Getting back to the basics of what’s most important in life.
Pearl One
I love Dave Ramsey. He pops up on my Instagram feed once or twice a week and I’ve saved bucks just watching his little reels saying how “dumb” we are for getting ourselves into various financial pickles. And I love his “seven baby steps” for a better financial future. I often think that learning how to navigate money is a lot like taking the steps to shift our perspective on food.
So, I created ten baby steps for a lifetime weight loss. These steps are for brand-new readers plus old-hands who can always use a refresher (especially me).
One
Whether you want to lose or maintain your loss, begin to shift your whole world onto the Smart Eating Path by first reading Atomic Habits by James Clear and the Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg. Take your time reading each book and plan to return to these two gems regularly for years to come. What I do: I took notes in my journal as I read both books pretending that I’m prepping to give a talk on the subject of habits.
Two
Clean your kitchen, your home, your life of food-porn (same as sweeping the house of alcohol if you struggle with drinking). If you know you can’t resist, you won’t. Clean out your car too. If you live with people who “need” their cookies, candy and chips ask them sweetly to please put their treats in the highest cupboard where you can’t see them. Also ask that they put their ice cream in a brown bag on the freezer’s first shelf and towards the back so that it too can’t be seen easily either.
Three
Choose your eating plan by selecting one that works well for your lifestyle like the Mediterranean diet, no gluten food, or WW’s plan and so forth. Plan to stick with your eating structure don’t switch it up every year or two like the diet cartel does. If the cartel is making big, giant “reveals” of their latest food push, it’s for the health of their bottom line not ours.
Four
Put a pretty spiral-bound notebook with a working pen next to your fridge. In this notebook you’ll track what you eat each time you eat. You’ll also include a number like calories or points. You need something to count to know that you’re eating within a reasonable food limit.
Five
Eat on your chosen food plan using the “royal” eating plan: eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a princess and dinner like a pauper. Healthy snacks like an apple or a yogurt cup are great for keeping our inner cavewoman out of our eating life. For the deets on this way of eating, read Brownies for Breakfast.
Six
Plan to stop eating around six o’clock at night. Turn off the kitchen light and leave for bed “early.” Have an amazing book-dessert next to your bed and around seven or eight o’clock take a soothing shower, jump into clean and beautiful jams and settle in to read for as much as two hours before lights out. If you’re a regular reader you already know two hours can fly when you’re reading a great book. A few titles here to get you started and see pearl four for more.
Seven
Develop the habit of always taking along a cold-tote packed in healthy, appealing bites. The idea is to curb your hunger so that you never run errands or shop hungry again. I use this cold-tote. Originally I tried a designer tote, but it was too small to be useful.
Eight
Always “eat before you eat.” A small peanut butter and jelly sandwich, a banana, or a small smoothie act as your best pal in helping you make smart decisions as you eat lunch or dinner. (This goes triple if you’re dining out.)
Nine
Buy a beautiful spiral bound notebook like this gorgeous girl here and plan to use it as a daily writing journal. I’ll give writing prompts in pearl two every week. And thank you to a thriver for this brilliant idea!!
Ten
Call dealing with the many details of what you’re doing — losing and lifetime maintaining — your part-time job. This one mind shift alone took me from complaining about the tasks involved to becoming a fully committed and engaged participant in my own smart eating life. I like to say, “just follow my cake crumbs.”
The key to weight loss/maintenance isn’t about being perfect. It’s about getting back onto the horse again and again self-understanding, and finding what truly works for your lifestyle. If I can turn a lifetime of struggle into lasting success, so can you. ♥
Pearl Two
Writing prompts for your journal:
- Describe the moment you realized losing weight would be harder than you imagined. What emotions came up? If it’s been too long and you can’t remember write about how you approached weight loss when you were younger.
- Write about the mental battles you face when you’re working to develop new smart eating habits.
- Write about a “setback” day (weekend or month) and how it felt. What did you learn from it?
- How do you navigate consistency? Perfectionism?
- How do you keep yourself motivated when results “plateau” or slow down. (Remember I call it “holding.” When I was losing, I saw “holding” as critical because it gives our body the necessary time to get used to the new weight normal.)
- Write a letter to someone who’s struggling to lose weight, offering encouragement based on your experience. Then send it to me! I’d love to hear what you’re particularly good at and what’s challenging. ♥
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. Apply to your own life.
Automatic Sequence
- Situation (be very matter-of-fact): Denise’s, 58, routine medical tests revealed early signs of a serious heart condition and her doctor has asked her to make lifestyle changes and take medication.
- Knee-jerk thought: there’s no way I’ll give up my running and strength training. And I’m not into drugs.
- Feeling: Irritated, surprised.
- Action: Denise continues her routine: every other day she runs ten miles. On the opposite days she lifts weights.
- Result: she ignores the doctor’s advice. She’s healthy, no way is she going on a med. And curtailing her hobby of working out is just insane.
In real-life you’d do bridge sequences before getting to the Chosen Sequence.
Chosen Sequence
- Situation (be very matter-of-fact): Denise, 58, routine medical tests revealed early signs of a serious heart condition and her doctor has asked her to make lifestyle changes and take medication.
- Chosen thought: “Deep breath. I can do this. I’ve never forgotten Jim Fixx and how he died while running at the age of 52. But Fixx had heart disease in his family. We have some in our family too, but at a milder level.”
Feeling: surprised and perplexed (isn’t working out supposed to a good thing?) - Action: She starts doing a lot of daily research, talking to relatives and decides to reduce her workouts by fifty percent.
- Result: She takes her medical tests again and passes in flying colors. ♥
Pearl Four
I’m sharing my favorite memoirs today: The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls, Educated: a memoir by Tara Westover, Becoming by Michelle Obama, and Hillbilly Elegy by J.D. Vance. I highly recommend each of these five-star, book-dessert reads. But if you need to laugh check out one of my favorite memoirs: Why My Third Husband Will Be a Dog: The Amazing Adventures of an Ordinary Woman by Lisa Scottoline (Lisa explains that it rhymes with fettuccine). All of her nonfictions are hilarious. ♥
Pearl Five
“Your life does not get better by chance, it gets better by change.” —Jim Rohn ♥
Enjoy the last days of August! And if you enjoyed this post, please send it to a friend!
♥, 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.
