Choose One Thing

Stuck.

A blank page staring at you.

On silver-lining days, that blank page is a clean slate, which sounds glorious and refreshing. On stuck days, it is abysmal.

"You are standing on the edge of a chasm," says the old Adventure game narrator.

The chasm says, "I want to be done, but I can't even begin. The tasks are too many. I feel fat. I am tired. I cannot get any rest. I'll never finish. I am doomed."

Some will tell you that those thoughts and feelings are irrational. Cheer up, don't worry! 

I like to be more practical. Those are your feelings. That might be your reasonable assessment. Maybe you ARE doomed. Maybe you will be fat forever! Maybe you will never finish the book. Either way, you aren't happy about it right now, so you might as well just Choose One Thing. 

This is my ultimate method for getting unstuck. For today it doesn't matter how far you will go, and what goal you will reach. Just get unstuck, so your wheels will work again, so your energy can flow, so you can make a decision again after a bit. Just Choose One Thing.

And there is really only one rule--it has to be doable with the energy you have Right Now. So on the fattiest day of your existence, don't choose to run 10 miles if you can't even run. And don't choose to give up night eating when you haven't managed to say no for weeks. And don't choose to finish that chapter today. Choose something you can do, something that helps but that you feel you can do. Can you make a list about the chapter every day? 20 minutes of writing? Take a stroll for 20 minutes? No? How about 5?

Choose One Thing.  And be at peace, for the Spirit of God is upon you!

The Kitchen is Closed

But the Bar is Open!

I am an adult and can have food anytime I want. I am not hungry. I do not need or want dessert this evening. I will have some hot tea after I take a shower and I can enjoy my tea while knitting and watching a an episode or two of my current Netflix show, Murdoch Mysteries.

There are about 28 weeks before my birthday. Can I imagine being under 200 lbs for my birthday? This is what I have to decide each day. How fit and active do I want to be as I head into the future? In the meantime, however, I must live for today. Be happy and kind today. Listen to the call of God in my life today. Blessings upon all who struggle to feel worthy of love because of their body.

FJ 2016-6-30 Thursday

WI 240.5
(No weigh in for a few days after this. Just live my life, one healthy day at a time!)

Activities

Out fishing this morning.

1 hour walk with dog and boys after dinner.

Breakfast
Cheerios and Milk, 5 pts

Lunch
Bowl of Chicken and dumplings, Strawberry and fruit juice Popsicle

Water to Drink

Day Snacks

5 Saltines

Dinner
1 large tomato, 1 serving penne pasta, 5 cheesesticks, crushed tomato marinara

Water to drink

Night Snacks
I will make Hot Tea after my shower.

FJ 2016-6-29 Wednesday

WI 244

Breakfast
Cheerios and Milk, 5 pts

Lunch
2 slices bread, deli meat, pickles and tomato

Dinner
2 waffles, butter, 1 slice bacon

Snacks
White cheddar cheezits before dinner

Fitness
15 minute dog walk
Fishing at Riverside park

Food Journal

I want to track my eating habits, but all of the apps have you input foods, and search, and choose the serving size and count calories, and offset all of that with fitness. But the fact is, my body, and the bodies of many overweight people, completely ignores the simple math of calories in, calories out. Metabolism is tricky, and my mood, the moon, and solar flares seem to have control over the calorie counts than I do. I want to change that.

The most successful tracking that I ever did was back when I first tried Weight Watchers, and we had these little paper trackers. You write down your meals. Either then or later you go back and figure out points, and it was easy.

Here is the modified points system that I will use if I am tracking points:

1 point for every 50 calories, + 1 point per 12 g of fat (I don't do the fiber subtraction)
I balance the calories and the fat and round up if it's fair. No gaming the system.

I am starting off with 31 points and will lose a point every tens threshold until I reach 21 points.

There are 35 extra points to use per week.

BUT keeping points is not the most important part, and I can guess or not bother for now as long as I get in the habit of keeping the food journal - daily meals and any notes.

And here are the other guidelines I will use:

+ Five Servings of Fruits or Vegetables
+ Three Cups Milk
+ Two servings of protein
+ Two teaspoons of oil
+ Six cups of water
+ NO WEIGHING EVERY DAY!!

For Fitness, I will focus on daily activity of 30 minutes.

My first goal is establish the habit of daily journaling for health and wellness and better goal and mood management and daily meal tracking so that I can be honest with myself about what and when I am eating.