I just found the old KRON 4 blog I kept while on the Dr. Phil Weight Loss Challenge (click
for my WLC journal on KRON 4).
My mom gave me "You on Diet" for Christmas and it's actually a fun read with titillating and comical illustrations of your body and how your body works to be healthy. Fred and I have started walking everyday for at least 30+ minutes; we'll do it for 30 days and if we're not happy, we can stop. I think we'll continue though -- we've been good about sticking to it so far. I've also revisited the 3 behaviors that I wrote about 3 years ago: eating breakfast, preparing my meals and watching how I actually eat my food. I've incorporated these back into my life, with better food choices and I'm already starting to lose the water weight (in just 3 days).
How many times do I have to tell people that weight loss is not about dieting and exercise?!?!? It's all about behavior modification. I don't know, maybe I have an advantage with my psych degree. I didn't believe in Dr.Phil at first: I admit it, I saw it as another marketing ploy for him to fill his pockets. And yes, he is marketing his nutritional supplements. But looking at the big picture he drew for his readers and for myself, I do see that I behave differently. Maybe that explains why I've gone from 196 to 168 pounds in 3 months. If you need, please re-read the chapter in Dr.Phil's book where he asks you to pinpoint your weight gain blame. External vs. internal? All or nothing thinking? Once you know, you can select behaviors that you need to modify. Here are the top three behavioral changes I've maintained (no, I'm not perfect, I do have bad days, and yet I've been pretty consistent, hence, I consider myself successful in these ways!): 1. **I eat breakfast.** I was never a true breakfast eater. No longer is breakfast a croissant with a double mocha. I never had time, or so I thought. Granted, I still sit at my computer desk to eat breakfast, but it's a healthy breakfast. Why? Because I prepare healthy breakfasts ahead of time and am mindful of how I'm eating it while at my desk. My fave breakfast: 1/2 c lowfat cottage cheese (I buy the largest tub from Trader Joe's and keep it at work), 3 oz of blueberries, 2 Kashi Go-waffles (or two slices wheat toast or 1 multigrain English muffin), and coffee (I recently found out I shouldn't be doing 1/2 and 1/2, I do 2% milk too, which is okay). And I'm not reading while I eat. I do snack on grapefruit before lunch. Lunch is usually my heaviest meal. I do still eat out for lunch half the time, I usually go for lunch places that serve fresh baby green salad, lentil soup and other lighter veggie cuisine. No more pizza, pasta, and burritos for lunch.
2. **I prepare.** My meals are really simple, they require very little preparation and cooking, because I do tend to be on the go. I usually spend about 40 minutes in the kitchen, total prep, cook and clean up time. Before I even get to the grocery store, I have my grocery list. And that list is composed of items that I know are fresh and on the outside aisles: produce, dairy products, wheat bread/pita and protein. Fresh is the key--it goes back to putting more effort into what you do. If I buy to-go or out of the box (even marinated tofu!), then I'm setting myself up to eat foods that are packed with more fat, sugar, calories, and sodium. They're tastier for a reason. When I cook fresh foods, I know exactly what I put in. I don't fry. I steam, bake or saute in olive oil. Before I do the list, I scavenge the internet for vegan and healthy, light and quick recipes. I like vegan recipes for side dishes. I go to foodtv.com for my main entrees.
**I think what I really enjoy about cooking more at home is that I have a sense of zen. It's weird, I feel calm and my focus is concentrated. I'm not rifling through the refrigerator wondering what I'm going to graze on next.
3. **I watch how I eat.** I make sure I'm stretching my eating to 20 minutes. If I finish before then, I drink water or mint tea. Drinking fills me up better. I'd rather fill up on water or tea than fill up on french bread smothered with butter. I don't do soda anymore. I don't like diet soda anyways, but I've kicked soda to get rid of my addiction to sugar. If I need something bubbly with taste, I reach for the Calistoga sparkling water (not juice) with lime or lemon (I used to hate the "clear" flavored Calistoga, but love it now!!). I eat with chopsticks. No, I don't push the food from the bowl to my mouth with the chopsticks. I eat things one by one. Plus it takes concentration for me. No more shoveling food into my mouth.
Let me emphasize that the new behaviors I've listed work for me. Dr.Phil does mention these and what I've mentioned are very common habits-so you can probably identify some behaviors above you don't do and probably need to do. Not all my habit changes will work for you, but I definitely encourage you to buy and eat fresh foods (not out of the box), drink more water, and eat your breakfast. Notice for me, my behaviors revolved around food? How I ate food was a big part of why I gained weight. What is it for you? Homework!!
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