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Keep the Change, Please!
By
Carolyn Allen
Author's note:
I know you’ll enjoy today’s article which, includes
how the small changes Joe and Liz Langston, of Kanosh, Utah, have
helped them lose 89 pounds since January 1, 2007. Exciting month-to-month
pictures of their progressing story are posted at ww.MyWeightLossTeam.com.
If you haven’t had a chance to try out this LDS-owned and
-operated weight loss support site, use the link below for your
free one-month membership and to sign up for daily messages from
me. If you have purchased my book at a store rather than online
from the Meridian link at the bottom of this article, you will also
find important information about a free three-month membership at
MyWeightLossTeam.com at this link.
Liz’s profile
and frequent entries on several of the forums are very helpful.
All the details for Meridian readers on how to both register for
Meridian teams (forming soon for the June 1 Challenge!) and find
Liz and Joe are posted at the same link. I’d love to share
YOUR success story to inspire Meridian readers! Please feel free
to e-mail me at Carolyn@MyWeightLossFriend.com
On May 14, 2007 U.S. postage to mail
a letter first class increased from 39 cents to 41 cents. It was
just a little change, but apparently a needed one whether we wanted
it or not. For Americans it’s just a minor inconvenience while
we make the transition. However, this little two-cent change will
add up quickly to make a positive difference for the U.S. Postal
Service.
By the same token, easy little two-cent
changes in not only what we eat but what we think and say to
ourselves add up too. Just ask Liz and Joe!
Today’s Scripture:
“God so loved the world that He sent his only begotten Son
... He sent not His son into the world to condemn the world, but
that the world through Him might be saved."
(I John 3:17)
Ah, the path of least resistance! For
most of us who are reading this column, in the exact same way that
it’s easier to choose the cookies instead of the carrot sticks,
it’s easier to beat up, criticize or condemn ourselves than
it is to find something positive to do or say to ourselves when
faced with a weight/health-related choice.
Liz and Joe started a modified version
of the 3-Hour Diet (book by the same title is by Jorge Cruise) on
January 1, 2007. It is basically a nice, balanced diet making vegetables
the star and promoting the easy-to-accept principle of eating every
three hours to keep the body fueled. It’s working! Since January,
Joe is down 47 pounds and as of this week (May 21) Liz is down 42!
They’re learning to visualize plates at mealtime so that they
are ½ veggies/fruits, ¼ lean protein and ¼
whole-grain starches.
We all know, however, that a great
plan is the easiest part of the puzzle to find. For Liz, finding
new ways to frequently nourish her thoughts and spirit are just
as important as those veggies.
With her permission, she has allowed me to share some important
progress for an experience that is familiar to most of us:
Most nights I go to bed at the same
time my hubby Joe does, but sometimes when I stay up a bit later
I get midnight snack cravings — even when I'm not hungry!
When I'm really bad I can consume a whole meal's worth of
calories right before bed. I get mad at myself, too ? I'd
be good all day and blow all my hard work at the end of it.
This last week I did much better
avoiding that happening: If I actually was a little hungry, I'd
choose a better snack (like a 100-cal pack, some yogurt, or some
carrots & dip). Other times I'd just have a big glass
of water, remind myself of my goals and the progress I've made,
and then make myself go do bed (tired or not!) Every little bit
and new good habit helps!
In other words —
little changes.
I love how today’s scripture
tells us that the Savior was sent to love and help us, not to criticize
or condemn, but to help and support.
Here's a thought to consider as we
accept his love and follow suit as we reconcile ourselves to the
daily challenges of healthy eating as a happy choice:
Have you ever noticed how close the
words "condemn" and "commend" are? While condemn
means to express strong disapproval, commend
means to endorse, accept and approve. It’s just the tiniest
change, like a 2-cent stamp, in the arrangement of the letters M,
N, and D, but what a huge pay-off there can be in choosing to make
it. We lose ourselves (and our weight!) by finding the good, the
positive and the happy to commend, instead of slipping into the
old habit of self-criticism and condemnation.
For example: We condemn both ourselves
and our success with self-talk such as:
- "I CANNOT eat this or that.
Water is boring and I prefer soda.”
- "I DON'T have time to exercise."
- My husband MAKES ME MAD. He wants
me to lose weight — and then insists on ice cream and cookies
when I go shopping!"
With the spirit of love and respect,
we can choose to commend ourselves and our choices with replacement
self-talk such as:
- "Well, maybe I can’t
eat this, this and this, but I CAN eat this, this and this! These
are the foods that my Heavenly Father wants me to eat in amounts
that are right for a Child of God."
- "I HAVE as much time as the
next person and it's a fact that we all find time to do what we
WANT, so I'm finding an exercise that is fun so I WANT to!"
- "I cannot choose for others,
but I can choose for myself. No one makes me feel or do anything,
so I make sure I have some healthy substitute treats I personally
enjoy when my husband has his evening ice cream. Or sometimes
I just read to him and the kids and pass up the evening treat
entirely!"
Commend, while it means to
accept, to find worthy and to give approval, also means to entrust.
So "God sent not His son to condemn, but to save"
— and yes, to entrust to us His ways to live and His paths
to follow, including wisely nourishing and respecting our bodies
as the marvelous miracles they are.
Condemn, commend. By golly,
if there isn't always a choice in what we say to ourselves as well
as what we eat!
Today’s Empowerment:
“Rather than to condemn myself, my weight, the effort and
the time it takes to care for myself, I choose to commend the progress
I've made and my desire to change and improve."
Journal Prompts/Discussion
Starters:
1. What specific negative eating
experience(s) have I beaten myself up for in the past?
2. What small changes can I make
when this/these situation(s) arises again?
3. Activity (good for both individuals
and groups): Make a little movie to play in your head when faced
with a challenge. Identify a specific positive experience, not
necessarily related to eating or health, when you were successful,
such as in a church calling, at school, at work, on in some other
situation. Describe, imagine and vividly recall the feelings of
achievement and pleasure. Now remember the negative experience
in No. 1, replace it with No. 2, then close your eyes and vividly
mentally recreate the positive feelings of the past successful
accomplishment. Play that movie often to establish both the positive
feelings and actions that bring new habits to life.
Today’s Recipe: Apple
‘n Raisin Coleslaw
A little rice or wine vinegar gives
any salad dressing a nice kick.
Apple 'n Raisin Coleslaw
(4 servings at 130 calories each)
2 cups finely grated cabbage
1/4 cup finely grated carrot
1/8 tsp. salt (optional)
3 Tbs. fat-free mayonnaise
3 Tbs. plain nonfat yogurt
1 Tbsp. rice wine vinegar
2 apples, raw, cored and coarsely shredded
Combine all ingredients, except apples,
in a mixing bowl and mix
gently. Stir in apples. Serve at room temperature or chilled.
(3 g Fiber; 130 Calories; 1.5 g Fat;
30 G Carb)
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Magazine. All Rights Reserved.
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