Stop the Insanity!
Albert Einstein defined insanity as "doing the same thing, over and over again, expecting different results." Einstein, I'm not, but I sure as hell agree! I'm beginning to fear that the nonsense I encounter every day in conversation with my clients, in the latest diet book, in the evening news, in reality shows, in chatting with family, friends and neighbors will drive me to the brink of insanity 'cause they're all just plain misguided!
I find it insane that so many people have such devastating issues with weight loss because they blame their weight on their inability to hit on just the right diet or their misfortune at having an overactive appetite or some physiological problem.
I find it insane that so very many people eagerly pay money for the priveledge of enduring crazy diets regimens that should come with warning labels!
I find it insane that so many people refuse to believe that their diet is the cause of their multiple, chronic illnesses!
I find it insane that a diagnosis of cancer is not immediately followed up with nutritional guidance to teach the patient how to fight the disease and build up his body.
I find it insane that many diabetics consume sugar and skip meals because their doctors never mentioned that they should change these habits! (Maybe not all doctors, but 95% of my clients' doctors never address it!)
I find it insane that people fear the hazards of soymilk more than they fear the proven dangers of cow's milk! For that matter...
I find it insane that consumers believe the dairy association's milk-is-good-for-you advertising campaign! Don't believe me? Why do the doctors tell you to stop drinking the stuff every time you get sick?
I find it insane that people of average intelligence can spend the greater part of their life lives obsessing about weight loss without ever really understanding how to achieve it.
I find it insane that diet pills are manufactured and sold legally!
I find it insane that hospitals serve the kinds of foods that make people sick in the long run.
I find it insane that the weight loss industry takes in an estimated income of $60,000,000,000. Annually!
I find it insane that the majority of the population thinks it possible to drop 10 pounds of fat per week-not water weight, mind you, fat!
And I think it's insane that all of us have, at one time or another, teetered on the precipice of insanity, actively willing ourselves to believe such rubbish!
Breathe...Yes...I feel better.
There is so much misinformation peddled by kooks wish to delude you into embracing their preposterous solutions to your weight issues. I know because I was like everyone else, believing I would find the easy answer and then successfully starve and work myself down to where I wanted to be. Like everyone else, I was successful many times. And like everyone else, I found that it was impossible to sustain it! My anxiety escalated as I reached the childbearing years. How would I ever lose the weight? As it turned out, having children taught me how to eat. The rest was just a matter of time.
I approached my first pregnancy determined that I would not jeopardize my baby's health by dieting while pregnant or breast feeding. I was, in fact, so nutritionally and calorically deprived prior to conceiving that for the first months I ate as if I were newly arrived from a third world country. Nine months later, I was faced with the daunting challenge of figuring out how to starve 60 extra pounds from my body. To be honest, I didn't and with each pregnancy, the challenge became that much larger. After the birth of my third son, I was up 95 pounds!
The interesting thing about this was that for the first time in my life, I was not obsessing over my weight. I was so busy maintaining the children and the house that I had no time to think about myself. I would get up in the morning, nurse the baby and make a cup of tea and a bowl of oatmeal with some fruit. Then, after a couple of hours playing with the children, breastfeeding again, diaper changes and picking up a bit, it was time for naps and squeezing in my lunch. The fastest and easiest meal was usually dark greens in a salad; however, the meal was inevitably interrupted by the demand for another breastfeeding. I made sure to keep my water intake way up since I knew from my reading that water, not milk, was what my body required to produce healthy breast milk. The greens provided all the calcium I needed. The children's activities kept me busy until we had an early dinner of veggies and some chicken or fish.
By the time I finished breastfeeding, changing diapers, playing and then bathing the older two and getting them off to bed, I was just exhausted. I would end the day by breastfeeding the baby, falling asleep when he did, only to get up and do it all again at an obscenely early hour. Sound familiar?
During this time, I assumed my weight would drop a bit due to my uterus contracting and the fact that I was eating healthier. However, I was eating a great deal more than I ever had in the past, so I had no interest in opening that can of worms! Then my birthday rolled around and my husband offered to treat me to a new outfit or two, pointing out that my "play" clothes were looking rather baggy and tattered. Off I went, not because I loved shopping, but because he was right. There was a striking resemblance between my look and that of your basic house frau!
I remember my first stop like it was yesterday. I stepped into a cute little shop and the saleswoman asked if I needed some help. "Nope," I replied. I didn't like them hovering; it made me very self-conscious.
"Are you looking for yourself or someone else?" she persisted.
"Myself," I replied with obvious annoyance. Hadn't I just told her I wasn't interested in help?
"Well, dear, you're looking at the wrong size, if the jeans are for you." Very sweetly, she said, "Please, let me help you." She brought me to a dressing room and began bringing me tiny jeans, the likes of which I hadn't ever seen. They didn't look big enough to fit my calves. When they slipped right on, I was shocked! I had been wearing my old baggy clothes for so long that I had not realized the extent to which my body had changed. I was not at the weight I could previously have attained by full blown starvation...I was lower. I was at my dream weight! How could that have happened? I had tried so hard in the past, and I had never achieved what had just occurred without my noticing. Could this really be happening? And how had I not noticed? Perhaps because of my ban on full length mirrors in private places...
I left that sainted woman with a dressing room in shambles and my old clothes in a heap on the floor! The bill came to far more than hubby had anticipated. But, what else was I to do? For the first time ever, I really didn't have anything to wear! When I walked into the house in my favorite new outfit, he was aghast! He had no idea what had taken place! I was transformed! Berta was thin!!
Who knew it could happen like this? I know you are probably thinking that pregnancy and childbirth changed my metabolism, but that wasn't it. What happened was that I ate what my children needed, and they were more important to me than I was. Right or wrong, that was my reality at the time, and I chose better foods for that reason. In addition, I was so busy trying to keep up with my daily schedule that by the time I had finished feeding and breastfeeding and changing them, I only had a short period of time to think about my own meals. I opted for healthier foods, but I really had no time to cheat or overeat.
You see, I had finally created a life that left no room for secret midnight binges. I was too tired for that, and I was satisfied with my little ones. In retrospect, I know that I was happy for the first time in a long time. So, without trying, I lost 95 pounds in six months. The insanity that was my life before my children, the drama and the emotional nonsense that was inside of me for so long, had calmed down. I was able to focus on my children, knowing I was no longer alone in the world, and I felt complete.
Although things would change in later years, what I learned in those years was how to lose weight and keep it off. I have obviously learned a lot more since then, and I have a much better understanding of where I went wrong prior to that time. This new understanding ultimately guided me to begin working with one close friend to help her do what I had done. She led me to one of her friends who brought me to another and another. I quickly became passionate about my work, passionate about getting the truth to those who needed facts and strategies that would really work and prove sustainable. I became passionate about helping people like you see that I can help you on your path. You are not as far from the body you desire as you might think! Moderate eating and healthy choices will get you where you wish to be. The first step is to stop the insanity. Stop thinking that the lies will magically one day become truths. They won't! Instead, take the time to read some of my earlier posts about how your emotions affect your eating, and then take a look inside. That's where you'll find the answers, the truth.
You can do this. Identify the culprit, and Just Lose It!