Wednesday, September 29, 2010

What is Making, or Keeping, You Fat?

My favorite answer to the question, "How did you lose all of that weight?", is...."I stopped doing what was making me fat!" I knew, without a doubt, what I was doing that was making and keeping me fat....and making me fatter every year. Do you know what is making and/or keeping you fat? I think you do.

I'm writing the outline for a workshop I hope to do starting in Jan., and part of my research is to help others answer, for themselves, questions about how to lose weight and....here's the best part....keep it off!

I would greatly appreciate, by way of comments, your answers to this question.

Also, is there something that you would like to know, in more detail, about my own weightloss? Maybe for yourself, a client, or someone you love.

If you want to share your thoughts, but keep them private, you can email me tracyrif@yahoo.com

Thank you so much for taking the time to, potentially, contribute to helping others with your experiences. I will keep everyone in the loop as this very important subject is developed into a workshop that will combine hope, inspiration, support, and motivation, using kettlebells, cooking/nutrition, bodyweight exercises, stretching, and pertinent scientific information relevant to the "real person"...like me!



Live to your Physical Potential. I hope I can help you want to do that.
Picture above is me teaching KB swings in the front window at Lululemon, Palo Alto! Could you ever imagine that the 2nd picture is of the same woman, weighing over 250lbs, 6 years earlier? Dreams and miracles happen....that I know, because that's my life, I live it.....it's never too late!

7 comments:

Fatguy said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Fatguy said...

I look forward to anything you have to say. I started dieting and kettlebelling in May of '09, and I've lost 80lbs (started at 420, now 340) It could have, SHOULD have been more by now, but I find I have binge times, where I don't feel in control of myself. The nagging, burning desire for food, for the feeling of being OVER stuffed is drastic and intense.

I also find that my mood strips me of motivation at times. I'll go weeks upon weeks without missing a workout, then I get depressed (often for no reason that I can figure out), and can't bring myself to get to it.

On diet and exercise, I always get back to it, but I'd be so much further along, if I had more control.

neca said...

I could write a novel (or a blog!) on this question. But basically, using food as a coping strategy. Eating is an enjoyable way to distance yourself from your feelings. Because it's effective, it's a difficult habit to replace.

Add to that things like peer pressure and societal norms(example: our boss ordered in mexican for lunch today. I am taking my packed lunch with me, and I'm sure people will ask why), cheap and easy access, and it's no wonder so many folks are overweight.

Trying to eat in a healthy manner frequently makes me feel like a salmon swimming upstream!

Tracy Reifkind said...

Fatguy,

Thank you so much for your candid comment.

I hope to share some of my thoughts about how I feel I've, practically, erased my own "binge" behavior.... It's been another miracle I've experienced and one that assures me of what I already knew, and that is, I'll never again be fat like I was, ever.

Don't waste time and energy on could've, should've, would've.....you are where you are. Take pride, acknowledge, give credit. Wherever you are, it's a great place to be! (the words of a past yoga teacher, Cindy) The most important thing is the direction you are headed in. Stop giving yourself grief.

I can relate to liking the feeling of being stuffed...."over stuffed" in your words...I can relate. I can relate to those drastic and intense, even desperate feelings....not fun.

I wrote many a blogpost about liking that over stuffed feeling. I rarely have those feelings anymore....again, I hope to be able to articulate the change in attitude.

I never miss my workouts. Sometimes I feel they are all I have. In terms of not allowing myself to run away, maybe another way of describing it is not going into denial. I find although I may have had feelings of depression, Anger takes over and beats up Depression.... No one, including Depression is going to take me down. F#&K Depression. (capitalized as if entities in themselves)

"Control" is controlling....let go of control. Trust yourself, trust that you already have the answer and be thankful that you are such a smart, capable, confident, desrving person. Because you are.

Control is not the answer...that much I know is true for me. There is only an illusion of control. Trust. Trust is the answer.

Tracy Reifkind said...

Neca,

I too could write a novel....hey maybe we should!

100% agreement that eating is an "seemingly" enjoyable way to distance yourself from your feelings....

The question for me then becomes, "Why do we have to distance ourselves from our feelings?" Why can't we just feel them, and move on. Feeling come and go. We can chose how we feel.

I have so gotten over other people ordering, and/or bringing crappy foods into the workplace and trying to guilt others into their own misery of ordering out. Knock yourselves out! I don't feel guilty for wanting better for myself....my food is so much tastier! I never feel as if I have to explain myself, not do I waste my time trying to.

Salmon swimming upstream are some bad ass fish!

Maribel said...

Oh my gosh...there are so many things that are keeping me fat. I stopped one at your suggestion. Remember our conversation about eating whatever my son left because I felt guilty throwing it away? Well, I stopped. That's one down...who knows how many to go, but I'll tackle each and every one of them.

-Maribel

Tracy Reifkind said...

Maribel,

With your new body emerging, I know your'll take 'em all down! There's nothing more motivating than seeing your good work pay off.