WEIGHT LOSS TIPS AND THOUGHTS FROM CHRIS

Hi Everyone-

The top picture is a close up of my face when I started out last June on my weight loss journey. I have been on a weight loss journey for the past several months, and have taken a small break this past few weeks, but started back up LOSING WEIGHT again last week. I am down 50 pounds so far and still have some more to lose...

I thought I would share some observations and thoughts I have had about weight loss from the past year. I have struggled with my weight ever since High School - never being satisfied or happy with the way I look. Can I just say now? I LOVE being 40 - I do not worry about what others think as much as I used too! How freeing is that!? Sorry - back onto my Weight loss thoughts... I have changed my way of thinking, eating healthily has become a way of life for me! After several months of training my brain through SMALL changes, I now WANT to eat the healthy foods. DO NOT get me wrong - I still WANT sugar because it is like CRACK to me. Once I have Sugar, my body craves more. ACK! I need to stay away from sugar and processed foods because once I have it, I can never have enough... With that said, Easter candy has become my enemy. :) (I say this with a smile on my face!) So this week, I will be FASTING from sugar and processed foods. I will be eating LOTS of vegetables...

JUNE 2009

MARCH 2010

Along this weight loss journey, I have discovered a few things...

I find myself having this relationship with food that is ALL or nothing. If I would go OFF program, I would find myself having that FAILURE thinking. You know the thoughts, "well, I cheated, I might as well go ALL out and start again on Monday (even though it was Thursday.) OR "Oh I went off program, one more won't hurt" (then before I knew it a whole bag of cookies would be gone.)

Weight loss and this "diet" IS NOT about perfection it is aboutCONSISTENCY! Over the past 6 months, I have NOT been PERFECT. I have taken days or meals off plan.

1. Change your thinking! If you go off plan - IMMEDIATELY get back on program. Don't wait! ONE "binge" does not make you a failure! It is ONLY food - it does NOT define who you are!

2. When you are feeling strong- make a PLAN of what you would do when you feel weak! I would often make myself wait a half an hour BEFORE I snacked on something to make sure I wasn't dealing with emotions or stress eating. Another thing I did, (this one is drastic) I would tell my friends that if I even ate ONE tootsie roll (we were in a public place) to start OINKING as loud as they could. Honestly, I do not know if that would have worked, BUT I didn't eat any tootsie rolls that night!

3. Plan ahead for healthy snacks! It only takes a short time to do food prep - washing vegetables, cutting them up and making dip or whatever it is you love to eat. A new staple we have in our house at ALL times is cut up fresh vegetables and dip. When our friends come over, I can pull out a vegetable tray at any given moment with dip to nibble on. I can offer them chips or something if they turn their nose up at the vegetables but I know I can stay in control with something healthy to eat.

4. Give yourself credit even for the smallest things. It may seem silly - but YOU CAN do this!

• If you pass by sweets or some tempting food and do NOT eat it. Give yourself credit!
• If you go off program, but immediately get back on. Give yourself credit for not waiting!
• If you go exercise instead of doing something else. Give yourself credit!
• If you say NO to something, you would normally have said YES to. Give yourself credit!

Let me tell you, YOU ARE WORTH the effort it takes. The smallest success, NO MATTER HOW SMALL is HUGE!

Honestly, I am NOT in this to "win" it. I am here for the accountability! One thing I would say to myself in moments of temptation is that while NO ONE else may see what I am eating - I KNOW. And in the end, who am I kidding by hiding the fact that I am eating snacks and off plan food? I am only hurting myself. And I need to count on myself!

You are stronger than you realize! Remember...nothing tastes as good as being thin feels.

Ok- done with my ramble, not sure I said everything I was thinking, but I was interrupted about 10 times from my kids. Grrrrrrr Have a great day!

Hugs-