*Snowflakes to Sunshine* Discussion Week #8 (CLOSED GROUP)

bhonniered

http://www.bodylovewellness.com/2010/06/09/kai-hibbard-biggest-loser-finalist-part-1-of-3

Ok you all have to read this....It is a real interview from a biggest loser contestant, a true interview!!

What an amazing article - thanks for sharing it.

IsMollyReallyHungry

You Don't Have to Be Perfect to Lose Weight
By Katie Jay, MSW, Certified Life Coach

Have you tried the Seafood Diet? Actually, it's spelled "See-Food." So many of us have tried it. You know the one. You "see food," and you eat it. One of my coaching clients, JoAnn, went on that diet last weekend. She ate anything she saw that looked good to her -- at home (white toast with butter, a handful of chocolate chips, crackers), at a gas station (trail mix), and at a friend's house (chips and dip, corn bread) -- and she was heartbroken about it. Why Did She Do It? Said JoAnn, "I'd like to blame it on my hormones, or on the fact that my life is stressful. I could blame it on my frustrating food addiction, or maybe even on depression. But, honestly, I don't know what made me do it.

And if I don't know the cause, I can't fix the problem." Her unspoken message to herself was: "I will keep making poor food choices until I find out why I do this to myself." It almost sounded like JoAnn had made a decision to stay on the "See-Food Diet" indefinitely.

But "Why" Only Matters if You're Perfect In a perfect world, knowing the root cause of her grazing would be helpful, but today JoAnn doesn't know the root cause. So, that's not information that will get JoAnn back on track right now -- and now is her moment. It's all she's got.

JoAnn's Perfectionism Is in her Way When you go on the "See-Food Diet" it's easy to tell yourself, "Now that I've blown it, I might as well keep eating." JoAnn basically decided if she wasn't going to follow her plan exactly, she was a failure -- and she planned to act accordingly. JoAnn was being so unreasonable in her expectations of herself it's no wonder she felt doomed.

Imperfection Happens I'm sure many go on the "See-Food Diet" from time to time. Life happens. But, you can't stay on that diet. And the longer you put off getting back on track, the more damage you will do to your body, mind, and spirit.

To banish your perfectionism, and the all-or-nothing attitude it burdens you with, try these three tips:

1) Allow yourself to make mistakes so you can learn.
When you feel anxious or sad for having done something imperfect, switch from the self-critical "giving-up mode" to "learning mode." Instead of berating yourself the way JoAnn did, ask yourself: "What can I learn from this mistake and what can I do differently right now?"

2) Be realistic.
Making one mistake does not mean you are *always* making mistakes. When you start to feel like you're a hopeless case, ask yourself: "Is that really true? Realistically, what else can I do?"

3) Lower your standards.
Practice making a few mistakes on purpose. Then, practice doing a few tasks less thoroughly than you would have in the past. As you practice you will develop a tolerance for imperfection. And remember, practice makes ... well, maybe not.

You Don't Have to Be Perfect to Lose Weight. Let's say you do what you need to do to lose weight and keep it off 90 percent of the time. You'll probably do pretty well. Why don't you give it a try and find out. It sure beats ZERO percent of the time, doesn't it?

IsMollyReallyHungry

SHORTER VERSION OR THE MEAT OF IT. I thought the whole newsletter was awesome but I know many have a time issue or don't like reading long posts.

You Don't Have to Be Perfect to Lose Weight
By Katie Jay, MSW, Certified Life Coach

To banish your perfectionism, and the all-or-nothing attitude it burdens you with, try these three tips:

1) Allow yourself to make mistakes so you can learn.
When you feel anxious or sad for having done something imperfect, switch from the self-critical "giving-up mode" to "learning mode." Instead of berating yourself the way JoAnn did, ask yourself: "What can I learn from this mistake and what can I do differently right now?"

2) Be realistic.
Making one mistake does not mean you are *always* making mistakes. When you start to feel like you're a hopeless case, ask yourself: "Is that really true? Realistically, what else can I do?"

3) Lower your standards.
Practice making a few mistakes on purpose. Then, practice doing a few tasks less thoroughly than you would have in the past. As you practice you will develop a tolerance for imperfection. And remember, practice makes ... well, maybe not.

You Don't Have to Be Perfect to Lose Weight. Let's say you do what you need to do to lose weight and keep it off 90 percent of the time. You'll probably do pretty well. Why don't you give it a try and find out. It sure beats ZERO percent of the time, doesn't it?

Krys_T

SHORTER VERSION OR THE MEAT OF IT. I thought the whole newsletter was awesome but I know many have a time issue or don't like reading long posts.

You Don't Have to Be Perfect to Lose Weight
By Katie Jay, MSW, Certified Life Coach

To banish your perfectionism, and the all-or-nothing attitude it burdens you with, try these three tips:

1) Allow yourself to make mistakes so you can learn.
When you feel anxious or sad for having done something imperfect, switch from the self-critical "giving-up mode" to "learning mode." Instead of berating yourself the way JoAnn did, ask yourself: "What can I learn from this mistake and what can I do differently right now?"

2) Be realistic.
Making one mistake does not mean you are *always* making mistakes. When you start to feel like you're a hopeless case, ask yourself: "Is that really true? Realistically, what else can I do?"

3) Lower your standards.
Practice making a few mistakes on purpose. Then, practice doing a few tasks less thoroughly than you would have in the past. As you practice you will develop a tolerance for imperfection. And remember, practice makes ... well, maybe not.

You Don't Have to Be Perfect to Lose Weight. Let's say you do what you need to do to lose weight and keep it off 90 percent of the time. You'll probably do pretty well. Why don't you give it a try and find out. It sure beats ZERO percent of the time, doesn't it?

Thank you for sharing...this was great and I think a PERFECT transition into a new "week" for us!

leandread

SHORTER VERSION OR THE MEAT OF IT. I thought the whole newsletter was awesome but I know many have a time issue or don't like reading long posts.

You Don't Have to Be Perfect to Lose Weight
By Katie Jay, MSW, Certified Life Coach

To banish your perfectionism, and the all-or-nothing attitude it burdens you with, try these three tips:

1) Allow yourself to make mistakes so you can learn.
When you feel anxious or sad for having done something imperfect, switch from the self-critical "giving-up mode" to "learning mode." Instead of berating yourself the way JoAnn did, ask yourself: "What can I learn from this mistake and what can I do differently right now?"

2) Be realistic.
Making one mistake does not mean you are *always* making mistakes. When you start to feel like you're a hopeless case, ask yourself: "Is that really true? Realistically, what else can I do?"

3) Lower your standards.
Practice making a few mistakes on purpose. Then, practice doing a few tasks less thoroughly than you would have in the past. As you practice you will develop a tolerance for imperfection. And remember, practice makes ... well, maybe not.

You Don't Have to Be Perfect to Lose Weight. Let's say you do what you need to do to lose weight and keep it off 90 percent of the time. You'll probably do pretty well. Why don't you give it a try and find out. It sure beats ZERO percent of the time, doesn't it?

Thank you for sharing...this was great and I think a PERFECT transition into a new "week" for us!

Indeed indeed. I think this is exactly what I needed to hear as we prepare to weigh in assess our goals for next week.

Steph_135

Is it Friday ALREADY? Final post, and then on to the new thread!! :bigsmile:

But facing an expense of $23,000 when we've worked so hard to no struggle anymore, just took the wind out of my sails.

So, I need to end the pity party and play the hand I've been dealt. People deal with stuff like this all the time without turning their bodies into the goodyear blimp.

Nice attitude. I'm not extremely religious, but I love this quote I've heard said somewhere on MFP before (maybe even in this group!) "God wouldn’t Give You More Than You Can Handle". And the more humorous I found online: “I know God will not give me anything I can't handle. I just wish He didn't trust me so much.” :laugh: I always get upset when I pay too much for something, or spend money a little too quickly, but I know that it will all come back to me in the long run. Focus on how abundant your life is! Not just in your finances, but in your family, health, etc. It makes me feel better. :flowerforyou:

I love Leslie Sansone! A lot of people don't really care for her because they say she is annoying, but I love how she is upbeat and motivational. And I can attest for the emotionality (if that is a word!) of her workouts sometimes too. There is one DVD I love to do where she is raising her hands in the air and pulling down and she says while she is raising her hands how thankful she is and how we should be thankful and several times I am teared up during that. I just love that she is spiritual without going overboard with it. I love working out with her.

forgiven4life... Aw! She is really great!! (I can deal with her perky annoying-ness.) I'm going to have to invest in that neat firm bands she uses for strength moves someday if I continue to walk with her.

Ok so I have come to the decision that starting tomorrow I am going to start zig-zagging my calories as well as officially starting C25K.

WOOT!! I look forward to following your progress on the C25K, since I wanna start up in March!! Avocado is a miracle food if you are low on calories in a day. So delicious! I love it blended in cold carrot soup with a little bit of cayenne pepper and ginger powder. (Found that recipe in a magazine once!)

Amanda... Yikes! Thanks for the article! Lose it slow and maintain it healthily!! :drinker:

Mollie... Thanks for the article. I save a lot of the tidbits you post and re-read them later too! :flowerforyou: