Is Chocolate a trigger food? If yes, steer clear. Also wanting food-porn means you’re hungry for food-food.
Pearl One
Let’s get right into today’s writing journal prompts: What’s the hardest time of day for you to stay on the Smart Eating Path? Be super detailed in your answer.
Avoid being too general in your writing as in: afternoons at work are hard, or evenings ruin everything for me. Get specific: Jim brings donuts to work every Friday and since I have two and had a third later on. I feel like I’ve blown it. I return home to a scarfer who packs the kitchen with food-porn galore. Since I spent the day eating donuts, I figure dinner at the Mexican with a margarita sounds right my alley!
Be super specific and say: Immediately after dinner, I want something sweet, so at 6:45 p.m. I’m hunting for the Oreos. Or, I’m great until 9 p.m., but then I want ice cream while I’m watching Bridgerton.
The more you drill down the, the more successful your intervention.
Journal-writing is how we engage our subconscious. And here’s the thing: our subconscious is super intelligent and wants to share her knowledge. Also, she’s thrilled to be invited to the party (she mainly feels ignored). Journal-write to these questions and watch her in action:
- What is the hardest time of day for me to veer off my Smart Eating Plan?
- How can I have compassion for myself re: this difficult time of day? (Ex: I forgo a healthy afternoon snack and am hangry by the time I get home. Of course I’m not doing well after work, I’m running on fumes!)
- What would make it easier for me?
- What do I associate with eating (unplanned) food?
- What is the smallest effort I can make to better deal with my hard moments?
- What is the largest efforts? (Be creative with this one.)
- How can I approach my difficult time frame with strength?
- How can i plan for the tough times in my day?
- How do you engage wit your own hunger?
- What happens minutes before you plunge into the kitchen??
Continue journal-writing on a daily(ish) and drill down. Knowledge really is power. ♥
Pearl Two
A Weight Watcher leader said, “What if – as you’re driving to your favorite grocery store — you soar right through two green lights, but then come to a stop at a red?”
Do you roll your eyes thinking, knew it. Other people can go to the grocery store, I guess I don’t have what it takes. And then do you turn around and drive home?
Of course not.
That would be silly.
But — the leader’s point was — we do exactly that when we eat something that swerves from our smart eating plan; we eat the cake or the Snickers or whatever and think, everything’s ruined and we commence to overeat for the next six months. Until many months later when we try again and end up in the same loop.
Year-in and year-out.
Manage Your Expectations
As you lose weight expect road high speed bumps, slow trucks, and red stop lights.
Stop signs happen. We call them “slips.” Prepare for slips by creating a rock-solid back- up plan. (More how to create one here. I’d love to hear about how you deal with it. ♥
Pearl Three
Sequencing is taken directly from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). The purpose of sequences is to help us move from reacting to circumstances to responding. I encourage you to do a sequence a day in your journal. Powerful stuff.
This sequence is about a young friend.
Automatic Sequence
- Automatic Situation: A friend of mine got four tickets to see Taylor Swift on the Eras tour. They had four tickets. but five girls. So, my friend opted out letting the others see the show and she stayed home.
- Thought: Very bummed. Life is sooo unfair.
- Feeling: I’m really sad and disappointed,
- Action: I tear up easily.
- Result: Still sad, I just push the sad thoughts out of my mind as much as I can.
- Chosen Situation: A friend of mine got four tickets to see Taylor Swift on the Eras tour. They had four tickets
Chosen Sequence
Ac Situation: A friend of mine got four tickets to see Taylor Swift on the Eras tour. They had four tickets. but five girls. So, my friend opted out letting the others see the show and she stayed home.
Chosen thought: I have my own money and I have a wealthy grandma. I could buy the ticket and go to the show easily. but I don’t want to use my money that way and I don’t want to ask my Oma for more money (she already pays for Vegas and Hawaii trips and gives really nice Christmas presents).
Feeling: So much better. It’s comforting to remember that the money is available, I just don’t want the money to go to a concert ticket
Result: That year my Oma took us to Las Vega — we’re in Phenix –and saw Adelle (in a small, intimate theater.) ♥
Pearl Four
i promise you that I go through stacks of books every week trying to find somethingnandgreat book that are upbeat, truly engaging books with nary a Nazi about.
Long story, short I don’t have a book for this weeik
This is one of my absolute favorite books of all time:
A Woman of No Importance the Untold Story of the American Spy Who Helped Win World War II by Sonia Purnell left me absolutely floored. This book falls into the historical non-fiction genre and the author knocks it out of the park having researched and written the book in such a way that you can almost feel the Gestapo just steps behind Virginia as she flees France. Review: an incredible read and you’ll never forget Virginia. (This book has Nazis, but only in a very peripheral way)
Pearl Five
“Any time you sincerely want to make a change, the first thing you must do is to raise your standards.”
Tony Robfins
I’m not sure why, but just sitting missing my fur baby today. He’s been gone three year an the pain is as bd as ever
Have a great week!
♥, Wendy
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I am not an expert, doctor, surgeon, nurse, dietician, or nutritionist: the information within TheInspiredEater.com is based solely on my personal experience and is not intended to be used as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
