New You - June 2006

I hate to see one unanswered message. Not that my health is really getting much attention at the moment, or even my morning pages, which have been missed for more mornings than I care to think about.

my newness is more of a whole lifestyle change. I have a job after 10yrs as a housewife, because we've started our own business. I have a proper house and a garden and live 40mins drive away from my parents instead of a 14hr flight and an hour's drive - believe me that has taken some getting used to. I have a garden... and consequently discovered muscles I didn't know I had. I have kids who, at the ripe old ages of 9 and 7 can finally ride bicycles. I volunteer at my kids' school with a couple of different shifts, which is good because DS7 has been getting into some trouble recently, mostly as a result of me working. Nothing major, just stuff that nobody really expects of him so it has everyone worried.

and finally DH has a desk of his own in our house so I only have to share mine with the kids, and they touch my paperwork on pain of death and torture if they're allowed on the computer.

small wonder I haven't had time for healthy stuff recently. About the only major changes I've been implementing have been to buy more organic or local foods (if the organic is flown in from miles away and the local isn't organic which does one choose!?!?). I'd love to say it has made a huge difference to our health, skin or something, but it really only catches my conscience. Even our budget is barely aware of the difference somehow. I'm also recycling religiously since we have facilities here that we didn't have in Singapore, and when our bin is less full than our neighbours' double size bin (they have one extra teenager) I feel a sense of accomplishment. Well, not much because they don't crush their recycling and I think they eat a fair bit of junk (the youngest girl eats a fair bit of everything by the looks of it). I guess that every step I take to help the planet is also an investment in our health in a way. But it's kind of pushing it!

Kerri.

Hi Michele, thanks for getting this thread running again.

I want to work on snack avoidance. I tend to snack when DD has her morning and afternoon snacks, and the scales say NO! So this week I'm going to allow myself two snack-treat opportunities, on Wednesday when we go to a toddler group, and on Friday when I meet with my friends and our children. Other than that, if I'm hungry, it's fruit or and oat cake.

I don't need a belt with my jeans at the moment and that's not good.

Zillah

That's my goal! I've spent weeks and weeks sitting by MIL's side and REALLY need to get MOVING!

That's not the only area that needs attention, but that's the starting point!

Blessings,
Lenora
"...if woman's work is never done, why bother about how much of it [isn't] getting done at any given moment?"
~ Claire Fraser in The Fiery Cross by Diana Gabaldon

I posted yesterday about keeping up with physiotherapy, but it was on the other thread. We also are trying to eat fewer sweets. It's much easier when I am not in school! Well, I'll enjoy it while it lasts.

DH has started a new running plan: http://www.coolrunning.com/engine/2/2_3/181.shtml He used to run a lot, but had fallen out of the habit; and then every time he tried to start up again, he would start too fast and get too sore to continue. So this keeps him honest.

and I have the chipped tooth to prove it... my goal is to find us a dentist - by the end of the year! I'm quite realistic about my abilities I think.

Kerri.

Well, didn't go too badly yesterday. I did have a tiny bit of DD's supper (cheesy potato cakes) but it was only a very little. Today we had mid-morning snack of apple and oatcakes and apricots in the sunny park, which was pretty blissful. Now, to keep that will power going this afternoon.

How are your food thoughts going, Michele?

Lenora, what are you going to do to get moving?

Zillah

Hi all,
I have been thinking of food differently, it's helping a little because i'm thinking what would be good for me? And you can always find a better option. I did well yesterday until I caved and stopped for a burrito for dinner. It's easier during the day, if I plan ahead. We have lots of low-fat splenda yogurt in the fridge and I need to go get some more fresh fruit. Have you seen the mini bananas? They are the cutest thing and taste really good, except I don't like them when they get really ripe.

Have a healthy Tuesday!

Peace,
Michele

if that was the same thing Michele was talking about. Personally I prefer my pisang to be goreng (err... that'd be battered and deep-fried, and delicious!). Somehow I don't like the texture on those little ones otherwise, but then I prefer my bananas on the rare side, not green but once they start getting brown spots nobody in this house will eat them!

Kerri.

I love them! But this is not a good topic for New You

Hey, I lost a few pounds. This not snacking thing actually works!!

I had my allotted cake treat yesterday - coffee cake. YUMMMMMMMMM.

Other than that I think I'm making some progress with the snacking. One thing I've found is to think that it's alright to feel hungry for a while. If lunch is in 45 minutes, I can just feel hungry for a bit until it's lunch time

Zillah

Yesterday I started a new Healthy Me plan. I did the usual, got some photos back from the developer and hated everyone of me, because I don't look like 'me' anymore.

I am going to reread hypnotist Paul McKenna's 'I can make you thin' book and listen to the programming CD again - it worked when I did this last time, only I stopped bothering after a couple of weeks

I have started a notebook where i am writing my weight once a week, and on a daily basis will write what I have eaten and drunk. I am also going to take a half an hour walk every day (well most days probably )

Hopefully this will result in some general healthiness

the quick disappearance of this thread, the diet plans, the plans to eat more fruit and veg, less junk, drink more water, exercise more, etc, etc... what do they all have in common?? They never last for more than a week or two. What we need to do is take small things that we know we can integrate into our current lifestyle, however appalled we are with that lifestyle. Radical change, unless it results from a life-altering event, doesn't last.

sorry, just an observation - I haven't come up with the cure just yet, but recognising and acknowledging one aspect of the problem is a start. Hypnotism might well work, but if you gave it up once before the chances are you'll give it up again. Rather than losing weight is there any way you could learn to live with what you've got, work with your body instead of against it, and just make tiny conscious changes. Being conscious every time you put something in your mouth might help - wouldn' stop me from putting it in anyway, but it might for some people. Being conscious when you grocery shop - is the bulk of your trolley filled with fresh items or junk or is it a reasonable balance. What could you change before you go to the checkout?

I could maybe follow this train of thought for hours but I've got a business meeting and I look like something the cat didn't bother to drag in!

Kerri.

I am making small changes really. The Paul McKenna plan is literally eat what you want, when you want, eat consciously and stop when you're full, along with the CD and a couple of other techniques to deal with cravings. The whole idea is that your imagination is much stronger than your willpower, so it focuses on the positive instead of the negative (don't eat this, don't do that).

The studies I am doing at the moment have also been focusing on replacing negative feelings about oneself with positive ones. I am aware that I give myself negative messages all the time, so I am consciously trying to 'catch' myself doing it and replace each negative with a positive.

It's just, everything gets absorbed into other threads. My physical therapy appointments (last one is tomorrow) and regular exercising ends up in the "TADAs" I post on the Flybabies thread, and my eating habits end up in the "what's for dinner" thread. I've gotten healthier, so am finally able to allow myself almost as many fruits and vegetables as I want, which is nice. Plus DH has been on a bit of a health kick for the last month or so, so there is less junk around to tempt me. When I do eat something which is fully or partly junky, I have become better at accounting for it in my eating for the whole day. (Chocolate muffin at lunch=no roll with dinner.)

Results? I haven't lost any weight, but my clothes are looser and my foot rarely hurts at all. Unfortunately I am back on caffeine, but that's more of a money problem than a health problem for me.

and none of my guests has ever commented (don't drink it myself) so I doubt if you'd really notice if you only ever drank decaff. I'm assuming coffee is the main caffeine culprit... I haven't really bothered looking for decaff chocolate bars as yet!

Kerri.