Chapter 4

[Guest guest]

As you read the principles, one by one, think about where you are in the process, whether it feels easy or nearly impossible to maintain, whether you agree with the principle or will just try it to see if it works, etc. Be honest and share your thoughts and feelings on each one! You can divide this into parts, answer 5 one day and 5 the next. In this way we will get to know each other better and will also be able to share our hopes and fears about this program.I'll type out the principles here:1. Reject the Diet Mentality: I've really struggled with this for the past couple of months. It seems like just as soon as I convince myself that diets don't work, I'm struggling with wanting to escape back to WW again. Then 2 minutes later I'm back on the path of IE. I'm doing better this past week. I still want a quick fix, even though I know from plenty of experience that it doesn't last. I am so tired of eating being a stressful activity for me. When on WW it was always a big deal to go out to eat. I'd rather just stay home and not have to agonize over how many points a meal was going to cost me. I couldn't really enjoy the experience or the company because of the stress I was under.2. Honor your Hunger: I don't struggle with this too much. It's a lot easier concept for me than knowing when I'm full.3. Make Peace with Food: I am doing pretty well with this now. Since my breakthrough at Subway last month when I realized that I COULD have a Cherry Coke instead of Diet Coke if I wanted, I'm not labeling foods as good and bad as much. I'm sure I still have some work to do in this area, but I am getting there. The one food I find I still see as off-limits is juice for some odd reason. 4. Challenge the Food Police: I tend to shy away from this because people around me are so used to me "being good" that I don't want them to notice that I'm eating foods they consider bad for me. They probably don't notice nearly as much as I think they do. 5. Feel Your Fullness: This one is the most difficult for me right now. I have an awful time deciding when I've had enough. I know I eat too fast, but I always think about that AFTER I'm finished eating. I need to come up with something that will remind me before I start to eat to take my time.6. Discover the Satisfaction Factor: I fail miserably at this one. Most of my meals are devoured while working at the computer (probably a good hint as to why I eat fast). I seldom have an actual sit-down meal. Really need to work on this one!7. Cope with Your Emotions without Using Food: The only emotion that really tends to send me to food is boredom. As long as I can keep myself occupied, I'm usually okay. When I get upset I clean instead of eating, so that's a plus! LOL8. Respect your Body: Ugh! That's a hard one! I think I've been too exposed to the media's idea of what a woman should look like and am constantly comparing myself to everyone else: "Am I as big as she is? Am I smaller than her?" etc.9. Exercise--Feel the Difference: I am halfway there on this one. I decided with this last diet that I would only do exercise that I enjoy. So I only do yoga and walking. I still feel a "need" to do them to burn calories, but usually I do them because I feel so much better afterward. I've found that if I don't do yoga at least 3 times a week I begin to have problems with my back aching and I start to feel stiff. I like the way I feel all stretched out after a yoga session so that's an incentive for me to get up early before work and get in a 20 minute session.10. Honor your Health--Gentle Nutrition: I am finding already that my body naturally craves what it needs. For the past month or so, anytime I eat out I want beef. I'm assuming that my iron is low, so I usually order a burger, which before would have freaked me out. Sometimes I'm hungry for something lighter.

Rhonda