Speed Motivating (a la Speed Dating)

Friday, March 23, 2012

Want to get recharged in sixty seconds or less? Scan a few pages of your friend feed! It's amazing what cream you hit right away, just skimming . . . you get the condensed version even from "friends of friends!"
[see bottom of page if you need help finding your full friend feed]

For example, these are all BLOG TITLES. Simply blog titles. And they're underlined for you on the feed! It's like a quick highlight reel of encouragement and advice nuggets!

One good decision at a time (Klong8)

Making a Difference (MamaSuds)

I need to have more faith in myself (Nancy-)

It's a Mindset (HawkEyeRant)

More Stress but a Good Run Today (HoundLover)

I have to believe: "He will finish" (MI-EllKayBee)

Truth Check Today (Klong8)

No excuses (SherylDS)

NOT Going to guilt myself further off track (Namaari)

Renew Yourself (LadyRose49)

Following in the Footsteps of Faith (MJRVIC2000)

Savouring Life Through the Five Senses (Watermellen)

Control Your Thoughts - Control Your Life (ID_Vandal)

Feeling Armed...And Ready (TravelGrrl)

I need to suck it up (Nancy- )

Strong Is the New Skinny! (VisualLyrics)

It's Good to be Listened To... (Little-Lori)

I'm not there yet, but I can see it from here ( MobyCarp)

A New Normal (CameoSun)

Depend on Christ ( LadyRose49)

Use It and Move It (BigLittleWoman)

Dieting is Permanent (Watermellen)

More of Just Life (I.M.Magic)

Let's Not Miss It! (MamaSuds)

I am a Finisher - Whatever It Takes (WarmSpringDay)

I Choose to Succeed Every Day (SetAGoal1)

Wasn't that fast and easy? And don't you feel better already? Try it some time!

[To find your friend feed, go to the My Trackers bar and click START. Look in the bottom right corner of the white box area and click the red letters which say "SEE FULL FRIEND FEED.]

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Unsubscribe to Junk [Food]

Monday, March 19, 2012

The more I clean up my eating habits, the more I discover that so many treats I used to love are delicious only in my memory.

I will not list them --- because I myself am easily triggered, and I'd rather not read a blog and find that its details have triggered my cravings for junk! But I'm talking about packaged, processed food, and fast food, and a few restaurant specialties thrown in. They just don't live up to my self-indulgent expectations! (with a few exceptions, like . . . . oh, never mind!)

It's disappointing enough to make a poor choice and know I am compromising my goals. Then when it doesn't even taste very good, or I didn't remember it being so waxy, or there's a chemical aftertaste . . . . Rats! Why did I do this? This has happened plenty of times before! Why don't I remember that the pleasure payoff is rarely what I expect?

When I was going through the book The Beck Diet Solution, for a while I rated splurges numerically. With pop, for example, which was my downfall for years, I would rate how good I expected it to be. Always 10. Then I gave a number to how good it actually was, in reality, that moment. Usually the first sip was 9 or 10, then my satisfaction would fall to 4 or 5---if I was even paying attention. (The other pattern this made me notice is that I usually savor the first bite of a treat, and often after that I'm on autopilot.)

So that was one helpful element, and I do have that as a daily pop-up reminder on my ipod: Unhealthy foods do not satisfy.

This morning I ate something that is NOT on my diet. I rationalized it, of course. I had several persuasive excuses. For one thing, it was in the middle of my two-mile walk. Which it cancelled out, of course.

So while pondering those 200 calories I wished I could have back, I was making a mental list of the other junky things which I KNOW from experience are NOT WORTH IT. I wanted to impress on myself to STOP that useless input.

I CAN UN-SUBSCRIBE TO THAT FOOD ! Just like out on the web---when I think a blog will be informational and it turns out to be just a series of advertisements, I can unsubscribe! In my mind I went click, click, click. Check off that box. Not desirable to me any more. Not turning out to be what I really wanted. Unsubscribe.

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Quote Digest 27 - Overcoming

Sunday, March 18, 2012

If I put half as much energy into changing my life as I do into griping about my life, I'd only weigh 3 pounds by now!
- from PrincessNurse SparkPage

. . . In the past I would have just said "Too much going on - I'll get my diet started after things settle down." Well we all know things never "settle down" so we have to just go through the turbulent waters sometimes and keep a steady hand on the helm.
-from ID_VANDAL blog 5/10/10

I am going to breathe this week in. I am going to live each moment ~
~ for the stuff that seems hard to bear, I AM GOING TO rely on God's strength and comfort.
~ when I might get overwhelmed and think I don't have time to exercise, I AM GOING TO evaluate the benefits, the stress release . . .
~ when I get going on a project or task, and think I can "just grab something" I AM GOING TO be mindful that I eat healthy, and that I eat enough.
- from BELIEVE-IT blog 5/30/10

A fellow Sparker said, "If I think I can't do it, I just do it anyway". That statement truly changed my life. So now I say to myself, "I feel terrible, I guess I will go for a walk now". In the past, I would have gone to bed.
- from FrenchToSD 5/11/10 comment on Missy7Kids 5/10/10 blog

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Figure Out What Went Wrong

Friday, March 16, 2012

Assignment for Spring 5% Challenge-- Why diets have not worked in the past:

stubbornness and self-indulgence. over-emphasis on pleasure from food. turning to food when bored or emotional. letting tracking slide. letting myself get too hungry. doing something else while eating.

Strategies for Success NOW: Say Dr. Beck's "No choice" and fatloser.com's "100% compliance.". Track relentlessly. Plan meals ahead of time. No distractions while eating. Choose healthy indulgences (premium freggies, excellent meat and fish). Plan wholesome non-food indulgences. Have a stand-by meal on hand. Have a stand-by snack in the car. Brush my teeth extra times.

Why exercise has not worked in the past: Too little of it....due to laziness, stubbornness, distractibility, procrastination.

Strategies for Exercise Success NOW: Schedule mandatory exercise appointments. Choose a streak to target. Remember how good I'll feel later. Voice my intentions to others. Set up exercise dates with my daughters.

Overall: Mental toughness. I want this. Go for it.

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Came This Close

Thursday, March 15, 2012

Okay, it was a close call. Hold thumb and finger a centimeter apart, that close.

I really, really, REALLY wanted the * * * * [treat unnamed to spare trigger responses]. I could taste it, feel it in my mouth. I told myself that I would only appreciate the first 2 bites, and after that it would be robotic. I told myself that it would be 689 calories on the tracker. I told myself that I would wish so strongly later that I had not eaten it. But I Really, REALLY wanted it.

We had planned to get coffee, so we got coffee. I stood by the cream station, agitating. Having an internal hissy fit. Having an internal temper tantrum. Big time pity party. Said "Okay, I am really unhappy about this, but it might be possible to walk out of her without that treat." Merely acknowledging the sliim chance. Somehow I felt my feet moving toward the door.

Somehow, by God's mercy, I escaped. I didn't like it, but I dodged that bullet.

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