Being Mindful About Every Bite

Yesterday I had my weekly chat with Jacy. Every time we speak, Jacy has a calming effect on me. I could listen to her all day long; she is encouraging, supportive, and is a wealth of knowledge. She asked how I did with portion controls this week and I admitted that while my dinner plates were the picture of restraint, I would be lying if I didn't admit to sneaking a few bites during the plating of my healthy meals. Sadly, even if the food doesn't make it to the plate and instead goes right in your mouth, it still counts. This week, my goal is not only portion control, but portion control without the cheating. 

I told Jacy that I thought losing weight was really about being mindful about every bite. She agreed, but stressed that being mindful is what is going to work for me; but that isn't necessarily the plan for everybody. We all are faced with a different set of challenges when it comes to weight loss. But that's the beauty of this Just 10 Challenge; Jacy has a unique plan for every member who rises to the challenge.

Next week when we meet, Jacy is going to bring some recipes to help me shake things up so I don't get bored. She promised to concentrate on foods that will help lower my cholesterol. And while Jacy is great with concrete things like recipes and tips, what I've enjoyed most is how she is helping me change my attitude, my behavior, and my daily habits. Which is, I realize, no easy task. These attitudes and behaviors and beliefs have been going strong for 52 years. And they come from many places; from the diet industry (no pain, no gain), to our culture (beauty = thin) to our families (food is love). Changing beliefs is difficult because we identify with them so strongly that most of the time we can't even see them. 

I'm down a couple of pounds. Jacy asked me if my clothes are fitting better. I told her that I can't really remember the last time I put on normal clothes. One of the benefits of running the Fitness Center is that yoga pants really are my uniform. Legit. I wear them 24/7. But, yes, I am feeling much better than I did 3 weeks ago. And I will admit, if it weren't for my weekly appointments with Jacy, I would have given up a long time ago. I was going to pour myself a glass of wine with dinner, but knowing that I had to weigh myself and check in with Jacy, I decided to wait until tomorrow night (Friday). Well, TGIF, today is Friday. And it's 3:14 pm. But who's counting?