The "How to"

To achieve any goal we must have a plan, to get somewhere we need to answer 2 questions:

1. Where am I going?
2. How am I going to get there?

Now that I already know where I am going.... I need to have clear directions to know how to get there.... or I might take longer than I should, I might get lost, I might even forget where I was going!

As you can see I added a ticker on top of my blog... I have a very specific, healthy and realistic amount of weight I know I should lose, I've been a size 2 in the past but if I set that as my goal I know I would see myself frustrated and I want my weight loss for the first time to be for health reasons not only for the way "I want to look no matter what"

So... How am I going to get there?

Just as my goal should be realistic, my changes and ways of doing it should be realistic too... I can't set methods I won't be able to keep because that will only guarantee I will fail once again!

So here are the things I will be doing now:

1. Keep a food journal. (where I will registry everything I eat, track calories and identify where I can make better choices, etc.)

2. Drink more water (Right now I drink juice too, so I am getting rid of that! It's just extra sugar, I do not drink any soda already, so that shouldn't be a problem, I need to make sure I get at least 8 cups of water daily)

3. Reduce salt (UGH! I love salt! I know I should check the amounts of sodium I get! I am sure this will help make a big difference)

4. Exercise consistently (Right now I am trying to exercise 1hr. Mon-Fri so I have to exercise 1hr. -minimum- everyday)

5. Learn to say "No thanks" Not everything that people offers I have to say YES! immediately, I learned a book once that said how many times we, compulsive eaters, eat just because we have this feeling of "not being able to eat it" or the feeling of "this is a special occasion, who knows when I'll be able to eat this food again" .... it's all a rebellious attitude because of the deprivation feeling! So I have to remember that I can actually EAT ANYTHING whenever I want... it's just that I am CHOOSING not to because... (and here is where my next point comes)

6. Remember why I am doing this "I choose to eat healthier and exercise because_____________" : And here is where I've struggled in the past... Many times when I am on a "diet" or "exercising to lose weight" I've done it with this feeling of anger towards me! I've done it to "punish the fat woman in me" I've done it upset because I "can't eat like others do" instead of eating healthier and exercising because I want to feel better... Because I DESERVE TO eat healthier and not all that junk that really hurts me, I should see the eating healthier and exercising like "an act of love" towards me, a reward instead of a punishment for being "such a bad girl" ....

7. Not get obsessed with the scale! This is such a struggle... I have to remember that yes, I want to lose weight, but I have to see the big picture and not the "here and now" even if the scale doesn't change as much and as fast as I want to I have to remember that the changes I am making are all good and will help me achieve the good health I need, the weight will eventually change too! So I will be getting on the scale only once every week. (instead of 5 times a day)

8. Post on this blog... I see it almost like therapy.... and I know that the encouragement from others who are or were in my situation will be a great help for me.

9. And last but NOT LEAST ... Pray! I have to pray about all this... Because there is really NOTHING I can do without Him by my side, I have to remember that when I am weak HE is strong and that I can be freed of this addiction, letting him carry my burdens, my anxiety and going to Him when I feel sad, upset, lonely or anything like that instead of looking for refuge and comfort in food that never completely fills me.

Thanks for reading!

Thin-side out.

Baby steps - One battle at a time

My husband is very thin and he loves eating healthy but he also loves pastry, all baked goods and candy! he bought brownie bites and some pumpkin muffins on Thursday, I had 3 big slices of pizza for dinner and those brownies and muffins for dessert ugh! As you know I am trying (since yesterday, Friday) to watch what I eat and exercise, having brownies in the house was SUCH A BIG TEMPTATION! I kept fighting against myself!, it's like if the thin woman who wants to come out was fighting the fat woman who doesn't want to go! It was such a battle, almost like a real discussion inside my head, the thin woman inside of me telling me not to eat those brownies and the fat woman arguing and saying that brownies wouldn't make such a big difference in an already 227lb. woman!

It was hard! I kept finding the fat side of me going to the cabinet where my thin-side had tried to hide the brownies!!! And I found myself saying: "WHAT ARE YOU DOING!? Don't you want to be thin ever again?"

I am happy I won that first of the many battles to come, it is hard being your worst enemy!!! But I am confident I will win this war one battle at a time!

Thin-side out.