Stressed?

If you try to seize the day, the day will eventually break you.
Seize the corner of His garment and don't let go until He blesses you.
He will reshape the day.

Reminders to think thin

If you think...I hadn't planned to eat this food, but I'm hungry. I have to eat right now!

Remind yourself... I don't need to eat. I just want to eat. But I want all the benefits of weight loss much more than I want the momentary pleasure of eating.



If you think... Even though I've finished everything on my plate, I want to keep eating I like feeling really full.

Remind yourself....Trying to become overly full is a habit that is likely to lead to weight gain. I need to stop when the food I've planned to eat is gone. My hunger will subside within 20 minutes.

DAY 42

Practice, Practice, Practice

Congratulations!
You've learned the cognitive therapy skills to think like a thin person. The longer you practice these skills the easier dieting will become.
Whenever you hit a rough patch, and you will, come back to the 42 habits we have just gone through. go through then all over again!
I am going to!

DAY 41

To Do
Here is a list of techniques that you have learned over the last 40 days.
You will need to continue these if you want to reach your goal weight or more importantly STAY at your goal weight.

Do these activities daily

Eat a healthful diet with limited calories.
Think about what you are eating before you actually put it in your mouth.
Sit down whenever you eat and then eat slowly and mindfully.
Eat only to mild fullness.
Monitor your eating throughout the day.
Give yourself credit.
Exercise.
Respond to lies or sabotaging thoughts.

Do these activities between once a day and once a week.

Weigh yourself at least once a week.
Discuss your weight and diet with your coach once a week.
Do planned exercise at least 3X a week.
Make sure you devote enough time for dieting.
Read your truth cards as needed.
Use anti-craving techniques.
Use the 7 question technique when upset.
Prepare for special occasion eating.
Problem solve to reduce stress.
Enrich your life.

Do these when you feel needed.

Plan and monitor what you eat..ideally daily!
Read your cards.

DAY 40

Enrich your Life

Do not put your life on hold while you diet.
Take a few minutes to write down goals that you have
now and for after you lose weight.
Do you believe that you are a worthwhile person deserving of love and pleasure?
Or do you think you do not deserve those things until you are at a certain weight.
Challenge yourself to allow yourself to enjoy pleasures and opportunities at your current weight.
Live your life now. Value yourself now. Even if you never lose the weight.

DAY 39

Keep up with exercise

Motivate yourself to exercise! Start small, 10-15 minutes a day.
You can do anything for 15 minutes!
Ask someone to do it with you.
Hire a trainer.
Try a video.
Be sure and do the type of exercise you like!
You need to write on your truth card why you want to exercise and read it often.

DAY 38

Deal With A Plateau

If you expect the scale to go down every week you are setting yourself up for disappointment. Short plateaus are perfectly normal in which the scale doesn't move or even goes up. This is due to fluctuations of hormones, fluids etc...

If you have reached a plateau, usually within the first 6 months of dieting, in which your weight does not moved for weeks at a time and you are still overweight, then chances are your body does not need the amount of food you are eating.

You can either change up your exercise or cut back on the food.

I am patient!

One thing I can say that I have become with dieting is PATIENT. (I am practicing giving myself credit.)
But it is true over the 30 years I have struggled with my eating I have learned to be more gentle and patient about the process. Finally.
I mean I wasn't patient 5 years ago when I went on the unhealthy atkins diet and ate sunflower seeds and low carb chocolate compulsively. When that diet stopped working after losing 20 pounds I began to gain quickly and stopped at a 30 pound gain. That is when I adopted patience. Four years ago I joined weight watchers and 24 hour fitness and began slowly and usually patiently losing weight and getting in shape. I guess I took a few crazy detours like the the Eat - Clean phase I went through, explained at the beginning of this blog back in april. Knowing what my purpose is for losing weight has kept me on the journey. The goal is not to get thin. But hey, I realized this week while I was living my life and living it with purpose, that I am within 4 pounds of my healthy goal weight. And I feel perfectly ok with where I am. The thing that I'm getting tired of is paying weight watchers forever...even though it has been worth it to not quit and gain it back. So what I decide to do ii... I am looking into working FOR weightwatchers. Then I can recoup some of that money AND keep getting the encouragement to continue. ineed to know that its part of the purpose God has for me...and I'll do it.

Stressed?

What do you mean by the providence of God? (Question 27)

“The almighty and everywhere present power of God; whereby, as it were by his hand, he upholds and governs heaven, earth, and all creatures; so that herbs and grass, rain and drought, fruitful and barren years, meat and drink, health and sickness, riches and poverty, yea, and all things come, not by chance, but by his fatherly hand.”

- The Heidelberg Catechism

DAY 37

Steps to Reduce Stress

1) Solve the problem- If you are stressed due to too many demands or responsibilities,
review day 8 cutting back on activity.
review day 27 to respond to negative thoughts.
2) Relax- Breathe and relax your body using relaxation techniques
3) Change your mindset-If you are chronically stressed you may be functioning under a set of your own unrealistic rules.
For example I should always make people happy, or I should always do my best.


Think through whether these are God honoring rules? or is the god you are truly serving "yourself" as you strive to feel good about yourself. The chief end of man as per the catechism is to " glorify God and enjoy him forever".
This should eliminate much stress : to glorify God you "depend on him".

To Do List

Write up your food plan (takes about 3 minutes!)
read your truth cards at least twice
read other truth cards as needed
eat slowly, seated
express gratefulness when you engage in helpful eating behaviors
exercise
create a believe it truth card
progress report
remind self of behavior and mindset changes you have made in the past 5 weeks
weigh and record

also are you still....

consulting diet coach
making dieting a priority
tolerating hunger and cravings
responding to lies with truth

DAY 36

Believe It

Have you lost weight so far?
Do you find yourself not believing it'll last?
Well, believe in yourself.
You have done it so far!
Think of all the behaviors you have improved.
~how often do you eat standing up?
~ mindlessly?
too quickly?
See? you have made great improvements!
What about improvements in your thinking?
~how often do you fool yourself?
condemn yourself?
You have changed a lot! And you will be able to keep doing it!
Once I believe I have lost weight due to my own efforts dieting will be easier.

DAY 35

Get ready to weigh in.

It has been 5 weeks. Good Job!
Tomorrow you will weigh yourself and
remind yourself that the scale is a tool to learn from.
It does not measure your worth.