I agree. Mette...it was a beautiful post.
Carol
--
............................................................
318/234.2/169
83.8 lost since December 2002
I am a slim person in process.
..............................................................
"Elaine Kirkham" <
[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> What a wonderful inspirational response, Mette. This is a keeper for me!
> Thanks for posting it.
> Elaine K
>
> Mette wrote:
>
> >"Nancy Cauwels" <
[email protected]> skrev i en meddelelse
> >
news:[email protected]...
> >
> >
> >THIS IS A LONG RESPONSE, BUT IMPORTANT
)!
> >
> >Dear Nancy.
> >I too have always been a dreamer. The most important words in my
vocabulary
> >were "if only". And I started out as a child day dreaming about suddenly
> >waking up and being older, longlegged and beautiful. And when I was
> >overweight, I dreamed of waking up slim and fit and attractive. I wanted
> >quick results. I wanted them now. I am the type of person who likes
painting
> >and drawing, but the quality of my work is not very good, because I am
not
> >patient enough to spend weeks or months perfecting my work. I want to see
> >the end result before I can hardly begin.
> >So I do know where you are coming from. When we want to lose weight, we
are
> >really motivated to begin with. We eat well, we exercise, and we expect
an
> >emediate weight loss. And when that doesn't happen, when the dream about
> >waking up one day being slim is not happening, we get so discouraged and
> >think "I might as well give up".
> >
> >I want to tell you that I lost 50 lbs. It CAN be done. Some in this group
> >have lost over 75-100 lbs, some even 150 lbs. And believe me: none of us
> >woke up one day being 50 lbs lighter, after just a few weeks of living
> >healthy.
> >
> >There are three things you can do to change. It all happens in your mind.
> >Weightloss begins on the inside.
> >
> >1.
> >Goals.
> >
> >First of all it is important for you to see your dreams as being a very
> >positive thing. This shows that you are able to invision what you want.
You
> >just need to turn your dreams into goals. When you dream it can seem
> >unatainable, once you get back to the reality of things. But when you
turn
> >your dreams into a specific real-life goal, it suddenly becomes do-able.
> >If you dream of going on a vacation this summer, and you don't start
saving,
> >then summer will come for sure whether you saved or not, and the pocket
will
> >still be empty. And then you won't be able to fulfill your dream.
> >If you plan to go on vacation this summer, at set it as a GOAL you want
to
> >reach, you start realizing this goal today by putting money aside. When
> >summer comes, you will have money in your pocket to fulfill that goal.
> >
> >It all begins with the end-result.
> >When you invision your outcome vividly, and turn it into a goal, you know
> >where you end up. And then you just need to walk the path that leads to
the
> >goal.
> >Imagine a labyrinth in a puzzles-magazine. You will always be able to
find
> >the correct path, if you begin at the center or ending point and trace
the
> >path back to the correct starting point. It is hard if you just blindly
> >pick an odd starting point and hope to find the center as you go along.
> >Begin with the end.
> >
> >And the end for you is "being slim, attractive, outgoing". You have found
> >the "center of the labyrinth". In order to get there, you need to make
sure
> >that all the steps you make _From Now On_ will help you get there.
> >
> >I started imagining what it would be like to see my friends and family
> >again, once I had lost the weight. (I lived in another country and was to
go
> >back home the next summer). As I was counting calories (points) and
walking
> >and sweating, I was playing a movie of the future in my mind: what I
would
> >look like, what I would wear, what my hair would look like, right down to
my
> >shoes and what I was going to say to people. Specific mental images. And
I
> >fell in love with that movie. So much that I did not want to sabotage it
for
> >anything. So much that I wanted and needed to go down the correct path to
> >make it come true, more than I wanted and needed excess food and sweets.
> >
> >You need to tell yourself every single time you are faced with
temptations:
> >"I want a long-term healthy, slim and attrative body MORE than I want the
> >short satisfaction of this unhealthy stuff in my mouth!"
> >It puts the need for sweets and fats into perspective, because there is
> >something you want a whole lot more than junk or 3 servings of supper.
And
> >that is WAY more important than the short-term oral satisfaction. You
know
> >serving or more than you want to empty the fridge. Always ask yourself:
"is
> >eating this worth sacrificing my future attractive body for?" You know
the
> >answer. You know what you want more.
> >
> >You love your dreams. And that is wonderful. But you don't feel you are
> >getting anywhere. But by starting calling your dreams your goals instead,
> >you can turn an inactive thing into an active thing. Dreams: inactive.
> >Goals: active.
> >
> >From now on, don't dream of becoming slim, but set it as a goal.
> >You know the goal. You know the end result. You have sneek-peeked at the
> >last page of the book. But in order to actually get to the last page, you
> >need to read the book.
> >And you start today. You know the tools, you know what to do. Walk the
path
> >to your goal.
> >
> >2.
> >The time Factor
> >
> >The second thing you need to do to change this around is to realize that
all
> >those weight losses of 50-150 lbs ALWAYS have happened like this: Week by
> >week, month by month: Down 2 lbs, down ½ lb, down 3 lbs. There are no
magic
> >cures that can take the weight off in tens and twentys. It comes off lbs
by
> >lbs week by week.
> >
> >Lets say that you want to lose 50 lbs. You begin a diet, lose maybe 3 lbs
> >the first week, then 1 lb the next week and the third week you lose
another
> >lbs. After three weeks of dieting you have lost 5 lbs. And you still have
40
> >(FOURTY) to go...phew...fourty is a LOT. And it takes so looong. And no
one
> >can notice 5 lbs anyway...It is better to just throw in the towel and
> >realize that you are a failure at weight loss.
> >Sounds familiar?
> >
> >Let me give you another perspective:
> >
> >In general it is safe and normal to lose 1 single lb a week. - even
without
> >starving! There are 53 weeks in one year. A year from now you can weigh
53
> >lbs less than you do now. Two years from you you will have lost 106 lbs.
> >Perhaps you think that a whole year or two years is simply too long.
Because
> >you want to see the results now, but believe me, this following year and
the
> >next _will_ pass whether you lose the weight or not. Suddenly New years
will
> >come around again and you can choose _today_ wether you want to still be
at
> >your current weight next January because you think that one year is too
long
> >of a time, or whether you want to spend this time to lose 50 lbs and be
much
> >happier in one year.
> >
> >Time passes so quickly, whether we are dieting or not. Make the best of
your
> >time. Don't waste your time thinking it will take too long, but use this
> >valuable time, 1 year, 365 days to walk the path.
> >If you do, next January you won't have 50 lbs to lose. Because you have
> >already lost it.
> >
> >It took me about 14 months to lose 50 lbs. The first 25 lbs came off in
> >about 3 months. After that I simply lived and ate healthy without
"dieting"
> >and I lost about 2 lbs - a MONTH. It wasn't fast. It was slow..but by
summer
> >I looked in the mirror and I suddenly saw a very slim - actually skinny -
> >person!
> >
> >It comes off pound by pound and it all adds up in the end!
> >
> >3.
> >Body awareness.
> >
> >You tell us that you avoid mirrors. I know what you mean. I also know
that
> >one of the reasons I allowed myself to grow bigger and bigger, was that
fact
> >that I did not have any full body mirrors. I never ever really took a
good
> >long hard look at my body. I existed from the neck up. My body was just
> >"there" to transport myself around. I felt that my body wasn't mine. That
it
> >didn't reflect the person I was or who I wanted to be. There was absolute
NO
> >connection between my mind and my body, and thus I let it down, because I
> >never acknowlegded it. Never spent time with it, never looked at it.
> >
> >Acknowlegde your body. Spend time with it. Look at it, as you dress, as
you
> >lather up in the shower. Spend time moisturizing, shaving, look into the
> >mirror when you train with your dumbbells. Re-connect. Claim your body
back.
> >When you make that switch, you will start feeling that this is your body.
> >And when it is your body you will do whatever you can to make it match
the
> >person you are on the inside. You will start feeling a great
responsibility
> >for its appearance.
> >
> >----
> >
> >I really hope that this can inspire you. You too have the strength to
reach
> >your goal. Wake up every day deciding what you WANT. And when you have
made
> >that decision, let nothing sabotage you, not even your old self.
> >
> >Let's hear from you!
> >
> >
> >