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Showing posts with label weighing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label weighing. Show all posts
Wednesday, January 20, 2016
All Or Nothing
I think "all or nothing" thinking is something most of us can relate to. Trying to figure out what's at the core of it may be different for each person, but it will be the reason for failure for all. No one can be perfect and fortunately,no one needs to be. I learned that the key to succeeding was to get honest with myself and acknowledge the fact that my "all or nothing" thinking was self sabotage. On some level, I was looking for a reason to judge myself and then give up. Instead of taking responsibility for my actions and working to overcome my weaknesses, I used them as an excuse to not keep going.
It went against a lifetime of negative self talk and low self esteem for me to not give up on myself and my diet. I had a few episodes during my weight loss where I lost all control and had a full out binge. I hated myself for it and it fueled my belief that I was hopeless. I recognized the truth that this was my pattern, trying, self sabotaging, hating myself, and giving up. Not too productive! No wonder I never got anywhere.
This time I was determined not to repeat old behaviors. This is what I did when I went off track. Once I became aware of what I was doing, and sometimes that happened after a few bites, or sometimes it didn't happen until the kitchen was empty, I would take a moment and make an effort NOT to begin the emotional self flogging, I would forgive myself, brush off the crumbs, tell myself it never happened and then continue on as if it hadn't. I would have my next scheduled Cambridge meal and continue on. Some may call this denial, but in reality it was a method of healing for me. I was gradually breaking those dysfunctional behaviors and habits, my "all or nothing" thinking.
You are on a journey and it will have twists and turns. Just keep moving forward and see everything as a positive learning experience. No successful person ever practiced perfectionism or "all or nothing" thinking. They practice resiliency.
Saturday, January 2, 2016
Customer Success Story!
This is my customer, Mary Gilmour, who lost 45 pounds! She submitted her story to Cambridge Diet USA and was chosen for the Jan Newsletter that is sent to all Distributors and customers on the emailing list. For her story Cambridge will pay her either $250 cash, or $300 in free product, her choice! Congratulations Mary. You look amazing!
Thursday, August 13, 2015
Why Cambridge Was My Success Story (finally!)
As I have shared before, I spent most of my life, beginning in toddlerhood, on a diet. I was born chubby (9lbs, 3oz) and I was always aware of the fact that I was different from my three thin siblings. Going through life constantly mindful of every bite of food you take and labeling it "good" or "bad" can really mess up any chance of feeling normal.
Going on Weight Watchers at the age of 9 with my mother was my reality. I was the only kid there in a room full of adults. I can't count the number of times we started and stopped that diet. We would lose some weight, and then gain it back...over and over. The meetings and weigh ins were torture. I can remember how labor intensive it was to follow back then with the counting, weighing, measuring, substituting, and generally having to choke down weird tasteless food. Yuck!
Now, many of you may not be old enough to have been on WW in the early days. It was very structured and detailed. I have to give most of the credit to my mom for the amount of work involved since she did the cooking. Once I got older I took over some of the kitchen duty and it was an enormous pain. It took up the whole day, planning meals and special prep work, making sure we had our weekly meals planned including the mandatory servings of liver and fish and veal, etc. I came to the conclusion early in life that dieting makes a person even MORE obsessed with food! Not the result you are looking for when you are already giving way to much of your time and attention to it.
I was poking around on the Internet this morning and came across this article that has the old original WW plan as I remember it from the 60's/70's. Maybe you can see why Cambridge was such a miracle for me and others who were completely burned out on conventional weight loss plans. This is long, but unbelievably and intensely detailed! Not unlike most weight loss plans that have you accounting for each bite of food you take. Cambridge's simplicity is the reason I was finally able to succeed at losing my weight and keeping it off for the past 14 years.
Here is the Weight Watchers original plan. You will be even more grateful for Cambridge. Click on the link below and prepare to be amazed!
http://www.dwlz.com/WWinfo/old1972ww.html
Going on Weight Watchers at the age of 9 with my mother was my reality. I was the only kid there in a room full of adults. I can't count the number of times we started and stopped that diet. We would lose some weight, and then gain it back...over and over. The meetings and weigh ins were torture. I can remember how labor intensive it was to follow back then with the counting, weighing, measuring, substituting, and generally having to choke down weird tasteless food. Yuck!
Now, many of you may not be old enough to have been on WW in the early days. It was very structured and detailed. I have to give most of the credit to my mom for the amount of work involved since she did the cooking. Once I got older I took over some of the kitchen duty and it was an enormous pain. It took up the whole day, planning meals and special prep work, making sure we had our weekly meals planned including the mandatory servings of liver and fish and veal, etc. I came to the conclusion early in life that dieting makes a person even MORE obsessed with food! Not the result you are looking for when you are already giving way to much of your time and attention to it.
I was poking around on the Internet this morning and came across this article that has the old original WW plan as I remember it from the 60's/70's. Maybe you can see why Cambridge was such a miracle for me and others who were completely burned out on conventional weight loss plans. This is long, but unbelievably and intensely detailed! Not unlike most weight loss plans that have you accounting for each bite of food you take. Cambridge's simplicity is the reason I was finally able to succeed at losing my weight and keeping it off for the past 14 years.
Here is the Weight Watchers original plan. You will be even more grateful for Cambridge. Click on the link below and prepare to be amazed!
http://www.dwlz.com/WWinfo/old1972ww.html
Sunday, April 12, 2015
Good Article Worth reading
I saw this article in "Huff Post Healthy Living" today and thought it was worth sharing:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/anne-ricci/6-things-no-one-tells-women-about-their-weight-loss-journey_b_7003184.html?ncid=txtlnkusaolp00000592
Expectations while losing weight can be a tripping hazard and it's best to not have them. You can have goals and milestones, but they should be a guideline, not a win or lose line drawn in the sand. It may be hard, but it's best to put your focus on following your chosen plan and not judging your progress only on what you see on the scale. If you are following your plan, your body will be shedding the weight at the rate that's appropriate for you, not what others have experienced and certainly not on a scheduled time line. So many things come in to play when it comes to scales. Remember, it is not only weighing your fat content, but also fluids, waste, bone, muscle, all of it in constant fluctuation.
Focus on your chosen plan and let your body take it from there. You will lose the pounds whether you acknowledge them on a scale or not.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/anne-ricci/6-things-no-one-tells-women-about-their-weight-loss-journey_b_7003184.html?ncid=txtlnkusaolp00000592
Expectations while losing weight can be a tripping hazard and it's best to not have them. You can have goals and milestones, but they should be a guideline, not a win or lose line drawn in the sand. It may be hard, but it's best to put your focus on following your chosen plan and not judging your progress only on what you see on the scale. If you are following your plan, your body will be shedding the weight at the rate that's appropriate for you, not what others have experienced and certainly not on a scheduled time line. So many things come in to play when it comes to scales. Remember, it is not only weighing your fat content, but also fluids, waste, bone, muscle, all of it in constant fluctuation.
Focus on your chosen plan and let your body take it from there. You will lose the pounds whether you acknowledge them on a scale or not.
Friday, April 10, 2015
How To Stay The Course While Surrounded By Temptations
I know it's hard to stay on any diet while in a family or group setting. I was raising my own 3 kids and running a day care so I was up to my elbows in food 12 hours a day when I was losing my weight. It was tough and I tripped up more then a few times, but I never let it discourage me. You just keep going and doing your best and eventually you get to where you want to be.
Losing and maintaining a weight loss is a job. It's not a temporary job either. It's a life choice and you do it alone for the most part. We are all obligated to make choices for our own best interest if we want to experience good health. If a person lived in a house with smokers, are they obligated to smoke too? They may be more inclined to, but they can choose for themselves if they value their health more then they value being part of the group. Just like that question parents have always asked their kids, "If all your friends were jumping off a cliff, would you jump too?". The same applies to dietary choices. It may be hard to say no to junk food if it is all around your environment, but you are never obligated to put anything in your mouth that you know is potentially harmful to your body. Be your own best advocate!
When you watch one of those TV shows that is about the super obese and how they got that way, that person may share a story of past personal trauma, but then you will often see that the entire family unit is super obese as well, including the previous AND the next generation! This is not necessarily due to one single event or to heredity, but more likely learned behaviors and habits, not to mention the house culture. No parent makes a point of teaching their child how to overeat and become obese. It happens day by day through example and often through issues like co-dependency among family members.
Of course, there is the exception and I am one of them. In a family of 4 siblings, I was the youngest and the only one, other then my mother, with a weight problem . We all ate the exact same thing, no exceptions. No snacking or getting food for ourselves...just what my mom put before us. I was chubby from birth. I inherited my mother's health issues too. She and I battled weight, high blood pressure, and heart problems together, while everyone else in the family was perfectly healthy. I was also a tomboy as she had been, always moving and playing sports, never sedentary, unlike my siblings who were, for the most part, a sedentary bunch. It never made sense, but in our case, heredity played a part. She inherited it from her father.
No matter what hand life has dealt us, we all still have choices to make regarding our personal issues and striving for the best health and quality of life we can. Losing weight is hard, even harder when you are doing it alone in an environment of others that eat mindlessly, but never underestimate your ability to manage or change your own life.
Losing and maintaining a weight loss is a job. It's not a temporary job either. It's a life choice and you do it alone for the most part. We are all obligated to make choices for our own best interest if we want to experience good health. If a person lived in a house with smokers, are they obligated to smoke too? They may be more inclined to, but they can choose for themselves if they value their health more then they value being part of the group. Just like that question parents have always asked their kids, "If all your friends were jumping off a cliff, would you jump too?". The same applies to dietary choices. It may be hard to say no to junk food if it is all around your environment, but you are never obligated to put anything in your mouth that you know is potentially harmful to your body. Be your own best advocate!
When you watch one of those TV shows that is about the super obese and how they got that way, that person may share a story of past personal trauma, but then you will often see that the entire family unit is super obese as well, including the previous AND the next generation! This is not necessarily due to one single event or to heredity, but more likely learned behaviors and habits, not to mention the house culture. No parent makes a point of teaching their child how to overeat and become obese. It happens day by day through example and often through issues like co-dependency among family members.
Of course, there is the exception and I am one of them. In a family of 4 siblings, I was the youngest and the only one, other then my mother, with a weight problem . We all ate the exact same thing, no exceptions. No snacking or getting food for ourselves...just what my mom put before us. I was chubby from birth. I inherited my mother's health issues too. She and I battled weight, high blood pressure, and heart problems together, while everyone else in the family was perfectly healthy. I was also a tomboy as she had been, always moving and playing sports, never sedentary, unlike my siblings who were, for the most part, a sedentary bunch. It never made sense, but in our case, heredity played a part. She inherited it from her father.
No matter what hand life has dealt us, we all still have choices to make regarding our personal issues and striving for the best health and quality of life we can. Losing weight is hard, even harder when you are doing it alone in an environment of others that eat mindlessly, but never underestimate your ability to manage or change your own life.
Tuesday, March 24, 2015
Losing Weight Can Be A Lonely Experience
When it seems like everyone else in the world is out enjoying reckless eating and drinking and mindlessly indulging while you are stuck in this isolated place of dieting, how do you make yourself feel ok about it? How do you not feel left out or just plain depressed about not being part of it all? Food tends to be the center of most gatherings, big or small. Being the only one not partaking can make you feel like you have a big ol' spotlight on your head saying, "Hey! Look at me! I'm not eating!". People notice and comment and question what you are doing, They give unsolicited (and uneducated) advice on the perils of what you're doing. They prod and push you to eat something because "it won't hurt you and you gotta eat".
We all experience this. Losing weight is hard. Being on a highly restrictive and very low calorie diet has it's own special challenges. The rewards are GREAT, but there is a price. You may have to watch people eating those doughnuts a co-worker brought in to the office, or smell the pizza your husband brought home for the kids, or bake the cookies for the sale at the school.....and on and on.
Food is everywhere and there's no avoiding it so.. if I had any advice to give.. it would simply be to remind yourself that this is temporary. The food will always be there. Anything you want so badly today will still be there when you are through losing your weight. Holidays will still come. Weddings, birthdays, anniversaries, or just Friday date nights will keep coming as long as you are alive so what's the big deal of temporarily bowing out for one round of them? What you are doing is important. Give this effort you are making the respect it deserves and demand that the people in your life do likewise. Yes, it can be lonely, but like the butterfly that spends its time alone in its cocoon, soon you will emerge and finally be able to fully enjoy what life has to offer you!
We all experience this. Losing weight is hard. Being on a highly restrictive and very low calorie diet has it's own special challenges. The rewards are GREAT, but there is a price. You may have to watch people eating those doughnuts a co-worker brought in to the office, or smell the pizza your husband brought home for the kids, or bake the cookies for the sale at the school.....and on and on.
Food is everywhere and there's no avoiding it so.. if I had any advice to give.. it would simply be to remind yourself that this is temporary. The food will always be there. Anything you want so badly today will still be there when you are through losing your weight. Holidays will still come. Weddings, birthdays, anniversaries, or just Friday date nights will keep coming as long as you are alive so what's the big deal of temporarily bowing out for one round of them? What you are doing is important. Give this effort you are making the respect it deserves and demand that the people in your life do likewise. Yes, it can be lonely, but like the butterfly that spends its time alone in its cocoon, soon you will emerge and finally be able to fully enjoy what life has to offer you!
Saturday, January 24, 2015
To Weigh, Or Not To Weigh. That Is The Question
I've been back on track since the 14th so this is day 10 for me. I weighed and I have lost 7.2 pounds. I'm happy with that . It's been a steady progression which is what I like to see. I am a charting kind of gal. I find that I do best when I have my college ruled spiral notebook to record in every day. I have columns for date, weight, blood sugar, ( history of diabetes) blood pressure,(history of hypertension) pulse, and I put either an up or down arrow beside each entry to be able to visually see the overall trend of improvement. I keep it right here by my computer and it reinforces my commitment when I see it. This is what works for me.
The whole weighing thing is a very personal choice to make. We have regular debates on here about what is best, but that will be different for everyone depending on what emotional state they are in at the time and how the scale effects that.
For me, 13 years ago when I lost the first 120 pounds, weighing was a self inflicted torture. I was weighing up to 5 times a day! Even in the middle of the night if I got up to use the bathroom! I put all my emotions and self esteem in a bucket and weighed it constantly just to see how I should be feeling about myself at that moment. it was, at that stage, the worst thing I could do to myself and caused me unnecessary stress and doubt.
Now, I approach this with little to no emotion. I just have a job to do and I am treating it like that. My morning weigh in does not always send me dancing in the streets, but neither would it if I suddenly saw 5 pounds lost. I can glance over at my charting and see my overall trend of progress and THAT is what keeps me emotionally neutral.
I don't want to start a heated debate on the topic of weighing, but I will give this advice. Depending on what kind of personality you have, and what current state you are in regarding self esteem and how the numbers on a scale determine your state of mind and actions, this will tell you if you should be a daily weigher/tracker, or a once per month/week weigher. Be truthful with yourself and make your choice based on your best interest.
We are all pretty good at beating ourselves up when it comes to all things weight and size related. Don't be the bully in the bathroom every morning weighing yourself if it doesn't ALWAYS give you a positive and progressive feeling, no matter what the number. If it makes you feel bad about yourself, or disappointed or like nothing you do is every good enough, then stop for now. It will only hurt you and make you feel hopeless.
But, if you are more of an analytical type, charting may be the way for you to go.
The whole weighing thing is a very personal choice to make. We have regular debates on here about what is best, but that will be different for everyone depending on what emotional state they are in at the time and how the scale effects that.
For me, 13 years ago when I lost the first 120 pounds, weighing was a self inflicted torture. I was weighing up to 5 times a day! Even in the middle of the night if I got up to use the bathroom! I put all my emotions and self esteem in a bucket and weighed it constantly just to see how I should be feeling about myself at that moment. it was, at that stage, the worst thing I could do to myself and caused me unnecessary stress and doubt.
Now, I approach this with little to no emotion. I just have a job to do and I am treating it like that. My morning weigh in does not always send me dancing in the streets, but neither would it if I suddenly saw 5 pounds lost. I can glance over at my charting and see my overall trend of progress and THAT is what keeps me emotionally neutral.
I don't want to start a heated debate on the topic of weighing, but I will give this advice. Depending on what kind of personality you have, and what current state you are in regarding self esteem and how the numbers on a scale determine your state of mind and actions, this will tell you if you should be a daily weigher/tracker, or a once per month/week weigher. Be truthful with yourself and make your choice based on your best interest.
We are all pretty good at beating ourselves up when it comes to all things weight and size related. Don't be the bully in the bathroom every morning weighing yourself if it doesn't ALWAYS give you a positive and progressive feeling, no matter what the number. If it makes you feel bad about yourself, or disappointed or like nothing you do is every good enough, then stop for now. It will only hurt you and make you feel hopeless.
But, if you are more of an analytical type, charting may be the way for you to go.
Tuesday, January 6, 2015
Progress
Just checking in. It's late and I'm actually on my way to bed, but it was time for a progress report. I'm back on track with SSing and I'm feeling so much better then I did a couple of weeks ago when I was caving in to holiday food temptations. My capacity for eating is a fraction of what it once was. Even with that, my body REALLY let me know it was not happy with my choices. I guess I am pretty sensitive now to things that slow down my digestion and leave me feeling bloated and lethargic. Anything with sugar is not my friend. Same for breads and any simple carbs. I learned my lesson!
So other then a few minor additions to my Cambridge, such as an occasional egg white or some coffee creamer, I am on track. I'm not weighing. I'm going to give it a solid month and then maybe I might take a peek. The process of losing weight is not something that moves in a predictable pattern and seeing numbers on a scale can play with emotions like nothing else I know.
Hope that everyone here will catch the energy that flows when we are in the beginning of a new year! So much motivation and determination! it all quickly slips away if not acted on.
So other then a few minor additions to my Cambridge, such as an occasional egg white or some coffee creamer, I am on track. I'm not weighing. I'm going to give it a solid month and then maybe I might take a peek. The process of losing weight is not something that moves in a predictable pattern and seeing numbers on a scale can play with emotions like nothing else I know.
Hope that everyone here will catch the energy that flows when we are in the beginning of a new year! So much motivation and determination! it all quickly slips away if not acted on.
Friday, November 14, 2014
Quick Hello
Hey readers. I just wanted to check in with a progress report. I'm on my third day of my 99 day challenge and so far, so good. Last night was a little rocky. I was pretty hungry and really had to keep the mental pep talk going. I normally don't experience hunger anymore, even when SSing so this is new. I have to admit that my diet of late has been a lot sloppier then normal so that is likely why. Paying the piper I guess!
Today is better. My tummy is a little growley still, but it's lunch time anyway so that's ok. I'm am experiencing a slight metallic taste in my mouth so I guess I am going in to ketosis which should take care of the hunger. My energy is great today and I feel better overall so this is progress! Tomorrow will be a good day.
I'm not weighing right now. I decided that for my first month I will stay off the scale. I will have my first weigh in Dec 12th. I have a pretty good idea of my starting weight already. I'm not focusing on the day to day numbers. Once a month weigh ins will be right for me.
So day 97 of my 99 day countdown is going well. Anyone joining me?
Today is better. My tummy is a little growley still, but it's lunch time anyway so that's ok. I'm am experiencing a slight metallic taste in my mouth so I guess I am going in to ketosis which should take care of the hunger. My energy is great today and I feel better overall so this is progress! Tomorrow will be a good day.
I'm not weighing right now. I decided that for my first month I will stay off the scale. I will have my first weigh in Dec 12th. I have a pretty good idea of my starting weight already. I'm not focusing on the day to day numbers. Once a month weigh ins will be right for me.
So day 97 of my 99 day countdown is going well. Anyone joining me?
Tuesday, October 21, 2014
Testing Scales
So we just did a family experiment. We have 3 scales in the house. My son left his when he moved out, my daughter has one, and then there is mine. 2 of them are Weight Watchers brand so one would hope it is accurate and the other is an expensive body composition scale that weighs overall weight, fat, lean, water and bone mass. I first weighed on the two WW scales. There was a 6.2 pound difference. I repeated it with the same results. To check for accuracy we got my son's 45 pound barbell and put it on each scale. One weighed it at 46.8 and the other at 46.2. So then we got out my son's, the expensive body mass scale. We had Andy get on all three. There was a 3.5 pound span between the lowest to the highest. What happened to the 6.2 pound difference when I weighed? I then got on all 3 and there was a 2.2 span between the 3 scales! I repeated it again and got the same. (confused)
Our goal had been to find which, if any, of our scales were accurate. The answer was none of them. Not only did they weigh the same body at different weights, but the numbers changed significantly when weighed again. None of them weighed the barbell accurately either.
Conclusion: a scale is at best an estimate of weight. Digital scales are notorious for bouncing around the numbers depending on the floor they are on, placement of the feet, and any shifting of posture. I weighed myself first on my bathroom tile floor. Evidently that influenced the first results even though the floor is quit smooth. The second results were on a wood floor. I guess the best thing you can do is weigh 3 times and either take an average, or two out of three if you see the same number twice. Wouldn't it be nice to have an accurate number though?
Our goal had been to find which, if any, of our scales were accurate. The answer was none of them. Not only did they weigh the same body at different weights, but the numbers changed significantly when weighed again. None of them weighed the barbell accurately either.
Conclusion: a scale is at best an estimate of weight. Digital scales are notorious for bouncing around the numbers depending on the floor they are on, placement of the feet, and any shifting of posture. I weighed myself first on my bathroom tile floor. Evidently that influenced the first results even though the floor is quit smooth. The second results were on a wood floor. I guess the best thing you can do is weigh 3 times and either take an average, or two out of three if you see the same number twice. Wouldn't it be nice to have an accurate number though?
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