself if you could continue this pace for the remainder of your exercise session, your answer would be that you think you could, but you're not sure. Your breathing is very deep, and though you could still carry on a conversation, you don't feel like it. You should only try to exercise at this level after you feel comfortable enough at level 7. This is the level that produces rapid results for many people.

9 This is what you feel when you're exercising very, very vigorously. You'd definitely feel fatigued and you probably wouldn't be able to maintain this level for very long. Your breathing is very labored and it would be difficult to talk. You may sometimes reach this level when trying to reach an 8 on the scale; if you hit this point, slow up until you're back down to a level 7 or 8.

10 This level is all-out exercise. It's so difficult, you couldn't maintain it for very long, and therefore, there's no benefit to it.

(For all you C25K people, I'm wondering if this approach will work for your training program?)

Healthy You Challenge Check In

The seventh key in Dr. Phil's "The Ultimate Weight Solution" is about assembling a circle of support.

"You need people to believe in you, and if they cannot do that, then you may have to re-invent your relationships and surround yourself with people who will...Don't continue to pretend that you don't know who has your best interests at heart and who does not. You know it as surely as you are sitting there. Give yourself permission to act on that knowledge and claim your right to a healthy existence."

Fortunately, I didn't have to nix any folks off my list. I've got a great group of supporters who fall into the slots on Dr. Phil's recommended team:

* The Coach - someone with technical expertise or professional training who can provide knowledge on nutrition, exercise or some other aspect of health management. (For me, it's my trainer.)

* The Teammate - someone whose weight loss and fitness goals are similar to your own. (My hubby falls into this category, as does my workout buddy.)

* The Cheerleader - Someone to give you honest, meaningful words of encouragement, building you up at critical times and offering support without a hint of judgmental attitude. (This is my sister and YOU!)

* The Umpire - This is a good observer and listener who cares enough about you to tell you the truth, constructively and helpfully. (You'll recognize him as Dr. George Monta when he comments.)

So far, this approach is working wonders to help me maintain accountability and a commitment to healthy living.

Since January 15, I have lost 25 pounds and 24.75 inches.
Thanks, everybody!

Quotes from The Ultimate Weight Solution: The 7 Keys to Weight Loss Freedom

Peace or Drama?

Getting started on The Best Life program was fairly easy. "Get a grip on emotional eating, eat breakfast, have an eating cutoff time, drink plenty of water and abstain from alcohol." Check.

Next, I got warmed up to the idea of becoming more active, simply by moving more - which for me translated into doing an extra "lap" around the living room-dining room-kitchen circuit of the house each time I went for another cup of coffee during working hours. (I office at home.)

Ten weeks into the program, I'm officially in Phase 3 of Bob Greene's exercise plan - which involves a minimum of five days aerobic exercise (150-249.9 minutes) and two days of strength training
(6 exercises each day). But once I found out that building muscle turns you into a fat-burning incinerator, strength training became appealing enough that I now do three sessions a week. And the payoff has been a loss of nearly 25 inches!

One thing that has sort of caught me off guard is how losing weight can leave you feeling exposed, vulnerable. This journey eclipses a mathematical formula of burning more calories than you eat. The real transformation happens inside, where you peel back layer after layer of stuff - most of which is a mask for what's really been hiding underneath a cocoon of fat.

Sarah Ban Breathnach declares it takes tenacity and daring to travel to the darkest interior of one's self:

"Our dragons are our fears: our day stalkers, our night sweats. Fear of the unknown. Fear of failing. Fear of starting something new and not finishing. Again. Or the real rear, the one that sends shivers up our spines: the fear of succeeding, of becoming our authentic selves and facing the changes that will inevitably bring. We might not be happy with the way we are living now, but at least it's safely familiar."

If you're following Oprah's "A New Earth" webinar with Eckhart Tolle, you're familiar with the illusory identity of the ego.

"Can you feel that there is something in you that is at war, something that feels threatened and wants to survive at all cost, that needs drama in order to assert its identity as the victorious character within your theatrical production? Can you feel there is something in you that would rather be right than at peace?" (Insert the nagging negative voice in your head.)

Dear friends, we are doing far more than losing physical weight. We are losing the trappings of what was not really "us" at all. By taking up the swords of Love and Light on behalf of our true selves, we are revealing the "what-I-AM-is-wonderful" us. And that makes it all worth the effort.

Quotes from Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy
and A NEW EARTH by Eckhart Tolle

Move that Muscle

Ruminate these words from Bob Greene's Total Body Makeover: "Muscle is the most calorie-hungry tissue in the body; maintaining it uses about four times the amount of calories that maintaining fat does...Strength training can do wonders to reverse muscle loss...Some research suggests that you can reverse two decades of muscle loss in just eight weeks if you stength train conscientiously."

And if that weren't enough, listen to this: "Strength training with weights also builds bone, lowering your risk of osteoporosis, and increases the body's ability to use insulin to clear sugar from the blood, reducing the risk of diabetes."

OK, but what if all that weight training makes me sore, I wondered? (Don't worry. If you do it right, you'll be a little sore.)
Remedy? Get a massage!

Research indicates that massage can have a positive effect on your muscle-building capabilities and fitness levels, which in turn increases your capacity to control or lose weight. Other research shows massage bursts the fat capsule in subcutaneous tissue so that the fat exudes and becomes absorbed. In this way, combined with proper nutrition and exercise, massage may actually help in weight loss. (Read more...)

Soooo, I've got my first follow-up appointment with a trainer this morning. Later this afternoon, my brother and niece arrive for a long weekend. Guess what we're doing tomorrow?
Thermal baths and massages!

Weightloss "Secrets"

As we begin to lose weight, questions begin to crop up:
How did you do it?
What (fad) diet
are you using?

Effective weight management is no secret. After all, it's pretty much simple physics: what you put in versus what you put out (medical conditions excepted).

If you read yesterday's post, you know that why, what and how we eat is largely a function of what's going on inside our heads. Oprah says it like this:

"You've got to ask yourself: What kind of life do I want and how close am I to living it? You cannot ever live the life of your dreams without coming face to face with the truth. Every unwanted pound creates another layer of lies. It's only when you peel back those layers that you will be set free: free to work out, free to eat responsibly, free to live the life you want and deserve to live.
Tell the truth, and you'll learn to eat to satisfy your physical hunger as opposed to your emotional hunger and to stop burying
your hopes and dreams beneath layers of fat."

Here's what's working for me:
* Planning and eating an average of 1200-1400 calories a day from BestLife menu guides,

* Prioritizing daily exercise, including aerobics and strengh training each week,

* Building margin into my overall schedule to manage stress levels,

* Maintaining accountability by logging all food eaten and all exercise performed, plus weighing, measuring and calculating BMI once a week.

* Not eating after 7 p.m.

* Giving and receiving support through chatrooms and HYC blogs.

What's your "secret?"

(Oprah's quote from the preface to The Best Life Diet (Paperback) By Bob Greene

Gut Level Honesty

A short six weeks ago, I sat silent with laryngitis and the flu, watching Oprah's show for the very first time. It might as well have been church for me. At the end of Bob Greene's message, I responded to his invitation to accept the 2008 BestLife Challenge.

I was, as Dr. Phil says, at the crossroads, ready to get off the fence, ready to begin translating my insights, understandings and awareness into purposeful, meaningful, constructive action.

I made up my mind that 52 years old is not too late to begin. I was ready to wipe the slate clean, start over (again!),
and reclaim my health and my life...
no matter how much it hurt to change.

Then I read Oprah's preface to Bob Greene's book (see sidebar): "What I know for sure is that living an unconscious life is like being the walking dead. All my fat years - my unconscious years - are a blur to me now. It's only because I have photographs and diaries that I remember them at all. And sometimes, even then I don't remember being present, because I wasn't really there."

THAT'S ME, I sobbed. Every "fat year" I created was a real bummer in one way or another. Here I was again, making another
"searching and fearless moral inventory" of myself.

Dr. Phil says it this way: "Effective weight management demands that you require more of yourself in terms of personal integrity, honesty and maturity. Get real enough with yourself to say, 'I'm mature and honest enough not to play mind games with myself.'"

So...in learning to be accountable (again!), I am pleased to report that by following Dr. Phil's principles and The BestLife program of healthy eating and regular exercise, I have lost 17 pounds and 14-1/2 inches since January 15.

***And my DH has lost 22 pounds!!

(Dr. Phil's quotes from 2 Book Set: The Ulitmate Weight Solution: The 7 Keys to Weight Loss Freedom/The Ultimate Weight Solution Food Guide.)

Abs-olutely Risky

The Washington Post cites a new study showing middle-aged American women are gaining weight, especially around the waist (DUH!), and their risk of stroke has increased significantly.

"Abdominal obesity is a known predictor of stroke in women and may be a key factor in the midlife stroke surge in women," one researcher said in a statement.

The report also says average body-mass index, a measure of obesity, rose from 27.11 in the earlier study to 28.67 in the later study.

My first reality check about weight happened last spring when my life insurance agent informed me I'm considered "high risk" because of obesity as measured by BMI. For whatever reason, I just stuck my head in the sand and agreed to pay the higher premiums.

On January 15, 2008, however, I took my head OUT of the sand
(see my profile photo!) and started the BestLife diet and exercise program. As soon as I get my BMI back into the normal range, you can bet I'm calling for a rate adjustment!

Calculate your BMI. I'm off to the gym.

Hunger Scale

Part of The Best Life process is learning to recognize emotional eating — impulsive, unhealthy snacking triggered by stress, boredom, depression, and other factors.

Real physical hunger, however, appropriately signals when your body truly needs to be fed. Using the Best Life
10-Point Hunger Scale is a great way to train yourself to recognize whether you are eating in response to real hunger or just an emotional trigger.

By learning to distinguish between real and imaginary hunger, we avoid overeating.

Wishbone Salad Spritzers

At Kroger yesterday, I bit the "3 for $5" tag below these Wishbone Salad Spritzers. BestLife approved, they're only one calorie a spray!

Good find. Good flavor. Good for you.

Fork Over the Calories

Overweight people usually share common eating habits: eating too fast, eating while watching TV, eating somewhere other than the dining room table, etc.

DH is the king of fast eating. Most of the time, he stands at the kitchen counter to wolf down only a few bites of BestLife breakfast before dashing off to work because he would rather sleep through three snoozes than to get up a few minutes early to eat more slowly. We're going to talk about this over the weekend.

When you eat too fast, you shovel in enormous amounts of calories without realizing it. By then, it's too late for your brain to signal your stomach it's full - a process that usually takes 20 minutes.

One way to slow down your eating is to put down your utensils between bites.

Dr. Philcites the case of Glenn,
a patient who finally felt ready to lose 50 pounds.

"He made only one change at first. A habitually fast eater, Glenn learned to put his utensils down after each bite. From counting his caloric intake at meals, we discovered that he had slashed his calories practically in half just by using this delaying tactic, yet he still felt satisfied even though he was eating much less. Glenn felt neither deprived nor threatened by this change; it was no big sacrifice. Each week, he would drop anywhere from 1 to 2 pounds, without much effort on his part."

I knew that. My mother's been saying it all my life. Duh.

We Admitted...

Nobody likes to admit defeat. Nobody likes to admit life has become unmanageable.
I didn't really consider - until today - that I have used food to medicate myself in much the same way I used to use alcohol. Bummer.

Here's an excerpt from page 48 of The Ultimate Weight Solution: The 7 Keys to Weight Loss Freedom:

"If you are chronically overweight, I know that your manner of living can be characterized as inert, harried and chaotic. You do not exercise; you are not a member of a gym; or if you are, you haven't actually graced the door of one in ages, and quite predictably, your main leisure time activity is watching television. Even your internal and emotional reactions are keeping your weight-sustaining lifestyle alive. Yes, you have set up your world and chosen your lifestyle in a way that supports staying overweight. You have chosen to live in a way in which no other result could occur."

Ouch, ouch, ouch. Yes, that was me until 12 days ago. But with the help of folks like Bob Greene and Phil McGraw, I'm learning to structure a different lifestyle - one day at a time.

And if I could describe this place of renewed hope, it would
sound like this.

Get Moving!

Okay, I have no idea how many steps a day I walk, which seems to be a requirement for logging daily progress on Phase I of Bob Greene's BestLife program.

Solution: a pedometer. Yep, I looked at the one on the Bestlife site, but as an Amazon Prime member, I get two-day shipping free, or overnight shipping for only $3.99.

I also decided I need a
food scale, since I obviously have no idea what a four-ounce portion of chicken looks like.

Two items, two days,
plus free shipping.
Deal of the day.

Now get moving!

Save $15 on $29 Cereal Purchase

If you and your family eat a lot of breakfast cereal, this Amazon offer is for you.

Click here to save $15 on $29 worth of Bob Greene's Best Life Diet-Approved products.

Offer expires January 31, 2008, so get clickin'!

Ho-Ho Hubby

Oprah and Bob's Best Life Challenge 2008 offers participants the opportunity to "make a contract with yourself."

Last night, during a commercial break in Comanche Moon, I presented a copy of the contract to my husband and asked for feedback.

After a quick read, he responded, "That is so nice." Click. Click. "Just remember, you're the cook around here. If you fix it, I'll eat it."

The weekend weather is predicted to be in the 20s, which should prevent his usual golf outings. Should be a good time to talk again.

In the meantime, I'll remain our household's Lonesome Dove.

P.S. I know why they tell you not to weigh in Phase I. I ate only 864 calories yesterday, but still gained a pound by this morning.

What is "The Best Life?"

The Best Life Begins

A bug bit me somewhere. Yesterday, I was so nauseated, I didn't even make coffee or turn on the computer. For me, that's the bottom rung of the "feel good" ladder.

Ironically, yesterday was the ONLY day in over a year that I've been sick.When Mom called to check on me, she asked if I had seen the current issue of Oprah's magazine. Well, no. I don't ever read it.

But when the show came on television at 4 o'clock, I was sitting in the living room with the remote in hand. So I watched. There was Bob Greene with Oprah introducing all these eyepopping makeovers. And I sat in my husband's easy chair, watching -- during the only hour I was awake all day.

This afternoon, I stepped on the scale to face the 45 pounds I regained during 2007 -- the same ones I lost during 2006. For the last hour, I've been perusing The Best Life web site, getting a feel for how it works and where to start.

Last week, I saw a sign: "I'm on a 30 day diet, and so far, I've lost 10 days." That's been the story of my life. Diet on. Diet off.
I'm miserable.

Well, here we go. I'm not looking for miracles. But I am willing to give it my best shot, one day at a time, beginning tomorrow morning.