ASKING YOURSELF THE BIG QUESTIONS

So you have decided for the 50millionth time to get healthy.. just like so many other people.. yet its February and you are starting to slack.. whatever reason... Valentines, birthday .. whatever..
Suppose there were no rules.. no rules that said you had to be glue to paper when it came to losing weight.. no rules that said , follow this plan verbatim.. and you will lose weight...
NO rules that said exercise 60 minutes a day.. drink 38 gallons of water.. etc...
Suppose just this time you allowed yourself to be free and creative.. and develop your own plan.. your own goals .. your own outlook.. Suppose you could develop a tailor made program to your needs .. your strengths and weaknessess... Well in my first week I have started learning those things... Before I even got started with the program.. and granted I cheated a bit because I was so ready to start I just dove right in... Today I Started filling out the work book areas of Vtrim.
oen of the first things you do is called the CHECK IN.. on one side you have all the +'s of losing weight and on the other side you have the - of what you will have to give up..
Here is my + and - list
On the plus side: On the minus side:
BETTER HEALTH UNHEALTHY EATING
FEEL BETTER BINGEING
STRONGER TRIGGER FOODS
FREEDOM SORE BONES
ENERGY SORE MUSCLES
POSITIVE THINKING SOME PAIN
LOOKING BETTER DEPRESSION OVER SIZE
FEELING OF ACHIEVEMENT FEELING OF FAILURE
PORTION CONTROL PORTION DISTORTION
SELF CONTROL NO CONTROL
COPING SKILLS FOOD AS MY FRIEND
REFLUX
CLOTHES THAT ARE TOO TIGHT
NEGATIVE THINKING
BEING TIRED
ANXIETY OVER SIZE
RESENTMENT
It is interesting to do... making a list and seeing the positives and negatives... where the negatives really are positives .. it is good to give those things up...

You also develop a game plan work sheet...
You set specific goals and develop at least 2 strategies to help attain said goal.. for example.. Calorie control
strategies might be, a food log and monitoring how I eat regarding speed and portion control..

Then you do a tracking of yourself, where do you most often find yourself eating, when are you most likely to overeat, When and where is it easiest for you not to eat
What other people have postive or negative effects on your eating,
What kinds of foods contribute most to your total calorie intake, these questions help you to think.. help you to change where you are..
Portions visualized is a great way to assist yourself in making better choices..
Since we are so used to being served the big portion, the super sized portion.. PORTION DISTORTION.. now its time to focus on small...
Tips to help you make better choices are: use smaller serving pieces,
It can be hard to do in a restaurant, but it can be done, hold onto your bread plate or ask for an extra salad plate... serve yourself the one portion you know you really need then have the waiter go package up the rest of your food to take home, to be enjoyed for a lunch or dinner later on..
At home measure the exact amount of foods you usually eat, pasta, cereal or pretzels for example.. measure one serving.. say .. .1 cup is a serving.. now find a bowl or a regular cup that holds just that amount... USE THAT CUP OR BOWL for all servings of that particular item.. *( for more assistance you can take a permenant marker and write down in the bottom of the bowl exactly how much food it holds) ..
With a little planning.. you can create what works for you .. I know I have said this before but it can be done.. I know.. I am trying again for the 50 billionth time...
Until next time..
Ohhh the eggplant parm from last night in the pictures from yesterday looked great.. .BUT DAMN the eggplant was bitter and that was after soaking and rinsing it too.. I gotta research how not to bet bitter eggplants.. gonna trash the dish when I get home .. RATS...