Baby Steps V

Hanlie (comment is here): I think people have trouble tying consequences to their choices. Ultimately they don't want to change and in the process they sacrifice not only their own well-being, but that of their children. These are often the same parents that would emphatically declare that they only want the best for their kids. The thing is, your awareness and the way you live, is not the norm and most people have been so conditioned to function within the norm that they can't see that it comes at a huge cost.

The Years (in a nutshell)

My pictures and my family.

My weight loss stats and history. I have made exercise notes for each time frame.

I did lose weight once before and part of that story is here. I worked hard on food. Was NOT exercising. And did NO work on the inside parts. And yes I regained. That posting is VERY long, should probably have been split into three different topics, but I have left it as I first wrote it.

(The VERY beginnings, of the story, of this weight loss journey are NOT on this blog. I was not blogging then. This blog starts at the tail end of that initial weight loss. )

The end, of the story, of this weight loss IS ALL here on this blog. There are over 1600 posts talking about all the odds and ends connected to weight loss and maintenance here on this blog. Somewhere long ago I wrote - if you think I have gotten off topic - look again - it is all sooooo inter-related.

Getting into my goal range was 2 years almost exactly - 2005 and 2006. This was when I concentrated on learning about food, exercise, and all the other basics like sleep. I started my yoga practice and got brave enough to join a gym. Here is a posting that gives a recap of my thoughts about all the changes I have had to make over the years with exercise facilities.

Then 2007 was all about tone and getting on the right psych medications. I found my therapist and then, in turn, added my psychiatrist. I was in "maintenance mode". And on the way to maintenance mode, I had a few interesting twists. Read this one first and this one second . Here is a posting that talks about what maintenance mode ended up looking like (to me) when I got there.

2008 - Maintenance mode. And getting my lower back and uterus 'corrected'. Those posts can be found in March, April, May, June, July of 2008. It wasn't easy at the time, but in the long run ended up being really good for me. I was in physical therapy for 2 months. And that is when I learned how to REALLY exercise.

2009 was the year of surprises - my insurance changed (January) so that my therapist is/was not covered. After a couple gasps for air - my therapist and I decided that it was probably a good opportunity. A good chance to wean me - see if I was ready to stand on my own two feet. The second surprise was my deciding to lose more weight . After two years of maintaining in the 150-155 lb range. I decided to drop a few more pounds and continue to work on tone (those posts can be found starting late June/early July 2009 and there is a whole series call 'The last 20 lbs' on my side bar above).

God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference.

Living one day at a time; Enjoying one moment at a time; Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace; Taking, as He did, this sinful world as it is, not as I would have it; Trusting that He will make all things right if I surrender to His Will; That I may be reasonably happy in this life and supremely happy with Him Forever in the next.
Amen.--Reinhold Niebuhr
From my Blame Game posting.

Hanlie's book review post:
In Kathy’s own words -
"Many of the tools that are mentioned in this book come down to one basic concept: Loving and respecting ourselves enough so that we can focus on our own need to find balance in our lives. It’s about raising our self-esteem so that we can find the strength to reach whatever goal we wish to achieve, whether the goal is a healthy weight or something else. And above all, to feel connected, so that we do not try to fill the emptiness of feeling disconnected with excessive amounts of food."

Shauna (Dietgirl): "Weight loss isn't about willpower or motivation; it's just the cumulative effect of tiny actions over time. Putting down the chocolate bars, putting on the running shoes. You just have to keep picking yourself up when you fall, over and over again, for however long it takes."

Another Shauna Quote
(on Lyn's blog):
"It's taken me two years of maintenance to admit this to myself - weight loss and maintenance are pretty much the same. When I was in weight loss mode, I hated when people said, "Weight loss is SO easy! Just wait to you start maintaining little missy - that's where the real work begins!" Grrrr! Neither of them are easy. They both can be really, really sucky sometimes. I've discovered I need the same basic, never-say-die mindset as I did for weight loss. Things like taking one day at a time, setting goals, trying to make the healthiest decisions I can, focusing on my positive actions and not beating myself up for the crappy ones, and most importantly, just never giving up!"

And this is soooo good that I am not quoting - take a minute to go read the whole thing.

Vickie Said: I love to read those Warrior Heart maintainers write about their feelings and drive and effort. I have read everything (I think) that Shauna has published - her whole blog, her book, and now am enjoying her blog book tour.

Quote: “How about looking at maintenance with a completely bold vision? Maintenance is nothing short of a complete remodeling and re-envisioning of you and your relationship to the world. To do this, you must both embrace the world in a new way and utterly reject other parts of that world. You must embrace the natural world including sleep cycles, physical activity, interaction with the sun and the elements and the foods that are original to man. You must reject modern eating patterns, the intrusion of man-made stressors like the constant presence of noise, media and artificial environments. You must become a rebel. An original person in a world that largely moves in an unthinking mass. "

This is the image that I focused on all morning: I am standing in open ocean water - on a wooden post. If I make the post very small - then it only holds one of my feet and it is hard to balance. If I make my post a little bigger - I can balance on two feet. I am not waiting for a boat to come in and save me. I am not trying to swim the whole ocean. I am also not trying to build a whole island at once. I am doing what I can. I am staying up out of the waves. My post is small but secure. I am shoring myself up - on my post - for as long as need be.

"We cannot help the birds of sadness from flying over our heads, but we need not let them nest in our hair."

It is only when we have the courage to face things exactly as they are, without any sort of self-deception or illusion, that a light will develop out of events, by which the path to success may be recognized. (translated from I Ching, an ancient Chinese text and shared by my psychiatrist.)

Briefly stated, the three laws are: An object in motion will remain in motion unless acted upon by a net force. Force equals mass multiplied by acceleration. To every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. (Laws of motion by Sir Issac Newton)

Lisa (downtown Yoga instructor that moved to NY state spring of 2007) once said - "You don't have to start OVER, you just begin again - from where you are."

"I've learned you get to your goals in a zigzag manner, and you have to enjoy the zigzag."

and

"All the little pieces of myself came together. I no longer think in terms of black and white: extremes don't interest me anymore." (Lorie Marino, Model/Designer in February 2008 issue of MORE magazine)

MORE Quotes.

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Baby Steps V

Yes, it's me (Vickie)

Last 20 lbs Series - Summer/Fall 2009 Notes:

The Years (in a nutshell)

Take What is Helpful and Leave the Rest

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