Wednesday, January 18, 2012

HANDS IN!

Hey my loves!!

Thanks for all the feedback on the poll :) It's a mixed verdict but all we know is that we don't like blogs with no pictures at least! lol Obviously, I wasn't going to do all of one thing but I was just curious to see which you liked best. The winner was the blogs with pics though, so I will definitely keep switching it up!

So, yesterday during my WeightWatchers interview (which there is no verdict to yet but I will keep you posted!), I was asked what my biggest struggle or hurdle has been on this journey.

My answer was this: Becoming my own best friend. 


I believe I have talked about it before and I know Weight Watchers posted something on their status about it recently but this has been a huge challenge of mine that I am proud to see I have finally overcome. I've always been good at lifting the spirits of others and lifting people UP but I always would struggle by putting myself DOWN. I have learned that I need to talk to myself in the same positive light that I talk to others, especially on the times when I don't do so well with my tracking or exercising or whatever it may be.

Being asked this question left me curious about what others struggled with so I asked my friends on my Facebook page - Facebook.com/skinnyjeansdreams .

The majority of the people who answered my question, responded that emotional eating has been their biggest hurdle and I can SO relate!!


So the question is - WHAT IS THE SOLUTION?? 

If there is one thing I know for sure it is that this journey is a mind game and it's a game that takes practice!! For me, when I have the urge to emotional eat, I ask myself the following questions:
  1. Is eating this going to make me feel better? 
  2. Will I feel worse? 
  3. Will eating this cause me to stress about something else other than the issue at hand? 
  4. Is it worth it? 
Then I ask myself, "what are the alternatives?" 

99% of the time, the alternative I come up with is exercise!! Take one example: The two year anniversary of my father's death. My boyfriend was out of town that weekend and I was home alone with the baby, thinking about my daddy and going through all kinds of emotions. I was very tempted to emo-eat but I knew that wouldn't solve the problem. So, I got out the jogging stroller and I went for the BEST jog of my life! I couldn't stop running. I cried and I ran and I ran and I cried and when I got home, I felt a million times better than I would have had I made that plate of nachos! I felt like I had made the best possible decision. Although I still felt sad, I was now high on life and knew that my daddy was looking down from Heaven proud of his girl.

I can't say I am always perfect with this, as I do have my emotional eating moments! So I looked up some tips to help tame emotional eating. You can find all the tips HERE on the MayoClinic website but I will share with you a few that stood out to me:
  • Get support: Lean on the ones who love you and if you can, lean on the ones who love you that are conscious of your weight loss efforts. They will most likely deter you from emotional eating and instead be there to lift you up!
  • Take away temptation: I don't keep much, if any, junk food in my house and it's for good reason. If it's there, it's for the taking. And if it's not, out of sight - out of mind. So when I am feeling the need to emotional eat, I may just overeat some grapes rather than eating a whole box of pop-tarts. It fulfills the need to munch while still keeping me on track. 
  • Keep a diary: The website says to keep a food diary, which being a Weight Watcher, I obviously recommend but also keep a personal diary. I have kept a diary since I was a kid and it has helped me through every emotion and situation I have ever been through. Sometimes I just scribble. Another reference to my dad: I have pages on pages in my diary of angry scribbles. I was so ANGRY at everything when he passed (that's a whole different blog story. I am just using it as an example) and I just scribbled out all my emotions on paper. That goes for good emotions too. When I am overwhelmed with how much I love my daughter - I WRITE! Writing is good for the soul and it keeps your hands busy and out of the cabinets! 
There are other useful tips on that website but I just wanted to share with you a few that have worked for me. Any other tips that you have, feel free to share them in the comments section or on my FB page! We are all here for each other on this journey.

HANDS IN!! 

 GOOOOO LOSERS!!!! :) 


A few randoms:

Date night with my honey Saturday :) 

Yes, I love me a little ME!

And don't forget to check out my little snippet on Ivillage! I'm mommy # 3 on this article. CLICK HERE!

Have an awesome night!! 
xoxo

6 comments:

downsizers said...

We are starting a Behavior Blast Challenge today over at my place. I invite you to read up on it and let me know if you want to join us!

DaphneCT said...

Ohhh I'm so sorry I missed the poll :( next one I'll catch! Ok sweetie you have NOTHING to worry about re: the WW interview they are going to be blessed to have you on staff!!! Then you know you'll become their next Ambassador!! I see big things in your future love!!!
I love the Ivillage article and please oh please hug yourself daily!!! I always say that we need to be our own personal cheerleader!! Smooches!!!

Kim said...

cant wait to see what ww says. I really hope you get it. I dont know why you wouldnt you inspired and are still and inspiration to a lot of ppl. Good luck I love your dress btw you look amazing. hope you had a great night out with your honey.

RD said...

Good luck! You look great and your story is awesome. I'm sure you'll get it.

Sherrie said...

Your two January pictures are really remarkable- what a difference a year has made! I just found your blog but I will be reading it regularly now- thank you for the inspiration!

Teresa Halminton said...

Thank you so much for the inspiration!
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