The Last Diet - Questions to chew on!

Does the word diet send panic to anyone else besides me?  I mean really?!  The idea of being disciplined, especially in light of my enjoying cooking is wreaking havoc on me!  I’ve already blogged about “The Dress” and now I’ve got to fit into that darn thing and have it altered in less than 2 weeks and I still haven’t lost any weight!!!  On top of that, I need to put on a bathing suit and try to sit outside and get a tan or worse, I may have to go to a spray tanning booth and have someone squirt tanner on me??!!!  I will definitely be going with a friend and having a couple of shots if that is what I am reduced to…..does spray tanner come off one’s teeth, because I know I will be cracking up at the prospect!

Seriously though…..

I am reading a book about losing weight.  It is written from an entirely different perspective.  The name of the book is “Made to Crave – Satisfying your deepest desire with God, not food,” by Lysa Terkeurst.  This book is phenomenal!  A friend and I are reading this and trying to do this weight loss thing together.  Let me give you a couple of the chapter titles: Friends don’t let friends eat before thinking; I’m not defined by numbers; Making Peace with the realities of my body; But exercise makes me want to cry; The Curse of the Skinny Jeans; Why Diets don’t work…..and others, but I think you get the idea.

At the end of each chapter, Lysa asks a few very thought provoking questions.  Right now I’m on Chapter 4, and I have to work through Chapter 8 before tomorrow morning, when I meet up with my friend to discuss our answers.  We’ve decided that we are going to pick 2 questions from each chapter and then discuss them.  I’m on Chapter 4 – Friends don’t let friends eat before thinking!  I’m being brave and sharing the answers with anyone who might be able to relate……that is, what blogging is all about right?!

Question 1:  When a friend experience success with healthy food choices and losing weight, do you feel encouraged and inspired by her example, or do you feel discouraged and envious?  Do you communicate your feelings to your friend or keep them to yourself?

Wow, now I have to be honest and it is going to hurt -

My answer – Discouraged and envious because they appear to be more disciplined then I am.  After (today – not such a good day!) I am very much aware of wanting to be the person I AM, not who others expect me to be….but, I’m not quite sure who I am anymore, somewhere along the way, I’ve compromised, again ouch!!  The second part of the question – I offer encouragement and congratulations to them and keep my whining to myself.

Question 4 – If you were to imagine a life-giving experience of accountability, one that empowers you and helps you to feel companioned rather than alone in your struggles, how would you describe that experience?  What kind of person would you want to be accountable to?  What do you hope this person would do for you?  What do you hope they would not do?  How would you determine whether or not the relationship is providing effective accountability?

My answer – This is a multi-faceted question that requires insight, to more than just my eating habits!  The accountability experience needs to be handled with diplomacy.  Right now I am experiencing a craving that is about to send me to the moon.  I am aware that I am feeling a bit of despair over various situations in life.  I am craving “comfort” to fill the ache in my heart.  It is 9:30 pm and I’m feeling pretty close to tears.  I have a friend struggling through an addiction; I can empathize with her struggle of how hard it is not giving into the weakness of desire!

The experience I desire is one whereby my accountability partners can empathize with my weakness and help me transition through the momentary struggle until the urge has passed. Anyone? The situation might get down and dirty at some point, but the perseverance through to the desired outcome would be worth the effort, I hope!

The person(s) I’d want to be accountable to would have to know me well enough to know me at my weakest and be able to offer support even if I am saying I don’t need or want it.  The person(s) should not be enablers.  And when I do my rationalization thing, they need to call me on it!

I would hope those I’m accountable to wouldn’t give up on me, even if they were sick of my whining.  The relationship would hopefully prove to be mutually effective by our ability to meet the goals we set for ourselves.

So, I made it through the first craving at 9:30 and I was craving a nut mixture with M&Ms, raisins, peanuts and cashews, and now that it is 10:30, I’m going to go to bed, because that craving is presenting itself AGAIN!  

Looking Up!~ Barb