Everyday Systems

Hi Mama-g & resting! Thanks for popping in. I love having so much support in this adventure we're on.

Yup, I DID get my laps in and today I went back and swam 3/4 of a mile! I was THRILLED to accomplish that! My goal is 1 mile by the end of March...and it's going to happen! I haven't been able to swim that far since college, decades ago. It felt WONDERFUL...

Yesterday was a great YELLOW day...the best in a long time. I ate more than a green day, but didn't overeat...and that felt great.

Off to finish another yellow day...

janie

Another Yellow yesterday. Man, it felt wonderful to have two yellow days in control. I don't think that's happened since the first month of this adventure. I didn't struggle...didn't fight myself...just enjoyed dessert both days and a few extra crackers after lunch. AND, I swam another 3/4 of a mile. This was an encouraging weekend.

janie

GREEN is my favorite color...I love green. I look awful in it, but right now I'd be happy to have something green to wear today! I came so close to having a snack in the middle of the day yesterday....but I didn't....and walking away felt so much better than eating. I know I'll have more seasons of struggling...I know they are out there lurking...but for now I'm going to enjoy every moment of doing well.

janie

I chalked up another GREEN day yesterday. I went to bed really hungry last night & that felt great. Hunger is my friend!

janie

Hi Janie,

Thanks for the note on my check in thread. I think it would be fun to have another baby later in life and get to do all those things I wish I would have done with the first 4. Also, I think the maturity and experience would make it fun. Plus I love children.

Since I haven't read your thread you may have already answered these questions so please forgive me for the repeats, but have you lost weight with this eating plan? Do you feel more self-control? I don't have a lot of weight to lose but I want to feel that I have self-control again. I don't want to feel like the food has an uncontrollable pull on me. I have seen that happen to family members and it scares me.

I better get going. We have to get started with our school day.

Thanks again. I was wondering if I was simply writing to myself.

Hi Freedom,

Yup, having a baby later in life has been absolutely wonderful. I was concerned about all sorts of things, but it's honestly been a complete joy & blessing. AND, there are all sorts of life-lessons for our teen boys along the way...

As for this plan. I have lost weight. I'm not sure how much...I truly don't weigh myself because I get all obsessed about the numbers. But I'm like you....the most important thing for me is the internal transformation. I'm convinced that unless I change on the inside, I'll never really be healthy.

I started off great from August through mid-November, then I struggled a lot from then until mid-January. I had a fair amount of red days, and days when I doubted I'd be able to stick to this, but I've come to realize that there really isn't any alternative. Diets just emphasize eating, leading to more obsession....I'd done enough of that in my life. I want to just plain be healthy...no obsession with food...no counting the bites that go into my mouth...no emotional eating...I just want to eat when I'm hungry....and stop when I'm full. Period. So....since mid-January I've been sticking strickly to the plan...and I can see the stronghold food has had on my life...on my WHOLE life...gradually lessoning. I'm not where I want to be...I don't weigh what I want to weigh...but I'm slowly but surely replacing 49 years of bad eating habits with health. I'm convinced this is the only way to do it. We see so much advertising stating that weight loss & food control can be a quick-fix...and even if we scoff at it, I think we kind of believe that if we just tried that one more thing, we'd be the one with "Results not typical" in small type written across our trim profile. The bottom line is that this whole journey is just plain hard work. And believe me, I write that for my own benefit! It's hard & long & not predictable...but every green or yellow day replaces bits of the old rotten habits with healthy ones. I'm convinced...this is the "healthy from the inside out" plan I've prayed for. It might take me years to be healthy since I spent 49 years eating poorly...but who cares! I'm planning to eat this way for life....

Okay....that's probably enough blabbing for one day! Once I get rolling it's hard to stop!!!

Hang in there Freedom....you're doing better than you even realize!

janie

Another GREEN to add to the pile. I'm still determined to make February all green & yellow...and I'm just about halfway there....January ended great, but man, I struggled in the beginning! This controlled eating stuff feels better than any binge ever did!

janie

Yesterday was GREEN. I ate well...went to the "Y"....wasn't too tempted to eat in the afternoon, even though I was at the grocery store...it was a great day!

janie

Since you are our Barnabus on board I wanted to drop in and thank you for all the encouragement you give to newcomers. It is difficult to get through the first 21 days without a cheering squad and I have noticed that you don't let anyone fall through the cracks.

Since you remind us all of the change from the inside that is so important, I wanted to share an "inside change" with you. Yesterday was the first day since I started on Dec. 27 that I posted a failure. I nibbled on the way to the table and also when cleaning up. That is definitely crossing the line. Anyway, I did not even think until this morning that my reaction was totally different than it would have been 2 months ago. The thought never crossed my mind that I had blown a diet and I might as well go ahead and eat something else I wanted and "enjoy" the evening and start over again today. Breaking a diet in the past would have set off a full blown binge and guilt trip. Even though in the past I knew rationally that I would only be doing more damage, it just wouldn't have mattered. I would have wrecked the car anyway after the original dent.

Of course the reason I have changed is because I no longer feel deprived. Thank you Reinhard!!

TexArk....How kind of you! Being called a Barnabus is a huge compliment....thanks so much! We all need a cheering squad from time to time, don't we? Well, you were just one for me & I appreciate it more than I can tell you...

How cool that you saw such a change in yourself! These internal are the amazing ones...the ones that are transforming us from being controlled BY food to controlling food. Well done TexArk!

As for yesterday...it was GREEN even though I helped my teens make chocolate-covered pretzels for their friends. I make my two pretzels and they are happily sitting in the fridge, waiting for me to enjoy them later today. What a joy it was to be content saying, "No thanks" when offered one. They will taste SO much better today than they would have yesterday night.

Happy Valentine's Day!
janie

Your little notes of encouragement mean a lot.

Thanks and have a good green week!

I'm going to post ont he 21 day club thread now- yippee!

Hey Janie,

Just checking in with you. Have you thought any more about those bracelets? Every time I'm in Michaels I get the itch to make a yellow-green beaded something or other

Hope your days are green

Resting

I haven't checked in for awhile. I tripped over Valentine's Day, fell flat on my face & before I could get back up I had an awful time PMSing....then I just didn't get back here. I'm doing okay...I've had some good days & bad days....but I'm hanging in there. I think I feel guilty when I don't check in though...and that's not good for me right now. I might take a break from daily check-ins until after the homeschooling year is done....but then again, maybe I shouldn't. I just can't decide. February is aways the worst month of the year for me....too much snow (140" so far this year)...and not enough sunshine (Syracuse is cloudier than Seattle)...the winter blues always catch up to me around this time of year. I should be used to it, but it catches me off-guard every year. Today probably isn't the day to decide what to do about checking in. I'm still 110% committed to this plan so that isn't changing...it's just whether I have anything productive to say that's the issue right now...

I'll be like Scarlet O'Hara and think about it tomorrow...

janie