Dr. McD Meets Bill W: 12-steps to total health

[RAS]

Yea! I am so proud of you,for taking a stand and doing what you know is the right way. If we don't look out for-ouselves no-one else will. I know about the oil in food thing and week-month binges that come from it.I had some*****last week and it took everything not to go off plan.Keep up the good work...It's been too hot to walk or run..but then again its only an excuse.RAS

[nomikins]

Well, pat yourself on the back! Well done! I am soooo not there yet with regard to eating at restaurants. Such the foodie I am, I want to enjoy what the chef makes if the description is appealing. Therefore, I need to eat at home wayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy more than going out. Fo sho.

So, yes, that really slows down my progress. I need to decide what I really want in order to proceed and succeed.

But you, my dear, are the inspiration of the day!

[kkrichar]

Thanks RAS. I ran 7.3 miles Tuesday night and mowed the lawn last night. Tonight I plan to run 5.35 but I'll have to wait until after dark. It'll be cooler and my aunt and uncle will be in bed by then. Uncle Arnie goes to bed at 8pm! I kinda wish I could do that. I bet I'd be up a lot earlier in the morning. I didn't even start mowing the lawn until 8:17pm. By the end I could barely see the grass.

Nomi!! It's so good to see you. Thanks for the kind words. I certainly was not willing to change much until I had a little mental breaking point during a 12 mile race. I always hate when people say things like, "then one day I just couldn't take it anymore and .....". Then they explain diet and exercise or abstaining from alcohol or whatever. The thing I want to know is how to create that moment, that feeling, that you can't take it anymore. Nothing taken on will have long term success without that willingness and most of us are not willing to entertain major change without hitting some kind of bottom. How do you create a bottom? I wish I knew. But, hopefully, I hit one with food and I'm running with it.

[nomikins]

Kelly, I just read through the last couple of months. You are a rock. Thank you for sharing such personal insights with us. Gives me food for thought (pun intended).

Have a great day.

[sksamboots]

You are rock solid and make me grin from ear to ear. Keep it up lady

[bunsofaluminum]

GIRL, your journal makes me feel so good! it is SUCH an inspiration to read through the past few pages and see how you've stuck to it, and the pounds falling off! wonderful! wonderful!

[kkrichar]

Thanks Nomi, Boots and Buns. I feel absolutely fantastic right now.

This is, hands down, the best I've ever felt. Ever. At every other point in my life there was something contributing to my unhappiness. Most recently it has been battling addictions and struggling to live in manner consistent with my values. I'm finally living exactly the way I believe I was meant to live. This WOE makes me feel great physically. I have more energy. I get up earlier. My running is better. I also feel greater mental clarity and focus. I make fewer mistakes at work and am faster and more efficient. Best of all, I'm at peace. No more chatter in my head. No more whining, begging, 2-yr old in my head throwing a fit because she wants candy or some other garbage. I feel good that I'm not contributing to animal cruelty and I'm reducing my impact on the environment. I have hope I will live a long and healthy life. There's nothing about this WOE that is bad. It makes me a better person and I feel the difference.

As of this morning I am within 10lbs of normal weight!!!!!!!! It has been at least 15 years since I've been near this weight and even then I think it lasted a minute and a half before I gained again. I don't feel like I'm dieting. I'm eating tons of food. How hard is it to keep up eating tons of food??

The visit with my aunt and uncle was great. They let me cook MWL for them and when I offered to pick up some meat for them they said they didn't need it!!! There was no tension or struggle between my aunt and myself over food. She just accepted this is the way I eat now. AND, both my aunt and uncle could not stop mentioning how much weight I've lost!!!!! Bonus!

Thank you Dr. McD and all the wonderful people on these boards!!!!

[nomikins]

ROCK STAR is what we need to start calling you, my friend.

[kkrichar]

I feel fantastic today! I've lost 12.8 pounds since June 5th. It must really be noticeable now because I had 3 people comment today. Person 1 said, "You look beautiful!" Person 2 said, "You are so skinny!" Person 3 said, "I didn't recognize you at first you've lost so much weight." These were independent events. It's always interesting when you cross that line where people can see weight loss. I lost quite a bit of weight prior to this week but apparently this week it shows! It feels good getting compliments.

Now, if only this heat would settle down a bit so I can run faster!

I had my usual red beans and rice and a banana for breakfast and taco salad for lunch. Dinner will probably be sweet corn, tomatoes and cucumbers with a chocolate banana shake after my run tonight.

Back to work. 20 minutes and I'm out of here!!

[RAS]

I am so happy for you.Almost at goal!!Yea Yea Yea 12.8lbs is fabulous.Keep up the good work! RAS

[kkrichar]

Hey RAS, thanks. I saw your 12.6 pounds in 29 days and decided I had to do what you're doing!!! You inspire me!

[nomikins]

WOW! That is freaking awesome!!!!!!!! I'm green with envy, for the running faster alone.

I'm so proud of you. You are a shining example of what time and adherence will do for someone on this program. Just a couple of months ago, you and I were at the same weight (and I think I was actually a bit lower). You kept going, and I kept going.... backwards. Now I am a dingy example of what going into longterm feast beast mode will do. Thank you for helping me to want to shine like you. Soon, I will be bright and shiny again!

[sksamboots]

Yes, shine on and one. This is great stuff here. I know it feels good. Keep it up and never look back!!!

[kkrichar]

What a difference a day makes (or a week and a half?). Tuesday before last I was on cloud 9! Everyday it seemed the scale was going down again. I had great energy. I was doing great at work, getting up early, running and eating my food plan without cravings. I knew it would last forever! Then, Friday morning I wake up and the scale jumped up nearly 3lbs overnight. No change in food or anything. So I tell myself, no big. Obviously it's some bizarro weight fluctuation. Disappointing it was on weigh-in day but, hey, next week I'll have a huge week, right? Next day I go on a weekend retreat to a monastery. I love this retreat and go twice a year but the food is really, really bad. Not bad tasting but bad for me. This year, I call ahead, make arrangements to bring my own food and keep it in their fridge. Everything is great. I get TONS of compliments on my weightloss. A lot of the women there hadn't seen me in awhile. I feel great. Saturday morning breakfast goes as planned. Then, lunch. I eat my food but I can't stop obsessing over what everyone else is eating. It's all I can do to keep myself from running up to the buffet and grabbing handfuls of food and cramming it into my gaping maw!!!! I don't know what happened. Anyhoo, I leave and go back to my room and read for awhile. Then I meet with my sponsor and go for a walk. I go back to my room for a nap and next thing you know I'm in the gift shop buying an entire box of chocolate covered caramels made by nuns!! I ate most of the box. I hid it, of course, in my room because everyone was so impressed with how I brought my own food and I looked so great. I'm so strong..blah blah blah. Sunday morning I eat toast with peanut butter instead of the oatmeal I brought. I drive home after morning meditation and get back on plan. I'm on-plan (no deviations - food exactly like it was before last Friday) all week. I run 15 miles and, what's that?, I GAIN MORE WEIGHT????? My morale is way down. I'm getting jealous of people who are losing weight and I'm feeling persecuted by the universe (again). I'm over-sleeping and having trouble focusing at work. The heat is so oppressive my running is slower which is frustrating.

Anyhoo, this morning I've been thinking about how different I feel but asked myself what has really changed. Other than the candy incident on Saturday the only thing that has changed is my weight on the scale. If I didn't weigh myself I wouldn't even know I wasn't losing anymore. Would I still feel good? Would I still feel really proud of myself and have lots of energy and mental focus? So much of my success (and failures) with anything is about my attitude. When I let fear creep in and start dictating my moods and decisions things go bad. When I feel great things go great. I'm going to practice this old AA adage, "act as if."

Today I'm going to act as if I'm still feeling as good as I did early last week. I'm going to act as if I'm on top of the world because I'm following the best food plan one can follow!!!!! I'm going to act as if I'm still in the game. So, all you other successful McDougallers who are right on my weightloss heels, bring it on!!!!! Let's run this race to healthy weight side-by-side!!!!!!!!!!! Your success is my success and not something for me to be jealous over. The more I surround myself with happy, successful people the better my chances for success get!!!

Thank you Dr. McD, Bill W., and all of you on these forums. We have a shot at real health, longevity and spiritual happiness together.

[nomikins]

Your value and self-worth are not tied to a number on the scale. You know better than that. Come on, we know there are always going to be fluctuations. Glad you are picking yourself up by the bootstraps. Figure out what caused your deviation with the junk food and deal with it, like only you can. Keep on rockin' in the free world.