Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Changing My Mind...

...and for once I'm not talking about being indecisive.

I've been really busy. I even missed a post yesterday. I've been on my computer working diligently on my stepdaughter's open house invitations. I've been running around to stores and working on crafts. I've been sitting at my dining room table with my hubby's ex-wife getting list upon list upon list written (yeah, talk about awkward). And yesterday, I stopped by my dad's to spend a little time with my stepmom since I didn't get to see her on Mother's Day. That's where my story begins...

It was right after school and I was STARVING. My stepmom always has goodies and yummy foods in the fridge and cupboards ready for the taking. She has a son, my stepbrother Cole, who is 15, and being a typical teenage boy, he eats A LOT (and of course is still a bean pole), so it's a necessary thing to have this food on hand at all times (especially when his friends come over!). So, I opened the fridge and BAM - there's a huge bowl of two different kinds of pasta salad. YUMMMMMMMY!! So of course I had a bowl. And I was still hungry so I had another. Then I found some cookies. Then I had a turkey and swiss sandwich. By the time I got myself together and snapped out of it, I was so stuffed I could barely move. What a huge mistake.

After I left, I ran to the grocery store to get the stuff to cook for dinner. I realized that just because it was dinner time, that didn't necessarily mean I had to eat. Back in the day, eating time would roll around and I would just naturally 'have' to eat. Like it was a necessity, even if I wasn't hungry. And it didn't matter when - breakfast, lunch, dinner, snack time, midnight snack time - my mind would simply tell me to eat regardless of if I was actually hungry or not.

BUT, yesterday, for the first time in forever, I consciously decided to skip dinner. I wasn't hungry. I ate my points for the day. I didn't NEED dinner. I changed my mind. I HAVE CHANGED MY MIND!! I have reprogrammed my thinking. I have made it so I don't just eat when it's traditionally time. I know I'll still have days where I struggle, but it's so nice to finally see a sign of things looking up. Signs of my new life. My new MIND!! Woooohoooooooooo!!

So anyways, have you guys been watching The Biggest Loser lately?? Those women are looking GREAT!!! I think all of them have lost around 100 pounds! That's amazing!!

Also, let's talk about diets for a moment - I saw on the news tonight that some research showed that the Jenny Craig program is the best for weight loss. Who in their right mind wants to eat frozen/processed/pre-made foods all the time??? AND THEN, Slim Fast 3-2-1 was second!! YEAH RIGHT! Again, more processed/pre-packaged foods! I mean, don't get me wrong, if you are using one of these diets and it's working for you and it's something you truly feel like you'll be able to keep up for the rest of your life, more power to ya, I'm not one to judge. But for myself, I just couldn't do that. I'd really like to know what this research was based on. I'm really big on whole, organic, nutrient rich foods. I have a really hard time eating things that have ingredients that I can't even pronounce. I fall for some of them at times, such as cookies and chips and marshmallows. But to base my entire diet on them, well, just wouldn't work for me.

By the way, according to my Nike+, I'm at 20 miles of running/jogging/walking so far since I got it! YAY! I was on the treadmill earlier tonight and my legs are feeling significantly better. I'm hoping that I just needed to strengthen the muscles that were hurting. We'll see.

And one more thing, remember when I mentioned how much I rock at softball? Let me give you an example. On Sunday, at practice, the pitcher needed a break so they put me in. I pitched a few to my cousin, and one that he hit went straight up in the air, really really really high in the air. So I positioned myself underneath and opened my mitt and the ball came down and WHACK, instead of catching it with my glove I caught it with my forearm. Now, I have this HUGE bruise and my whole arm is sore. Yep, I feel the player of the year award coming on this year.

Well everyone, tomorrow is Wednesday. That means the week is half over and the weekend is one more day closer. What will you do to make this week better than the last? Make it great! :)

10 comments:

safire said...

Your gauge of whether you needed dinner or not is exactly my methods of intuitive eating now! Good for you! I saw the GMA special report too and it's nonsensical to me. It's ridiculous that their study is on extreme fast results. I think learning longterm sustainable methods is so much more important. What are you going to do? Pay for frozen meals and shakes the rest of your life? Of course the companies hope you do!

Lisa Mancini said...

I think Safire knows when I'm going to comment and just gets there before me. She's ALWAYS right infront of me.

OK, seriously, they might be good at loosing the weight, but you're right, what happens when you decide to start cooking for yourself?

Seriously, WTG on reprogramming your thinking on eating!! You are doing soo good!!!

Yay for softball, I hope your arm feels better soon.

Diandra said...

I think many people like these "go-to food diets" because they don't have to decide on what to eat (or only within strict limits), and they don't have to waste time learning which food is good for you and how to prepare it. Hey, it's all fast and easy! My mother used to do some kind of slimfast program when I was younger, lost some weight, stopped doing the program and gained everything back because she hadn't learned a damn thing about food along the way. (We're talking 300pounds to 220 pounds to 350 pounds.)

I'd rather spend a little more brain power on the whole process, lose a little slower and make the necessary changes FOR LIFE. Right now.

Missy said...

Oh, softball. Your poor arm! Good for you for getting out there and having fun, though!

And no thanks to both Jenny Craig and Slim Fast. I'll enjoy my fruits, veggies and lean meats. Thank you very much ;o)

Laura Whitfield said...

I have a few of these meals stocked up in my freezer. I don't live on them, but I certainly use them as my crutch. When I think my self control is waivering and I'm almost certain I won't give myself the proper proporations I pop one of this in the microwave. They may not be fantastic, but it certianly beats blowing it.

But I think people who choose those diets know that they need help to get there. Prepackaged food is a great stepping stone into establishing a healthier pattern. But I very much agree, its certainly no way to live forever.

Krystle kjb Bailey said...

OMGG that article about Jenny Craig made me so so sossooo madd! I posted a blog about it on my site if you are interested, I will leave my page at the bottom. But hey don't sweat over eating.. it happens!! I think we all have been there. Keep up the great work!!

-Krystle
skinny-jeans-dreams.blogspot.com

MojoMissy said...

What an inspiration you are to me! Yay for changing your mind! For me, that's been my biggest struggle.

Jenny Craig?!? BLAH! How much did they pay for that "news story"?

Need to Get ME Back said...

Thats so great that something has clicked in your mind like that, hopefully that will make it easier to make good choices! And I am also surprised by Jenny Craig being #1... maybe they mean #1 out of all the conventional "diet" programs. I'm surprised Weight Watchers wouldn't be #1.

ThunderThighs said...

@ Safire - I couldn't agree more!!

@ Lisa - Yeah! I mean, I realize people don't cook as often anymore, but come on! Houses are built with kitchens for a reason!

@ Diandra - I'm sorry to hear about your mom. It's a tough situation. I'm with you, though, we need to use our brain power more often!! Besides, I'm too stubborn to let other people tell me what to eat day in and day out ;)

@ Missy - YES! Me too!!! I like REAL food!!! :)

@ Laura - Yes, you have a great point, so much of our eating habits come from the influence of our families when we were younger. And some people do definitely need a good stepping stone to get them to rid those bad habits. And I do like your idea of keeping those things around as a crutch when needed. I'm glad to hear that you don't eat them all the time, though.

@ Krystle - I will definitely check out your blog!

@ Missy - Thank you! It's hard to believe that I'd be an inspiration to ANYBODY :) *hugs* And yeah, I bet they paid a pretty penny!

@ N2GMB - And yeah, that's why I wonder what exactly it's based on because I don't understand how WW wasn't number one. But, if you count all the people who sign up for WW and don't follow through, versus the people who buy all the JC foods and don't follow through, which would probably be significantly less because of the price difference, JC may actually look, on paper, as more successful. Even though it's still a sham.

Thin Lizzy said...

I'm surprised that slim-fast is #2! That just seems wrong.