As many of you already know, I am a big proponent of healthy eating and living. That doesn’t mean that I always DO what I support and believe in! LOL But, I TRY. I don’t try to force “my way” on others…knowing that I can only change one person (that being ME)…that others have to find their own way and don’t need to hear me harping on them. (My hubby would be the first that comes to mind).
Many of you also know that I was once a Weight Watchers leader! I lead large and small meetings alike throughout E. Texas for five years and LOVED my job!! One of the things I used to say to my members at my meetings was “Your body talks to you if you will listen”…
See the IF in that sentence? IF you will listen. Unfortunately, many of us (including myself sometimes), JUST DON’T WANT TO LISTEN!!!
I often compare our bodies to an automobile. Our bodies require care and maintenance just like our cars do. Our cars run more efficiently when we take better care of them. If you’ve been driving a clunker your entire life, you may not even be aware of how bad it is, until you start driving a newer car. But once you trade in that clunker for something nicer …OMG!! You realize what you’ve been missing!! Our bodies work much the same!! When you are unhealthy and overweight, you get used to being unhealthy and overweight…feeling crappy is your “normal”. But, once you start trying to change your ways and eat differently and exercise regularly (if you stick with it for more than a day or two), you will begin to notice how much more efficiently your body works and how much better you feel.
That’s where the listening comes into play! Got gas? That’s your body talking to you! Got a headache? Uh huh – that’s your body speaking up! Indigestion? Uh oh – you might have eaten something you shouldn’t have! How about stiff achy joints? Either you worked out too much, or you slacked off and stiffened up in the process!!
Now, I’m not trying to say there aren’t medical reasons for some of your maladies or that you may have a true medical condition that might need to be addressed. But, many times our body will speak very loudly and clearly and all we have to do is change up what we are doing to feel better. We don’t want it to be that simple because then we have no excuse to not do something about it!! We often want the doctor to say we have a thyroid problem or that our metabolism is out of whack! It’s easier and takes less work to just pop a pill.
When I first joined Weight Watchers back in 2006 I was 40 lbs. heavier than I am now. I had acid reflux, GERD, high blood pressure…was menopausal and miserable. All my symptoms went away as I began to live and eat a healthier way. When I would have a bad day or week (and “fall off the wagon”), my body would speak to me loud and clear! I would hear, “Linda, I know you love onion rings, but you shouldn’t have eaten them.” or when I would weigh – the scale would speak to me!! It would say things like, “Linda, I know you love cake & cookies, but you knew when you ate them this week that my number was going to be higher!” Or, after skipping two of my walks and one trip to the gym my body would ache all over when I would try to get back to it. It was screaming “See, how I stiffen up when you neglect me?” Just like our cars – our bodies need some loving attention. And when they don’t get it they resist moving!!
So, I guess what got me off on this tangent this week, was the fact that as a Lifetime member of WW, I lost 55 lbs. You’ll recall tho that in the previous paragraph I said I was 40 lbs. heavier in 2006. That’s because I still have 15 lbs to lose to get to my lifetime goal weight again! I quit doing what my body needed me to do. So, I’ve been back at it for about 2 months now and have good and bad days. But, I’m listening. It was worse – I’m down 8 lbs since I began. Key for me is to LISTEN! But, not just listen – learn from it! Just knowing that greasy french fries are bad for you, may not be enough! Go ahead, eat them! If you’ve been eating healthy and avoiding them, eat them one time – all of them. I guarantee, your body will speak to you loud and clear!! I was up all night one night with indigestion after eating an order of greasy french fries!! I learned from it!! I won’t eat them again!!
All that being said – my weigh in this week wasn’t great! I gained 1 lb. So, it’s back to tracking consistently, exercising consistently, being accountable for what I’m doing and planning my eating better. To jump start my new week I made a revised version of WW 0 Point soup. This makes a large soup kettle full for all week. I call it:
PIG OUT SOUP
2 cups sliced carrots
1 cup diced onions
8 sm. cloves of garlic
3 quarts of chicken broth
8 cups chopped cabbage
4 cups fresh spinach
1 8 oz. can of tomato sauce
1 15 oz. can of diced tomatoes
2 t. dried basil
1 t. dried oregano
1 t. salt
DIRECTIONS:
Spray a large soup kettle with non-stick cooking spray. Heat. Saute’ the carrot, onion and garlic over low heat until softened, about 5 min. Add broth, cabbage, spinach, tomato sauce, tomatoes, seasonings and bring to boil. Reduce heat, simmer covered until carrots & cabbage is tender.
There are no WW points in all these fresh vegetables. Just remember, if you add meat, potatoes, corn, peas etc; it is no longer a PIG OUT soup! Now, you have to count and track every BLT (bite, lick or taste), but if you eat it like this – you can pig out and lose weight!!
Ah, the joy of victory!
dancingthruyears 