You are what you say you are, you can do what you say you can do!

As humans, we tell ourselves stories. We worry, we fear, we stress and when thinking about a situation, the majority of us looks at all the possible negatives, or focus on what's hard about a situation and we make up all sorts of stories that we ultimately believe are true. The more stories we create, the more we believe, the greater our failures.....And in some cases, maybe we never even get to the point of failure, because we tell ourselves so  many stories that we believe, sometimes that even prevents us from trying.

Those stories we tell ourselves often look like; "I can't do that because.......", or That will never work because I'm not smart enough, or I'm not strong enough, or because no one likes me, or I don't have enough experience, or someone else out there can do it better so I can never compete. For me over the last 10 years or so, when it comes to trying to lose weight, my story has sounded something like this; "I don't have any will power." "I lack self-control." "I have too much weight to lose and it will take me forever to do this." "I just love to eat too much, I will just never be successful." "I don't like to cook and I am so busy, and I can't lose weight because I need a quick easy option, and fast food is quick and easy." "I am ravenous when I get home from work and can't control myself long enough to eat until my dinner is cooked, I have to snack and binge while I am cooking, I just can't help it." "I am too busy to worry about food prep." "Healthy food costs too much money." "Eating healthy takes too much time and effort and because I work I just don't have the time to eat healthy." "I'm over 30 and my metabolism has slowed down, I will never be able to get this weight off."

I could probably go on and on. In fact, I know I could go on and on, but I think you have the idea. And so when we tell ourselves stories that we believe, we are basically living out a self-fulfilling prophacy. We are creating our reality with theses stories. for instance, I have believed for so long that I just didn't have the time to put together healthy meals. I really thought I didn't have any self control. I have really believed that I don't like to cook or I can't cook. I tell myself a story and I believe it. That is how we create our lives.

So, what would happen if we started to tell ourselves DIFFERENT stories like; "I love to eat healthy. There are so many healthy options available that taste good. Putting my meals together really doesn't take all that long. I feel so good when I am making healthy choices. I have lot's of control because losing weight is something I really want and only I am responsible for what goes in my mouth."

What would our lives look like if we started to tell different stories that motivated us, made us feel strong and powerful and accomplished? Would we believe those stories too? Well, this weekend I had a 2+ hour long conversation with a friend who is in school for Nutritional Coaching. Knowing that I struggle with my weight and am always looking for a way to lose weight, she asked me if I could help her with a homework assignment. I filled out a form that she provided and then she called me and began asking questions. I think the point of her assignment was just to get practice with getting others talking about themselves and for her to learn how to be an active listener.


She did a good job getting me talking, but then again, it's not that hard to get my gums to flap.......I can pretty much have a conversation with a wall. But the point is, in talking, I guess I realized a lot about myself. I was telling her all these stories about myself. Like how I don't have any self control and when I am craving McDonalds, there is nothing I can do to stop myself from going through the drive through. I also said that cooking is hard because I don't like it and I don't have time. Well, this conversation was so eye opening to me, because just listening to myself, I felt so ridiculous after we hung up and I thought back to all I had said. I sound so weak and if there is anything I am, weak is not me, AT ALL! I can do anything I want......I have accomplished so many of the things I have wanted in my life because I was strong and I had a drive and there was nothing going to stand in my way. Well, I began to wonder why I never approach my weight loss like that? Why am I so weak when it comes to probably the most important thing in my life, my health!

Then all of a sudden it hit me......Here I was, trying Herbalife because I told my friend who sells it, how busy I was and I didn't have any time for food prep and how I hate to cook and I need something fast that will stop me from going through the drive through. She convinced me to try the shakes and after 2 weeks of feeling lousy, feeling extremely deprived and unsatisfied and HUNGRY all the time and gaining a total of 6 pounds, without even thinking about it and without skipping a beat, I got right back on a healthy eating plan. I didn't revert back to unhealthy eating and food binges as I so often do when something I have tried has failed.

I had good food in the house and the things I didn't have, I ran out to the store to get them, all this without even thinking about it. It was just something I knew I had to do, the option to eat bad never even crossed my mind. I never once heard myself say, "I can't do this, I don't have will power, I don't like to cook, I don't have time to cook....Blah Blah Blah!" I just did what I needed to do to obtain the result I desire and that desire is to lose weight, to be healthy, to feel more energetic, to give myself my life back to do the things in life I enjoy the most like, walking on a beautiful trail or on the beach, hiking, skiing, going on roller coasters, rollerblading, softball, volleyball, having more confidence while riding my motorcycle as well as other situations, enjoying clothes shopping, being comfortable on a plane, to sleep better, to not stress over whether or not I am going to fit in a seat and so many other things to list here because I would be here all night. I can think of so many reason to get healthy and I can't think of 1 reason to remain in my current state.

And as I was thinking about all this I realized that not only did I go right from Herbalife to my healthy, well rounded and balanced eating plan, I did it so automatically and without any struggle. Today is Tuesday and I just realized that I have been eating great for every meal without struggling at all since Thursday evening. And I also realized this......I don't hate to cook. I actually like it in some form. I mean, how hard is it to bake chicken? How hard is it to make couscous? Microwaving a veggie in my steamer couldn't be any easier. And, my favorite form of cooking (I can't believe I even have a favorite form of cooking), using my slow cooker. I already made turkey chili and it was so YUM YUM! And I already had it for dinner and lunch and I will definitely get at least one more lunch or dinner out of it (Mags is sharing it with me too, that is why it 's not lasting longer....I'm not eating huge portions...LOL)

I still have a purdue turkey breast that Mags cooked up and I have the fixin's for 2  more crock pot meals and I LOVE that for 4 major reasons: Fairly easy to throw together, ready to eat when I get home from work, last for 2-4 meals, and last but not least...YUMMY!!!! You know how I love the Yum Yum!

This last week, I don't feel deprived at all. I don't feel like I am dieting.....That is because I am not. I am eating healthy and enjoying it. I really proved to myself this week that eating can be tasty without being fattening and it doesn't really take all that much effort with a little pre-planning. You just have to know how to cook......Wow, I guess I do know how to cook, and you know what? I like it!!!

This week I feel great. I am sleeping well, I have energy (My Vitamin B Complex really helps with this), even though I haven't lost any weight as this is my first week back to eating healthy, when I am eating good, I already begin to feel healthy and well, light if that makes any sense. When I am where I am right now, I wonder how I ever get knocked off the wagon and go back to eating bad and going on a binge. I feel so very terrible when I am eating that way, physically, but emotionally too. I get feeling so down and depressed and I am so lethargic, I feel lazy and I don't want to do anything but lay there on the couch and rot.

But this week, on top of feeling physically great, I feel mentally great too! I feel happy, and upbeat and I am excited about things in my life. I don't like my job at all, in fact I hate it, but the way I am feeling this week, I even feel better about my job and my boss and actually have felt positive about going to work. I don't feel like I am dieting. On a diet, I usually end up thinking, "How the heck am I going to stay on this long term?" I have felt that with so many fad diets and I felt that way in Herbalife. When I am eating the way I am right now, I feel so great. I don't feel like I am any different that anyone else. I just feel like I am living life and I am eating good stuff, so it's something that is easy to stay on long term. Not just something that I will stick to in order to lose weight, but something that I will continue to do long after to continue feeling healthy and GREAT!!

It really is amazing what you can do when you put your mind to it! You are what you say you are, you can do what you say you can do!

We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore,
is not an act but a habit.
Aristotle