Epiphanies

I certainly cannot take credit for any of these thoughts - they're not original. I didn't come up with them... but they finally sunk in for me last week (or week before... I dunno I lose track). I've mentioned how I want to change the way I think and the way I view food and such, and I've been making some moves in that direction for a while now. But just lately two thoughts have sunk in - and they have made a slight shift in perception happen for me.

Thought #1: What if I just think about getting fit and healthy?

What if I just think about doing things to be fit? So to answer that I have been focusing on walking the dogs and going to Zumba - just generally moving more. I've made a specific effort to get more active, and what is the result? I feel better, I'm losing well, and I can eat more. Not only that, but the dogs are more fit and healthy as well. I feel like it is a winning situation for all of us.

But what if I also just think about eating to fuel the getting fit, and being healthy part? My body needs fuel for this Zumba business, and it needs fuel to run the everyday processes, and fuel to walk and work the dogs. So I'm making choices that will enable the bod to do it's new jobs.

The result? I'm thinking far less about "what can I eat" and "what can I not have" because I'm thinking more about "what do I need to put into the engine" and "Wow, I guess I don't need to constantly obsess over how I can eat what I would like to because there are more points available to me than I could possibly eat". But strangely, once I have gotten my workouts in, and once I have gotten in the proper fuels I find myself so satisfied that I'm not so worried about the points values - other than to make sure I'm eating ENOUGH. I'm mindful, don't get me wrong, but making an interesting shift away from militant.

Thought #2: Where I am today is just another point on the journey.

I was so riddled with guilt and fear that I'd gained back quite a bit of weight that I was allowing that fear and guilt to paralyze me. Then I heard or read somewhere that it's all just different points on the same journey. So it wasn't like I took a journey, lost weight, and then it was over... or gained weight and it was over, or that I sucked because my journey was over and I had failed. I'm still on the journey - and the point that I'm at doesn't make me suck, it just is another point on my journey to success. Somehow this thought is so freeing. It is liberating! This is all part of my process.

Yay for Epiphanies!