Did you find yourself sweeter and kinder after Whole30 reintro?

[MeadowLily]

 

It is below freezing out there.  If we wait until the perfect conditions we'll never get anything done.  About every 1-2 hours, I am going out into the yard and  snow-running in place with my trekking poles swinging my arms back and forth. I can see the house and make a run for the door when my face starts to freeze. My dog tells me when it's time to give it a rest, she makes a run for the door, holding her freezing paws up.

After about 10 days of coasting on your laurels, you're going out backwards. It doesn't matter what you did for 60 days or months or years ago,  today is the day that you move.  

Work with your environment, find exercise you enjoy and do it on your own terms. If I was running in the deep snow by myself... that wouldn't be good common horse sense.  So I'll improvise and make it work. I can't wait for the spring thaw to maintain tree trunk thighs. I'm not driving into town for the gym.  Been there, done that.  It didn't last and I loathed every minute of it.  

If it's not sustainable for you now, it won't be for the rest of your life.  Think waaay into the future.

There's no such thing as the Finish Line.     

 

[MeadowLily]

It is 12-12-16.  Today I am starting a Tree Trunk Thigh Streak.  

 

I'm not calling it a challenge because we are not in competition with one another.  So anyone out there who wants to build them, they will come.   Strong insulin resistant legs for the long haul. 

Stegner, Hutlifr, Bueller, Bueller, anyone? 

 

 

[MeadowLily]

Tree trunk thighs are your ticket to paradise.

Building tree trunk thighs will help you change your gut. Change your gut and change your life. While you're moving you are helping your gut, kidneys and bladder repair themselves.

Every have a pet with kidney/bladder problems. It's mostly caused from too much inactivity.  Start taking that dog for a walk or letting your cat roam and their health returns.  Animals are not meant to be cooped up inside of cages and houses.  Neither are we. 

Now let's put our heads together and work through these things. Honestly, when Stegner gave me the lowdown on legs, it moved me. It doesn't take much to make me happy but that really made me happy. 

Encouragement is hard to come by. Momentum is a gift. Let's not let it go. I don't want diminishing returns and to start going out backwards.  It's been about 10 days of arctic weather. 

Only 10 days and you're looking back into that rearview mirror. Complacency in the mirror is closer than it appears. Let's kick it UP a few notches.  

 

 

[MeadowLily]

I have cabbaged onto many Whole 30 posts on the first part of my journey. They're all here, just scroll through the pages.

One of my favorite Whole 30 posts was this.  Don't be a slob. 

7. Don’t be a slob.

This may sound like the exact opposite of what I just said but loving your body does not mean you let yourself go, neglect your hygiene or wear unflattering clothes. Teenage girls seem to struggle with getting that balance right and I frequently feel the urge to mention to some girls that red lipstick and greasy unwashed hair is not an attractive combination. Being able to walk into a room full of strangers with your head held up high requires a high degree of self-respect. Sure, we all have bad days when you would rather slouch in the corner and become completely invisible, but these are the days when you gotta pull out the old “fake it till you make it”. Dreading the necessary socialising at a party? Put on your most comfortable piece of clothing (not your onesie), pull your shoulders back, lift your chin up, and walk in with a lion tamer’s confidence.

I took this to heart because I used to look like something the cat dragged in. I wanted to run and hide from everyone I knew or didn't know. I dressed like a slob because nothing fit.

Time to face the music.  Baggy oversized clothes and multi-crap. Offal awful.

In the beginning, I had to look to other people for my encouragement.  I didn't have any of my own.  I was so low that if I sat on a dime I would still have room leftover to swing my feet. 

I cabbaged onto every bit of encouragement I could from the backroads of this forum.  I read everything.  That's what you need to do. 

Those who do all of the hard work learn the most.  You can't rely on family members, they become all worn out with food talk and Ima gonna do this and Ima gonna do that.  Ima...it's better to walk the walk while you're talking the talk.  

If you can't walk the walk, they're not going to pay one bit of attention to you.  They will walk on by.  Meh.  I've heard all of this before.  So you've got to mean business with yourself. 

 I started to spruce myself UP as I was tooling along.  Don't be a slob. We have to turn around and actually look at ourselves square in the eye.  I didn't want to. 

I was a pro at looking into the mirror without seeing my reflection. I could focus on my teeth or eyebrows but not see me.  I don't want to see that former reflection again. 

Diabetes and obesity, the side effects of both of them actually affect every area of your life.  Including your self-esteem and confidence, even your abilities and status in the workplace. Oooo, it's true. 

I started small.  Don't go out of the house looking like a slob.  I did it because I read it here on the forum.  I made alot of changes based on the backroads and posts from the pioneers.  Now, that was the wild, wild west and it was good. All good.

One day, when everyone is long gone, you will have to carry on all by yourself.  Keep the home fires burning and remember that the motivation you've been given is a true gift.  

It didn't just happen.  Someone really cares about you.

Like sandpaper, we smooth the rough edges off of each other.  We catapult ourselves off of the couch and start moving at a speed above completely still.   Walk the walk as you're talking the talk.

It will mean more to you and others in your circle. 

[MeadowLily]

Honor and integrity means everything. Especially when you're looking for a mate. I've run across a Mission Creep or two in my lifetime.  One of the worst was always talking about former girlfriends and putting them into a bad light.  Now, I knew it my gut that this was a smoke signal. For real.

When multi-crap hit the fan, my gut knew that Mission Creep would do the same thing to me.  Shore nuff. That's exactly what happened and the reverb was real ugly.

It hurt for years. Words wound you, they do.  

If I can save anyone out there in the Universe some heartache, I'm doing it.  Today.  I don't care how cute they are if they're bashing old girlfriends, you head for the hills and run as fast as your legs will carry you.

This is also why you need tree trunk thighs, so you can make a clean getaway. The coolest dudes I've ever known were military men with honor and integrity.  One in particular always says that a real man never runs and tells, anyone, anything about you.  Not about your flaws, shortcomings and mistakes.

Any potential that likes running all those formers down down, Houston....that's your cue. Get out as fast as you can and don't ever look back.

We have to take full responsibility for every choice we make in this life.  We have to own those consequences, too. 

Look for someone who will hold you UP in high esteem come hail or high water. Even if multi-crap hits the fan, you can still hold your head high. I respect those who don't run and tell, don't you? 

Tree trunk thighs are very important. When you need them, they'll be there to carry you away from Mission Creeps.      

[Stegner]

I'm out there every day, Meadowlily... unless there's ice. Right now there's lots of snow on the ground and some bitter cold in the forecast, but the lows are only a few degrees below zero - highs in the teens mostly - and I am not discouraged. Funny thing you're talking about bad boyfriends because I just ended a deadend relationship that couldn't seem to die on its own. And I'm sort of thinking that was the last one for me. Actually, I know it was.  

[MeadowLily]

Let's yank the roots loose and rinse the residue right out of your hair.

We need likes and lurve buttons. I have a heart for those who've been through the mill, put through the wringer and left by the side of the road. That literally happened to me, broken down on a lonesome ole prairie without a phone.  Left there with the car hood up. The half has not been told.   

I'm putting you on my Christmas tree. I buried my heart and I went IN. I stayed IN for years. I shoved everything down into the cellular levels with food.  I didn't cry but the side effects were all over the place.

Today, I jumped up at the crack of winter darkness thinking about the past. We have to pull all of the roots out but there will be strong weeds that try to smother out the garden of your mind, all over again. Time for the weed whacker and let's lop them off. 

There's ruminating and reminiscing.  Ruminating leaves you stuck and you may not even know it. Big difference between the two.  One by one, I had to pull the roots out. It is a painful process. 

Ruminating comes with depression and operating by rote. Eating by remote control and unable to stop it in a very unconscious mode.  That was me but the root cause was going inward and staying there.  

It is our party and we can cry if we want to. When the crying is all done, we have to find our pathway to healing, recovery and restoration.

A huge part of my food addiction recovery was learning how to Flip The Switch.  

After root pulling and weed whacking,  time to Flip the Switch.  We cannot stay stuck back there on the side of the road.  We have to travel on. It's fun to have some soul sistas hanging out in the vehicle as we tool along.

When we put our heads together, come on now, there ain't nothing we can't do. Support, cry together and pull each other UP by the bootstraps.   

Don't even think about another boyfriend. Not now. It has been my observation that people go for the same person all over again with different features or heckatoot, lookalikes.  It is bizarre how we stick with what we're familiar with.

Those that jump out of relationships and jump right back in, it's wash, rinse, repeat all over again.  It's fear that makes one do that. Fear of being alone or fear of not being able to control someone all over again. Controllers are driven. They are drivers. They drive themselves and others right into the ground.  It's always their way or the highway.

But they're living in complete fear. Fear of letting you be who you are. They try to mold you into their idea of what perfection is which is Oooo, soooo silly.  They can't control any area of their life so they want to control your life and take you apart. Piece by piece and mold you into a lump of clay.  Put you on their potters wheel and turn you into a lump of multi-crap.  You feel like crap and so you start eating. 

When you've been reduced down into a dirt sandwich, they throw you out the window.  They will go to the mini-mart and buy another just like you. Bright, shiny, new package....but ooooo that sista had better run, too.

Rebound weight gain and rebound relationships.  Neither one of them are worth two hoots.  You've got to value yourself and mean business.

You're not going out like that and let them eat your dust. After some rest and recovery,  you won't have to look for a relationship.  No siree. If it's meant to be, the Universe will send you the right one.  

That person won't look anything like the last one and the personality, you won't even recognize it or know what to do with it.  It's the right balance for you.  

They love you no matter what you look like. They love you just the way you are.  And then you know, you've got the real deal.  They don't ask you to "lose" a cotton pickin' pound or run you down. They hold you UP there in high esteem with love goggles on. That's the one.  

It took quite a few years before that happened to me. But it was sooooo worth it.  

[MeadowLily]

While I'm writing this to you, I'm thinking about the Godfather and the end of the movie when he's telling Michael what to look out for. 

Like a watchman on the wall.  They'll be coming for you, all of the wrong ones.  Shoo, fly. Shoo.

It's all a test. It helps if you can study but a few hard knocks smartens you UP, too. 

I don't think hard knocks are a badge of honor or flying by the seat of your pants.  I wish someone had told me what I was in for.  I would've listened. 

When I tooled along all of the backroads of this forum, I found my answers.  Good ones and I listened.  I payed attention. They paved the way for me and I didn't need to find out the hard way what worked and what didn't.

I wrote all of the best tips down into a journal.  I studied them.  Then I found some face-to-face help, too.   All of this matters. 

When the chariot is swinging low, it's not all that sweet. There have been wild swings UP and down with food in my life.  That ride was not fun and I don't want to go back there again.   

Flip the Switch.    

 

[MeadowLily]

After I write these things, I go and kiss Bear. Hugs and kisses all around.  Laughter through the tears.  Don't waste a single day of your life.  We have today. This is the day that we move, live and enjoy all of our being. 

Move and let those internal organs start to heal. Inactivity and ruminating messes with our central processing unit. It starts to rust and fall apart.  

Moving blows the stink off.  We want to release endorphins. Our thinking becomes clearer. You can see what's coming over yonder mountain. 

Don't rinse the colors out of your life.  I'm not a black and white person but I am learning to value good routines. 

When you fall back into food addiction or any addiction, the brain's pleasure center is hijacked.  Food addiction is a chronic disease of food rewards. 

Flipping the switch.  You can do it with nutrient dense meals, 3xday.  Mmmm hmmm.

[MeadowLily]

One of the very few positives that came with hard knocks and dirt sandwiches is being able to spot the drivers. Controllers.  It's a test not to fall back into letting someone else run the show for you.

Stand your ground.  Take full responsibility for every choice and move you make.  Own the consequences and learn from them.

It will take true grit. Riding out false hunger and false cravings for all of the foods that will dig you into a deeper hole. I call them Post Whole Diggers.  

 

They're researching and finding that quality proteins really do help you  Flip the Switch.  Repair those old neural pathways. 

We don't have to overthink it.  Fish, Fish, Fish and the others.  

Much love. Felicias.  

I'm taking it back outside and run around in the snow.  I heard this on the radio today.  

 http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/health-and-fitness/health-advisor/the-surprising-health-benefits-of-working-out-outside/article19186723/

Another surprise benefit of getting outside and into nature is that exposure to plants like trees can improve your immune system. Scientists think that airborne chemicals that plants emit to protect themselves from fungus, bacteria and insects (these chemicals are called phytoncides) may also benefit humans. In a study published in 2007, people who took two-hour walks in a forest had a 50-per-cent increase in the levels of their natural killer cells. They sound scary, but they’re your cells that circulate through your body and kill bacteria, viruses, fungus and other invaders.

It also turns out that, if you prefer walking and light activity to running or more intense activities, you’re in luck. Walking in nature improves measures of revitalization, self-esteem, energy and pleasure, and decreases frustration, worry, confusion, depression, tension and tiredness far more than light activity indoors does, according to the latest evidence. Running outdoors, however, does not seem to have a greater impact on emotions or mood than running inside, maybe because running and more intense activities cause the release of endorphins that can cause feelings of elation and exhilaration, regardless of where you run.

 

[Stegner]

I knew that reading your response would cheer me up and make me laugh, and it did. Since this wasn't the worst of breakups - I think I'll skip ripping it out by the roots and just get a nice stylish cut - I have an appointment scheduled. I'm going to cut that man right out of my hair.  But the song that really describes this sad affair is by the Supremes - "You keep me hanging on"... I think that's what it's called.  When it came down to it, it wasn't that hard to get HIM out of my life, and set MYSELF free.  Thanks for putting me on your tree, Meadowlily.  

[MeadowLily]

A saavy man once told me that a good haircut and a nice pair of shoes will get you everywhere. Cutting our hair is alot like flipping the switch. Making changes.  Some color and cut their hair immediately following a break-up.  Good medicine.

 

On the first day of Christmas, 
my drive through gave to me: 
a Big Bacon Classic with cheese.

On the second day of Christmas, 
my drive through gave to me: 
Two Happy Meals, 
and a Big Bacon Classic with cheese.

On the third day of Christmas, 
my drive through gave to me: 
Three Biggie Fries, 
Two Happy Meals, 
and a Big Bacon Classic with cheese.

On the fourth day of Christmas, 
my drive through gave to me: 
Four Egg McMuffins, 
Three Biggie Fries, 
Two Happy Meals, 
and a Big Bacon Classic with cheese.

On the fifth day of Christmas, 
my drive through gave to me: 
Five onion rings, 
Four Egg McMuffins, 
Three Biggie Fries, 
Two Happy Meals, 
and a Big Bacon Classic with cheese.

On the sixth day of Christmas, 
My drive through gave to me: 
Six chocolate milkshakes, 
Five onion rings, 
Four Egg McMuffins, 
Three Biggie Fries, 
Two Happy Meals, 
and a Big Bacon Classic with cheese.

On the seventh day of Christmas, 
My drive through gave to me: 
Seven pints of cole slaw, 
Six chocolate milkshakes, 
Five onion rings, 
Four Egg McMuffins, 
Three Biggie Fries, 
Two Happy Meals, 
and a Big Bacon Classic with cheese.

On the eighth day of Christmas, 
My drive through gave to me: 
Eight bowls of chili, 
Seven pints of cole slaw, 
Six chocolate milkshakes, 
Five onion rings, 
Four Egg McMuffins, 
Three Biggie Fries, 
Two Happy Meals, 
and a Big Bacon Classic with cheese.

On the ninth day of Christmas, 
My drive through gave to me: 
Nine polish hot dogs, 
Eight bowls of chili, 
Seven pints of cole slaw, 
Six chocolate milkshakes, 
Five onion rings, 
Four Egg McMuffins, 
Three Biggie Fries, 
Two Happy Meals, 
and a Big Bacon Classic with cheese.

On the tenth day of Christmas, 
My drive through gave to me: 
Ten baked potatoes, 
Nine polish hot dogs, 
Eight bowls of chili, 
Seven pints of cole slaw, 
Six chocolate milkshakes, 
Five onion rings, 
Four Egg McMuffins, 
Three Biggie Fries, 
Two Happy Meals, 
and a Big Bacon Classic with cheese.

On the eleventh day of Christmas, 
My drive through gave to me: 
Eleven pounds of blubber, 
Ten baked potatoes, 
Nine polish hot dogs, 
Eight bowls of chili, 
Seven pints of cole slaw, 
Six chocolate milkshakes, 
Five onion rings, 
Four Egg McMuffins, 
Three Biggie Fries, 
Two Happy Meals, 
and a Big Bacon Classic with cheese.

On the twelfth day of Christmas, 
My drive through gave to me: 
Twelve bags of Pepto, 
Eleven pounds of blubber, 
Ten baked potatoes, 
Nine polish hot dogs, 
Eight bowls of chili, 
Seven pints of cole slaw, 
Six chocolate milkshakes, 
Five onion rings, 
Four Egg McMuffins, 
Three Biggie Fries, 
Two Happy Meals, 
and a Big Bacon Classic with cheese.

NOT.

 

[MeadowLily]

Dashing through the snow in my rusty Chevrolet.
Down the road I go, sliding all the way.
I need new piston rings. I need some new snow tires.
My car is held together by a piece of chicken wire!

Chorus
Oh, rust and smoke, the heater's broke, the door just blew away.
I light a match to see the dash and then I start to pray-ay.
The frame is bent, the muffler went, the radio's okay.
Oh, what fun it is to drive this rusty Chevrolet!

I went to IGA to get some Christmas cheer.
I just passed up my left front tire and it's gettin' hard to steer.
Speeding down the highway, right past the county cops.
I have to drag my swampers just to get the car to stop.

Chorus
Oh, rust and smoke, the heater's broke, the door just blew away.
I light a match to see the dash and then I start to pray-ay.
The frame is bent, the muffler went, the radio's okay.
Oh, what fun it is to drive this rusty Chevrolet!

Bouncing through the snowdrifts in a big, blue cloud of smoke.
People laugh as I drive by; I wonder what's the joke!
I have to get to Wal-Mart to pick up my layaway,
Cause Santa's comin' soon in his big, old, rusty sleigh!

Chorus
Oh, rust and smoke, the heater's broke, the door just blew away.
I light a match to see the dash and then I start to pray-ay.
The frame is bent, the muffler went, the radio's okay.
Oh, what fun it is to drive this rus-ty Chev-ro-let!

[MeadowLily]

I think we should start a new tradition.  Food Freedom Forever Fridays.

Everyone gets to wear their favorite pair of jeans and cozy socks. And, we get to say whatever we want as long as it's sweeter and kinder.  It will all be fun, really.

We'll be level-headed which reminds me of my Paw. He had a boss that chewed snooce. He would remark how level headed he really was because the snooce was falling out of both sides of his mouth equally. 

Oooo, why wait for Fri-yays. We'll start today.

I ran over and kissed my Paw and squeezed my Maw. All is well with my soul. 

 

[MeadowLily]

[MeadowLily]

[mjcaron]

Meadowlilly, you have some great pictures. I too will not go to a gym.  If it ain't convenience I ain't gonna do it.  lol... BTW is there any way to change the viewing display for a particular forum so that is posts the lastest posts first?  In order to read your awesome posts I have to go to page 62!!  I love your attitude.

[Hutlifr]

Mjcaron... I signed Up to get an email when this wonderful inspirational lady posts something. To sign up, click on the "following" button on top of the page on the right. Then when you get the email, with a button "go to this post" ,,,

[MeadowLily]

Ooooo, Soul Sistas, get in the car, we're going for aride.

Rust and smoke, the heater's broke, the door just blew away.
We light a match to see the dash and then we start to pray-ay.
The frame is bent, the muffler went, the radio's okay.
Oh, what fun it is to drive this rusty Chevrolet!

[MeadowLily]

On the first part of the journey, I was looking at all of life. There were plants and birds and rocks and things....and the air was full of sound.

I believe music is a healer. It's more than a distraction. It has healing properties. Paw grew up in the worst of times. There was starvation. For real. Lost his parents when he was just a tiny sprout. 

Paw started going to the "movie house" for his healing. He knows all of the lyrics to the songs of his ancestors' generation and Lynyrd Skynyrd. He'll ask me, you like Lynyrd Skynyrd....yeah, Paw, I really do. 

I know the lyrics of his generation and my Grandmaw's, too.  I can sing the songs of Ethel Merman and Judy Garland.  I know Tommy Dorsey boogie woogie and Tom Petty.

The happiest days of my life have music and dancing.  It's genetic and environmental. Take that away from me and I'm just a hound dog yakkin' on a bone.  Some may find that tangentially worthless and silly but it holds me together like baling wire. 

There's really no time or distance in the spirit.  Body, mind and spirit. I can reach back and see my Grandmaw playing the piano. My first song was "Wagon Wheels" with my sister.  We drove Grandmaw nuts.  Ooooo, girls, play something else.  

While you're tooling along, following your own arrow, you've got to find replacement activities that you enjoy and do all of them on your own terms.  

Another binge is not a cure for a food addiction. 

Whatever you're doing today in the name of "weight releasing", it had better be sustainable a year from now or that rebound will be found.

Rebound weight that finds itself back on your doorstep does not return in the form of muscle mass.  It comes back in fat form that hangs around all of your internal organs and causes further damage.

Rebound weight gain and rebound relationships.  Neither one of them will do you any good.   There is a connection in there, too.   Love addiction, food addiction, online shopping, gambling, swilling booze and hard liquor....addiction. They're horses of a different color but all are in the same barn.

Some horses will test you.  Some horses will teach you.  And some will bring out the worst in you.  The scars of addiction have the strange power to remind us that our past is real. 

 

 

[MeadowLily]

For 30 days, I worried about what in the world I was going to do on Day 31. That's all I was thinking about.  I don't know what to do!

While I was completing the Whole 30,  like a dcduck, I was paddling as fast as I could go.  

I started reading everything on this forum. I went back to the first part of their journey and I was absorbing everything like a sponge.

We don't have to rewrite the book ISWF.  It's already been done. But I did not want to forget the posts that made a huge impact on my thinking.  I cabbaged onto them and they're all here.  

I also looked around for those who had weight stability waaaay into their futures.  I wanted what they had. Weight stability and an equilibrium, peace with food. 

I was doing some reverse engineering.  Taking myself apart and putting myself back together again.  We have to tear ourselves down to build ourselves back UP again.  

I believed with everything within my being that I never had to count another calorie, follow a menu plan, never count a step or gram of carbs or fats ever again.  

She believed she could.  So she did. 

With a multitude of counselors, there is safety. Read everything you can while you're tooling along.  Do not go blindly into the night, Felicias.  Those who do the hard work learn the most. 

These behaviors are not difficult to adopt but it just takes practice, practice, practice.  Thirty days will not be enough for the people like me.

When you have the equipment you need and your new cognitive behaviors....they will give you confidence. 

[MeadowLily]

Thoughts always precede behaviors.

Destructive thought patterns lead to poor eating, overeating and wonky lifestyle choices. Consistently have a sense of unfairness and self-pity? Why me? Compliant without complaint will get you there.

Your tolerance and indifference for triggers and false cravings is a muscle that will grow stronger with use. I believed that Whole 30 was not a temporary diet of 30 days. 

I believed it was a diagnostic tool and a Food Reset.  I called it returning back to my original factory settings.  I created a positive food management plan but I had help.  Face-to-Face help.

Pride comes before the fall. Throw your pride out the window and cabbage onto those strong words of wisdom that will pull you out of the deep holes you've been digging for yourself.  

[MeadowLily]

Another one bites the dust.  I was going to wait until tomorrow but I can't. Some 'one' has opted for WLS. They waited to tell me because they felt it was the only option.  The quick fix. 

I'm familiar with the long term stats because I know those who've went down that road.

Less than 5% of dieters can keep the weight off.

Only 7% of WLS patients can keep the weight off after about 5 years.

They're just thrilled to pieces that the stomach is now the size of a thumb. Eventually, they'll be able to work up to 4 oz of food at a setting.

You can remove the gut, shuffle everything around that's left but it doesn't fix the appetite control center that resides in the brain. There will be actual mourning for food.  The longing for the tastes of food does not go away.  

The brain is not sated or satisfied with the eating experience. The self-soothing experience of using food to smooth out stress, boredom, happiness, anxiety...that's gone now.  But the ghost feelings still remain.  It's similar to having a limb removed but you can still feel it.  You know it was once there.

Removing the stomach does not remove the mental hurdles with food. They mourn food and they're still preoccupied with it. And after a time, many have regained every single pound and with 'friends'.  It happens.

The quick fix doesn't repair the appetite control center.  Coming down the pike will be the surgery for the hanging skin. They're really excited. Just lop it all off and viola.  No exercise needed. 

They want my support. My teeth are set on edge. I will do my best to give it but I believed that I had to take full responsibility for all of my choices.  I had to own the consequences and give it a name. Food addiction/disorder.

I owned it.  Then I set the wheels in motion and was told that going Oooo sooo slow was the way to go.  It might take me 2.5 years but I would reconstruct myself in the process.  

I would've loved to have been wearing a zipper suit. Simply unzip my suit and the layers of fat that I'd acquired over the years would disappear.  It didn't work that way.

I had to work hard for it and it took true grit.  There were months and months of hiking and lifting heavy things.  With every move I made and the pain involved in the beginning...I embraced the sux.  I did it.  I owned it.  

I believed I could.  So I did. 

I don't believe in quick fixes.  It's like putting bubblegum over a leaking dam.  Eventually, there's a major blowout.  We all make our choices but there is a pathway to healing, recovery and restoration. 

 

[MeadowLily]

When I did my Whole 30, we had a group leader who was praying for all of us. Ayup. And you could feel the prayers go up and the answers came down. It was awesome and I really believe it made all of the difference for us. 

So I'm praying it forward. What they did for me, I'm going to give back and lift you UP. Anyone out there having a hard time, just wave your hand.  I've already started a list with the Soul Sistas who've passed by this thread.  

When we put our heads together, there ain't nothing we can't do. We can cave those stats in and against every odd, we can all break on through to the other side.  I have faith in you and me. Let's stick together.

Momentum is a gift. I don't take it for granted.  Without it, I'd probably be throwing gummy bears out the window as I was driving down the road and into the snowbacks like I used to do. Bouncing off the walls and flinging myself around, nuttier than a fruitcake....tanked up on HFCS. 

That is all.   

 

[MeadowLily]

I remember the summer of 2014. The sun was shining in a honeycomb yellow on Day 1 of our Whole 30. I started walking through the forest canopy with my trekking poles.

I was excited to have a group of paleo peoples that enjoyed bouncing their thoughts off of one another. It was a soul-swelling experience. We came together at sunrise and met up again through the late evening hours. There was nitwittery and fun as we rallied one another on.

Lightning strikes. Maybe once.  Maybe twice.

I was still IN. Living inward.  

I didn't have a voice because I had been shoving it down with food. So I deleted most of my posts. What was that? I don't know. 

Good food fixes everything. The lights came on and suddenly, I was home. I've kept the porch light on for those who've launched back out into the world. That's what you're supposed to do but I don't like Good-byes. 

What's so good about it. It's not bitter or sweet,  just sad.   

Last night, tears were rolling down my face. Bear comes in and asks me if I'm crying about "my music"....again.  Yes. I really like that song ^^^, it does reminds me of the summer of 2014.  But I was also crying for the Felicias like me. 

They're excited with the promise that they really can turn their relationship with food around.  Tender sprouts with tender hearts. Your feelers can be hurt so easily on the first part of the journey. I remember.  You're making your way, unsure of what tomorrow holds.

Food is like a religion for many people. They are passionate and take it very seriously.  Food prep like a maniac. She's a maniac, maniac...on the dance floor, Flashdance. 

Others fly by the seat of their pants. Winging it and changing everything UP.  I like that but there's value in positive routines. I food prepped yesterday and feel like I've finally arrived. 

They say that food addiction actually has aspects of both positive and negative perfectionism. In the positive form, it can catapult you to achievement and meeting your goals.  

In the negative form of perfectionism it can lead to depression, anxiety and regrets about not maintaining meticulous attention to every detail. Ruminating about past mistakes.  Not the same as reminiscing. 

I like looking forward, waaaay down the road.  Steve Jobs said...