Re: Learning From Your Mistakes - a different kind of success story

October 4, 2004

Funny thing is I STRESS about having to journal. I found I do much

better if I don't have to journal. And my planned and actually were

always different anyway. I've been doing great without it...I feel

I am disciplined enough to do it...and I do...the only workouts

missed was when I was ill. I keep track on a print out from the BFL

website..I highlight when I am done a day. It works for me

And if I am really desperate (like today at my volunteer job) I

found in the fridge Kudos bars and canned pears...they eat nothing

but crap there but I needed a snack...so I rinsed the pears and ate

those...I will be more prepared next time!

>

> Hi everyone!

>

> After years of starvation/borderline disordered eating/gaining

> weight cycles, I began BFL in May. For almost 8 weeks I was

> extremely regimented about writing everything down, journaling my

> workouts, and measuring myself religiously every 2 weeks, and I

had

> amazing results to show for it!

>

> About 8 weeks in, I felt like I had it down, and I did. I had all

> the info in my head, I knew what I was supposed to do, and I

figured

> I was going to live like this forever, so I started to just " wing

> it. " Well, I never stopped BFL, and I think of my nutrition in the

> BFL way, but I started ignoring my BFL voice, stopped writing

> everything down and began supplementing my healthy foods with

sugary

> crap and missing workouts. It's amazing how easy it is to screw up

> and revert to bad habits once you stop holding yourself

accountable.

>

> Pants tighter, brain cloudier...

>

> Now, I stand before 9 pounds heavier than my starting weight in

May.

> But you know what? It really isn't making me crazy. It's funny,

back

> in the old days I would put on 20 pounds rebounding from a

horrible

> diet and I would freak out and feel hopeless and depressed. I

never

> stopped reading my fitness magazines and this message board, and I

> never stopped trying. Now I know that all I need to do is get back

> to that BFL state of mind.

>

> Though I don't think about BFL as a challenge to stop and start

> over, I have considered and analyzed my behavior over the last

> couple of months, figured out what mistakes I have made and I am

> renewing my habits.

>

> Looking back on the past couple of months has been incredibly

> helpful. I can see what I did wrong. Being regimented works for

me,

> and it's empowering and it helps me feel in control with my

eating.

> When I see my behavior down in black and white it's difficult to

> ignore. I need to hold myself accountable. I started journaling

last

> week, then got the flu, but now I'm back!

>

> With your nutrition and fitness, it is important to know what to

do

> and eat, but it is also important to know what NOT to do and to

> pinpoint behavior and habits that are keeping you from your goals.

I

> feel like a success because though I've gained weight back, my

> mindset has completely changed, now the behavior will follow!

October 6, 2004

Good for you! Learning from your mistakes and moving on is really critical. Lots

of people get into trouble when they stop writing down food and tracking

progress. You don't have to do it forever but sometimes a few weeks isn't enough

time for the good habits to become truly second nature.

You'll recall that I went through a stage where I wrote down every bite of food

every single day (even free day!) for over two years. I needed to do it for a

lot of reasons, to be accountable, to wean myself off of the nutrition software,

to learn how to wing it without kidding myself or backsliding. It didn't matter

if I was being strict or lounging around in a pile of candy wrappers, I still

wrote it all down in composition notebooks. When it's all in writing it's easy

to see exactly what you were doing that month when you were really successful or

that week when your pants wouldn't button.

I didn't do nutrition breakdowns or try to calculate everything, it was just the

act of writing it down that was helpful. At first, I didn't even write down

portion sizes because I was afraid I'd flip out and go back and try to enter

months of meals into nutrition software. I found myself saying no to mindless

snacking just because I knew I didn't want to write down a string of events

like, " 8 guacamole Doritos, handful of peanut M & Ms, big hunk of sharp cheddar,

1/2 cup cold Stove Top stuffing, two tablespoons of Skippy peanut butter, and 4

stale Chips Ahoy cookies. " LOL

My inspiration for the food journaling was fitness model, Hourin, who is

about my height and weight, doesn't starve herself, takes " cheat weekends, " and

always looks amazing. Check out her page of diet tips:

http://www.lisahourin.com/Diet_Tips.htm

Note that she has " write down everything you eat " in all caps and underlined.

:-) I stopped tracking everything a few months ago and I'm happily maintaining.

The extended journaling was really valuable though. I'll go right back to it if

I ever feel like I'm struggling.

Learning From Your Mistakes - a

different kind of success story

Hi everyone!

After years of starvation/borderline disordered eating/gaining

weight cycles, I began BFL in May. For almost 8 weeks I was

extremely regimented about writing everything down, journaling my

workouts, and measuring myself religiously every 2 weeks, and I had

amazing results to show for it!

About 8 weeks in, I felt like I had it down, and I did. I had all

the info in my head, I knew what I was supposed to do, and I figured

I was going to live like this forever, so I started to just " wing

it. " Well, I never stopped BFL, and I think of my nutrition in the

BFL way, but I started ignoring my BFL voice, stopped writing

everything down and began supplementing my healthy foods with sugary

crap and missing workouts. It's amazing how easy it is to screw up

and revert to bad habits once you stop holding yourself accountable.

Pants tighter, brain cloudier...

Now, I stand before 9 pounds heavier than my starting weight in May.

But you know what? It really isn't making me crazy. It's funny, back

in the old days I would put on 20 pounds rebounding from a horrible

diet and I would freak out and feel hopeless and depressed. I never

stopped reading my fitness magazines and this message board, and I

never stopped trying. Now I know that all I need to do is get back

to that BFL state of mind.

Though I don't think about BFL as a challenge to stop and start

over, I have considered and analyzed my behavior over the last

couple of months, figured out what mistakes I have made and I am

renewing my habits.

Looking back on the past couple of months has been incredibly

helpful. I can see what I did wrong. Being regimented works for me,

and it's empowering and it helps me feel in control with my eating.

When I see my behavior down in black and white it's difficult to

ignore. I need to hold myself accountable. I started journaling last

week, then got the flu, but now I'm back!

With your nutrition and fitness, it is important to know what to do

and eat, but it is also important to know what NOT to do and to

pinpoint behavior and habits that are keeping you from your goals. I

feel like a success because though I've gained weight back, my

mindset has completely changed, now the behavior will follow!

October 6, 2004

" I found myself saying no to mindless snacking just because I knew I

didn't want to write down a string of events like, '8 guacamole

Doritos, handful of peanut M & Ms, big hunk of sharp cheddar, 1/2 cup

cold Stove Top stuffing, two tablespoons of Skippy peanut butter,

and 4 stale Chips Ahoy cookies.' "

....and this is why I'm 9 pounds heavier than my first starting

weight. But seriously, it's totally worth it having gone through the

some ups and downs just for the learning experience. The way I feel

about nutrition and fitness is totally different. Journaling keeps

me from freaking out rather than making me more of a freak than I

already am )

Thanks for the kind words and the link !

> Good for you! Learning from your mistakes and moving on is really

critical. Lots of people get into trouble when they stop writing

down food and tracking progress. You don't have to do it forever but

sometimes a few weeks isn't enough time for the good habits to

become truly second nature.

>

> You'll recall that I went through a stage where I wrote down every

bite of food every single day (even free day!) for over two years. I

needed to do it for a lot of reasons, to be accountable, to wean

myself off of the nutrition software, to learn how to wing it

without kidding myself or backsliding. It didn't matter if I was

being strict or lounging around in a pile of candy wrappers, I still

wrote it all down in composition notebooks. When it's all in writing

it's easy to see exactly what you were doing that month when you

were really successful or that week when your pants wouldn't button.

>

> I didn't do nutrition breakdowns or try to calculate everything,

it was just the act of writing it down that was helpful. At first, I

didn't even write down portion sizes because I was afraid I'd flip

out and go back and try to enter months of meals into nutrition

software. I found myself saying no to mindless snacking just because

I knew I didn't want to write down a string of events like, " 8

guacamole Doritos, handful of peanut M & Ms, big hunk of sharp

cheddar, 1/2 cup cold Stove Top stuffing, two tablespoons of Skippy

peanut butter, and 4 stale Chips Ahoy cookies. " LOL

>

> My inspiration for the food journaling was fitness model,

Hourin, who is about my height and weight, doesn't starve herself,

takes " cheat weekends, " and always looks amazing. Check out her page

of diet tips:

>

> http://www.lisahourin.com/Diet_Tips.htm

>

> Note that she has " write down everything you eat " in all caps and

underlined. :-) I stopped tracking everything a few months ago and

I'm happily maintaining. The extended journaling was really valuable

though. I'll go right back to it if I ever feel like I'm struggling.

>

October 6, 2004