I found some cardboard boxes that helped me clean out my house for the remodeling: a neighbor threw out 20 boxes that are each one half cubic foot and I started loading them up with stuff in the sewing room so I can put down a new floor in there and get new shelving (I am using some cheesy metal ones that used to be in the basement). I decided that there is no good reason for me to be living in a crappy house - I have the money to hire someone to fix it up, so I will.
I have also read a book by Daniel Gilbert called "Stumbling on Happiness" - and I highly recommend it if you want to be happy. And I have been contemplating a conversation I had years ago with a crack addict I knew who couldn't figure out the answer to this question: if you have two things that you want that are opposite of each other, how can you be happy? Meaning, she wanted to be healthy but she wanted to be a crack addict too and those two things just didn't go well together! Here is the answer according to Daniel Gilbert: you have to decide specifically to do one or the other, and then your brain will tell you that you are happy with that decision and the happier you are with that path, the happier you will think you will be on that path and the more likely you will to be on that path longer. PLUS - and this is the kicker - you have to realize that there are facts that go along with your decision, like crack will kill you and avoiding crack is healthier than doing crack.
So for all you weight-loss afficionados, substitute the words "eat good foods in proper quantities" for "be a crack addict" and you will get a simple formula. And here it is in case you don't want to go back:
In order for your brain to make you think you are happy with a decision, you have to weigh the facts and MAKE THAT DECISION to lose weight by eating less and exercising more. Write it down, make a plan - do something concrete to show that you have decided. Then, stick to the plan. If you fall off, get back on. If you make a mistake one day, start over the next day. The one thing about eating fewer calories is that if you do it for one day, then that is success for that day. It's not like crack, actually because crack will kill brain cells. And then convince yourself that if you take steps, even small steps to eat clean and move more, and that you cannot go back without hurting yourself, then you will be happy eating less. You will lose weight, and be happy you are losing weight. And every day, for the rest of your life, when you decide to skip eating that donut or add a vegetable to your meal, you will be adding to your happiness. So, it's all about the bottom line: Happiness.
Good luck all of you! I bought a really beautiful lunch for myself today and I am going to make myself happy by eating it now!
Diet Calendar Entries for 17 July 2009:
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1190 kcal
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Fat: 64.58g | Prot: 29.08g | Carb: 106.25g.
Breakfast: coffee with skim milk, corn beef hash, english muffin, egg, Hollandaise Sauce Mix. Lunch: peach, craisins, salad greens, pecans. Dinner: pasta, Chicken Parmesan, ranch dressing. more...
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2018 kcal
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Activities & Exercise:
Sleeping - 10 hours, Desk Work - 6 hours, Resting - 8 hours. more...
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