St. Clement of Alexandria
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
Skinny Chick Quote of the Day
"If you do not hope, you will not find what is beyond your hopes."
St. Clement of Alexandria
St. Clement of Alexandria
Monday, June 25, 2012
The Battle: Thin vs. Healthy
I recently asked this question to my members in one of my Weight Watchers meetings, "Do most people want to be "thin" or "healthy?" The overwhelming response was healthy. However, I had to disagree with them. I believe that most people, if they're being honest with themselves, just want to be thin and if "healthy" happens, it happens.
Being healthy takes work, commitment, time and it is continuous. This is not something that you can just take a pill for or do a 14-day cleanse to become. Healthy is a lifestyle. This requires the breaking of old habits and forming new ones.
On the flip side, being "thin" is a condition. Conditions can be temporary. There are many things that you can do to be thin. Most of which would not be considered healthy. Let's just look at some of the things people in our culture are doing just to become "thin." You can eat pre-packaged food that is sent to you in the mail, you can stick a feeding tube up your nose and live without solid foods for 10 days, you can take pills, you can cut out carbs, you can cut out fat or any other macro nutrient of your choice, you can drink shakes, you can have surgery, you can take laxatives and the list goes on and on. I will agree that doing the majority of these things will probably make you thin, but how long will you stay that way? What message are you sending to your body?
Some of the things I listed that people are willing to do to become thin may sound rather surprising or extreme. However, people ARE doing these things. LOTS of people. Why? Why are we willing to sacrifice our health for a temporary condition? The answer: It's EASY. Most people, if they are honest, will tell you that they want to take the easiest path possible to be thin. I heard a recent report that said more people would rather be thin than be wealthy. WOW that says a whole lot. It also says a lot about our culture that being "thin" is so glorified that the extreme measures that people are willing to take to become thin are now becoming the norm.
People, I urge you to reconsider these extreme measures and seriously contemplate what it really means to long for this "quick-fix" for weight-loss. Those of us, myself included, who have/had a weight problem, had the problem due to other issues in our lives. We chose food as a way to handle them. Whether you use food to celebrate, soothe your pain or relieve boredom, it's all the same. Learning how to manage food and make the best food choices is key. Adding in activity into our daily lives, instead of watching others be active on reality TV will make a huge impact on our health. Understanding that losing 20 pounds in a month is not a healthy rate of weight-loss will help considerably.
I understand that what I am saying may be hard to hear for lots of people. We want results and we want them FAST. I am here to tell you that if you adopt a healthy lifestyle, it may not happen over night, but the weight will come off and it will STAY off. After all, isn't maintaining your weight-loss more of a WIN than how long it took you to lose the weight?
Being healthy takes work, commitment, time and it is continuous. This is not something that you can just take a pill for or do a 14-day cleanse to become. Healthy is a lifestyle. This requires the breaking of old habits and forming new ones.
On the flip side, being "thin" is a condition. Conditions can be temporary. There are many things that you can do to be thin. Most of which would not be considered healthy. Let's just look at some of the things people in our culture are doing just to become "thin." You can eat pre-packaged food that is sent to you in the mail, you can stick a feeding tube up your nose and live without solid foods for 10 days, you can take pills, you can cut out carbs, you can cut out fat or any other macro nutrient of your choice, you can drink shakes, you can have surgery, you can take laxatives and the list goes on and on. I will agree that doing the majority of these things will probably make you thin, but how long will you stay that way? What message are you sending to your body?
Some of the things I listed that people are willing to do to become thin may sound rather surprising or extreme. However, people ARE doing these things. LOTS of people. Why? Why are we willing to sacrifice our health for a temporary condition? The answer: It's EASY. Most people, if they are honest, will tell you that they want to take the easiest path possible to be thin. I heard a recent report that said more people would rather be thin than be wealthy. WOW that says a whole lot. It also says a lot about our culture that being "thin" is so glorified that the extreme measures that people are willing to take to become thin are now becoming the norm.
People, I urge you to reconsider these extreme measures and seriously contemplate what it really means to long for this "quick-fix" for weight-loss. Those of us, myself included, who have/had a weight problem, had the problem due to other issues in our lives. We chose food as a way to handle them. Whether you use food to celebrate, soothe your pain or relieve boredom, it's all the same. Learning how to manage food and make the best food choices is key. Adding in activity into our daily lives, instead of watching others be active on reality TV will make a huge impact on our health. Understanding that losing 20 pounds in a month is not a healthy rate of weight-loss will help considerably.
I understand that what I am saying may be hard to hear for lots of people. We want results and we want them FAST. I am here to tell you that if you adopt a healthy lifestyle, it may not happen over night, but the weight will come off and it will STAY off. After all, isn't maintaining your weight-loss more of a WIN than how long it took you to lose the weight?
Friday, June 22, 2012
Wednesday, June 20, 2012
Monday, June 18, 2012
Skinny Chick Quote of the Day
"Be not afraid of growing slowly, be afraid only of standing still."
-Chinese Proverb
-Chinese Proverb
Wednesday, June 13, 2012
Monday, June 11, 2012
In Good Times and In Bad
You know that feeling you get when you are just starting your weight-loss journey? The one where you are so dedicated. You have cleaned out your pantry and fridge and gotten rid of all the junk. You joined a gym and are exercising most days of the week. You are on it. Nothing can stop you...until it does. The "thing" that happens, whatever it may be, can put your weight-loss journey to a screeching halt.
We've all experienced this, or if you haven't, it's almost guaranteed that you will. How we react in these situations is what separates a success story from just another yo-yo dieter. My Inner Skinny Chick says: The key to getting through the challenges, set-backs, and speed bumps is to anticipate them before they occur. I'm not saying to go into your weight-loss journey with a negative attitude, just understand that a journey without challenges just doesn't exist.
Most weight-loss journeys have a common formula: We start out with great expectations for our progress and we see results. Then the challenges arise. These challenges come in all different forms. They can range from a busy schedule, to a summer vacation, to an injury/illness, a weight-loss plateau or even stress/emotional difficulties. This is the turning point in our journey. We now have a choice; will we rise above our challenges and persevere OR will we allow these seasons of difficulty to define us and ultimately derail any progress we have made?
If you choose to persevere, then you are on to the next step of the process; character building. This is where the behavioral changes begin to emerge. You start to see yourself in a completely different light. You are a winner. You have gotten through the challenging season of your journey and are victorious. At this point any other challenges that arise don't seem as big. You are using your victory over your last challenge as proof that you can conquer anything. Before you know it, you have reached your ultimate goal and you are the author of a success story that is inspiring others.
I know, from experience, that this is a lot easier said than done. There are times that seem so hard, so draining and challenging. You begin to wonder, "What's the point?" When you find yourself in this place, choose to persevere. You will be a much better person for it. You will feel better about yourself and you never know who your story will inspire in the future.
We've all experienced this, or if you haven't, it's almost guaranteed that you will. How we react in these situations is what separates a success story from just another yo-yo dieter. My Inner Skinny Chick says: The key to getting through the challenges, set-backs, and speed bumps is to anticipate them before they occur. I'm not saying to go into your weight-loss journey with a negative attitude, just understand that a journey without challenges just doesn't exist.
Most weight-loss journeys have a common formula: We start out with great expectations for our progress and we see results. Then the challenges arise. These challenges come in all different forms. They can range from a busy schedule, to a summer vacation, to an injury/illness, a weight-loss plateau or even stress/emotional difficulties. This is the turning point in our journey. We now have a choice; will we rise above our challenges and persevere OR will we allow these seasons of difficulty to define us and ultimately derail any progress we have made?
If you choose to persevere, then you are on to the next step of the process; character building. This is where the behavioral changes begin to emerge. You start to see yourself in a completely different light. You are a winner. You have gotten through the challenging season of your journey and are victorious. At this point any other challenges that arise don't seem as big. You are using your victory over your last challenge as proof that you can conquer anything. Before you know it, you have reached your ultimate goal and you are the author of a success story that is inspiring others.
I know, from experience, that this is a lot easier said than done. There are times that seem so hard, so draining and challenging. You begin to wonder, "What's the point?" When you find yourself in this place, choose to persevere. You will be a much better person for it. You will feel better about yourself and you never know who your story will inspire in the future.
Thursday, June 7, 2012
Tuesday, June 5, 2012
Monday, June 4, 2012
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