Hasta La Bahbye Bad Choices

So, it's Halloween here (ok...everywhere) and there is this bowl of candy sitting there. I have a choice -- eat a candy (or 20) or don't eat a candy at all. I made a choice -- I made a healthy dinner, and had none. Here is the thing though -- its all a choice. I am not always the best maker of choices.

I work in my car, I get tired - traffic is heavy and I just want to go home - it is soooo much easier to grab a candy bar or a bag of chips while I grab some gas than to stop two times and delay the drive home even more.

It's a Friday night and my husband is working late, my daughter is at work, and it's just too much of a hassle to cook for just me - I will just grab a burger out, and gee - it comes in a meal so I will go ahead and have that soda and fries too.

I had a really horrible day (or a great one..I am an equal opportunity eater) and I deserve this ice cream as a treat.

Ok -- all of those things are true, however, I do have the choice to change those reactions even if I can't change the circumstances. I do not have to have what I call "stinkin thinkin"
I CAN plan ahead, pack a lunch, have a few single serve meals in the freezer that I made on my day off....and catch this -- I can have the burger and a salad instead of fries and a soda! Crazy huh?

Also...easier said that done when I have this history of doing this very thing. I will try - I will most likely succeed sometimes, fail others..but I will dust myself off and get back up and keep going..because that is how we learn from our mistakes.

Quote - Mistakes are proof that you are trying - when you are choosing that path - are you really trying? (not sure who said this)

Everyone makes mistakes, but the point here is don't compound the mistakes that you make by continually making those choices to fail. Don't make those choices that will make you feel worse and cause you to back slide. It is a matter of taking baby steps and moving forward - truly one only fails when they stop trying. I only fail when I give myself the self talk to allow myself to make these choices, even when I know they are not for my greater good. 

How can I stop that? Practice. Practice making better choices, practice not letting myself have those openings to allow the bad choices to slip in, practice being accountable for myself annnnd practice a positive self talk! 

I KNOW that today was bad, BUT ice cream is not going to make me feel any better -- hitting a punching bag might, or talking to my best friend, or doing something fun with my husband, walking the dog -- etc etc. 

I KNOW that I am going to get stuck in the car and I equally know that mornings are hectic - make lunches on Sunday? Make an alternate plan -- or when caught in that bind - make the extra stop - I am worth more than the extra 10 minutes it would take off my drive home. 

I KNOW that today was a GREAT day -- but I will feel bad if I celebrate with food - why not celebrate doing something fun, or buying a good book, or taking a hot bath while reading a good book. 

The thing is - if I stop and think prior to what it is I am choosing to do -- stop and think about how completely doing the things that will give me the opposite results that I want and then process that and do something else. I CAN say hasta la bahbye to bad choices...give it a try! 

Goodbye Workouts!

They say that into every life a little rain must fall - but I am fairly certain that for me -- it's sweat -- and this weekend it might be sweat, blood and a few tears. (although come to think of it, it did sprinkle this weekend as well)

They say...(who the heck are they anyway? I have always wanted to know..and who made them experts?) They say that the best way to lose weight is by eating right, of course whats right for one person is not right for everyone. It is NOT one size fits all. Eating healthy is good, its true, but for me..well if I am not moving, I will not lose. I can eat absolutely perfect - 150 percent on track, but I need to get a little wiggle in my jiggle, a little motion in my ocean, a little pep in my step.

So, lets talk about workin it out. I have a passionate feeling about exercise -- I HATE it! That does not mean that I dislike it a little, or that I just am not overly fond of it. That means I passionately with every fiber of my being HATE exercise!!! I do not like push-ups, sit-ups, etc - I am not a hamster to run on a wheel (or treadmill) and I hate the gym. (let's put that one right up there with going to the dentist without Novocaine) So, how does this work then? Hmmm...Good question

I walk, a lot -- most evenings you will find me watching TV with my family..its a guilty pleasure. Now, in times past that would mean sitting in my recliner, a bowl of popcorn or some yummy thing to nom on, feet kicked up and in relaxation mode -- because hey...I worked hard all day. Dr Phil has me on this one -- I can hear his voice in my head saying "How's that working out for you?"

"Insanity: Doing the same thing over and over again - and expecting different results." 
Albert Einstein


Ok, so I had to get real with myself. I have to move -- and oddly, moving more makes me eat better. Why? Because I will be danged if I busted my butt to move and ruined it by eating badly. I have heard it said you can't out run a bad diet...TRUTH!

So, what does a girl do when she hates to move but has to? She stands in front of her TV marching in place (yay fitbit!) I walk at LEAST 10,000 steps a day. As a nurse who spends a lot of time in her car, most of those steps are obtained in the house. I walk a circuit around the living room, dining room and kitchen during commercial breaks, march in place while the show is on, walk in place while walking the dog, etc etc -- but those 10,000 steps WILL happen. Do I enjoy it? No, not really..(hey not going to lie!) but, I don't mind it - and it doesn't take time away from my family, and THAT I DO enjoy!

I went this weekend and did something that I DO love -- I got to go rock hounding with my husband. We go outside (and I am so not normally an outdoor girl -- nature makes me sneezy! and the sun is also not this pale pale girls friend. I am an always burn never tan kinda girl) and look for rocks -- pretty sparkly rocks like quartz, aragonite, citrine, etc etc. There is a lot of planning involved and a lot of walking, hiking, balancing, jumping, carrying, and this weekend swinging a pick axe -- but it was a blast!!!

"It does not matter how slowly you go, so long as you do not stop" Confucius

The point is get up and get moving - it doesn't matter how fast you are, it doesn't matter what you do for movement -- just get off the couch. Two weeks ago my daughter (19 year old) and I walked to the park  - we ran around on the equipment, slid down the slides, swung on the swings - children walking by probably thought we were silly - but it was FUN! Have fun! Don't "work out" - Play! Do things you enjoy doing -- or at least don't hate!

Let me leave you with this thought. If you are like me, you wont stick with things that are boring, monotonous (That is why I walk with the TV shows! Can I get an Amen?) and generally a chore to do....You don't have to follow the video, the gym, the you-tube shows etc etc...you just need to move, its up to you how you do that. Are you ready to say goodbye workouts? It was seriously the best move I have made!

Pictures to follow of what we ended up bringing home from rock hounding.

   

Farewell Old Friend

So our heroine continues her quest of saying goodbye to the many things in life that cause her angst. 

Nah just kidding - well mostly...I AM saying goodbye to many things. I have realized that while I love a great many foods, they really do NOT love me back. The one that I am going to talk about today is something that I have said goodbye to already. I had a reader request for this one (shout out to Christine!) We are talking today about gluten.

Let me start by saying a great many people can tolerate gluten. I am not one of them. Let me follow that by saying - that is really not my favorite thing to say because while I can live without it..I miss it. I was the queen of breads -- family rule in my house (no joke!) was that if we were out to eat the last piece of bread in the basket was to be saved for mom! Who doesn't love the smell of fresh baked bread...or bread right out of the oven with some butter slathered over it...seriously one of life's little pleasures. However, it doesn't like me as much as I like it -- to the point where I felt daily like I was having a heart attack when I ate. No good!

So, like any good girl getting rid of things that are bad for her -- I stopped eating gluten. And then, I made my first rookie mistake, I replaced it with like items that were worse for me and higher in calories than what I was eating prior. I initially lost weight with the loss of gluten (wheat products) and then I gained it right back. Why? Because without the gluten most foods have to replace that flavor to get it comparable somehow - and they do that by adding sugars and salt and a mass of other chemicals and additives that are equally harmful for you.

Just because something doesn't do what you planned it to do doesn't mean it's useless - Thomas Edison

So what did I learn from that? I learned that I can live without bread...sometimes its nice, and I will not say that I won't ever turn to a gluten free option, there are some very good gluten free pasta options and bread out there. I just don't feel that I need to replace it the way I did when I started. Let me explain - prior to going gluten free my meal planning would look something like this ...

Breakfast - Bowl of cereal and toast or bagel with a glass of juice
Lunch - sandwich and chips with fruit
Dinner - meat, potatoes, veggie (maybe) and rolls or bread
Snack - crackers and cheese or crackers and hummus (I had a love affair with cracked black pepper and olive oil Triscuits and Wheat Thins)
Dessert - cookies, cakes, donuts...the list goes on.......

So replacing all of those options with a higher calorie option (that doesn't always even taste as good) is not really the way you want to go is it? My meals these days look more like this

Breakfast - Scrambled eggs with green peppers, red peppers, mushrooms and salsa with bacon
Lunch - grilled chicken salad with strawberries and almonds with a strawberry balsamic
Dinner -  a lean protein (chicken, beef, fish) with a starch (potato or rice) and a veg of some kind
Dessert - baked apple, Paleo ice cream or the occasional Paleo baked good

I don't really miss the breaded options - I do use some gluten free flour to dredge the meat on occasion - and as you can see there is the occasional treat in there that has a gluten free flour - but its in moderation - not as a replacement for all the breaded objects that I used to eat.

Now, that being said I do not believe that everyone should have to go gluten free. If you are not sure if you are one of those people - check out signs and symptoms of nonceliac gluten sensitivity.
HERE.

It is also important to say that I did make rookie mistake number 2. After trying my diet without gluten, I found that my chest pain disappeared within 3 days (yay!!!) however, because I did not do it through my doctor - they were unable to test to see if I had Celiacs or just a gluten sensitivity. I find that aside from some people not believing that its a problem for me, I don't care because guess what? The treatment is the same regardless of which way it comes about - you stop eating gluten.

I will also note here that some people don't stop eating gluten because it's a health problem for them - they stop because they want to (Paleo, Primal) and that's ok too. When you are saying goodbye to the things in your life that are not there for your betterment, you don't have to explain yourself. I, in fact would encourage you not to. Why? Because, well meaning family and friends will not always understand and try to talk you out of it. It makes it a little harder on that journey. The reality of the situation is this -- it does not matter! If it's something that makes you feel better physically, emotionally, spiritually. If it makes you a happier or healthier person, and lets face it foods do effect our emotions -- Just say it -- Goodbye to you XYZ food!

So, for me - I said farewell to my dear old friend Gluten (and Wheat) --- what do you need to say goodbye to?

Goodbye To You!

   This is the end! I can't take it anymore - and it's past time ...time to say goodbye. I know those words have come out of my mouth in the past. I know that we have gone back and forth, kissed and made up. This time however, it's for good - its forever. I want a divorce - I want to live life without you, and to be a happy, healthier person than I have ever been with you. You are no good for me, you make my life hell and it IS way past time that I have shown you to the door.

Quote - "A mistake repeated more than once is a decision" - Paulo Coelho

Hello! To those of you who don't know me - I am Sharyl and I have been chronically overweight since I had my first child in 1991. I have not been able to get my body back since then. However, that is my own doing. You see, I am the queen of excuses. "I am too tired to work out",  "The kids won't like that food", "Eating healthy is too expensive", and my favorite "Why should I never be able to eat what I want when everyone else can" But you know what they say right? Excuses are like a........ ahem, behinds, everyone has one.

The problem is that most people when they make an excuse, won't be signing their own death warrant. For me - I started a journey needing to lose 104 pounds. I have learned some interesting things along the way. First off dieting doesn't work, its designed to fail ultimately and I will go into why more in the future. I am down past the halfway mark in this journey (49 pounds to go to my goal) and have learned many lessons along the way - the one that keeps coming back to haunt me at this time is that I love food, I love sugar, and I am self destructive with the eating habits that I have brought to myself over the years. So, today -- and for every day from now on...I am saying goodbye.

I would love for you to join me as I say goodbye to those bad habits that are bringing me down in my weight loss, and maybe....just maybe...I can help you say goodbye to your bad habits as well. Back in the 80's there was a song with the same name as the Title of my blog - Goodbye To You by Scandal - the words hit home. What do you need to say goodbye to? Join me and we can say goodbye together.

For your listening pleasure the song is posted below! The words really could be applied to my bad love affair with food. Check it out!