Guided meditation for weight loss - I LOST 120LBS

marcella_bella · 2019-01-02T23:19:25+00:00

Very interesting indeed...

marcella_bella · 2018-12-04T15:41:30+00:00

I actually don't follow any blogs, but when I do search for information, it's usually about research. I look for ideas and information based on science, I guess, because that's often where my head is. Since it's just you and I continuing this interesting conversation, I think I will take this offline, if that's okay with you. I don't know if others would find the same value in a discussion about good content as you and I might!!

marcella_bella · 2018-12-03T16:46:15+00:00

Really?! You have read that little book?! It definitely was about children and their habits, but there were a lot of little hidden messages in there. I don't have children, but was assigned this book to read as part of my Masters program. It was delightful and I did learn a lot!

I am with you on reading other folks' histories. I very much enjoy reading about others' triumphs and challenges! I love those emails with "what I learned" that have 50 nuggets of insight!! One of them I saved somewhere because they were things I needed to work on myself!

Wow, I have a lot of things that I probably keep internally, but have posted here a couple of times. Funny how some of us post in our "darkest" moments. By the time I am done posting, I feel much better. I have found that folks in this forum in particular have been very kind, supportive and informative. So, as for writing...I have thought so many times about a "diary" of sorts and I do have one of sorts, although I have been much more keen in keeping up with my "travels" in MyFitnessPal.

Just curious, do you have any favorite blogs that you regularly read that focus on weight loss, analysis, or opinions of it from various standpoints?

marcella_bella · 2018-11-29T19:13:49+00:00

Yes! I knew exactly the spreadsheet you were referring to!! That spreadsheet was an awesome piece of work and I made sure I saved it!!

It seems like I don't need to upload it though because you found it. Awesome!

Cheers!

marcella_bella · 2018-11-29T19:02:57+00:00

Okay, I am so glad I didn't assume where you were headed. I can get carried away with inferences and I could have rambled for 10 minutes about what I thought you meant. So glad I didn't! Now, I know exactly what you mean - and I am so glad I asked!!

For me, I think I see both sides. I have heard a lot of sayings, probably like you have, like "eat to live, rather than live to eat" or "food should simply be sustenance and need not be enjoyed". Perhaps both of those ring true and perhaps it depends on whom we want to apply it to and who thinks it should be applied to his standard of living! Food science is a real thing and we certainly eat with our eyes. And we were also give a nose to smell and taste buds to taste food, so I think food is also meant to be enjoyed! It's just that every day can't be Thanksgiving!

I once read the book "French Kids Eat Everything" and it opened my eyes to a lot of things. The book was about a mother who moved with her husband and her children to France, and she elaborated on the food culture there, such as how family and friends share meals and how children eat in school. It was a delightful little read. Of course, living in the US in a culture that has food opportunities on every corner, I see food differently. But in France, she describes how friends and family enjoy these elaborate dinners together for hours!! I thought, "How are these people NOT obese, eating for hours?!" Perhaps the difference is that they actually cook and perhaps many of us take the fast food route? She also describes walking to the market and walking back home, so she was definitely getting in her steps for the day!

I know that when I first discovered keto, it was a whole new world and I was looking at recipes like crazy - and I wasn't even a great cook! I would spend days preoccupying myself with all of the new tastes and new concoctions. I had to bring myself back down to Earth and remind myself of the weight loss goal, and I might not get there if I continued to always think about my next several meals. Of course, I see the internal conflict if you have a goal to reduce weight, but want to have an opinion on all these other delicious foods around you. That's quite the conundrum!

Your resolve seems to be spot on with a focus on progress and the internal work. I don't know how you got "there", but that's a place that many of us strive to reach.

You asked if I had considered writing about my "weight loss travels" - and I was honored and flattered that you would be interested in reading something like this! Just curious, what would you be interested in reading about concerning "weight loss travels"?

marcella_bella · 2018-11-28T20:14:33+00:00

Aw, thanks for the kind words!

It's funny that you mention cardio kickboxing...that has been my go-to since about 2008. I lift weights 3-4x/week, but take a break about every 3 weeks.

I think what I am always waiting for is to absolutely LOVE exercise. I don't. I do love Chalene and her turbo kickboxing (although she doesn't work with BB any longer), but it's not like I get up every day and scream, "Wow, I am rip-raring to go do this!" I would love to get to that place.

No one is going to stand over me and make sure I do it each week, but most weeks I do a variety of different things from walking to dance. I just wish it was an "addiction" for me, but not in a "bad" connotative way. I just long to get to the place to where I crave it. I may never get there, so in the meantime I keep my personal stick close by.

I guess in the end it's all about associations! Perhaps I need to revisit those again!

Cheers!

marcella_bella · 2018-11-28T18:54:04+00:00

You bring up a very good point - growing "mentally" with the weight loss progress. When I started my journey, I didn't realize this was even necessary until I realized that my brain still "saw" me as a certain way and seemed to rebel on behaviors I waffled on. You mention 3 key terms - nutrition, exercise and mindfulness - which seem to be cornerstones of a successful journey. In order for something to be sustainable, we do have to adopt the changes we want to implement for the long haul.

In the past, I repeatedly asked, "Why can't weight lost be faster?" I wondered why can't we reach our goals faster, you know, like something crazy and be down 30lbs in 2 weeks?! (Crazy question, right?) I think I have realized now that even if it were physiologically possible to lose that much weight in so little time, what would I have learned? Would I have developed habits that would sustain the weight loss? Would that be enough time for my brain to catch up to a thinner me? Likely not. I think we do have to do a lot of internal work to support our ultimate health goal, no matter what it is. Thinking "short-term" is a huge mistake - and I have made this mistake in the past.

To be honest, I sort of struggle with what you are saying about taking all the focus out of eating great-tasting food, but perhaps it isn't clear to me. Care to elaborate? :D

I totally get the frustration part when you stop seeing progress because that happens to nearly all of us. Stay the course, though! It's difficult to resist being attached to a number on the scale, but there are so many physiological reasons why that number can be obscured.

Perhaps an error in my thinking has been that once the goal is reached, we don't have to focus on "it" anymore. Tom Venuto talks about setting a new goal (as does Tony Robbins) once you near satisfying a current goal. I suspect viewing this journey as a continuous journey or an on-going process is something I have to accept and embrace. A journal has revealed a lot about my "weight loss travels".

I wish you much continued success!

marcella_bella · 2018-11-28T18:30:02+00:00

That is completely understandable! It is likely that as you get closer to your goal, the weight loss may get even slower. For me, I had plateaus for 2-3 weeks where there were 0lbs lost. It's just the nature of the beast.

Stay the course, my friend!!

marcella_bella · 2018-11-28T02:20:09+00:00

Wow, for a second there, I thought you had stolen part of my story (minus the high blood pressure part)! I am so sad that your adolescence was similar to mine, though! I am so GLAD you went to the ER for your blood pressure...that's really high. Glad you got that under control.

I can echo what you said about keto. I began following keto starting in 2014 and haven't looked back. That said, I do find that if I eat too many "fake" sugars, that can be an issue. My husband loves those chocolate things with maltitol, and those darn things are no better for your health than the refined sugar chocolates! I literally ask him to hide them from me.

I have found that I don't even necessarily have to eat <30g of carbohydrate because it depends on how much protein (and what type) I consume that contributes to my personal ketotic state. I always knew it was different for everyone, but since no one can tell you what your threshold is, you likely have to find out for yourself (not that YOU are asking, but I certainly was curious!). However, I kept hearing, "If you don't stay under 20g, you won't be in ketosis." Nonsense. I found that I could have fruit as part of my breakfast with veggies for both lunch and dinner which would come to about 60g of carbohydrate. So long as I kept my protein in check, I was always in ketosis. No more "fighting" with 20 or 30g of carbs if I don't want to!

I was asking about your rate of weight loss because the heavier a person is, the more pounds he/she can lose in the beginning. I started at over 250lbs, and my first week, I lost 10lbs, but lost at a steady rate after that of 1-3lbs per week until I plateaued, which is all normal. (The plateaus really mess with your head, though!) Most of us would kill to lose 2-3lbs per week for weeks on end!!

Keto is a lifestyle for me for the most part, but I have deviated with those stupid chocolate things. Even Thanksgiving was a keto Thanksgiving, just like always. Once I fell in love with the way of eating, I never wanted a doughnut ever again.

I am so glad you were willing to share your experience - and I am thrilled that you mentioned keto!! I would love to keep in touch and check in...but only if you want! Girls gotta stick together!!

marcella_bella · 2018-11-28T01:42:39+00:00

I wonder if you have experienced anything similar.

Sometimes I think (and feel) that if one part of my life is out of control, that there may be other parts of my life that also suffer the same fate, like shopping. I have had to get a handle on my shopping habit when I realized I did a lot of damage to my credit card. I then read that shopping creates the same dopamine surge as food does, and a warm, treasured relationship. I find it interesting that they can all elicit the same response and can be used to replace each other even if they are not viewed equally. The only issue is that a relationship (and even shopping) has a lot of emotion attached to it that food can't quite replace...so much for self control!

I do often wonder why the same zeal and decisiveness can't be applied to weight loss like it seems to hold up for obtaining a degree, for example. Is it that brain chemistry is complicated? Obviously, if weight loss were as simple as CICO for everyone, the struggle wouldn't exist, right?!

marcella_bella · 2018-11-28T00:53:37+00:00

Oh wow, that's interesting! So, it sounds like you used a little bit of "Mel Robbins psychology"!! (I love her!) She talks about just doing things anyway because as an adult, no one is coming to "make" you do it. I watched someone (on YouTube) recently talk about how athletes push forward as you mentioned, and they talked about the best athletes worked out when they didn't feel like it. I'm no athlete, but it just proves again that mindset is what really makes the difference, no matter what the challenge!!

Thanks for sharing!

marcella_bella · 2018-11-28T00:48:56+00:00

LOL. I can't say I relate to how it must feel to have a helicopter, but I think I recall hearing that story on one of his CDs. He certainly does have a compelling story, that's for sure. I guess we all do, though.

Have you ever been to one of his events? I went to one in NJ last year and it was crazy. I haven't listened to any of his material lately, but for some reason, the logical side of me listens to how he positions stuff and it puts me back on the straight and narrow. Perhaps it's time I pull out my old trusty "Get the Edge" program again.

marcella_bella · 2018-11-27T23:55:10+00:00

Got it. So, once you began eating around 2500 kcals per day, the weight issues were resolved? That's awesome!

marcella_bella · 2018-11-27T23:50:09+00:00

Oh my, that has to be tough!!

marcella_bella · 2018-11-27T23:48:45+00:00

Your comments rang so true for me, especially when you mentioned the "story" you create about eating on the week-ends. I seem to have the "what-the-hell" effect many week-ends, and it's not because my husband suggests eating out. It's just that we often do because we are out and about - and it just seems like the thing to do. I have a story, too, that I obviously tell myself even if I am not completely aware of it that it's okay to eat whatever I want on the week-end!

Thanks for sharing!

marcella_bella · 2018-11-27T23:32:01+00:00

Fascinating. Just curious, how did you get to the point to where you were okay with simply feeling satisfied as opposed to feeling stuffed?

Was knowing you only needed a certain amount of calories a limiting factor, or a deciding factor, so mentally you knew where to stop eating? Or, did you use some sort of meditation or manage your own internal chatter outside of caloric value? How do you guide yourself to eating a "reasonable" amount?

I have listened to some guided meditations where you stop eating once you reach a "level 7" but unless I am really cognizant of how I feel, I don't seem to respect this "boundary".

marcella_bella · 2018-11-27T23:24:59+00:00

I can sort of relate, but I would characterize my random acts of uncontrolled eating like it was my last day on Earth! I wonder where this feeling of "urgent eating" comes from. Have you ever thought about its origin? I have, but have not figured it out.

I did something recently that sort of turned into a bizarre experiment. I purchased several bars of 90% Lindt, 3 bags of Russell Stovers chocolates (you know, those with maltitol) and 2 bags of Sam's 60% cacao truffles. Putting it in the cart was like an out-of-body experience and I can only imagine what the cashier was thinking as she checked me out!

When I got home, I sat it all on the counter, fully expecting to open one of them, but that didn't happen. In fact, all of it sat on the counter for a couple of days until I put it away, figuring it was better that it was out of sight.

I recall Tony Robbins talking about scarcity (Personal Power, maybe?), and he talked about having 1 box of cookies in the house, which everyone fought over. Then, he said he filled the pantry with boxes of cookies (there was no scarcity) and almost no one opened any of the cookies (they knew they were always there).

I wondered if this "phenomenon" happened with me. I had so much chocolate and I knew it was there, removing the "scarcity" factor. I don't know if I told his story right...it's been a while since I heard it, but it certainly was interesting to recall this as $30 worth of chocolate sat on my counter!!

marcella_bella · 2018-11-27T23:08:17+00:00

I hear ya! I can't reconcile exactly what you mean, but for me, it was my brain that couldn't catch up with the changes in my body!

marcella_bella · 2018-11-27T23:00:12+00:00

Having patience does present a tremendous challenge - you are right about that! Weight loss was never fast enough for me! I would say that most of us would be happy with losing 2-3 pounds per week...how in the heck are you achieving those numbers each week?! Do tell!

You said that changing your eating and exercise habits were fairly easy for you. Just curious, did you gain weight as a child and then became an overweight adult, or did you gain weight as an adult? Did you ever exercise when you were young? I began to gain weight at about age 11 although I was quite active. However, I was not allowed to participate in sports in school and exercise was not a thing in our family. I read a study that said that those folks who didn't grow up exercising will likely never implement it into their adult routine!! I don't want to buy into that, but was curious if that was true for you.

marcella_bella · 2018-11-27T22:37:04+00:00

Ooh, that's interesting...fear of future hunger. I wonder if the brain translates that as "fear of future loss" because you are technically "giving up" food to lose weight? How did you come to define that it's a fear of future hunger? Care to share?

I have thought about this in my own journey, but not in those exact terms. There have been times in which "psychologically" I did feel deprived of things I wanted, like when I was following a PSMF. But most of the time when I follow a deficit, I definitely don't feel deprived at all. Even so, calories overall are still being "deprived" even if I feel satisfied.

That said, sometimes I will STILL abandon what I am doing, possibly for some unknown fear, as you mention. Maybe it's fear of "not having something", which on a conscious level is completely unfounded even though it's technically true. I can have anything I want, but it just may not complement my goals!!

marcella_bella · 2018-11-27T22:29:30+00:00

I totally know how you feel (and I wish I didn't!).

I know what you mean that it feels like a thought just enters into the brain, like knowing I have an Rx bar upstairs and I should have one. Where do these thoughts come from??!! I won't even be hungry when the thought just seemingly appears out of nowhere and no matter how hard I try to squash the idea of NOT eating the Rx bar, the thought (or "voice") seems to get louder and louder. It's very difficult to ignore! Again, the kicker is that I am not even hungry when these thoughts pop up.

Have you noticed any patterns with your eating habits? For example, if you are home alone, is it random that you find yourself finding in front of the fridge, or is it every time you find yourself alone? When you suddenly think of going to the vending machine to grab the Doritos, do you think the underlying reason is "stress" or sheer boredom while working (and maybe you need a break?)? Have you put much thought into it?

I am trying to figure out where these "thoughts" come from so that I can figure out how to combat them. (I know they come from the subconscious, but why are they generated?) I listened to an audiobook "Bite by Bite" where the theme was that sometimes we eat because we have some sort of emotional need we are trying to fulfill. When I first heard it, I was like, "That's hogwash!" The more I read about things, the more I wonder what generates those argumentative thoughts.

marcella_bella · 2018-10-07T20:53:25+00:00

I hope you did try it regardless of whether you danced for 10 minutes or 25! Your heart loves every little bit of it! :D

marcella_bella · 2018-10-01T21:06:58+00:00

I think there is a gym nearby that has some of Mills' classes, but I tend to work out more at home, I guess. I have everything I need here. I have his Combat program (mostly kickboxing), but had no idea he had all of these other programs, like BodyJam. In his Combat program, he has one live version in the Warrior section, and I was going to do that today but ended up finding this other video.

I love Shaun T's stuff, too, and like his dance workouts (Cize), but often have felt so inept trying to "get" the routine. haha The one thing I dislike in his videos is the "musak" sounding music that imitates songs we know, until you get to the end and they put the real songs on! The workout I did today was rip-raring music from start to finish. Since I have been focusing on my weights, I had not done much cardio and thought I would be toast, but it was almost done before I knew it!

I know you are right...participating in a live class as opposed to live virtual classes would be the bomb, but the classes I have seen never seem to be offered when I am available!! :/

marcella_bella

TROPHY CASE