My weight loss goals in a reflection

As far as exercise goes, I plan on either walking or at least do something else that is fun.  I have been inspired by Cize and Body Beast in the past.  I am tired of just being inspired.  I finally get to see myself in the mirror and I finally get to realize that not only do I need to lose weight and keep it off, but also to exercise to gain confidence.  I lack the consistency to exercise.  Now is the time to learn.

As for food goes, my plan is not just to lose weight, but to buy more food that isn't processed.  My diet I admit is not good.  I need to learn to say no.  I also need to learn to listen to my hunger cues. I have not been officially diagnosed as having binge eating disorder but I know that I have an issue not only with food but with consistency.

I have no idea what I need to plan for tomorrow, but I realize that consuming processed foods have been bad for me.  Of course, that is for everyone, but it is especially true for me.  I have a hormonal condition and I need to follow that particular diet if I need to lose weight and become fit.  I realize seriously that I do complain too much,

I am scared.  How do I overcome that fear of being fearful?  I guess the answer is to overcome anxiety.  I have made too many excuses and I finally see myself as someone who isn't just filled with flaws.  I am a living breathing human being that sees good days and bad days.  I also not only see flaws but I see an all-or-nothing thinking that I wish I could change overnight.  I believe in black-n-white morality where there is no shade of gray.  I also have translated it to how I live my day.  I would like to be able to change my way of thinking.

How I need to do that, I don't know.  Today is a gift since it is the present.  Tomorrow is another day. I can finally move forward.  Everyday is a step closer to reaching my goal, whatever that may be.  I do need support, but there are things that I can do myself.  I think it is time to be a grown up and do grown up things, for even tomorrow may be too late.

Diet and exercise plans and reflection for 3/24/17

I have made plans last night concerning what I plan to eat for tomorrow.  I have to do a better job of taking into account my health issues.  I have enough health issues that are bothersome, but could get worse.  That is not what I want, and that is for things to get worse.  I realize that I have two feet as to walk and weights that I have.  I plan to use them or do other things tomorrow.

As for food, here is what I plan to eat for tomorrow:
Breakfast
Sausage (turkey)
Bacon
Tater Tots

Lunch
Kale salad with ranch dressing

Dinner
1 cup soup
Kale salad with ranch dressing

Snack 1
1 cup soup

Snack 2
Peanut butter and apple

My confessions about weight...I plan to exercise tomorrow

What I am about to write is about my confession concerning losing weight and maintaining a healthy lifestyle.  In order to see the future, I have to see what I did wrong.  I am 42 years old and one of the reasons that I had difficulty is because I focused on my age.  I wanted to look like I did when I was a teenager and remain that way.  I also wanted to lose all of the weight I gained before the last decade. I gained nearly 60 pounds in that year.


Over the years, I was diagnosed with having PCOS, which is really a hormonal condition that affects females, namely of child bearing years.  I wanted to lose weight before the age of 40 because I figure at a younger age, it will be easier.  I have been and remained anxious as a result of my weight gain.  I am confessing this because things have been a struggle for so long, that I need to get rid of the guilt.  I have decided that I have nothing to be guilty or confused about.  I need to lose weight and I want to lose weight.  I am not sure if I have made such a god or desire out of losing weight, but I feel like a failure.  I am not so sure if I can do it.

Reflection about making plans

It can be difficult to plan meals and plan exercise routines if one has a disorder.  Either it is too limiting or not limited enough.  I realize that it can even be difficult for me to plan meals for myself. I have written and made plans for a long time and admittedly, some of them are quite fattening.  My weight has climbed or fallen in large amounts of pounds.  I tend to have "good days" and "bad days". Maybe all of this strict, all-or-nothing thinking is what makes it worse. I also admit therefore to being too hard on myself.  On the other hand, I am also afraid not to be.

Things I have realized

I realize that I needed help a long time ago.  I have yet to be fully diagnosed by a physician.  For years, I felt powerless to do anything.  I don't want to feel that way anymore.  I don't crave healthy foods, and I have written and prayed a lot about losing weight.  I feel like over the years, I have all but dealt with guilt and giving up.  I admit to giving up on myself, which is something I didn't recall doing.  I don't want to be that way either.  I don't know where to begin, but I would like to overcome the guilt and the feeling of powerlessness or one day it will be closer to even worse health.  Time is just too short.

Binge Eating Disorder

What is binge eating disorder?
Binge eating disorder is a common eating disorder where you frequently eat large amounts of food while feeling powerless to stop and extremely distressed during or after eating. Binge eating disorder typically begins in late adolescence or early adulthood, often after a major diet. During a binge, you may eat even when you’re not hungry and continue eating long after you’re full. You may also binge so fast you barely register what you’re eating or tasting. Unlike bulimia, however, there are no regular attempts to “make up” for the binges through vomiting, fasting, or over-exercising.

You may find that binge eating is comforting for a brief moment, helping to ease unpleasant emotions or feelings of stress, depression, or anxiety. But then reality sets back in and you’re flooded with feelings of regret and self-loathing. Binge eating often leads to weight gain and obesity, which only reinforces compulsive eating. The worse you feel about yourself and your appearance, the more you use food to cope. It becomes a vicious cycle: eating to feel better, feeling even worse, and then turning back to food for relief. As much as you may feel powerless to break this cycle, there are plenty of things you can do to better manage your emotions and regain control over your eating and your health.

Signs and symptoms
If you have binge eating disorder, you may feel embarrassed and ashamed about your eating habits, and try to hide your symptoms by eating in secret.

Behavioral symptoms of binge eating and compulsive overeating

Inability to stop eating or control what you’re eating
Rapidly eating large amounts of food
Eating even when you're full
Hiding or stockpiling food to eat later in secret
Eating normally around others, but gorging when you’re alone
Eating continuously throughout the day, with no planned mealtimes
Emotional symptoms

Feeling stress or tension that is only relieved by eating
Embarrassment over how much you’re eating
Feeling numb while bingeing—like you’re not really there or you’re on auto-pilot.
Never feeling satisfied, no matter how much you eat
Feeling guilty, disgusted, or depressed after overeating
Desperation to control weight and eating habits

Symptoms, Causes, Treatment, and Help for Compulsive Overeating

Reasonable Exercise Plans for Someone Recovering from Binge Eating Disorder

Reasonable Exercise Plans for Someone Recovering from Binge Eating Disorder
By Erin Risius, MA, LPC, Program Director at Green Mountain at Fox Run

For those struggling with binge eating disorder their exercise patterns tend to mirror their eating patterns – falling prey to an all-or-nothing tendency. With food, this involves a restriction/binge cycle and for exercise, this all-or-nothing tendency usually shows up as a cycle of no pain/no gain exercise and then being sedentary.

The no pain/no gain approach inevitably creates a psychological resistance to movement primarily due to the approach – not the lack of willpower on behalf of the person (think: New Year’s Resolutions).

Add to this, potential childhood scars around exercise (think: gym class) and/or orthopedic conditions and mobility challenges that make movement painful, and exercise can easily be seen as the “enemy” – something that must be endured and certainly not enjoyed.

Learning Not to Dread Exercise

Regardless of whether this view of exercise stems from early experiences, recent experiences or both, the result is that exercise is avoided – not embraced. However, in order to heal one’s relationship with the body – and in the end, with Self – finding a way to move healthfully in the body one has today will be important for the BED recovery process.

At Green Mountain, women come to us dreading the exercise part of our program, fearing it will be another boot camp; but instead they are met with an approach that makes them feel exercise is not only doable – but enjoyable.

This shift in perspective is what enables them to leave feeling empowered and encouraged to continue movement on their own. With that in mind, here are four key strategies that help those struggling with BED to climb out of the all-or- nothing pattern with exercise and into a consistent practice of healthy movement.

Woman – Center Thyself.

The practice of mindfulness forms the foundation of our approach to helping women reconnect their minds to their bodies. Those struggling with BED often feel cut off from their bodies and our goal is to help them to get off auto-pilot and begin to tune into their thoughts, emotions, and bodies.

This process requires the practice of centering – of taking a moment to connect to the here-and-now experience and to their physical core – before starting an exercise. This involves a conscious physical alignment of their spine so that whether a woman is walking, strength training, or stretching she starts by actively tuning IN to the body before movement.

Easy does it.

Since many women who come in to our program are used to the all-or-nothing approach our goal is to help them to experience ‘middle ground’ with movement around exercise intensity, frequency and duration. Therefore, we teach them how to use the Rating of Perceived Exertion scale (RPE) with cardiovascular, strength and flexibility training while aiming for moderate intensity with all exercises.

Working toward moderate intensity (5 – 7 on a scale of 1 – 10) creates the feeling that exercise is doable, which instills a sense of confidence to enhance the fitness level without gasping for air or pushing through the burn. This approach sets up a psychological reinforcement toward exercise adherence.

Modifying exercise for the body one has today.

All of our exercise classes have special modifications that take into account different intensity levels, orthopedic injuries/conditions and mobility levels. We adapt exercise to our participants’ bodies, not vice versa. For example, participants at Green Mountain learn how to honor their shoulder, knee, or low back conditions, and to work with not against their body’s capabilities.

Learning how to honor the body’s cues in the moment is crucial for cultivating body awareness, reducing discomfort and enhancing the enjoyment of movement, which has a positive impact on exercise consistency and duration.

Things to consider when it comes to forming an exercise plan when one has a binge eating problem