It's good to read

I just found a great new magazine! When I ordered my coffee from BariatricEating.com, I also ordered a magazine called WLS Lifestyle. I'm only on the second article, but I'm really appreciating my purchase! I'll have to save up for the subscription.

I just finished an article about the 4 ingredients for success: Structure, Motivation, Accountability, and Support. Structure is a HUGH problem for me. I not good at that at all, and my current life doesn't make structure all that easy. However, I'm going to try to plan out each day in advance in terms of my food and exercise and see how that works. The author mentioned a woman who does her planning on Sunday, but I don't know if that would work for me...at least not to start.

In terms of motivation, I thought I was motivated, but she suggests building in rewards for successes. I haven't done that at all. I'm just trying to run the marathon. I'll have to take another look at that. The last paragraph of that section is GREAT, and I'm going to quote it here. "If you want to stop using food to meet your emotional needs, or as a way to respond to stress, or as a reward or celebration, you won't stay motivated to do so unless you decide what you are going to do instead to address those needs. It's a simple fact. No one stays motivated if they aren't getting what they need" (McCreery, Summer 2009, p. 13).
This REALLY spoke to me...what am I doing to do to make sure my needs are met? This is a question my therapist keeps asking me as well and, so far, I haven't come up with a good answer. I'd love to say I'm going to join a belly dancing class and return to Tae Kwon Do, but I don't have the money for either of those.

Another questions McCeery (2009) asks is "how they are getting in their own way" (p.13)? How am I getting in my own way? Well, my biggest internal pain and anguish is in relation to my family and my childhood. Is it possible, then, that I can't give up food, because I haven't given up that pain? Are they that linked to each other? I think they might be. No matter what causes me pain in the present, I always seem to related it somehow to my pain of the past.

Finally, McCeery has a website called www.TooMuchOnHerPlate.com. I'm going to check it out when I'm done here. When I read that I realized, that my not just be figurative. I often have too much on my food plate when I have too much on my life plate. I also have nightmares about eating too much (like last night) when I'm stressed or scared. Perhaps, in order to ensure my food stays at the level it should be at, I need to ensure that my life plate doesn't get too full.

Well, those are my thoughts for this morning. I'm going to check out www.TooMuchOnHerPlate.com and then head off to work. I hope you all have a blessed day!