Faded Jeans Living

Most of you already know one of my areas of improvement is focusing on losing weight and getting healthier.  I was overweight prior to sobriety, but as I’ve mentioned in previous blogs I gained more weight afterwards due to emotional eating.  At night after dinner instead of drinking, I’d snack.  On weekends, after all those “manly man chores” instead of starting to  drink in my garage  at around 3 jammin to Zeppelin, I’d sit on my couch and do social media feeding my face.  Instead of pounding beers after a stressful day at work, I’d pound ice cream to escape.  You get the idea.  So I traded my alcohol life coping mechanism for food.  I maxed out at a weight of 198 pounds.  I was proud of ridding myself of the poison, but each look in the mirror showed another roll of fat.

I weighed in today at 185.8, down 13 pounds overall.  My goal is to get down to 170 pounds.

Here’s 3 tips that have always helped me with making improvements:

• Watch my thoughts actively
• Who are you hanging out with
• Do the work
• Reflect

Watching my thoughts

One skill I’ve picked up with this whole self-improvement growth journey is understanding I’m not my thoughts and to always be on surveillance mode on them.  They are indeed tricky little fucks.  If you believe all the crap that they are pumping through your brain, you will head in directions you shouldn’t go.  This takes time and patience to learn, but does get easier with practice.  You are NOT your thoughts.  When things start heading south analyze what your thinking and ask is this really true?  Don’t listen when the ego starts screaming others are doing oh so much better.  Don’t worry about others.  Focus on loving you and being kind to you.  Interestingly enough,  GaryVee recently has helped me in this area.

Who are you hanging out with

I had surrounded myself with junk processed unhealthy food.  Think chips, crackers, ice cream, frozen dinners, pizza, and such.  Also, I  ate a ton of bread and cheese.  I’ve removed these from my kitchen and instead started buying more greens, fruits, and cooking healthier meals.  This is a very very slow process for a guy like me.  I’m not a veggie person at all, but am slowing introducing new vegetables into my diet weekly.  Like everything else in life that is new for me, it’s uncomfortable at first but generally has gotten better as I work at it.

Do the work

So when those thoughts say go have some salty chips you’ll feel better, I say wait a minute I’m just stressed and instead walk my dogs or drink some water.  No longer do I allow my emotions to make me eat like a pig.  I’ve cut my portions way down. (use a smaller plate) and slowly started consistently doing more cardio and lifting weights again.  Right now I’m averaging about two walks a day.  One with the dogs and one just for me.  I really really encourage a walk by yourself just for you.  I look forward to those.  Cranking up my headset and cruising the neighborhoods.  It’s okay and required to focus on yourself.  Tell the guilt to frick off.

Reflect

Another habit I’ve incorporated into my routing that I think help is I journal daily.  I read the Daily Stoic and journal on the particular days entry.  I also journal daily on my three 3’s.  Write 3 things I do well.  Write 3 things that brought me happiness that day.  Write 3 things  I’m grateful for.  I’ve also continued my going marbles routine.

We here on WP often forget the strives we’ve made in our life.  The crew I follow  are just Amazing.  We are overcoming huge life events/obstacles and courageously moving forward.  Remember we may be moving like the tortoise, but we all know how that story ends.  Our will is STRONG!

How have you handled emotional eating?