Wednesday, November 14, 2012

True/False Game

I had a friend who posed the question, "How do you really get past the number on the scale?" 

I have given it a lot of thought and determined that I went in to the wrong field of study.  I have a degree in nutrition and what I really needed was a degree in psychology. 

All I can say, is that I feel strongly about the principles, but like anyone else, I struggle knowing how to really apply them.  However, during the course of my thinking on the subject I decided to play what I call the "True/False Game."  I have discovered it as a way to calm my anxiety over many things by differentiating valid concerns from erroneous thoughts. 

So here is my real live internal conversation with myself.  The True/False Game!

"I have to lose weight . . . False
I want to lose weight . . . True
I want to lose weight to be more healthy . . . False

I want to lose weight to get rid of the tummy pouch so people won't think I am pregnant . . . True
145 is the number on the scale that I believe correlates with no more tummy pouch . . . True
When the number on the scale is 145 I will no longer have a tummy pouch . . . False
So the number on the scale is actually not a valid indicator of my goal . . . True
Getting rid of the tummy pouch is enough motivation to get going on eating better and exercising more . . . False

Hmmm, what would be an adequate motivator?
Probably something related to the kids . . . True
Well that makes sense, because when do I ever get to do something for myself . . . True

I want my children to remember me as the mom who rode bikes with them . . . True
I want my children to experience nature, because I take them on walks and I show them nature . . . True
I want my children to love a variety of food and to appreciate the joy of picking it right off the tree or off the plant . . . True

I want to eat better and move more so that our family establishes patterns of healthy living to find the greatest joy and happiness in life and in the world around us . . . True
That is enough to motivate me . . . TRUE!

The deeper and deeper I dive into healthy eating and intentional living, I realize that these are not things I can explain to anyone else adequately.  It's only a path I can lead people down to discover for themselves where joy is to be found. 

I have noticed in playing the True/False game, when my thoughts start to turn to more and more statements that I can mark as true- I am creating solutions.  Try it out yourself next time your are overwhelmed with your own thoughts/feelings and searching for truth! 

3 comments:

  1. Awesome post. I think those statements hold true for me too. I guess I have a little more digging to do within myself.

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  2. It's the motivation that is key!!!! and usually it takes a lot, because for food lovers like me, a number (weight, jean size, even points or calorie counts) just isn't enough!!! Even staying away from chocolate and milk to (hopefully) avoid colic in a nursing baby is tough (I hate to admit). We all know. more or less, what parts of our lifestyle could use a tune-up, bur changing habits is hard. I think what really motivates us, in the end, is how we feel. When I was pregnant I got heartburn if I looked at food, so it was a lot easier to avoid sugary/floury food (although I didn't stay away completely). People with intolerance to certain things usually don't have trouble avoiding them because eating them makes them feel bad. The trick (for the rest of us) is to stick to a better diet long enough that we realize how much better we would feel. But that gets clouded by things--social situations, cravings, etc.

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  3. What a GREAT idea!!! I'm going to use this with food and also with complicated family issues. THanks!

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