Just say no!

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY94aTE5Yu3Mw-8WFm3wmuikQtp4O_hzRjjFPaXWUOJETXRBSzuVV346eKiqG_mvSttqOkQ2KD8gKqAbJZApugOR_xDkHNwn0OawX1OwX-7oWwc8Nigu_aCcjOnp6outFwRLM0sMchqV-j/s1600-h/just+say+no.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5425346838732911250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY94aTE5Yu3Mw-8WFm3wmuikQtp4O_hzRjjFPaXWUOJETXRBSzuVV346eKiqG_mvSttqOkQ2KD8gKqAbJZApugOR_xDkHNwn0OawX1OwX-7oWwc8Nigu_aCcjOnp6outFwRLM0sMchqV-j/s400/just+say+no.jpg" style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 220px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 215px; CURSOR: hand" /></a><br />Tonight I tried some cognitive behavioral therapy on myself. I'm surprised how well it worked.<br /><br />Earlier tonight I had eaten a nice dinner of a chicken breast with spicy barbecue sauce, roasted Brussels sprouts with olive oil and sea salt (my favorite), and a cup of milk (I'm really working on trying to get the Healthy Eight).<br /><br />I have a planned snack for later of fresh pineapple and yogurt. My plan is to eat this snack at 11pm, my normal bewitching hour, but only if I'm hungry. I want to be prepared to stop a binge if all my resolve falls apart. I've had two good nights, I'm going for three.<br /><br />After dinner I was reading some blogs and saw someone had a Kashi granola bar for a snack. It reminded me of the nut & fruit bars we bought a few months ago at Costco. They're mostly nuts and seeds, with a little dried fruit. They're delicious but very high in calories and fat (6 Points each). Earlier today I saw my husband eating one. I remembered how good they tasted. I was leaving for the gym and didn't give it another thought. Until I read about the blogger's Kashi bar.<br /><br />My mind immediately started thinking about the nut & fruit bars, how good they tasted. I thought one would really be good right now. It would kind of be like a dessert since they're a little sweet, and I love nuts. I thought maybe I'll have one. Forget about trying to lose weight, I feel like having one right now.<br /><br />Then I remembered reading this in "The end of overeating" (pg. 182):<br /><br />"Effective intervention draws us away from the conditioning power of a stimulus before it triggers its usual response. It reminds us that it's possible to say no. Intervention begins with knowledge that we have a moment of choice--<em>but only a moment</em>--to recognize what is about to happen and do something else instead.<br /><br />The cornerstone of treatment for conditioned hypereating is developing the capacity to refuse the cue's invitation to the brain in the first place. That refusal must come early, and it must be definitive. It's only at the very beginning, when the invitation arises that you have any control over it. At that point it's still possible to turn away from the stimulus. Once we get started, a cascade of events--stimulation, response, and more stimulation--is likely to drive behavior."<br /><br />I immediately told myself NO! I'm not screwing up my entire day by eating one of those stupid nut & fruit bars. I don't have the available Points, I don't even like them that much anyway, and I'm not even hungry. I just had dinner. I told myself to stop thinking about it because I wasn't going to happen.<br /><br />I refused the cue, the mental stimuli I had in my head. Instead I had a glass of ice water. Easy to do? Not totally. Impossible? Of course not.<br /><br />I really believe we can retrain ourselves to react differently to food stimuli. The trick is that we have to make a conscious effort to do this. We can't waver, keep thinking about the food, should I eat it, should I not? <br /><br />Just like we'd be assertive with someone that wanted to do something harmful to us, to hurt us, we need to be assertive with ourselves.<br /><br />Shut down the thought process immediately. If it's not something you planned on eating and you don't have the Points for it, think about something else. The immediate and temporary gratification isn't worth it. Just say no to yourself.

Just say no!

Tonight I tried some cognitive behavioral therapy on myself. I'm surprised how well it worked. Earlier tonight I had eaten a nice dinner...

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Why Me Lord?

We had a special service at St. Luke’s today. Instead of the usual Sunday morning liturgy, we used Burial Rite 2 to celebrate the life of Anthony Grino, a leader of Bibak, the Igarot Filipino cultural organization, and the patriarch of that wonderful congregation. The junior warden and members of Anthony’s family gave eulogies. Then Fr. Jeff Adiego (St. Matthew’s) told about his giving last rites to Anthony. Fr. Jeff described how Anthony was completely unresponsive, unable to speak or move. But after the rest of the rite had been performed, Fr. Jeff knelt down to where Anthony could see him without lifting his head, then read the Prologue to John’s Gospel and said, “Anthony do you believe what I just read?” Anthony responded with a strong “I do” – and thereafter did not speak again.<br /><br />After the service we went downstairs for a reception. At my previous visits, we have had drumming and Filipino folk dancing. But this was different. There was a music group of four members of the congregation. The lead singer played guitar with a lot of body movement. He wore a frock length sports coat. Another singer had a Mandalay Bay jacket. The first song was a gospel classic:<br /><br />O Lord you know I have no friend like you.<br />My treasures are laid up somewhere beyond the blue.<br />The angels beckon me from heaven’s open door<br />And I can’t feel at home in this world anymore.<br /><br />The second song was “Why Me Lord?” Remember Kris Krisofferson.<br /><br />Lord help me Jesus I’ve wasted it<br />So help me Jesus I know what I am<br />Now that I know that I’ve needed you so<br />Help me Jesus my soul’s in your hand.<br /><br />That’s my religion and I am grateful to these good Christians for holding it up for me to see and hear. I feel so blessed by our people.

Why Me Lord?

We had a special service at St. Luke’s today. Instead of the usual Sunday morning liturgy, we used Burial Rite 2 to celebrate the life of An...

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Another night of freedom

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjawiSJMW9ziFcwcKgYghjxdHTOhAfbrgay3TR5tNPfqCHhDgEOxIVEzvTzlZgThU0cVmFshpS5b0t1p6blNxXXCgq2mOwUXg4WS8HiLjDK9VE1GZXkt331oQVpTE15doWC7oTD_zMw8tXy/s1600-h/cookie+monster.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5425224923539507490" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjawiSJMW9ziFcwcKgYghjxdHTOhAfbrgay3TR5tNPfqCHhDgEOxIVEzvTzlZgThU0cVmFshpS5b0t1p6blNxXXCgq2mOwUXg4WS8HiLjDK9VE1GZXkt331oQVpTE15doWC7oTD_zMw8tXy/s400/cookie+monster.jpg" style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 282px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" /></a><br /><div>I'm talking about freedom from the binge monster. I made it through another night without going crazy on food. Two nights in a row. I feel stronger than I've felt in months.<br /><br />Last night I used the tip to have a preplanned snack. I knew I wasn't going to be tired enough to go to bed early and actually sleep, so I allowed for a three-Point snack at 11pm.<br /><br />It was a really simple snack but very filling. One orange, 1/2 of a small apple, one container of Light Vanilla Activia yogurt and 1/2 cup Fiber One (which I haven't eaten in months).<br /><br />I ate my planned snack at 11pm with a big glass of ice water, while I was reading "The end of overeating." It completely satisfied my urge to eat.<br /><br />My total Points for yesterday was 24.5, and I tracked every bite. I'm allowed 22 a day, plus the 35 weeklies (and activity Points which I try not to use, but will if I feel like I really need them). I also managed to get in most of my Healthy Eight, first time in months that I even tried.<br /><br /><strong>The end of overeating: Taking Control of the Insatiable American Appetite<br />by David A. Kessler, Md</strong><br /><br />I recommend this book. I didn't start with Part One, Sugar, Fat, Salt. I also skipped over Part Two, The Food Industry. I already know that sugar, fat and salt are bad for me, and that the food industry is out to get us. I've read the Omnivore's Dilemma, I know what's going on with the food industry, although I did skim this section and he had some new information that was even more disheartening.<br /><br />The heart of the book for me are the following: Part Three - Conditioned Hypereating Emerges; Part Four - The Theory of Treatment; Part Five - Food Rehab and Part Six - The End of Overeating.<br /><br />A lot of what this book is about is basically a lot of what we're taught in Weight Watchers. Mental rehearsing, food isn't love, cognitive behavioral changes, but Dr. Kessler goes into a lot more depth and research, and offers some new ideas on how to stop hypereating.<br /><br />I was particularly interested in how part of the population has issues with Conditioned Hypereating. When eating actually becomes dangerous to us and the culture of overeating. His theory on "cue - urge - reward -habit cycle" makes sense. I'll expand on both of these in future posts.<br /><br />I'll leave you with my favorite paragraph, Chapter 48: Fighting Back (page 245).<br /><br /><em>"If they could, many food companies would likely be satisfied with making conditioned hypereaters out of all of us so they could sell more product. Yet the power to resist ultimately rests with us. While a combination of human biology, personal experience, and a determined industry may explain why we overeat, we still have the ability to make choices about whether we allow this triumvirate to dominate our behavior. The fact that the industry helps create this problem, and takes advantage of it, doesn't render us helpless."</em><br /><br />Touché. </div>

Another night of freedom

I'm talking about freedom from the binge monster. I made it through another night without going crazy on food. Two nights in a row. I fe...

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Planning de la semaine du 11 au 15 janvier 2010

<BR><br /><h2><strong><span style="LINE-HEIGHT: 113%;color:#005c9b;" >Permanences<br /></span></strong></h2><ul><br /><li>Le <strong>Conseil Général du Loiret</strong> sera présent dans les locaux de la Maison de l'Emploi du bassin d'Orléans<br />- le lundi 11 janvier de 9h à 12h30<br />- le mardi 12 janvier de 9h à 12h30 et de 13h30 à 17h,<br />- le mercredi 13 janvier de 13h30 à 17h<br />- le jeudi 14 janvier de 13h30 à 17h<br />- le vendredi 15 janvier de 13h30 à 17h<br /><br /><li><strong><a href="http://www.egee.asso.fr/" target="_blank">EGEE</a></strong><br />- lundi 11 janvier de 13h30 à 17h<br /><br /><li><strong><a href="http://news-these-days.blogspot.com/2007/11/boutique-de-gestion.html">Boutique de gestion</a></strong><br />- vendredi 15 janvier de 09h à 12h30</li></ul><br /><h2><strong><span style="LINE-HEIGHT: 113%;color:#005c9b;" >Ateliers</span></strong><br /></h2><br /><ul><li><strong><a href="http://news-these-days.blogspot.com/2009/12/ateliers-cv-lettre-de-motivation.html">CV</a></strong> - mardi 12 janvier de 9h à 12h30 et mercredi 13 janvier de 13h30 à 17h<br /><br /><li><strong><a href="http://news-these-days.blogspot.com/2009/12/ateliers-cv-lettre-de-motivation.html">Lettre de Motivation</a></strong> - mardi 12 janvier de 13h30 à 17h<br /><br /><li><strong><a href="http://news-these-days.blogspot.com/2009/12/ateliers-cv-lettre-de-motivation.html">Préparation à l'entretien</a></strong> - jeudi 14 janvier de 13h30 à 17h<br /><br /><li><strong>Pôle-emploi.fr</strong> - vendredi 15 janvier de 10h à 11h30<br /><br /><li><strong><a href="http://news-these-days.blogspot.com/2009/07/atelier-situtilises-tu-trouves.html">Sit'Utilises tu trouves</a></strong> - vendredi 15 janvier de 14h à 16h</ul>

Planning de la semaine du 11 au 15 janvier 2010

Permanences Le Conseil Général du Loiret sera présent dans les locaux de la Maison de l'Emploi du bassin d'Orléans - le lundi 11 ja...

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