I have been thinking recently about what "going cold turkey" means to a person struggling with food addictions. With drugs or alcohol you would go cold turkey by not touching either substance. But my addiction is also necessary for my survival. Going cold turkey with food is not possible.
I have tried to go "cold turkey" with some of my favorite binge foods. I end up just going crazy with other food that is around. So that doesn't work all that well.
My latest thought is to focus on the main eating guideline from Geneen - eat when you are hungry. I was focused on this before the holidays and I lost a bit of focus over the last few weeks. So I am getting back on the band wagon and am going cold turkey - no more food in my mouth without feeling hungry.
Now, all this talk of turkey, I think I am hungry. :o)
Sunday, January 15, 2012
Saturday, January 7, 2012
I have been working on my resolution list this week trying to figure out what things to do each month to make sure I am focused. Following The Happiness Project I really need to build a "Resolution Chart" to give myself daily golds stars to keep myself on track. Each item below would have sub-actions. Things that I can focus on specifically. So that is the next step for this up coming week. Organize my thoughts and build a Resolution Chart.
Started A Few Things, but I need more of a plan:
Following my eating guidelines
Regular Exercise (Going to the gym 3 times per week)
Drinking 64oz of water
Meditating regularly
Reducing stress with more organization in the house
Taking a multi-vitamin
Watch less TV
No Action Yet (which is fine):
Getting more sleep
Limit salt intake
Adopt a better skin care program
Eating more fruits and vegetables, less fake foods (processed)
Cutting back on caffeine
Not too much else to report this week. Just keeping really busy with work, the pets and just getting back into the swing of things. Sorry not much of an update this week, but I did want to give a quick post.
Have a great week!
Alison
Started A Few Things, but I need more of a plan:
Following my eating guidelines
Regular Exercise (Going to the gym 3 times per week)
Drinking 64oz of water
Meditating regularly
Reducing stress with more organization in the house
Taking a multi-vitamin
Watch less TV
No Action Yet (which is fine):
Getting more sleep
Limit salt intake
Adopt a better skin care program
Eating more fruits and vegetables, less fake foods (processed)
Cutting back on caffeine
Not too much else to report this week. Just keeping really busy with work, the pets and just getting back into the swing of things. Sorry not much of an update this week, but I did want to give a quick post.
Have a great week!
Alison
Monday, January 2, 2012
Happy New Year!!
Hi Everyone!!
Well - I am glad to be in 2012!! The end of last year was not the best per my previous posting and I am looking forward to the new year. With everything that has been going on I haven't been really great about focusing on myself and my practices.
I have been reading a book called The Happiness Project. It's about a woman that took a whole year to focus on different aspects of her life in an attempt to increase her overall happiness. I love the idea and how she went about her project. It was a lot of small changes over the course of a year and not an attempt to make a million sudden changes.
I have been thinking that I would like to try a similar approach this year, but call it my Health Project. I want to focus on several things this year:
Following my eating guidelines
Getting more sleep
Regular Exercise (Going to the gym 3 times per week)
Drinking 64oz of water
Cutting back on caffeine
Meditating regularly
Reducing stress with more organization in the house
Eating more fruits and vegetables, less fake foods (processed)
Taking a multi-vitamin
Watch less TV
Limit salt intake
Adopt a better skin care program
So what I need to do now is organize myself a bit and figure out what tasks I am going to focus on the different months. Step 1 for me is the Eating Guidelines and really paying attention to those and getting back on track. More to come on my plan!
Happy New Year! Here's hoping that this is the best year yet!!
Well - I am glad to be in 2012!! The end of last year was not the best per my previous posting and I am looking forward to the new year. With everything that has been going on I haven't been really great about focusing on myself and my practices.
I have been reading a book called The Happiness Project. It's about a woman that took a whole year to focus on different aspects of her life in an attempt to increase her overall happiness. I love the idea and how she went about her project. It was a lot of small changes over the course of a year and not an attempt to make a million sudden changes.
I have been thinking that I would like to try a similar approach this year, but call it my Health Project. I want to focus on several things this year:
Following my eating guidelines
Getting more sleep
Regular Exercise (Going to the gym 3 times per week)
Drinking 64oz of water
Cutting back on caffeine
Meditating regularly
Reducing stress with more organization in the house
Eating more fruits and vegetables, less fake foods (processed)
Taking a multi-vitamin
Watch less TV
Limit salt intake
Adopt a better skin care program
So what I need to do now is organize myself a bit and figure out what tasks I am going to focus on the different months. Step 1 for me is the Eating Guidelines and really paying attention to those and getting back on track. More to come on my plan!
Happy New Year! Here's hoping that this is the best year yet!!
Monday, December 26, 2011
Tough Few Weeks
It has been a tough few weeks for me and my family. My Dad's Mom passed away at 98 on 12/10. I just found out that my Mom's Mom just passed away earlier today 12/26. She was 88 years old. I talked to her yesterday on the phone and she had a bit of the stomach flu, but other than that she was fine. My uncle was able to be with her when she passed.
How strange it is. Just 17 days ago I had both of my Grandmas. Now all of my Grandparents have passed away.
So I will be heading up to Ohio this week for the funeral.
Hope everyone had a good Christmas!!
Alison
How strange it is. Just 17 days ago I had both of my Grandmas. Now all of my Grandparents have passed away.
So I will be heading up to Ohio this week for the funeral.
Hope everyone had a good Christmas!!
Alison
Monday, November 28, 2011
Thanksgiving Break
So what happened this weekend? I ate a lot more than I have in a long time. I spent some time trying to reflect on why I went so far off course.
1.) Family Time - even though family gatherings are not tough for me I still think that they bring back the memories of the past. My eating habits started as a kid. I think that being back there makes it all come back to me.
2.) Bad, ingrained habits - for as long as I can remember I have come home from family events and have eaten like crazy.
3.) Off regular routine and schedule - I like a routine and having a long weekend really kind of throws me off.
4.) Lonely time - even though I kept really fairly busy this weekend, I didn't spend any quality time with anyone. I was home alone most of the weekend doing chores and didn't spend much time out.
As we know, Christmas is coming up really soon. What do I do to change that holiday vacation -
1.) Create a holiday schedule so I am on a routine - gym, dog walk, meals, meditation, etc.
2.) Deal with family issues with inquiry and reflections.
3.) Spend time on the phone, in person, email with friends. Make the connections I need to stay in touch with people.
All of this will begin to create new habits for me. I am looking forward to putting these new ideas into practice.
Hope you all had a great holiday.
1.) Family Time - even though family gatherings are not tough for me I still think that they bring back the memories of the past. My eating habits started as a kid. I think that being back there makes it all come back to me.
2.) Bad, ingrained habits - for as long as I can remember I have come home from family events and have eaten like crazy.
3.) Off regular routine and schedule - I like a routine and having a long weekend really kind of throws me off.
4.) Lonely time - even though I kept really fairly busy this weekend, I didn't spend any quality time with anyone. I was home alone most of the weekend doing chores and didn't spend much time out.
As we know, Christmas is coming up really soon. What do I do to change that holiday vacation -
1.) Create a holiday schedule so I am on a routine - gym, dog walk, meals, meditation, etc.
2.) Deal with family issues with inquiry and reflections.
3.) Spend time on the phone, in person, email with friends. Make the connections I need to stay in touch with people.
All of this will begin to create new habits for me. I am looking forward to putting these new ideas into practice.
Hope you all had a great holiday.
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Just a quick note....
Hi Everyone!
I have been so incredibly busy at work and with the Humane Society that I haven't had a chance to write. I have been thinking about it though. That counts right?
Here are how things have been going with my practice:
Eating Guidelines
1.) Eat when hungry. (Doing pretty good with this one. I still have my moments, but for the most part I am just eating after a few hunger pains.)
2.) Eat sitting down in a calm environment, not in car. (I think for the most part things are calm. I don't eat in the car unless absolutely necessary.)
3.) Eat without distractions. (well you saw my last post. This one is pretty tough. I like watching TV and having dinner. So I have to work on that)
4.) Eat what your body wants. (I have been doing OK with this one. Sometimes my head takes over and I want cupcakes, but for the most part I have been eating protein, veggies and some fiber)
5.) Eat until your satisfied. (I think this is tied to #3. When I am not distracted I know I eat less. I am not however eating like crazy with no stopping. Even tough I may eat more than I would if not distracted, I am rarely stuffed after I eat.)
6.) Eat (with the intention of being) in full view of others (still trying to figure this one out. I guess it's not hiding food. )
7.) Eat with enjoyment, gusto and pleasure (I am trying to slow down my eating, put my fork down between bites, and enjoy the bite in my mouth. It's a change from the normal rapid fire shovel down the throut. So I am working on this one).
Work in progress. Things are going pretty well though. I feel in control for the first time in a long time. I am so happy I went to the retreat! I feel so much better!! Hope everyone is doing well with their journies!
I have been so incredibly busy at work and with the Humane Society that I haven't had a chance to write. I have been thinking about it though. That counts right?
Here are how things have been going with my practice:
Eating Guidelines
1.) Eat when hungry. (Doing pretty good with this one. I still have my moments, but for the most part I am just eating after a few hunger pains.)
2.) Eat sitting down in a calm environment, not in car. (I think for the most part things are calm. I don't eat in the car unless absolutely necessary.)
3.) Eat without distractions. (well you saw my last post. This one is pretty tough. I like watching TV and having dinner. So I have to work on that)
4.) Eat what your body wants. (I have been doing OK with this one. Sometimes my head takes over and I want cupcakes, but for the most part I have been eating protein, veggies and some fiber)
5.) Eat until your satisfied. (I think this is tied to #3. When I am not distracted I know I eat less. I am not however eating like crazy with no stopping. Even tough I may eat more than I would if not distracted, I am rarely stuffed after I eat.)
6.) Eat (with the intention of being) in full view of others (still trying to figure this one out. I guess it's not hiding food. )
7.) Eat with enjoyment, gusto and pleasure (I am trying to slow down my eating, put my fork down between bites, and enjoy the bite in my mouth. It's a change from the normal rapid fire shovel down the throut. So I am working on this one).
Work in progress. Things are going pretty well though. I feel in control for the first time in a long time. I am so happy I went to the retreat! I feel so much better!! Hope everyone is doing well with their journies!
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
Eating without Distraction
Lately the hardest eating guideline for me has been eating without distraction. I have been really pretty good about checking in with myself before eating to see if I am hungry or not. I just have this feeling that I always need to be doing 20 things at one time and if I am not then I am slacking. So it seems SO STRANGE to take the time to just eat and be reflective.
I know the value in eating without distractions. I have seen it work. You have a plate of food. You eat a few of the best bites, let it settle, check in again and repeat as needed. It's really not that hard. It just seems like such a foreign concept to just be doing that one thing. I want the TV on with the computer on and then eating dinner. But then I do forget to eat slowly, enjoy what I am eating and check in on my hunger.
So this is my next big challenge - make this habit. Turn off the monitor at work when it is lunch time and have lunch. Mute the TV and close the laptop when I am eating dinner.
Hope all is well with everyone!
Alison
I know the value in eating without distractions. I have seen it work. You have a plate of food. You eat a few of the best bites, let it settle, check in again and repeat as needed. It's really not that hard. It just seems like such a foreign concept to just be doing that one thing. I want the TV on with the computer on and then eating dinner. But then I do forget to eat slowly, enjoy what I am eating and check in on my hunger.
So this is my next big challenge - make this habit. Turn off the monitor at work when it is lunch time and have lunch. Mute the TV and close the laptop when I am eating dinner.
Hope all is well with everyone!
Alison
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
