rereading old posts.

I just read a few of my past posts, specifically the one about 'false hope syndrome' (from November 2013). I have to say this is something that really stuck with me, the concept of forgiveness and forgiving myself for slip ups and not beating myself up for eating something that might not be 100% healthy. I spent several months thinking about this and practicing this ... and now I dont even think this way anymore. I think that post, and reading a lot about the subject, and really practicing forgiveness and moving forward helped. I no longer beat myself up for my imperfections. This has made me much happier. If nothing else my feelings toward myself have improved. I no longer think constantly that I am a failure and that I am weak.

This is a good thing.

Re Focus on my key habits

I find myself falling backward on the scale,
I feel it is because I am slipping in the slow eating and 80% full habits.
I have always eaten fairly healthy foods, with lots of veggies and protein.
This is not why I am overweight :)

I think I am going to skip trying to do the PN prescribed habits (veggies and protein etc...) and stick to practicing:

- Sticking to my work out schedule as prescribed by PN coaching: I am having great success *almost* always fitting in my Workouts, Intervals and Active Recovery. In addition, I am trying to find new ways to get more exercise and movement into my life (e.g. yoga classes, bike rides with family on weekend, fishing trips, fall hikes, geocaching etc...)

- 5 minute habit (I LOVE THIS habit) I have chosen to walk during my lunch hour, or on weekends this translates to getting outside and doing 'something' outside. During the week I usually go for either a short 2K walk or a longer 3.5K walk, depending on how I feel, my time restrictions and the weather. I really want to continue this practice through the fall and winter, cause it makes me feel FANTASTIC. and I get to hit my daily 10,000 step goal almost every day.

- Eat Slowly: I was seeing so much success with this one. I felt great, satiated and saw amazing progress when I was focusing on this. I was less bloated, my blood pressure dropped, I had less heartburn, less dizziness and lightheadedness etc... I know this is one that I need to MASTER.

- 80% full: This habit came while I was on vacation, and never really felt that I was able to really practice this one properly. I know this combined with the slow eating are my keys to changing my lifestyle and making me more mindful of what and how I eat.

So, I am going to focus on the above habits, and 'check' off on my daily habit if I feel I have practiced these habits that day.

For some reason, I need validation to do this, my inner 'perfectionist' needs permission to not follow the rules :) I am working on trying to DO IT, vs. fail at trying to do all of the habits, cause I feel I have too many balls in the air. As the habits are increasing, I am finding myself slipping on the ones I saw huge success at. I honestly think that if I can master these key habits I will have long term success and weight loss.

I am also really working at living the truth that is: "I am the type of person who makes good food decisions and does not miss my workouts". (this was said in an earlier lesson somewhere, and it 'spoke' to me)

I know that this program is more about what I am DOING vs. the knowledge that is being provided. So I am deciding to DO my workouts, my 5 minute habit, Eat Slowly and to only 80% full. I will continue to read and complete my lessons, and hopefully incorporate these into my routines and repertoire.

I am doing this.

What's it gonna take?

Today's PN lesson was listening to several clips from JB (CEO of PN). I must go back and re listen to these often. download them and put them on my phone, so I can listen anytime I need to.

Think about what it takes to get and stay lean, and to create your new identity.Important 'Truths' that I need to learn and apply.

MOST IMPORTANT TRUTH: It will be hard work, it wont be easy, but it will be worth it.

1. One of the most important parts of getting and staying lean is achieving the right exercise and food balance.

2. Ever been on a road trip? Well, getting lean is a lot like that. You have to be single-minded, undistracted, might be hungry, might not sleep well, might have to work hard to stay focused and get there. But that’s the trade-off for an awesome destination.

3. Getting lean and staying lean are two very different things.

4. What’s holding you back — and how can you overcome it?
How often, you only need to change one or two things — not everything at once
How easy change can be if you just find and eliminate the right limiting factor for you
How most limiting factors come back to identity — who you define yourself as
How can you “be” the “fit exercise person”?

5. Some people believe that all it takes is that initial push — all they have to do is diet once, then they can go back to their old habits. But while anyone can get lean, very few people can actually stay lean.

6. “I don’t have time to exercise or eat well.” Sound familiar?
How making “fit person” your identity magically creates time
Why you should keep a time journal
Common time wasters and inefficiencies
How to streamline your life and make healthy living happen
Why it’s OK if things aren’t always easy

7. Many folks worry about making mistakes or getting behind in PN Coaching. But unless you have an accident where you lose your mouth, you’re in PN Coaching for good.

We’ve designed PN Coaching so that you can make things up
Aside from driving your car into a tree, there are almost no decisions in life that are irreversible
PN Coaching is a slow and steady lifelong journey, not a “weight loss sprint”
It’s never going to be the “right time”… but that’s OK
You can stop and smell the roses, have fun — and still meet your goals

what is progress?

What is "progress"?

If you’re going somewhere, how will you know when you get there? And how will you know that you’re on your way in the first place?
While it’s pretty difficult to get anywhere specific without some semblance of a map, a lot of us never even see the road signs and mile markers that line our journey.


It’s hard to see “progress” in daily life because you see yourself every day.
That said, you can easily measure other types of progress that will let you know you’re getting closer to your goal of being fit and healthy:

• Can you lift 10 pounds more today than you could last month?
• Can you run 5 minutes longer than you could last week?
• Have you been virus-free this year — after getting 6 colds last year?
• Has your LDL (“bad”) cholesterol gone down from your last blood test?

While these are “hard facts”, other types of progress are intangible. And some can really surprise you.

Track what's important to YOU

PN Coaching is YOUR journey. So track what's important and meaningful to YOU.
Ask yourself:

• What will tell me that I am getting better at doing what I want to do?

• How do I know I'm on track to my Destination Postcard?

• If I get what I want, how will I know?

Look for progress everywhere

You never know where progress may lurk. Keep an open mind, and hunt for it.
You'll find that it's easier to let yourself go slowly if you can find small signs of everyday progress.
Today, see if you can notice and name what's different since you started PN Coaching.

Assignment

List three results that will indicate you are getting closer to your goal.

 1. Farting less / Less bloated
2. feeling like being more intimate with my husband / being more intimate with my husband
3. Doing More and analyzing less, in other words, Acting and Doing instead of wishing. If I can see that I am doing things each and every day toward my goal... I will be succeeding
4. Wedding rings fitting


What other forms of progress have you already noticed in the last month
I already feel successful, especially in the making progress toward my goals... I feel like I am acting and doing things that are directly going to make a dent in my weight.
Exercising more, moving more, getting more fresh air. Hitting my daily goals and targets.

So far my favourite habit is definitely the action habit.
I am very consistent now about getting outside everyday for a walk. This i am happy about, and hope to keep up

the slow eating habit, is also really cool... I just need to keep it up and remember to do it consistently

SLOWLY

PNers do it SLOWLY.

(this is awesome)


This week, we've been talking about why it's important to slow down, relax, and pay attention — and how this apparently simple change can eventually have big results.
Today, we're going to give you a slightly wacky suggestion:

If you over-eat, do it slowly.

(Trust us. This sounds crazy, but it works.)



Whatever you eat, whenever you eat, no matter how crazy or epic the eating episode becomes... just do it slowly.

WHAT TO DO TODAY

1	Eat slowly. At every meal, try to take a few extra minutes. Put your utensils down. Take a breath or two between bites. Notice tastes and textures. Enjoy and savor your food.
2	Over-eat slowly. If you need to over-eat or binge to feel better right now, no problem. You have our permission to eat whatever you want, as much as you want. The only catch is that you must do it as slowly as possible.
3	Hang in there. If you're struggling with over-eating, it may seem like there's no end in sight. Be patient and persistent. We've helped thousands of people change their behaviors for good. It just takes time and practice. If you're here, it means that at least part of you wants to change. All you have to do is keep showing up.

Notice and Name exercise

What's going on?

What are you doing... right now?
What are you thinking... right now?
What's around you... right now?

Notice and name

Noticing just means pausing to pay attention.

What's going on right now? What am I doing?

Naming just means you take an extra moment to describe the situation to yourself. Call it out.

Oh, right, I'm feeling rushed, and that means I'm more likely to grab junk.

How does that help me?

When we slow down, pause, and pay attention, we put our conscious, thinky brain in charge instead of our unconscious, automatic brain.
We're able to make more informed choices. Like picking healthy food.

Assignment

Use your "5-Minute Action" to check in during one meal today. Add your observations to your "Owner's Manual".

What did you notice about that meal? (e.g. Were you able to eat slowly? Did you feel good about your food choices? Where did you eat? etc.)

Answer:

I was able to eat my 'snack' slowly.
I ate at my desk, but not in front of my computer. I was reading an article that I had printed out.
I started reading the document, about one page in, I got bored... then decided to eat my snack.

Interesting ... I was bored... so I wanted food

I was restricted in what I could eat, since I brought my lunch with me, but I did eat the 'All Bran' bar first of all my food. This happens to be the 'treat' in my lunchbox.
also interesting, I get the reward food first :)

I feel like taking time to eat lunch at work is a luxury that I cant always afford. I want to use my lunch break to get outside and go for a walk and get some fresh air.
This is why I feel rushed when eating my lunch.

I'd like to do this again at a different type of meal, eg dinner at home alone or dinner out at a restaurant, or a Sunday breakfast with the family where I am 'served' the meal by Ben.
Notice what I am doing, how I am feeling and assign a 'name' to it. for example (as in the above) I was bored... then I wanted to eat.

Outcomes vs. Behaviours

what you do right now — and in the near future — contributes to the outcome you seek.
Ask myself how confident am I that I can do what I am asking myself to do?
Can I see myself doing this next week, next month, next year?
Growth zone - is area just outside of comfort zone... make sure what I am asking myself to do is achievable and that I will actually do it.


Today's exercise was to draw 4 circles, and write what I will DO to get to the outcome 

My outcome = To be successful at PN coaching, to be at or working towards 145 Lbs

This month I will = Practice the PN Habits and WO as prescribed, consistently. I will keep "showing up" and doing the habits and lessons, even if I fall off the wagon for a day or two.
This week I will = Eat slowly, walk outside at lunch, get my WOs in on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.
Today I will = Eat Slowly, Walk outside at Lunch, Do my PN measurements (from Saturday), Do workout #2 (x2) at 7:30pm. If I have time i will also do the Raisin Experiment?


from the PN site:

"notice that:

• behavior goals are things you do consistently and regularly;

• behavior goals are small, manageable tasks that are within your control; and

• behavior goals are often things that you can do right now, today or in the near future. (5 Minute Action anyone?)

Again: You can’t control the outcome.
But you can control the behaviors that, when done consistently, will move you in the right direction."