a catchup post

[Guest guest]

Hi everyone,

 

I am afraid I have been conspicuous by my absence for the last week or so as we

have had an overseas visitor staying with us.  I was thrilled to see how many

posts had come in during my absence.  It is so nice to know that we are all

supporting each other in our quest for a healthier lifestyle.

 

The first week of 2010 has come and gone and I hope those who made new year

resolutions to work on their lifestyle, health and weight issues have managed to

stick with them so far.  The first days are always the most difficult.

 

I have not really had my resolve fully tested yet as it is really easy to think

about things other than food and eating when there is a visitor in the house. 

Next week it will be interesting to see if I can continue with the good

beginning.  My real aim is to get to the point where I can think of food as no

more than fuel and my body as a machine which needs only a given amount of fuel

to keep operating efficiently.

 

CASSIE, I know just what you mean when you say that losing weight and eating

well does tend to take over our thinking when we determine to treat our bodies

with more respect.  At this stage I have found the most effective way to get

good results is to be aware of what and why I am eating.  Although I have yet

found a way to conquer it, I now realise that much of my problem stems from

habit and boredom.  Also, I honestly had no real idea of how much and how

frequently I was eating during the day so that's why writing everything down was

a huge help for me.  Now I know what triggers my over-eating I hope it will lead

me to finding a solution.  Of course it was easy for me last week with our

visitor here but next week I'll be really put to the test.

 

JULIET, I really understand what you mean when you talk about the link between

happiness and keeping at a healthy weight.  It's that old 'comfort eating' thing

and the happier we are the less likely it is that we'll indulge in comfort

eating.

 

I hope you vegetable garden is coming along well although I guess it isn't

exactly gardening weather at the moment!!  If things in Kent are anything like

they are here in the Netherlands you could get in your daily exercise shovelling

snow.

 

DRAGON, it sounds to me as if your dietitian is really well tuned in to you as a

complete person.  It is wonderful that he is encouraging you to look first at

why you feel the way you do about food before trying to change

anything.  Understanding your relationship with food is far more important than

number crunching. Your dietitian is working with you to discover the cause of

your weight problem rather than treating the symptom by sending you off with a

diet plan and an ideal weigh chart.  You must have come away from your

appointment feeling very encouraged and motivated. 

 

It's amazing how something visual such as the bar on the calorie count program

can really prove so encouraging.  Encouragement is so important when dealing

with an eating issue as it is sometimes difficult to get motivated if we see the

task as too great.  Things like seeing the calorie bar moving in the right

direction can trigger our minds to feel encouraged rather than discouraged. 

 

Don't tempt me!!  Visiting you in Cambridge and lunching at Wagamama is always a

huge highlight of my trips to England.  However the friend we stay with in

England is very unsure of how long she will be able to stay in her present

rented house and doesn't want to have any visitors at the moment.  The landlord

has told her that the house is on the market and that she may have to move out

at short notice.  Sadly, until that all gets sorted out, I doubt I'll be in

England. 

 

Best of luck to you all with your continued efforts to strive for a healthier

lifestyle.

 

Cheers from Marie in Haarlem, Netherlands