After my last post, I have to say WOW! That was hard. But I didn’t expect so many comments, emails, phone calls, texts from friends reaching out to say they felt the same way and were not only behind me 100% but some are even joining me in the challenge to create more meaning and purpose in their lives. Double WOW! I had no idea that hearing from you would feel so good and ignite me that much more, so please don’t stop. If you have something to share – ANYTHING, please do. I want to hear your experiences, perspective and thoughts too 🙂
And get this… I’ve got people asking to run with me! Wha? Me????!!! I feel like Forest Gump for God’s sake! Haha! And just so you know, I am on a mission to find a t-shirt (or make one if I have to) that says “SAY HELLO” or better yet “TELL ME TO KEEP GOING”. Stay tuned on that one.
So here’s the deal. It’s not my first time to this rodeo. I’ve eaten healthy, worked out (a little) and lost 30 lbs… THREE times in the last 15 years. I started with the Carbohydrate Addicts diet, then Sure-Slim (twice) but used them in almost a band-aid approach. I just did what they told me to do and it worked. There was no information behind it and I didn’t care. I just wanted to lose the weight so I could move on. And by moving on, this meant going off the diet and eventually gaining the weight back (and then some). I’m good at the quick fix but not the long term.
I’m no longer interested in a formula to follow to ‘get it right’ and then be held hostage by it. I want to be informed about food. I want to know how it’s supposed to work in my body and what I need to fuel this fine piece of machinery! I want knowledge that will serve me (and my family) forever to make informed choices about the food I eat and prepare for my family. So I move forward knowingly the pros and cons because then, it won’t be a diet – it will be just how I eat. When I know more, I will hopefully do different.
And this is what the E.A.T! Program is all about – information, tools and the foundations of how to best eat for optimal health. The food part to me is fairly straight forward and more doable than the hard part of breaking old ways of thinking and behaving around food.
My big take-aways from class#1:
- I own this experience – nobody else. I will get out of it what I put in.
- Clean out my kitchen of crap that doesn’t support my goals (trigger foods)
- To stock my kitchen with a wide variety of fruits, veggies, protein and healthy carbs
- To be aware of the feelings behind when and why I eat (H.A.L.T – Hungry, Angry, Lonely, Tired)
And so last week I began eating cleaner and it’s been fine. I’ve been more organized and even put meals together the night before for my coach training this past weekend. This may sound like more work, but it wasn’t. It was a lot easier than going in circles in my head wondering what I was going to eat in the moment (when I was hungry) and then just grab whatever was available knowing that it was probably not that great for me. There was no thought behind it … and don’t forget the eating scraps off my kid’s plate. Classy times.
Fast forward to yesterday when we all headed cross border to run some errands. Just the simple act of driving down the I-5 had me craving junk suddenly! But it makes sense, because whenever we go down to shop we almost always get cookies at Trader Joes or pizza at Costco or burritos at Chipotle the size of my head and this beast in me was waiting to be fed! But I didn’t budge. I was tempted for the first time but held firm. And I’m not into TOTAL depravity so I did order my first non-fat, decaf mocha… without whipped cream (if you can imagine!!) which I NEVER would have seen happening in my life before this whole shift. And to my surprise it didn’t taste like watered down MOCKOLATE!
Bottom line is, 90% of the time, I want to feed my body in a healthy, sustainable way where the food does me good not harm… and then indulge a bit on weekends/holidays with friends and wine! To me that is achievable and something I want to do for the rest of my life, especially if I am the one designing it. I’m hoping to achieve this from taking the E.A.T! course and will keep you posted with how it goes!
As for squeezing info in here about how my first set of coaching workshops went this weekend – I am still processing, but can tell you it was a complete life-changing experience. I began learning to listen on a totally new level and truly be present and connect with another person like I’ve never done before. It was EPIC to say the least. I will do my best to put words to it in my next post.
Until then, much love and thank you for all the amazing vibes… second E.A.T! Class tonight!!
Let's Do This. 