New approach

I started my weight loss journey in full swing on January 1st. My approach seems to be far more in-depth than I think I have ever done before in my life.

It is no secret that I have been trying to lose weight now for quite a few years. I think it's been a part of my New Year's Resolutions since my adulthood started. The biggest problem was that I would tack on quite a lot of other resolutions to work on, and always weight would fall to the bottom of my priorities list.

I have had a plan for quite awhile now, after reading and re-reading the Dr. Phil's Ultimate Weight Loss Solution book several times and making my own little binder of notes on what to do. Then I would stop. I didn't understand why. Perhaps it seemed too daunting a task, or as I mentioned before I would get pre-occupied with other goals to work on, and would just put it off. Maybe I felt I didn't deserve to be healthy or thin. Maybe it was the constant depression that I am now blaming on my past addiction to soda. Maybe I really didn't care at the time.

I felt I have done quite a lot over the last couple of years to help with my second key, healing feelings. I've been attending Emotions Anonymous meetings fairly often, also seeing a therapist to deal with the longstanding issues I have had problems putting behind me.

Key seven, my circle of support, is also being enhanced. I blog my progress, or write status updates on Facebook, and I also have a weight loss buddy I meet with once a week to discuss how our week has been going and what our goals for the next week are. I also have started a local Richmond Healthy meet-up group and want to see about expanding that site in some way hopefully soon. More details on that to come.

As far as the other five keys are concerned, not much attention has been given to them over the years. Sometimes I would focus on the fifth or sixth keys (high-response cost, high-yield nutrition and intentional exercise), but I wouldn't give it my all. The other three keys of right thinking, a no-fail environment and mastery over food and impulsive eating wouldn't get any attention at all.

This year already feels different. I decided that this year all of my focus and attention will be on losing weight. I'm logging my food and exercise into the Lose It! app on my phone. There is also a desktop website for that app too, which is helpful when I'm at work or if the phone's battery has died. Just before the end of the year, I re-read my binder and made more little notes on my phone, while also having the original binder files in my Google Docs. I have the notes everywhere and can access them whenever I need to.

I have started a folder on my Notes app on my phone/computer where I log in my daily issues with food cravings or binging or whenever I have an emotional reaction to something or when I catch myself saying something negative. This is in an attempt to deal with the first, second, and fourth keys.

So far this year, I have been doing very well at sticking to my plans, with a couple of notable exceptions. I started my period just before the New Year started, so the exercising was an issue. I initially planned on going for a half hour walk on those days, and did so on January 1st, but it has been super icy lately and it has made the walks futile, as I'm not really walking fast while ensuring I don't slip while walking and fall on my ass, possibly breaking something.

The other exception was I had a binge moment last night, as I bought some discounted Christmas chocolate balls during the Boxing Week thing last Friday. I bought them because of the period as I do need a little chocolate during that time, and I really love milk chocolate and dislike dark chocolate. I was, however sticking to the recommended portion sizes, which was five balls per serving only having one or two servings (5-10 chocolates). The binge last night happened because I felt cold. I decided to log into my Notes app and write the incident down. What did I feel? Cold. What was my thought? I feel cold and need food to keep me warm. Was that true? No. Restructure my thinking: If I feel cold, I need to put on a sweater, get under the blanket or put on the gas fireplace if I really need to. Food will not make me feel warmer; it just makes me fatter.

The trick I have to work on now is stopping that impulse to binge before I do so and assess the thoughts or feelings I was having and restructure them in the same way as above. It will take some practice as I get used to doing this, but I am sure it will work out. As I said, I am already attacking this weight issue with full steam this year. Besides that one slip-up, I stuck to my diet and even found myself reaching for string peas as a snack, which I think is a first for me: vegetables as a snack. Wow! Shocking!

Yesterday at work someone even offered me a last piece of a chocolate caramel box, and I politely refused it. "No thanks, I'm on a diet." Another first for me: refusing chocolate. Holy crap!

Now I am wondering if the binge happened because I felt some sort of guilt for not eating that one piece of chocolate? LOL I never know what's going on in my head sometimes, which is why slowing down my thinking and writing things down is very much a major key I need to embrace to be successful at this.

Anyways, I'm now going to give the details about what my plan is. I am not tackling all the weight in one swoop. I am attempting to give myself small monthly goals. If I can lose two pounds per week, I am estimating I should be able to lose eight pounds per month. I weighed in on the first (note: I am only weighing in on the first of the months), and was 226 pounds (just 2 pounds shy of my highest weight, but that was actually pretty much expected). My goal weight is 218 pounds by the end of the month.

For those wondering what the seven keys are in order, here is that information:

1. Right Thinking

2. Healing Feelings

3. A No-Fail Environment

4. Mastery Over Food and Impulse Eating

5. High-Response Cost, High-Yield Nutrition

6. Intentional Exercise

7. Your Circle of Support.

If anyone is also interested in this plan, the book was released quite a few years ago, and I've seen it for sale on Amazon for under $5.

Last night my period ended, so I can now fully participate in my exercise regiment I have created for myself this month. On my large dry-erase board I converted into a calendar, I have put my exercise goals in place. If I do it, I put a check beside it. If I don't do it, I put an X beside it. Hopefully there are more checks than X's by the end of the month.

Well, I suppose I should wind this post up now. Thanks for reading for those who do. I will also try to write more about my progress/struggles from time to time.