's motd Tuesday Januaary 11, 2011

[Guest guest]

A SHIFT IN

COMPULSIONS

Tuesday, 11 January 2011

I've shared my weight-loss story

with you a few times. And my story is about the

compulsions I once had. Early on in my life,

(and I don't know where it came from), I became a compulsive

eater. Oh, seems I could never get

enough to eat. For instance, while eating a sandwich,

my only thought was when can I could have another

sandwich. (And too often, it would be right after

I finished the one I was eating.) If I opened a bag

of potato chips, I wasn't satisfied until my fingers

reached the bottom of the bag. And still, I

wanted more!

Whenever I stopped at the grocery

store, I didn't buy just one Coca-Cola. Are

you kidding? I had to have three! The same

was true when it came to candy bars. I just couldn't

seem to get full. All I ever thought about was

eating. Food was my compulsion. Well, one of

them anyway.

See, I did have another compulsion. And it was with

my being inactive. My school was only a

three-block walk from home but hey, it was still three

blocks! Okay, so I did do a little walking

around the French Quarter but basically, you could say

I was a "couch boy." I could sit on that couch all

day long watching television. But, wouldn't you know

it? Somebody had to go and invent school.

LOL.

I liked to sit on the couch, nap

on the couch and yes, eat on the couch.

Seems I was always looking for one more way to be

comfortable as I lazily positioned myself on our

living room sofa.

But one day, I decided that I was going to do

something to rid myself of the two biggest compulsions

in my life. I was going to do something about my

weight. That's when the shift in my compulsions

occurred. Instead of eating these huge French Quarter

Po-Boys or woofing down a gallon of ice cream...I

actually began measuring and weighing everything I

ate. I became so compulsive about my portions that I

just about drove everybody around me crazy!

I also took my compulsion to be inactive and turned it

around. But then I got compulsive at the other

end of the activity spectrum. I began exercising for

hours at a time. Oh, there were no more

couch days for me.

I began doing a lot more walking and got into other

types of exercise. I guess you could say my newest

compulsion was to see the weight come off and...fast!

By eating smaller portions and exercising like a

madman, I did lose a lot of weight. But, in the

process, I ended up getting very sick.

Maybe you went through the

same thing so you know what it feels like to overdo.

See, after overdoing even the good things long enough,

I just completely crashed...I burned out!

What I finally had to figure out is a word I've

mentioned to you before...balance. I had to

learn to keep my compulsions under control. And...I'm

asking you to do the same.

Please, don't drive yourself so crazy with the

portions that you end up on Shutter Island.

And don't exercise until you literally...drop.

Learn to balance all parts of your life. And

when you do, you'll lose weight in a healthy way and maintain

your weight loss in a healthy way, too.

Love,