Well, the time came to get a new computer after having spent hours and a few too many dollars wrestling with detecting the problem, virus scanning and ultimately installing a new hard drive during the holiday at the end of 2009. Kept me out of the fridge though!

So here I am in February and the same things start showing up: slowing of the system, “not responding” messages and just plain freezing up! The truth reveals itself to me louder than ever: “Lisa, it’s time to stop spending time and money on fixing it and just buy a brand new computer!”

So I did and I am absolutely elated!

My curiosity is, why does it sometimes take getting hit over the head or another such profound awakening metaphor to make us move in the direction that is ultimately forward? Why are we so quick to fall back into complacency and futility?

Of course I am relating this to weight and health, you know that right?

I was talking with my wonderful partner of 10 years last night and we were pondering why it is so difficult for people to change their behaviours that no longer work for them and adopt new behaviors that are better suited for the current situation including their new dreams and desires for their life. In talking about it I realized that most people just want to stop one thing and begin another the next day. It just doesn’t happen that way!

I'm no good at this game! I can't even hit the ball! This game is no fun and frankly... I quit!

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While visiting Sydney and surrounding areas, I came to the realization that we are looked upon as the fattest country in the world!  Are they correct?

Look around… looks like it!

There is even a beer commercial for a new 2/3 less carb beer where they send the carbs that are no longer into the beer to people who really appreciate carbohydrate: Americans!

Now, don’t get mad about it.  They are absolutely right!  We are “fatties” and we eat junk and we don’t take care of our health.  That’s the truth and that’s what Being Fat Sucks!, my book coming out in less than a month, is all about:  Telling the truth.  It’s time to start being honest with ourselves and those around us for the good of those involved.

OK, maybe I am a little on edge… it’s because I spent 10 days there, enjoying the scenery, the people, the food and the wine and now I am being honest with myself that I have a couple pounds to take back off.  I exercised every day, but it was not enough to offset the calories in that wonderful Australian Shiraz or that Kangaroo filet.

Here’s the best part:  In the past, I would have rationalized those extra pounds and they would have gnawed away at my self confidence which could have sent me into a downward spiral of complacency and lying to myself about how I really felt till I was back up to 200 lbs and everything sucked again!

Not going to happen.  Being Fat Sucks! and I refuse to go there again!

I welcome your thoughts.

Bye for now!

I’m off to Sydney to see how the Aussie’s eat and how they take care of their bodies first hand!

Going to spend some time in Sydney first and then probably venture out to one of the other cities in that enormous country.

I’m anxious to see not only the country itself, but the people and how they live.  I have heard the people are really friendly and I aim to find out and report back.

Till then, remember everything we do is a matter of everyday, little choices we make and we are the cumulative result of those choices, either good or not so good.  Making better choices can make us a better person.

Be well!

Does the nasty, blustery, cold, rainy weather make you just want to stay in your house by a warm fire and munch?  It does for me still.

I wish I could say that those old tendencies to soothe myself were a thing of the past and had left with the almost 50 pounds I let go of, but that just isn’t the case.  The thinking, the beliefs, the habitual tendencies to eat are still there and something I have to contend with every day and it’s still better than battling the self deprecating self talk that went along with being fat!

Now I have to work through the feelings and find more appropriate ways to satisfy my feelings and keep myself on the track of feeling good, looking good and enjoying my body.

Hope the sun is lifting your spirits today also!  Get out there and enjoy it.  It’ll do you worlds of good.

Have a fantastic day!

Overweight people have a distinctly different relationship with food than their thinner counterparts. Healthy people know the purpose of food, which is to provide sustenance and nutrition to maintain the body’s delicate balance. Overweight people, on the other hand, give food multiple purposes. This often results in overindulgence or abuse of food.

Overweight people typically have a lack of control over their lives, which results in a lack of control over the types and amounts of food they intake. I believe this is because they don’t know themselves, and, therefore, are unable to control their urges. To put it bluntly, the tendency to overweight begins when we are young in response to not having our needs met appropriately. Regardless of what those needs are, when they aren’t answered and addressed, we develop a habit of turning to food as a solace. After all, food does meet at least one of our needs, so it’s natural to turn to it in an attempt to quell other needs.

This all follows a basic truth: children have emotional and physical needs which they are dependent on others to meet. If the child’s needs are misunderstood or if they’re not addressed, the child will have a tendency in the future not to express his or her needs. When the outside influences they depend on fails them, they learn to silence their needs. Think of it as a protective mechanism. When a child’s true feelings or immediate needs aren’t addressed on a repeated basis, they learn to keep them to themselves so they won’t feel the disappointment when they’re not met in the future.

So, what does this have to do with gaining weight? How does it relate to our eating patterns and habits? Well, first let’s look at the obvious. When we’re children, we cry when we’re hungry. We actually feel hunger and know the signs. We also know when we’re full. When our body is satisfied, we have no desire for nourishment. But what happens when a person doesn’t get the opportunity to experience those signals of fullness and satisfaction? They don’t know when to eat and when to stop eating. Food becomes something different to them than a source of nutrition. It begins to answer their emotional needs.

Think about it. If babies cry, it’s usually because they’re hungry. As a result, the response to their cries is usually to put a bottle in their mouth. However, if that baby is crying for a different reason and that need is not being met, the baby might take the bottle as a substitute. More importantly, though, is that in the future when that baby cries, he or she learns that the first thing they can expect when they have needs is to be fed. That’s great if the baby is actually hungry and merely displaying the feelings of that hunger. It’s not so great if the baby is repeatedly offered food before they feel hunger. They learn that emotional and physical needs can be met through food.

If a person of any age doesn’t experience satisfaction or hunger, he or she will never learn to be satisfied. They quit listening to the signals their body sends and use food as a substitute for all their needs. They might impulsively eat when they’re lonely, sad, bored, or worried. Then, they do what I did, and become even further stressed or confused after using food as a response to needs which aren’t related to hunger. Like me, they often find themselves caught in an endless cycle of feeling bad, eating, and feeling bad again.

Does this make any sense to you? Does it help you understand why you react the way you do to emotions and the want to eat? I’d love to hear your comments.

The word ‘diet’ starts with the word ‘die.’ Diets are a killer. I think I’ve tried every single diet or weight loss trend conjured up to man. While there were some which brought temporary success, none of them produced the resounding results depicted on TV or in the before and after photos of the women I wanted so much to mimic. When I did stick to a diet and actually saw results, they didn’t last. With each pound taken off, I’d regain two more.

Diet after diet, I’d lose some weight, then gain it back. Sometimes, I even added on a few extra pounds for good measure. I call that the yo-yo syndrome. Up and down, up and down, it was a cycle that would have Jenny Craig spinning. Getting inspired to lose weight, I’d start out great, watching every morsel that went into my mouth. But, it wouldn’t last. One slip up was fatal, and I’d fall right back into my old eating habits. I’d revisit all of the sweets and starches I craved and satisfy my hand-to-mouth habit. Grabbing a handful of potato chips, I’d repeatedly feed them into my mouth in much the same way a smoker has a desire to raise a cigarette to their lips. It was a habit I was rarely aware of, but continually exercised.

When I fell off my weight loss plan, I’d feel the all-too-familiar shame of failure. I was harsh with myself as I internally harped on what I should, and should not, be eating. Constantly second guessing or questioning my food choices and amounts made every meal or snack an inward struggle. Should I eat this? Should I eat that? Is this too much? My weight went up and down, and each time it did, my level of confusion and obsession with food increased.

Because I questioned everything I ate, I had a very difficult time eating in front of other people. As my own worst judge, I was sure that everyone around me was also judging me based on the foods I chose to eat and the amount I did eat. As a result, I literally dreaded something most people truly enjoy—eating with my friends. Going out for pizza made me feel ashamed. If I had a piece, would they frown on that? I couldn’t eat a French fry without wondering if they were secretly thinking that I was making a bad choice. Forget about going out for ice cream or buying buttered popcorn at the movies. I knew how it looked to me, so I was certain my friends were in total agreement. I was so self conscious of my weight around my friends, that I’d often say I wasn’t hungry and nibble like a bird, barely touching what was on my plate. I was sure they were thinking things like, “She shouldn’t be eating that” or “how did she get so big, she eats like a bird?” or even worse, “Lisa is fat. She really needs to lose weight”. Ironic, isn’t it, that the last statement is the one closest to the one when I finally realized it myself. It is the one I’d hidden from for years. The one thing I was most afraid of…The Truth!

When the yo-yo dropped, my typical response would be, “Oh, well, I’ve blown it anyway, so it doesn’t really matter.” Then, I could justify doing what I really wanted to do—eat.

After all, there was always tomorrow. There was always Monday. I could fall off my diet and convince myself that I’d start all over again and be good tomorrow. Or, I’d tell myself that it was okay if I took a break from my diet over the weekend. As you probably know, Monday is the day of the week when most people choose to start a diet. The problem with that justification is that I’d eat too much when I went off a diet. I’d eat the wrong things to the point that I’d undo not only any weight loss I’d accomplished, but also the determination I’d built up to lose that weight.

The yo-yo and the cycles didn’t end. They were eternal, like infinity, if that was possible. Every time I went off a diet, I’d eat too much. Then, I’d beat myself up about it, punishing myself by feeling miserable for what I’d done, and then assuage myself with more food to counter my misery. Another handful of chips, a sandwich, or a cookie would surely help. At this point, I surmised, it surely wouldn’t hurt. But, unfailingly, it did.

I found that diets left me with a sense of deprivation. I was depriving myself of the one constant in my life! When I deprived myself of the one thing that I truly believed I needed, I had nothing to replace it with. Like a magnet, I’d pull myself right back to where I was. That’s where I’d choose to stay until the next round. Monday was always another day.

Going on diets definitely made my eating habits worse. It made food, or the lack of it, the major focal point of my day. As my life revolved around it, I allowed it to play a role in everything I did, including spending time with my friends and participating in things that girls my age enjoyed doing. I was being held prisoner, and my captor was of my own doing.

I’m sure I wasn’t alone. I’ve found that the feelings of inadequacy I faced are common among people who are overweight. Others have dealt with the same struggles of pleasing themselves while striving so desperately for the approval of the people around us. It’s one of the many bonds that overweight people can associate with.

Does this resonate with you? How do you react when you cheat on a diet—even just a little? Do you fall off completely and gain all of your weight back? Or, do you give yourself a break and start all over again on Monday? Do you fall victim to “Oh, well. It’s too late now. I’ve blown my diet, so I might as well eat what I want”?