Three Things to Ask Yourself Before You Start a Diet

 Oprah's trainer Bob Greene, says you should answer these questions before you start any weight loss journey.

1. Why are you overweight?
The real answer to this question is not simply: I like food—it goes much deeper, he says. "Are you in a toxic relationship? Do you hate what you do for a living? What is it about your life you would change?" Bob asks. "That answer is different for everyone. Get in touch with that."

2. Why do you want to lose weight?
The answer to this question will help you determine if you're beginning your weight loss journey with the right mindset, Bob says. "So many people [say], 'Oh, I have my reunion coming up,' or 'I get pressure from people at the workplace or my friends.' Those might get you going, but they'll never be long-term solutions," he explains. "The [best] answer to this question is, 'I want a better life for myself.'"

3. Why haven't you been successful to date?
If you have tried to lose weight in the past, Bob says it is important to explore the obstacles that have stood in your way to maintaining your goal weight. "It's about identifying what is going to trip you up, because the same things will trip you up if you haven't resolved the heart of the issue," he says

A Setback is a Setup for a Comeback

I have been kind of down lately because my bathroom scale keeps going up and down, and it is the same three pounds over and over again. It has been three weeks since I have actually lost any weight and it is getting to me.

My eating has been really good, for the most part. I don't keep anything in the house that would even temp me to go off of my plan, and when I eat out, I am making good choices. So I guess the answer is I have to move more.

I knew the answer before I even wrote it, but I am having a really hard time getting motivated to exercise. We have a fully equipped exercise room where I live, but I am still  not at a weight that I feel comfortable working out with "those" people. You know who they are; the ones who are in tip top shape, that look at people who are not, like we have two heads? I take walks with my dog everyday but I really have to commit to some kind of cardio. Blah!!

Yesterday, I saw this saying  "A setback is a setup for a comeback" and it struck me! I guess it is time for my big comeback! Then a friend of mine posted this video of an amazing comeback!
 

I guess it was the Universe lining up, trying to tell me to get my act together! 

The bottom line is to never give up, even during setback experiences, because everything has a purpose in helping us obtain our goals. It is about the journey, not the destination!

Friend Makin Monday!

I stepped away from my blog for a bit to work on the inner me, rather than concentrate on the outer me. I read some great books, which I plan to write about later this week, but I was inspired to step back into blogging after I stumbled upon a blog called  All the Weigh . The gal that writes this blog has lost over 100 pounds and is still on her weight loss journey. She has an activity called Friend Makin Monday, and I am all about making new friends, and I decided to give it a whirl! So here we go!

Its Monday again folks and that means Friend Makin’ Mondays with Kenz from All the Weigh. If you’ve taken part in FMM then you know the rules. If you’re new, please take a moment to answer this week’s question on your own blog then add your link in the comments section at All the Weigh so we can all see your FMM answers. By linking back there, everyone will have an opportunity to be equally heard. This week’s question is…

FMM: If you could meet someone famous today, who would it be? And why?

This is a tough question, because I have several, but if I had to choose just one, it would be Oprah. 

 

I admire the way she has used her fame to try to make a difference in the world. She has a work ethic second to none and she is a broadcast journalist who started out more than 25 years ago in an industry where being black and a woman was very difficult. 

Several times over the years I tried to get tickets to her show, with no luck, but I have watched her show faithfully for 25 years and I will miss my 4 p.m. date with her Monday through Friday when she retires the Oprah Winfrey Show.

Over the years, I have also commiserated with her about her weight loss and weight gain. The only difference is, I did not have to deal with a global audience watching my scale go up and down. Talk about pressure!!!

Oprah, I am going to miss you, but you deserve a rest. I hope you will travel and enjoy the riches you have earned, but if you get bored, I will faithfully watch any show you decide to do on the Oprah Winfrey Network!!

P.S. I would also LOVE to meet Ellen DeGeneres and since she is not retiring in the near future, I might be able to score some tickets to see her show someday!!!

 

Food Addiction vs Drug Addiction

 A recent study suggests that food addiction and drug addiction have a very similar brain response. Well, I didn't have to spend a ton of money on research to tell you that! Addiction is addiction, but my real question is how does a food addict give up food when we need it to sustain life?  An alcoholic or drug addict can choose to never drink or use again, not so with food addiction. Food addiction is much harder to conquer and stay clean, because you still have to use your "drug" every day. That is why so many people go up and down the scale all of their lives, because you can be under control and lose weight for long periods of time and all it takes is one weak moment or several to send you back up the scale and into full blown relapse. I admire people who can lose large amounts of weight and keep it off for long periods of time because the amount of self control that takes is mind blowing.

It always amazes me to hear people who have never had a weight problem talk about over weight people like we are just lazy or stupid. I doubt they would say the same nasty things about people with other substance abuse issues, we just happen to wear our addiction on our bodies for everyone to see.

I really hope this study will open up some discussion about new ways to treat obesity. People with severe substance abuse problems enter in-patient treatment, well maybe that is something to consider for severe food addiction as well.

Kirstie and Maks Take a Great Fall

I was watching Dancing with the Stars tonight and the unthinkable happened, Kirstie and Maks fell! I could not believe my eyes, but they got right back up and performed beautifully.

After watching it back about 8 times, Maks clearly had an issue with his hip and it gave out and they went down. He was in pain during the rest of the performance, but they both continued on like the professionals they are. Later in the evening, after the show, Kirstie wrote on her Twitter  @MaksimC.,,I salute you...U r a gladiator...A champion...I'm honored to be your partner. Maks responded with  "To all of the fans...I'm sorry! It will never happen again and I will never 'fail'! To @kirstiealley you were ..FLAWLESS! In more ways than one!"  Awe, so sweet!

The problem is, there are people out there that are going to blame this on her weight. They were just waiting for this to happen and it did. I know she is still a big girl, and I am not naive to the fact that her weight could have contributed to the fall, but Maks is a professional dancer, they had practiced this move many times before, and he survived. It was an accident on live television and I fear Kirstie is going to get persecuted for it.

I am probably more sensitive than most people about this subject, because I was teased and ridiculed all of my life due to my weight issues. Kirstie put herself out there and did this show for people like me, to show the public that big girls can dance and look good doing it. You have bullies like George Lopez, trying to destroy all of the good that Kirstie was achieving on the show by comparing her to a pig, but thank God that backfired on him. I just hope this unfortunate fall did not open the door for other bullies to have a reason to ridicule her, just for trying to better herself and lose weight and have fun doing it.

Kirstie really does get the last laugh however, because she is the one who gets to dance with a hot guy like Maks every week. She even got a kiss and that ain't too shabby.

"Winning"! Take That Charlie Sheen

Everyone seems to being using "winning" since Charlie Sheen had his meltdown and made it the popular thing to say. I am using it because, well I feel pretty good about my eating the last week, and since it is only Monday, I hope this week will be just as good.

My husband is in San Diego on a business trip, so I only have to feed myself and the dog for the next few days. The dog is pretty easy to keep happy as long as her bowl is full, and I decided to keep it simple with  my food choices as well.

I bought some Amy's Organic frozen dinners. I had this one tonight.

It was very good and only 250 calories. The fat content was low, but there was a bit more sodium in it than I would have liked, that is the problem with most frozen entrees. I had a strawberry and spinach salad for lunch because strawberries are fresh here this time of year. It was so good I ate it before I remembered to take a picture of it! I am still doing my Lean Shakes for breakfast and I will have a shake every other day for lunch.

I am leaving Friday for a conference in Nashville, and I want to make good food choices while I am there, even though I know it will be hard eating out for three days. I will keep using all of my Xyngular products on the trip, and that won't be difficult, since it is a Xyngular conference! I hope to come back with a ton of great new information about the products and how to use them.

Here is to a great new week and all of us being "winners"!!

Life's a Beach

I have been busy living life and my blog took a backseat for a bit.

My step daughter's came to visit for my husband's 60th birthday and we went to the beach.

 This is what 60 looks like. 

My diet also took a backseat for three days because we ate out and I did not really choose my meals as well as I could have. It was a conscious choice on my part and I am not upset by my decision. My step daughter's have never been to the deep south before and I wanted them to sample some of the southern delicacies, so we ate out a lot.  Fried green tomatoes and beignets are not diet food to say the least, neither is a Muffaletta sandwich, but I ate them and enjoyed every bite! My husband and I don't eat out very often so I took full advantage of it and I did pay the price on the scale but I am back on track.

Yup, life's a beach sometimes!