This is Coaster Girl, pinch hitting for KD again!

Since we talked about getting started yesterday, I thought it might be a good follow up to build on that and think about the good things that have come about because we took that first step. What lesson(s) have you learned? What has that lesson taught you about yourself and what you can accomplish? What can you do to build on that and keep going?

I have learned so many things in the two years that I have worked to take off the extra pounds. I learned that exercise is fun. (I'd have NEVER thought I'd hear myself say that.) I've learned that food is to be enjoyed, and if you really take the time to savor it, you don't need nearly as much to feel full. And just because I'm eating differently to lose weight, I don't have to sacrifice flavor or old favorites (cough cheesecake cough).

I have learned that I can take responsibility for myself and actually accomplish whatever I put my mind to. That has probably been the most profound lesson that I've learned. If I plan to look at losing the rest of my extra weight as running a marathon, I'll succeed because I can look at myself and remember that I have come so far already.

I've already implemented some new building blocks. I've started trying to get some more natural and whole foods into my diet. Green tea , oatmeal, and collard greens have been successes. I've started getting braver about cooking new things, having recently finally tackled creole cooking the healthy way. Having a brand new KD cookbook certainly has gotten me onto a cooking whirlwind. (By the way, KD thanks for the stroganoff recipe! It was awesome!)

The next batter in the rotation is....Laurie! This is Coaster Girl, signing off!

OOPS!! Sorry Coaster Girl was meaning to write good "thread" not threat. See what happens when I type one handed. Need to get a spell checker before I reply.

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Patty

Hi,

Wow! Another great threat Coaster girl ( I have never done so much soul searching... ). Ok to answer the question. What have learned. There is always time to exercise you just have to make it part of your daily lifestyle sort of like you know you have to brush you teeth in the morning. Good Food doesn't haven't cost a fortune there is always a way to get good a healthy veggies and fruit. You don't have to be afraid to take a fitness class because your worried about what others think "You are doing it for You and not the person next to you".

What good has come from all this. I have dropped two jean sizes without a scale in my house to be judge by. My family has decided eating healthy isn't such a terrible thing. I like what a see in the mirror and can actually say it.( thats a big one in my book). I have learned to try new and different kinds of fruits and veggies and not scowl and say what's that in the grocery store or what do you do with it.

Well you get the point I could go on an on but need to get my daughter to sleep she has fallen asleep in my arms as I type.

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Patty

I was always a gym-class klutz and am so excited to have found a way to see myself as an athlete. I have learned how determined I can be when I really want something.

I have learned that this way of eating is really much easier and less stress producing than my old way. I was always moody, hungry and wanting food. I feel that I have more freedom now and much more of an ability to particiapte in life. I am satisified now- never was before and now. I know what I need and I can meet those needs. Before, I had no idea and was going in the wrong direction.

How far I've come:

1. I lost almost 40 pounds, though ten have come back, I lost them once I can lose them again.

2. I actually get up and leave the store for a 15 minute walk every day. Even if not a lot of exercise, it helps me clear my head and refocus. I would have never even tried this before.

3. I find myself with enough energy to tackle things I never thought I could.

What lessons I have learned.

1. some people are just very judgemental, I can't change that and I can't take it personally.

2. I don't have to do it all today. Prior to joining here, all of my dieting was do or die. My baby steps are working.

3. I am beautiful, it doesn't matter what I do or what i eat.

4. I have a wonderful husband who is even more supportive than I could have ever imagined. (Who also had a lot to do with me learning #3)

Laurie

I am not a bad person because I do not have will power, self control, or discipline if the freezer contains ice cream, the frige contains cheese cake and the top of the fridge is stacked with cookies and chips.

I have a friend who would keep all these things in the house and not eat them all. She'd come over my house and say, "Do have a cookie we can have with our tea?". I never did because 1. I hadn't bought any or 2. my ds and I had eaten them all.

I labeled my friend "good" and myself "bad" or she was "normal" and I was not.

Now I know that I'm normal, too.

Denise

I wish I could jump on the "exercise is fun" bandwagon but, even after 10 months of exercising regularly (and 5 years of gym membership), I can't. There may be moments while I'm exercising that I'm enjoying it or at least enjoying the achievement of it, but I couldn't go as far as calling it fun.

That said, here are my homework replies:

What good things have come about:
1. Lowered total cholesterol by 69 points.
2. Improved self-confidence through weight loss & improved health/fitness.
3. Have a more active lifestyle (was a major couch potato).

What lessons I have learned:
1. The lack of self-discipline (about food) that I have beaten myself up about my whole life was not so much a lack of self-discipline as a lack of believing in myself or focusing strongly enough on my goal. Once I put my mind to this new healthy lifestyle, I found incredible self-discipline that I never knew I had (not with ALL foods, unfortunately, but some).
2. Excuses hold us back from achieving our true potential. As an example, I gained 25 pounds in my 30s after beginning hormone replacement therapy. Nothing I tried before could get that "hormone weight" to budge so I just put it in my brain that the extra 25 pounds was "impossible" to lose. That held me back from even trying for a long time (that 25 pounds is now gone and I'm hoping to work on losing the other 40 or so).

What the lessons learned taught me about myself:
1. I always knew I was a strong person in some respects, but I tend to limit myself (or not give myself enough credit) in some areas of my life/personality where I perceive myself as not being as strong.
2. We generally have more potential than we give ourselves credit for.

[This message was edited by SheriaVa on March 25, 2004 at 05:10 AM.]

I have learned that I can still be thin, sexy and fun, and I don't have to be frumpy just because I'm a mom now.

Dawn

Another great question Coaster Girl!

What I've learned:
1. I second that exercise can be fun!
2. You can overcome "bad" genetics/slow metabolism
3. I can do anything I set my mind to!
4. Healthy foods are fun and delicious!