I Do Declare!

Manifesto ~manəˈfestō: a written statement declaring publicly the intentions, motives, or views of its issuer... 



 


I do declare! 


When that word first popped in my head this morning I thought while appropriate may sound to grandiose too high falutin' for what I wanted to say and then I thought in essence, I do declare, it wasn't! 

I had suspected though now confirmed that I was going in a backward direction recently. I could feel it in my gait, in my efforts to get around that I had put a few pounds back on. I had... 

Not much but not in the direction I wanted to go. 

In the last 6 weeks when everything from finding a place,packing to move, the move getting settled I had not been as conscientious as I had been in how I had been eating. Again not all that bad but enough to where things were NOT going where it needed to be. 

And I had to stop that. 

So I did. 

I sat down with myself and had a conversation with self as to what was happening. 

Self may not wanted to hear it, not because she did not know it was not true, but because so much happened in rapid succession and after all she is only human. 

I had self best interest at heart, so I listened. I listened not only with my ears, but with my heart. My purpose in the deep listening was not to criticize, vilify, ostracize or to paralyze but to be kind to Self, reiterated I had Self's back. That she was good people, a good woman a wonderful woman & I liked her. 

Heck I was crazy about her! 

Self got it.. 

Then Self told me a story that caught her eye on a lovely lovely night with a beautiful full moon as a backdrop. 

She was on her way home yesterday evening & was hungry. Self had not eaten since earlier that afternoon and it was late in the evening. Self was tired AND self was hungry and did not want to go home and prepared a meal. So she asked the driving companion to stop in the local Burger King for a burger, only a burger as that was all she could manage thinking she could substitute other quick and easy sides. 

Well... It did not workout quite like that... 

Her driving companion in the quest of being nice ordered her meal & this is what she realized after he did it... 

She asked for a Whopper, that's all. He order her a DOUBLE Whopper, large fries AND a large soda! All 1800 calories which was Self's entire allotment for the day! Self did not protest much rationalizing she will only eat part & toss the rest out. Her companion did not mean any harm, it was an assumption that because she was a "whopper" woman she would need a whopper meal. 

Trust me I knew her companion, there was no malice. Ignorance, misplaced well intentioned but no malice. It is how people see big people, especially where a city where food/love reign supreme. It is how people express their caring for you. 

All this was happening in rapid succession, the clicking in self's brain of what just happened, the tiredness and the hunger and all the other things. She went home and had her meal. She did indeed do what she said ate part and left part, but not as much of the part to dispose. 

Then her brain started firing up as "what just happened"? 

And why did it happen? 

Self had not been to a Burger King in over a year, had not been a fan of Burger King in a very long time... 

The good thing was she did not feel guilty or berate or put down or saw herself as a failure. 

She did see herself as being very human recognizing that in part how crazy & distracting the last few weeks had been as well as the pending death of her friend. 
In doing her meal tracker here on Sparks she was not shocked to see she ate double her caloric allocation & almost 3x her sodium intake for 1 day. 

And then she gave a manifesto... 

This has to not be! 

I do declare! 

Out came the scales to see where the weight was and sure enough over the last few weeks she had received 6 pounds! 

"Oh no this is so not acceptable", Self declared! 

Today after we had our conversation, we will map out what & how. We do not have to rehash, we already know. And we are also armed with enough info, direction and love to readjust, rework and renew with no regrets over what is done. 



I was telling Self about my comments in the Ruby team about where for those who may know about the TV show on the Style Network call Ruby of a previously over 700 lbs woman who has halved her weight and now working on halving it again as reach a critical part in her progress. In fact she is throwing up deflections distractions and doing all sorts of things as to avoid the core of how & why she got to 700lbs. 

 


It is an extraordinary story and while many may have their opinions on the where and the whys and the how's only she can declare HER manifesto. There are very few people who struggle with serious weight issues who do not have serious underlying reasons that have literally weighed them/us down. 

Part of my comments spoke of (and only as a possibility as only she knows or maybe not know/face) that perhaps " her subconscious knows it (the "it" being what is making her ache badly). Her conscious mind seems to be doing everything possible to avoid "it". I know that as well intentioned as it might be (her friends are going to do an intervention), whatever they are going to attempt to do to jump start her again in her goals, I hope it works, but I will not be surprised if it back fires. 

From everything I've read from y'all (thank you) and bits and pieces in the clips and her own blog, she is really close. As crazy as it may sounds, all the prima donna behavior all the stuff with Denny etc, is deflections, expertly manipulated as to not face what is really eating her alive. 

No pun intended. Fat can indeed serve as a protection, a deflection, an ally though most people will never admit to it. No one likes it, most ones will say everything else but that its a friend & an ally because it is so much easier to resist painful truths and then honestly get comfortable with it. 

It becomes a why bother friend..that friend you know isn't good for you, does not benefit you, but at least you know it, familiar with it have a history with it, you know what it will and will not do. It is just easier then to do things differently to delve into the unknown to walk into a deep dark forest with vines , tangled brush, creepy critters and unfamiliar sounds that can appear terrifying. All the time knowing there is a clearing a lovely meadow, sunshine, flowers humming birds and joy lightness there. 

It is the nature of human beings in the time we are living in. 

It's hard work, real work, terrifying work and while we may say this is what we want (and end to it) it is scary. We are conditioned to conform, to not see or know on a cellular level that we deserve so much more that the world can be joyous, happy & carefree & loving. Real loving not a manufactured this is what we have to do or be to "earn" it. 

To "earn it, especially for women, is to be a fraction of our current size. To earn it is to fit or contort ourselves inside an ever increasing smaller ,perverse & restrictive box so we can be approved of, to be loved, to be dignified to be accepted. 

Some how we got that message loud & clear we cannot have positively because we ARE... 

And yes we can be in the forefront of being our own worse enemy instead of our best ally as Ruby is showing. 

I think she will be in the end just find as we will be just fine.. whatever length of time, HER time will take for that to happen". 

 


What she has and many here on Sparks have done is nothing short of extraordinary. 

I think I'm extraordinary in an ordinary way going along in my own time at my pace to dow hat I need to do while living life. We want too many pat answers where there is none. I am not on a journey, I am creating my life as Self and I were discussing... 

I could have last night declined the meal. No I had no insatiable gotta have it need for it,I simply was not thinking quickly. What was quick (and I am pleased) is that I came very early on to see what or where it could head. I am not "addicted" to food, my self esteem is not low, I did what many people do waited too long, too distracted & too tired. 

So today and from this point forward, I will set my manifesto... 

I do declare! 
 

Gonnas be'GONE!

What I am writing about is not unusual for most of us when we make changes in our lives wanting to do things differently, see things differently and act accordingly.  It is part of a very flawed humanity, where people often in a need to level a playing field if they feel threatened or insecure, to diminish someone else worth when they see change. We do not have to look far to see that happening.

You do not have to be famous, wealthy, beautiful, highly skilled, educated or intelligent or skinny for it to happen. Just shift a hair and see what happens...

I just for once, was curious as I've entered my 6th decade, to understand without wasting too much time or energy, into comprehend why people, especially when it comes to engaging into a healthier, fuller life, why it seems to make others uncomfortable.

In the last several months, I have released over 60 pounds doing it realistically, holistically & carefully.

I still in order to reach my goal, have another 30-50lbs to glow; but it shall be done.  I am now looking to incoporate light weights, take a dance class and other things over the next several months...


  I am not doing it to catch a man, that I was ashamed of myself before or that I want to be out of plus size clothes.  And I thought that my doing this was about me, for me.

It is...

I am not running a race.  I am not trying to compare myself to anyone else nor trying to prove anything to anyone.  I thought I was a pretty cool mama before I began...Competition has never been my forte', I dislike it intensely.

But since the appreciable weight is being noticed also come the what I call the "gonnas" who are always gonna do something but never do & then they have to find fault with you because I did, not going to.  I had to get to a place in myself to accomplish this and I will be doggone if I will let the gonnas stop me.

 I more then proud of myself that I've held my ground...

I've learned that the sun was going to rise as it did so beautifully yesterday & the rain will fall as it did today nourishing my organic garden, no matter what the gonnas said or did.

And I am not going to be any less then the sum of who I am no matter what the goonas, gonna do.

Someone commented to me today that some jealousy could be involved; that some took my ability to speak well, my (as he put it) formidable strength, that if some one comes to me "they better have their A game ready" that the sum of who I am might scare some.

And you know what? They better (have their A game ready).

I am more then pleased with myself that after a very long time and struggle, I've gotten to the point where I came to know no matter what you do, even if you laid down and whine (or not) be passive or not having a learned helplessness wringing you hands to and fro in essence saying "Please like me,please like, I am not threat to you". it will be of no avail.

Cause the gonnas are gonna get you no matter what. It is never about you.

I bring this up because as we all reach hard toward our goals, there will be one or two (or more) gonnas. Live long enough and a gonna could come & get ya. People do not like their world disrupted or patterns shifted. When you release what has weighed you down it WILL cause a paradigm shift in others apart from yourself.

And if one doesn't like it rather using the awesome energy to change themselves, will use extraordinary means & lengths to put you right back where they want you to be, whether it is healthy for you or not.

Or whether YOU want it or not. 


So what did I do?  I wrote this poem:



Anyway
 By iiammoon©11

They are gonna laugh anyway...

So I might as well go out and play…

With all the life & vigor I can display

For...

They are going to laugh anyway...

Roll their eyes…

Smirk...

Wave their hands to & fro

So... I might as well sing loudly…

That song no matter how off key

Because that song  is  for me...

'Cause...

They gonna laugh  anyway...

Since I can't seem "to act my age"

I might as well jump in, Jimmy Choo's  & all...

in a puddle as muddy & messy as it wants to be…

It will wash off once I finish...

After I had a ball.

Because they are gonna laugh anyway...

All Rights Reserved JHM ©1-30-11

Weigh to Stroll~ My 1st walk since surgery.

Look what I would have missed if I had not gone for this micro-walk (above)


I had planned to wait until next week before resuming walking, but my instincts today told me get up & go for a walk. While I had my dr's ok, I was caution to be mindful if I felt dizzy or weak before starting. Finally in the last 3 days I have not had momentary dizziness or spells of weakness.

So out I went to test the market so to speak.

I only walked a very modest 2.5 blocks. It may not seem much for some, but 2 major surgeries back to back & 4 weeks out, I am pleased. It was nice to be out of the house for a change although tomorrow when I go I am aiming for way earlier so I can avoid the heat of the day.

I took my trusty camer with me & saw some of the changes in my neighbors' gardens and even some of the leaves on one very old tree in the beginning of changing colors.

I actually could have walked another 2 blocks but opted not to chance it.

There will be others and as our Gulf Coast summer fades away in Oct there will be more lovely sights to see as people prepare for the art season whick traditionally kicks off then.

I plan to increase the distance perhaps once per week as I see my stamina holds out. But I am happy to have done this today!

Now can we create a model of confidence for ourselves?

Now can we create a model of confidence for ourselves?

Il est maintenant temps, (Now is Time)

I pray I am not stepping on toes here (and if I am hopefully not too hard) but are we "fixer-uppers"? I know I was, once upon a season.

And I wasn't alone. So many women, moi included once upon a time, was or still are that way. It may seem to be more prevalent among women, but lots of me have that "fixer-upper" mentality though they like to call it something else.

And society seems to reward women in some way for grounding themselves into the ground for others even if the fixing was not asked for or welcomed. It may be very telling in your conversation...I knew it had been in mine. Being a fixer-upper isn't always a bad thing or unfavorable Another way it can be is in altruism, philanthropy, being of service, being the confidant, the best girlfriend supportive husband & wife, great parent or wonderful daughter or son. Excellent neighbor..

Where it can become a problem is when you spread yourself so thin what could have been a joy because a pain in the amply endowed added dimensions. And for some it may be quite difficult to extricate oneself for your benefit & sometimes the relief of others. :=) However the good news is the same skills you have to spread yourself "too thin" for other people are the same ones you can utilize for yourself.

Now my discovery:

In the last 3 and really intensely the last 1 1/2 years for me not only did I realize how much I had shrank inside myself. You are reading about a woman who really likes myself, comfortable in my own skin but allowing for my own frailties my humanity, somehow I let outside distractions get the better of me. I had been saying for 3 years "it is time" but not even knowing what the time wiser where "it" was. I kept on saying it although I did not know what it meant for me.

During this time I had 3 reoccurring dreams which I will leave for another time that were so vivid they were palpable. And guess what my resentment, anger & disappointment eased tremendously.

But see now I've jumped ahead of myself...

My anger came from not only from feeling forced to step up to the plate for things that were not my responsibilities, but after all the work, sacrificing time or money, put in, not even a word of thank you. Or when it came time to play or reap the rewards I was pushed aside until I was needed again.

Even all the art, being busy and successful getting a tremendous amount of national public exposure including not once but 3 times solo exhibitions it only served as a distraction for submerging a lot of anger & rage as to how I had been treated. I had been resented not because of who I was but because those who did not want change brought there, resenting the changes brought about though it would benefit all, some in part with my humble contributions.

I also had a lot of anger & hurt at my family who over the 17 years of my career ever took me or my career seriously and not even a mini blurb on Oprah,being published or NBC Today Show or being published ever made them blink.

But now back to this assignment.

I was singled out because people initially thought I would be the most vulnerable & because I had been personally appointed by the lead person.. Subsequently the resentment grew the more I did my job well and brought prestige & attention to the position that the saboteurs had been unable to acquire. And adding fuel to the fire, they could not touch me to fire me as no one could do that but the head person as I only answered to her. So the saboteurs sabotaged me other ways what Maya Angelou calls "pecking to death".

And I swallowed many and indignity because I gave my word to the powers that be. I believed in what we were doing and I believed in my ability to carry out what I was charged to do. In time, over 3 1/2 years I won over some of my naysayer although that had not been my intent, but I thought they begrudgingly had to admire my sincerity & dignity in doing my work (some did) most did not.

I swallowed my way into 75 extra pounds in that time from 2007-....

I woke up one day and the same distance I could walk easily without breaking a sweat I was huffing/ puffing, swollen ankles and sad. Somewhere in all of this I lost me. I put myself on the side of the rode and left me there.

Well my big mistake was I forgot and got comfortable. I convinced myself that things were better although no one else had changed their behavior. If the truth be told I had gotten too comfortable, fearful & frankly lazy to make the stand & make the move. I wanted people to treat me better, but the fact I had tolerated misbehavior for 3 years signal to them something differently.

All the recriminations of why I should have left, why I should not have take even a short term extension did not take a way why I needed to exit out. I came within a month to regret that decision to stay.

Now my pride was in the way. and it became a nightmare to put it mildly. But I was not going to let them bring me down is the lie I told myself... My reward was a hospital stay in a cardiac unit May 2008. It was the end of a culmultive amount of mad major stress although I had not had a heart attack or a stroke.

I have however as a silver lining proof positive that I did indeed have a beautiful mind and a enormous heart filled with love.

If I did not want to face it before, I had to face it then. there is nothing like having a tube stuck up the inner chambers of one's heart to face the piper!

Where I lived my home was situated in such a way that it was physically impossible to avoid day in and day out all the reminders of what pain had been during that stressful time. I could not as long as I lived there, I would not ever have a way to alleviate the anger and the betrayal. I had to get out.. it was time to go. And I did not look back.

Now the present:

If I have a silver lining out of my Oregon "sabbatical" has been if has really forced me to spend a great deal of time by myself and with that see what I was doing and why I also had such a great weight gain from 2006-09. And especially since I've seen such a deterioration of my health in the last year! I mean massive weight gain that morphed taking a life of it's on!

I swallowed, not in literally food, but a lot of anger, indignation sadness hurt & betrayal while convincing myself I was doing the right thing for the right reasons. In actuality, I was doing all the right things for the wrong reasons and I paid for it in my health, weight & peace of mind. When I rebelled last July by 1st leaving NC and now leaving Oregon next month I had declared my own revolution.

In fact I think on this blog one of my entries title was "Talk about a Revolution"... I understand truly I do get it and not ungrateful for coming here. My friend Karen says "God needed to sit you down in a quiet place with no familiar distractions so you can really get down to the core scrubbing out the last of what had been ailing you. Sometimes when there is a cleansing you will get sick before you get better" All this time I've said "Its time" and now I am saying "Now is the Time".

Spending the last year among the natural beauty of Oregon has helped me despite the actions and attitudes of the "2 legged critters". It ended up being a blessing in disguise not being engaged more then absolutely necessary with folks here as I needed a refuge to be still and see inwardly working it outwardly But I also know this is not the place for me on so many levels.

I am sharing this to say sooner or later in one way or the other we will have I pray a moment when it simply is enough and you will be so done it won't be funny. Not because of my experience, because you nor I will be the 1st or the last to have that moment.

Some will resist furiously all the way to the end, others will yield and find their way and yet others will implode. I know and have known there are those who won't get me, others who will not take me seriously, yet others who will try to diminish.

No it is not ok,it will just be what it is and I can let that be. I know whatever those folks do, it is their problem and they will find their own solutions, but I do not need to fix it for them or be a chameleon or have undue stress because they have a problem.

Back in I believe Mar or April I walked away from a lot of things and a lot of people & with the exception of writing in my 2 blogs, from everything I was participating in. I did not plan to. Something welled up and I was through. Done. I had nothing to say to people. It wasn't anything they did any differently nor was I having an epiphany I was just done.

About a month ago very gingerly I returned to some groups to see if I wanted to resume and guess what? No great surprise I did not. I mean I was happy to have checked in and caught up and do plan for time to time but it was not for me. In some cases, I actually felt a tinge of sadness but it was a phantom like sadness like you can look at the memories and smile but it was gone. Some people, things, activities, the weight all served a purpose and I am thankful for that time and the purpose.

I will be 60 next summer and I am not going to enter that decade without being light and I feel very light. Despite this very temporary setback with the hernia & all I am feeling really good and mad happy about this time.

I went back down that road and found where I had left me & bringing me on home... In fact, I will have my "Bringing it on Home" project launched in 2010 after I return back to my hometown of New Orleans in the fall of 2009.

And now I really feel like going to work and create especially when you think I have not done any creative work since Dec 2007! I mean where did the time go? I needed this time for me. I did not plan to take a 2 year hiatus and God knows I could not afford to do it and I struggled trying to force myself to create but my creative heart was not having it!

It has been difficult financially as I had not planned for the world to turn upside down with a recession, nor coming to a place that has chosen not to allow me to be part of the place. However I am grateful now for that exclusion.

I have no desire to bea party of or included anywhere with anybody who does not want me there. Nor do I have to fix it up.

I've said many a time here about liking oneself right where they are.

I do not have to put the fat down,or me down or anyone down in order to be firm and clear as to what I must do. For me to put the fat down means I have to put ME down and I am not having that. Accepting me as I am is simply that and treating myself well at 306, 275 or 200 is to respect me.

I cannot grasp the concept of in order to be serious about weight release I have to treat my body as the enemy. In fact the better I look at myself, the better chance, I feel of not only releasing the weight that is no longer viable but keeping it off.

It is why I say "release" rather then "lose". If you lose something that matters a lot consciously or unconsciously mean sooner or laver you will go looking for it.

Releasing is:To set free from confinement, restraint, or bondage...

"You've got it girl and some level you (I think) know you got it (the skills) to do it".

Il est maintenant temps, (Now is Time)

It's Your Attitude, along with Aptitude,that can make you reach the Altitude of your Goals

Over the last few days I have engaged in a email conversation with a friendly acquaintance as she has gone about starting a new stage in her life by opening up a store servicing plus size women.

I found the last few days somewhat intriguing as reading some of her responses to my comments on presentation, body language & styles she feels would be appropriate for the lagniappe woman ("lagniappe" is a Creole word loosely translated a little bit extra).

I was a little taken aback in some of her attitude of how "most" plus women would hide their bodies, would not wear pretty clothing would want to stick with "timeless clothes" when I question what she saw as timeless mounted to no more then dowdy, boring,cover up the shame i.e fat.

My suggestion to her about having a new "fattitude" a term another woman coined since she felt obese sounded so ominous. I love it "Fattitude"!

My suggestion to my friend was to look up websites that catered to amply endowed women and see that yes women wanted to look good whether they were in the process, thinking about it or wishing to release the weight. Look at their posture their stance. Beating & shaming does not work otherwise we would not have 50% of the population overweight and 30% of that number at the obesity range.

I was yet amazed even more so when her remarks about telling a woman she shouldn't wear XYZ or ABC because how SHE feels, not the woman, should hide away looking dated, dumpy & distressed until the magical day comes when all the weight simply rolls off her body & then now she is good enough to look good.

Please understand this is not criticsm of my acquaintance, she is not very different then many other women. We know what we know even when it maybe distorted.

I simply find those kinds of attitudes self-defeating, has never worked and needs to be re-thought.

Lets face it, by today's standards, Marilyn Monroe would not have the audacity of thinking about putting on a bathing suit let along become this sexy sexy woman who decades after her death men still drool over and women envied her. Marilyn would have been considered far "too big".

We all know plus women comes indifferent sizes and shapes and there is no one size fits all approach.

People who have a higher regard for themselves, not beating up on oneself have a better chance of successfully releasing and keeping off the weight then one who beats up, do or die to "lose" weight. Even the word "lose" weight is a contradiction to me. When you lose something that perhaps means more to you then perhaps it should, who would move hell & high water to "find" it again?

Several years ago I released about 50 pounds and regained them 5 years later. It was a stressful period 2006-09. Funny thing is when the pounds came back, I did not feel ashamed or guilty. I was so busy caught up in what was causing the stress I did not realize the gradual increase in my weight.

I can almost tell you the moment when it hit me like a thunderbolt how weighed down I was. Yet I did not have the energy or wherewithal at that moment in early 2007 to do much at all about it. It took several more months before I made any steps, slow methodical steps to re wrap my brain not yet even my body behind really getting down to the core.

I still believe that shame does not bring change & feeling ashamed was counter productive.

I had to really peel away layers, releasing people, places & things look inwardly, intently & intensely at my whole self. So I went about doing just that BEFORE I even attempted anything else.

I now tend to avoid reading /engaging anything or anyone who has a do or die, either/other approach to hour health weight or well being as it stresses me so I know stress is a huge component for me (no pun intended). I could have never told you I would have seen myself at this size, but ashamed of myself I am not. Without a doubt I should have cared better for myself before, but that is then, this is now.

I know it is probably harder on people who have known me most of my healthier, productive and active life to see me like this who genuinely care about me. Who knows what they are really thinking, the ones who care for me still care for me the others who might be embarrassed or ashamed or repulsed?

Well it stopped mattering to me awhile back.

Whatever length of time it takes is the length of time it takes. In the meantime I will live, go to great lengths to nourish myself mind, body & spirit, cheer other folks on if they want that or be still if I need that too.

I am not doing this to seek anyone's approval or for them to grant me permission to do this.
I want happiness,autonomy & pro activeness to be on my order for each day allowing for moments even when I do not want to or feel like it. And in the process as I've learned here on Sparks and other places, I will be just find during the process of seeing how far I will fly!

Cha cha Changes in Style!

Read full article at http://www.sparkpeople.com/myspark/stage_3overview.asp


Why is the weight loss industry so successful? Because of two reasons. First, people are desperately searching for answers. Industry insiders know that millions of people want to be told the secrets of weight loss, but don’t believe they can figure it out for themselves.

Second, most programs drop you off at the most critical time: once you’ve seen results. Weight loss without a lifestyle change is a temporary solution. That’s how the industry can thrive on repeat customers.To break out of this cycle and take back control of your health, Stage 3 helps you transition from “dieting” to a “lifestyle change.” The key to making a shift to a new lifestyle is developing the skills and confidence to stand on your own two feet. Listening to a sweaty, spandexed group leader telling you to do 100 lunges is not a lifestyle change.

Crash dieting with water and grapefruit for a wedding in 10 days is not a lifestyle change. On the other hand, knowing how to get yourself up in the morning with a positive outlook - that’s a lifestyle change. Knowing how to forgive yourself for mistakes and steps backward - that’s a lifestyle change. These are things that only you can do.You are your only shot at making a new lifestyle happen.

A lifestyle that relies on other people or programs for motivation and confidence disappears once those sources of inspiration leave (as often happens with typical dieting). If you want to build a new healthy lifestyle that’s around as long as you are, it has to start with self-reliance.Does it mean you have to do everything by yourself? No. Does it mean you need to have all the answers? No. To change your lifestyle, you simply decide to take responsibility for your own weight loss, and then work to make it happen. If you always rely on others for answers and motivation, or for some magic secret, you’re giving up that responsibility and control.

You learn to take responsibility for your health and look inward for solutions. Even while you’re growing closer to other community members and fitness buddies, simply knowing that “I know what I’m doing” is a huge boost. There’s a big difference between wanting input and feeling like you need help.This confidence - this know-how - is what will keep your new lifestyle around for good.This is every bit a “transition” stage. It’s the bridge that carries you from dieting with healthy habits, all the way to spreading the spark to other goals and other people.

Other programs may talk in vague terms about lifestyle, but don’t help you learn how to make the transition in real life.If you can pick up on this transition and make it happen in your life, you many never have to diet again. The Lifestyle Change gives you a chance to learn to live with your collection of new habits. Even more importantly, it also teaches you how to stay motivated and consistent. Persistent motivation, when coupled with your nutrition and fitness know-how, is the key to keeping momentum alive and making it different this time.

The most exciting part of an adventure is the point where you start to break new ground.

Discovering new traditions, seeing something for the first time, enjoying new experiences - these are all thrilling rewards of taking a new journey. The weight loss adventure you’re on right now also includes a time of facing the spine-tingling unknown - and that time is now.One of the first things you’ll notice about Stage 3 is that it doesn’t feel like normal dieting. That’s good! Because you may be doing things in this stage that no diet has ever asked you to do. You may be covering new ground.

From practical and mental strategies to emotional issues, you’ll cover more ground than an African safari.Most likely, you’ll learn something about yourself that you didn’t know before.

The bonus is that the changes you’ll make in the process of an overall lifestyle change will be fundamental transformations that can easily impact life beyond the scale. If you can stay motivated to stay healthy, for example, you’ll know how to stay motivated at work.The key to changing a lifestyle is consistency. The key to consistency is motivation. The key to motivation is to know where to look.

Motivation is the (often) missing piece that drives Stage 3. You can learn all you want about fitness and nutrition, but without self-motivation, that knowledge could end up as useless as a forgotten phone number. Over the past several weeks, you’ve laid a healthy living foundation that has produced results and built several new habits. Now it’s time to take it to the next level and add the motivational finishing touches.

If a lifestyle could change overnight, there’d be no need for the self-help aisle at the bookstore. We’d all be charming, self-employed, well-dressed, organized people living meaningful lives with plenty of chicken soup in our souls. A Lifestyle Change takes some time, but there are deliberate steps you can take right now to make it happen. Continuing to weave healthy habits into your life is one step. Learning how to keep yourself motivated over the long-term is another step.


Just by pursuing your goals, you’ve done more than you realize. Go into this stage knowing that you can do it, while knowing that you may still have some things to learn about personal motivation. Confidence in yourself and in your habits will make a Lifestyle Change a lot easier.

On a practical level, pay attention to your healthy habits. Make sure that they’re still around and regularly check your calorie goals. If you’re committed to making these habits stick, you’re already halfway to a new lifestyle.If you remember anything, remember to be prepared to change more than your gym membership or what’s in your cupboard.

Be ready to change something about yourself or your life that will clear the way to reaching your full potential. (Now, that’s something to get excited about!) Keep an open mind, and most of all, don’t be hard on yourself.

Be your own #1 fan instead. Give yourself permission to be imperfect, but at the same time, give yourself permission to be wonderful.

http://www.sparkpeople.com/myspark/stage_3overview.asp

No More Drama...

Please do not think you are exempt if you are not African American...Get to stepping, moving, remove what is humanely possible any and all that causes you grief.

Have a svress free diet. Iv can be done in different degrees of modificaion. Create the vision plan that works for you hat is healthy safe A& productive...Believe it or not music you enjoy can do it, laughter, sharing, dancing, plants in your home, prayer, meditation, writing are some ways.

Stress May Raise Diabetes Risk for Obese Black Women


Surge in anxiety-linked hormone worsens blood sugar level, researchers suggest

THURSDAY, March 5 (HealthDay News) -- Stress may play a key role in the development of type 2 diabetes in obese black women, U.S. researchers say.


"Much attention has been given to the role of obesity in the development of type 2 diabetes, but stress may be as important in this at-risk population," study co-author Anastasia Georgiades, of Duke University in Durham, N.C., said in a news release.


The study included 62 healthy, non-diabetic black women who were asked to recall stressful life events. As they did, the researchers measured the women's levels of blood sugar and epinephrine, the "fight or flight" hormone that's released in reaction to stress.


Women with high epinephrine levels (25 picograms or more per milliliter of blood) while recalling stressful events and with more belly fat (33 percent or more of total body fat) had significantly higher fasting glucose scores (about 100 milligrams per deciliter) than women with lower epinephrine levels and less belly fat (85 mg/dl). A fasting blood glucose level of 100 mg/dl is considered within the low range of pre-diabetes, and a level of 125 mg/dl is the benchmark for type 2 diabetes.


Women with high epinephrine levels and more belly fat also had bigger increases in blood sugar levels during the stress test.


The findings were to be presented this week at the annual scientific meeting of the American Psychosomatic Society.


"While we don't fully understand the nature of the association, women with abdominal obesity may be more vulnerable to the impact of stress -- causing their body to increase blood sugar production and elevating their risk for diabetes," Georgiades said.


Further research is needed to determine exactly how epinephrine production affects blood sugar levels in black women. Nearly one in four black women in the United States has type 2 diabetes, according to the American Diabetes Association.

information
The U.S. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases has more about type 2 diabetes.
Content bySOURCE: American Psychosomatic Society, news release, March 4, 2009

Ah ha ha ha ha-Emotional Aerobics...

For ones who did not want to believe me:

Laughter Can Boost Heart Health

Research finds it improves blood flow and may help ward off high blood pressure

FRIDAY, May 29 (HealthDay News) -- New research lends weight to the old adage that laughter can be powerful medicine, particularly when it comes to your heart.

Two studies presented at the American College of Sports Medicine's annual meeting in Seattle found that laughter not only can reduce stress, which can damage the heart, it can lead to improved blood flow, which can help ward off high blood pressure.

The first study included a small group of healthy adults who were asked to watch either a comedy or documentary film. They were then checked for activity of the carotid arteries -- the main arteries in the neck that bring blood to the brain and face -- during the films.

People who watched the comedy displayed improved "arterial compliance" -- the amount of blood that moves through the arteries at a given time. Decreased arterial compliance is often linked with high blood pressure and heart disease, according to an American College of Sports

Medicine news release.

"Arterial compliance was improved for a full 24 hours after subjects watched a funny movie," said lead researcher Jun Sugawara. "Laughing is likely not the complete solution to a healthy heart, but it appears to contribute to positive effects."

The second study focused on vascular function and the dilation of blood vessels. When a second group of adults watched either a comedy or a serious documentary, there was more dilation of blood vessels during the comedy. Constricted blood vessels can be a cause of high blood pressure, the news release said.

"Not only did comedies improve vascular dilation, but watching a documentary about a depressing subject was actually harmful to the blood vessels," said Takashi Tarumi, lead researcher on the second study. "These documentaries constricted blood vessels by about 18 percent."

In both studies, the beneficial effects of laughter lasted for 24 hours, the researchers said.
The college's annual meeting concludes May 30.

For more on healthy lifestyles for heart health, visit the American Heart Association.

Content by:

SOURCE: May 29, 2009, news release, American College of Sports Medicine