Procrastination - Your Time Has Come!

So many times I tell (lie to) myself, something along the lines of: "Not right now, I'll do it tomorrow."

There comes a time when you realize that "tomorrow" is going to come, regardless of what your choices are today.  I cannot continue to put-off until tomorrow, what needs done today.  I know what I want tomorrow to be like and continuing to procastinate is not going to get me where I want to be.

I want:
...a house that is mine to do with, what I will.
...to be financially fit.
...a full-time job in a career I will enjoy.
...to wear that ideal (in my head) size again.
...my health to be on track.
...my headaches to leave me alone.
...to go "home".

This is just a partial list, but it is a good representation of where I want to be.  Of these, I am making progress on only 4 of these, at the moment.  I'm ready to up that ante to 5.  I'm not sure I know how to make the headaches stop. 

I'm ready to start working on the health aspect again.  I did pretty good today.  There is always room for improvement.  I have my "plate" full right now, but I know it is all in the interest of progress. 

It's time to stop procrastinating, and to start narrowing in on my "tomorrow".



Locked Doors

As I read a family member's "short stories", I was flooded with memories.  These memories were stashed behind locked doors, in a vain attempt to shield my heart from the painful thuds of remembering.  You can never outrun memories.  They come calling, in full-force, once someone or something, cracks the locked doors open. 

I have such a broken heart when it comes to dogs.  I have met so many special souls and they have each touched my heart in their own special ways.  With some, I have regrets.  With others, I have special memories.  With a few more, my heart breaks every time I think of them.

Corky-  So smart, gone too soon.
Corky #2- Sweet, gentle, smart dog.
Lucky-  Sweet soul, too gentle for strenuous expectations.
Black Jack- Fun, playful, my heart breaks for you.
Topper- Gone way too soon.
Dutches- You stole my heart, my best friend, confidant, I miss you so much!
Lucky #2- You deserved so much more than you received.  Such a sweet soul.
Bear- You deserved more than you got.
Lady- I'm sorry. 
Toby- I didn't know.
Tom, Sonny, Spook, Stormy, Cuddles, Stormy #2, Harry, Pete and Brownie.  You are not forgotten.

I know this journal should be my safe place, where I'm free to say what I want or need to...but I'm not yet comfortable in testing that out fully.

As I read the stories, some were enlightening and some were a little different than I remember.

I will say this.... before you decide to bring a pet home, make sure YOUR priorities are in order.  I believe that ALL dogs are capable of giving such unconditional love, companionship and can be your best friend.  They deserve all the love there is to give, and they will definitely love you no matter what you give or do not give them. 

Rest in Peace my friends.

I want to thank each and every pet that has come into my life, and tell them....I love you!

Unloading.

There are times where I really wish I had someone I could pour my heart out to.
I need to unload my troubles.  

Do you not see how disrespectful to me that you are?  Do you not see how you hurt me with your comments and actions?  Do you just not care?  That's what it seems like to me.  You often treat me like dirt underneath your feet, like I am a person without worthy feelings.  That is the impression you give.  I often feel like my thoughts and feelings are of no importance to you.  You insult my intelligence and make me feel like I am a 5-year-old, when I am a real person with real feelings and knowledge. When I try to talk to you, you show absolutely NO interest in my subject, unless you chastise me or it is of importance to you.  You often change the subject to something that interests you.  You do that to others, as well, it's not just me. I see the reactions of others reflected in their faces when you do this.  I often wonder if you are honestly ignorant of what you are doing, or if you just are that self-centered and just do not care.  You sit so high on your own pedestal that no one can come close to meeting your standard of acceptance.  I think we all are $hit beneath your feet.  We just do not come close to your level of intelligence.  That has to be it.

Having put words to some of my thoughts, I will close for now.  Talking to a journal is not the same as talking to a person, but then again, the person I should be able to talk to....is unavailable.

Sigh!

Diet Rehab: Identify Your Mantra

We have to identify our problem with precision before we can do anything about it.

Our mantra tells us what we can expect from the world and from ourselves.  If we are going to change our behavior and get new results, we will get a lot further if we start by changing our mantra.  We cannot change our mantra until we identify our mantra.

Here are some "ravenous for dopamine" mantras:
* Something has to change
* I'm just not good enough
* I never really succeed
* I let people down a lot
* My life is not going the way I thought it would
* I cannot finish anything
* No one really understands me
* Is there all there is?
* I just cannot get started
* I cannot do anything right
* Something is wrong with me
* I just cannot get it together
* I feel helpless
* I wish I was somewhere else

If none of the above fit, take a few minutes and really get down the sentence or phrase that captures your core beliefs about who you are and how the world responds to you.  What words do you keep hearing (in your mind) that make you feel discouraged, unmotivated, and inadequate?

Mine:
- Something has to change
- I never succeed
- I cannot finish anything
- I cannot get started
- I cannot do anything right
- Something is wrong with me
- I cannot get it together
- Why bother?
- I'll start tomorrow
- I'll do it next time
- It won't make any difference, anyway.

I think my #1 is "I'll start over tomorrow", meaning I can do <whatever bad behavior/habit> now, because I can start over tomorrow.  Another way I tell myself this is "I'll do it later".  It's all about procrastination, banking on tomorrow.  There's always an excuse with me.

I need to STOP MAKING EXCUSES!

Diet Rehab, pgs 101-117 "Feeling Blue = Dopamine Deficiency"

Chapter 5: Feeling Blue: Ravenous for Dopamine

When you're feeling anxious and fearful, you're hungry for serotonin.  When you're sad, lonely or listless, you're ravenous for dopamine.  Dopamine is the brain chemical associated with thrills and challenges.  It comes mostly from the anticipation.  When our dopamine levels are healthy, life seems fun and interesting, and we are frequently tingling with excitement.  When our dopamine levels are low, we tend to feel listless and blue, trapped in a boring, dead-end life.  Lack of dopamine can also make us feel unmotivated.  It becomes harder to focus on long-term goals, to defer gratification, and to muster endurance.  Low dopamine levels can send us rushing for quick-fix foods and behaviors.  High-fat foods cue our brains to release unsustainable amounts of dopamine, giving us a chemical rush of excitement and pleasure, and setting us up for an addiction to food.

There are many reasons we might end up dopamine deficient.  Life circumstances might have been constricting or boring, lack of sleep, and stress can cause a dopamine deficiency.  You might have inherited a tendency to lower dopamine levels or developed them through a childhood marked by high-stress and high-risk situations, such as when children grow up in an environment of rage or abuse.  Any type of dopamine deficiency leaves us feeling low and listless.

If our dopamine levels are too low, we don't get the kick we seek from the high-fat food we turn to, and we continue craving fat until our dopamine levels finally rise.  If you are trying to overcome a craving for dopamine, be compassionate with yourself, because it may feel as though your entire body is conspiring to pull you back into the addiction.  Dopamine is the reward for any type of pleasure and it's hard to not want more and more of it.

A key dopamine stimulator is caffeine, which gives us a quick high followed by an uncomfortable crash.  Caffeine does suppress your appetite during the buzz, but you might feel hungrier than ever when you crash.  Lack of sleep lowers both your dopamine and your serotonin levels, and caffeine can interfere with your ability to get a restful sleep.

Dopamine booster foods are crucial for giving you the lift that you may now be getting from caffeine, nicotine, or high-fat foods.  You can also harness the power of your mind to replace pitfall thoughts, which generate discouragement, fatigue, and lack of motivation, with booster thoughts, which generate excitement, energy and determination.

Transform your mantra by adding booster activities is one of the most powerful thought- and mood-transforming tools you can have.

Today's PIMUS

Rise & Shine 4 Today:

I am grateful for:  God, my children, my dogs, my husband, health, life, today, basic luxuries.
Sending love to: Christina.  (I reserve the right to repeatedly focus on any certain individual, subject)
Number 1 goal:  Earning my college degree.
Daily Reading: The Compound Effect, conclusion.  Diet Rehab
One Hour Focus: school work
Three Priorities for today (MVPs): Homework, Errands, Focus on PIMUS
Bonus MVP for today: Create Weekly Rhythm Register spreadsheet.
Reward:

Sweet Dreams:

--How did the day go?

--What do I need to carry over to tomorrow?

--What else needs to be added?

--What is no longer important?

--Journal the day.

--Read something inspirational.

Positive, Inspirational, Motivational, Uplifting and Supportive (PIMUS)

30 Day Challenge - Day 3

Top Ten Goal Worksheet -- This is a link to the place where you can find the "official" push goal list.  Your "Push Goal" makes "many", if not all, other goals possible.

Ten Goals, if everything were in line, what is possible in 12 months.

My Top 10 Goals:  (in bold)

01- I want to motivate, inspire and encourage.  Doing this will help me gain my own motivation, inspiration and encouragement.  This is important because it is the foundation of other goals.

02- I want to maintain a healthier diet, in the interest of improving my health and getting my "numbers" in line with where they should be.  (Numbers = cholesterol, triglycerides, blood sugar, A1C, blood pressure, etc.)  This will help me wean myself off of daily meds and help me lose weight.

03- I want to consistently work toward my associate's degree, and follow that with a bachelor's degree, in a timely manner that is consistent with my current time frame of 2016. 

04- I want to establish a daily exercise routine.

05- I want to slowly read one inspirational, motivational or supportive book each month.  This is different from goal #01 because this helps me to work on the "inner me".

06- I want to consistently journal both my diet and my daily life, so that I might look back and see the progress that I have made.

07- I want to be more organized.

08- I want to work toward financial fitness, and  this can be improved by building my Beachbody down line.  Being financially fit means having a working budget and no more juggling.

09- I want to incorporate more activities that are "outside" the house, beginning monthly and working toward weekly.

10- I want to personally save $3,000 in one year.  This is different from #8 because it requires additional effort to make room for this, and make it happen.

The Compound Effect, Conclusion

In Conclusion:

Learning without execution is useless.
Motivation without action leads to self-delusion.
Ideas uninvested are wasted.
To get different results, you are going to have to do things differently.

It is time to make a new choice--choose to not let the next five years be a continuum of the last.

No matter what you want out of life, the best way to work toward it is to begin by focusing energy on giving to others.  If you want to build you self-confidence, help someone else gain confidence.  If you want to feel more hopeful, positive and inspired, try to infuse that for someone else.  If you want more success for yourself, the fastest way to get it is to go about helping someone else obtain it.

Five People Who Would Benefit From Reading This Book:
1- Christina  (done)
2- Creig (done)
3- Mary Jo
4- Marci?
5- Cheri?

----------------------------

Personal Thoughts:
This book helped me to recognize some aspects of my life in the past, bringing to attention the real reasons my life is what it is today.  I had made a practice of using factors and situations of the past, as my excuses why I am where I am today.  The reality that I failed to recognize, was that I was responsible for the choices I made along the way.  Sure there were factors and situations that occurred...but it was me who made the choices that followed.  I am where I am today because of the choices that I made.  If I want my "tomorrow" to be different, then I have to change my actions today.  The choices I make today will define my outcome tomorrow.

Additional Note:
I think one of the hardest things to do is to recognize that you, yourself, are ready for change...but others in your life have no interest in changing.  They persist in negative and morally defeating thought patterns and actions, and in doing so, have an impact on others around them.  Rather than be proactive in a positive way, they are defeating and do so in a negative way. 

30 Day Challenge - Day 2

Priority Worksheet 1

What are my areas of importance?  
*My health
*My diet
*My education
*Financially Fit
*My family
My home
Getting Exercise

My family is always an area of importance and priority, but I'm looking for changes, and my family does not need to change.  My family is my "intrinsic" priority.  It is what makes me who I am.

Top Three Priorities
1- My diet
2- Finances
3- Education

01- The reason why "my diet" is of greatest importance is because my diet affects my health.  I need to change my diet to change my health.  I will honor my number one priority by vowing to do my best by always using a food log, making wise food choices, and avoiding pitfalls.  The following actions would be inconsistent with my commitment to my number one priority:  Binge eating, Avoiding the Food Log, Caving in to triggers and cravings.  To honor my number one priority, I will commit to consistency and discipline.  To live my life in accordance with my number one priority, I need to change my habits.  I need to choose healthy food.  I need to be accountable to myself and others.  I need to use Shakeology as a tool.  I have to stop binge eating.

Top Priority Clarity Statement:
My number one priority is to take control of my diet, and this means that on a daily basis I will be accountable for every bite/drink I put inside my body, and commit to a reasonable diet plan.  I will exercise consistency, commitment and discipline; and this is important because my diet plays a huge part in my overall health.

Personal Thoughts - I Have A Problem.

What does it take for a person to recognize they have a problem, and then take the steps necessary to change? 

This is a question I keep asking myself, each and every day.  I have a problem.  I am a food addict and my addiction is going to kill me if I do not find a way to change.  I spent a long night last night, dealing with the consequences of my actions....my poor choices.

I know what I need to be doing.  I have the tools (Shakeology, Exercise DVD, Beachbody, knowledge, etc.) that I need to change, I just cannot seem to be consistent and committed long enough to overcome.

I start out every day with good intentions, and then after 7 pm it seems that everything goes downhill.

You would think that the pain, headaches and body aches would be enough to get me in line.

All I can tell you, or myself, is that I am not going to give up.  I am going to keep meeting each day with the expectation and intention of changing.  I will keep immersing myself in positive reading that sets my mind on a positive course for the day.  I will pick up even more reading, to combat the addiction, and do whatever I have to - to fight this addiction.  I'm not a quitter.

Food addiction may be "the wall" that seems insurmountable, but there is also the opportunity for change that is present as well.  My choices today are what create and form, my "tomorrow."

The Compound Effect, Ch 06 - Find The Line Of Expectation And Then Exceed It!

This is my son and Lance Armstrong.  Both share a bond, a certain health issue.

"There is a point in every race when a rider encounters his real opponent and understands that it's himself."  Lance Armstrong

Chapter 6
When you have prepared, practiced, studied and consistently put in the required effort, sooner or later you will be presented with your own moment of truth.  In that moment, you will define who you are and who you are becoming.  It is in those moments where growth and improvement live....when we either step forward or shrink back...

Hitting "the wall" is not an obstacle, it is an opportunity.

When conditions are great, things are easy, there aren't any distractions, no one is interupting, temptations are not luring, and nothing is disturbing your stride; that too is when most everyone else does great.  It is not until situations are difficult, when problems come up and temptation is great, that you get to prove your worthiness for progress.  When you hit "the wall" in your disciplines, routines, rhythms, and consistency, realize that's when you are separating yourself from your own self, scaling that wall, and finding your new powerful, triumphant, and victorious self.

In our attention-deficit, propaganda-saturated society, sometimes doing the unexpected is required to get your voice heard.

Find the line of expectation and then exceed it. 
---------------------------------------

Summary Action Steps:

When do you hit your moments of truth?  Identify so you know when to push through to find new growth and where you can separate yourself from others and your own self.
---I face a moment of truth every night after 7 pm, repeatedly.  I face a moment of truth each day of each week of classes.  I face a moment of truth when I see negativity in others, and I then have to choose to "jump in" or "walk-away".

Find three areas in your life where you can do extra.
---Volunteer work.
---Extra effort in school work.
---Talking to others about Shakeology.
---More consistent and committed effort in my diet.

Identify three areas in your life where you can beat the expectations.  Where and how can you create "wow" moments.
---I can put more effort into "wow" school work, instead of getting by on minimum.
---I can go gung-ho on my diet plan and "wow" people with my progress.
---

Identify three ways you can do the unexpected.  Where can you differentiate from what is common, normal, or expected?
---I can pay more attention to my appearance, instead of just being comfortable.
---I can be uplifting, encouraging, positive and motivating.
---I can volunteer for more and make a difference.

Diet Rehab, pages 71-100

Chapter 4 - Feeling Anxious: Hungry for Serotonin

Serotonin is a key brain chemical that's crucial for many mental and physical functions.  This peace-giving substance soothes, comforts, and encourages.  high levels of serotonin make us feel optimistic and hopeful about achieving our goals and triumphing over challenges.  Low stores of serotonin make us feel anxious, fearful, and pessimistic about what we can accomplish. 

Low serotonin causes emotional ailments such as anxiety, depression, and lack of self-confidence.  With melatonin, serotonin is central to our ability to fall asleep, to stay asleep, and to sleep deeply.  Healthy, stable supplies of serotonin are crucial for good sleep.  Low serotonin is implicated in hypertension. 

Digestion relies on serotonin, much of which is manufactured in the gut.  Serotonin helps our abdominal muscles contract so they can push food through the gastrointestinal tract.  Serotonin is a known pain reliever. 

If insulin spikes too often, your cells will eventually begin to adapt by reducing their response to insulin, which then leaves the glucose floating aimlessly in your bloodstream instead of transferring its energy to your cells.  When your blood sugar is too high, your cells aren't getting enough of it.  Your pancreas will initially respond by making more insulin to saturate yoru insulin reception, but over time the pancreas will start to reduce the amount of insulin it releases.

If your brain is low on serotonin, it won't understand that you're "full," and you're likely to keep eating, even when your body has had enough.  Low serotonin levels make you more likely to overeat.  The lethargic feeling we get when indulging in too many carbs and sweets, commonly known as "food coma." 

The weight you gain from your serotonin shortage can lead to all sorts of problems; one example is sleep apnea, which in turn can lead to restless sleep and sleepiness during the daytime.  The downward spiral of using food to make up for this general feeling of low energy, even as the food you choose depletes your energy further.

Gradually, serotonin pitfalls need to be replaced.  The addictive sweets and starches need replaced with serotonin boosters: foods and activities that help keep your serotonin at a nice, stable level.  if you don't reverse this downward spiral, you're setting yourself up for serious health problems.  It's very difficult to simply feed your serotonin addiction just a little.  Due to the nature of tolerance, you're going to crave ever-increasing amounts of sweets and starches, and your weight--as well as all the related health risks-- will continue to increase.

Carbohydrates cause the brain to release serotonin.  Without enough carbohydrates to perform this crucial function, dieters become serotonin-deprived and may feel anxious, irritable and depressed. 

Low serotonin levels produce anxiety; and anxiety and other forms of stress deplete your serotonin.

Booster mantras improve our brain chemistry by creating a positive, joyous, and confident approach to life.  Pitfall mantras, which are negative, make us more likely to turn to addictive foods, alcohol, or drugs, thereby keeping us anxious, pessimistic and discouraged.  A mantra is a brief but powerful statement of your core belief about yourself and the world.

The more you avoid the pitfall styles of thinking, and the more you add the booster attributes to your life, the easier it will be to move from a pitfall matra to a booster one.  The more you work on transforming your mantra, the easier it will be to avoid pitfall thinking and bring booster attributes into your life.  Self-medicating with food only makes a pitfall mantra worse and can lead to a downward spiral if the "medicine" you're choosing is an addictive pitfall food.  The "sugar high" is inevitably followed by a "sugar low", just as the temporary calm of noodles and white bread gives way to an anxiety and hunger that are even more intense than before.  You can lift your mood with booster foods--whole grains, plain yogurt, berries, and other serotonin-rich foods that feed your brain in healthy, stable ways. Understanding pitfall mantras is the key, and then replacing them with more positive changes.  A positive booster mantra will allow you to feel better about yourself, your life, and your future even before you've reached your healthy weight.

Identifying Your Mantra:
If you're struggling with low serotonin, your current mantra is likely to reflect anxiety, pessimism, and a lack of confidence.Here are some common "hungry for serotonin" mantras:
* Something bad is going to happen.
* If that could happen, then anything could happen.
* I'm not okay.
* If I don't do something in one exact way, something bad will happen.
* If I'm not a complete success, I'm a complete failure.
* If I don't weigh myself frequently, my weight might baloon.
* If I don't control my feelings, I'll fall apart completely.
* If I ever let anyone down, I'm a complete failure as a person.
* If others get close to me, they'll hurt me.

Transforming Your Mantra:
* I'm a resourceful person and can handle the things that come up.
* Things will turn out okay...they usually have before.
* I'm good at many things, and if a few things aren't perfect, that's okay.
* I do what I can...and I'm okay with that.
* I've done my best---and my best is pretty good.
* Even when things are hard, I can imagine that they will get better.

Diet Rehab, pgs 53-67

Pitfall thoughts feed your anxiety, self-doubt, hopelessness, and despair.  This leads to behaviors that cause more of these unpleasant feelings.  Pitfall thoughts make you feel helpless, worthless, and unsafe, and they can contribute to feeling stuck, trapped, and bored. (pg 54)

Seven Pitfalls:

#1- Personalization
Personalization is when I assume that something is happening because of me.  I choose an explanation that involves blaming myself.  If you personalize something, just about every explanation for anything that goes wrong, begins and ends with you not being good enough. Blaming myself and taking things personally makes me feel hopeless, helpless, and unworthy.

#2- Pervasiveness
Pervasiveness is when any problem in any area of my life invades all the others.  If one part of my life goes bad, I shut down in all areas.  I allow one weakness to nullify all my strengths.

When something goes wrong in one part of my life, it is easy to let that affect all of my life.  The antidote to pervasiveness is perspective.  (pg 57)

#3- Paralysis-Analysis
This pitfall involves getting stuck in my own thoughts, trying to analyze what is wrong with me every time a sad, angry, or unpleasant feeling surfaces. (pg 57)

#4- Pessimism
Pessimism in this context means believing the worst-case scenario.  If there is a good evidence to think that something won't work, or that danger is approaching, then by all means, take appropriate action.  When pessimsm is your default response to any setback, it is time to reframe your thoughts.  Don't confuse what's possible with what's probable.

Pessimists are always imagining the worst-case scenario, in which any setback can easily be seen as the beginning of a catastrophe. This thinking leads to depression, anxiety, and despair. 

#5- Polarization
Polarization is seeing things in terms of "either/or"; black or white, yes or no, on or off.

#6- Psychic
This is the frame of mind in which we are sure we know what another person is thinking, we believe he or she should know what we are thinking and what we need, and we also think we know the future.  We think we are sure of a lot of things that we actually cannot really know.  Giving up our "psychic" pitfall thinking can be very difficult because it often feels as though we are giving up our claim to know the truth and to protect ourselves.  Sometimes we are living inside our own fears, wishes and projections.

#7- Permanence
Using the past or present to judge the future.  It is very tempting to judge the future by the past, especially because that makes us the expert.  We know what happened in the past, so now we can know what's going to happen in the future.  We can protect ourselves from disappointment and maybe even avoid the hard work of transformation and growth.

Booster Attributes:  The 7 P's to Master

Pitfalls erode your brain chemistry and booster qualities improve your brain chemistry.  The more of these booster attributes you fill your life with, the fewer pitfall thoughts you will have. 

Booster Attribute #1- Purpose
Filling our lives with purpose is the best way to cultivate lasting and meaningful happiness.

Booster Attribute #2- Peace
Bring peace into your life.
Filling our lives with peace has a direct effect on weight.  A lack of peace increases the stress hormone cortisol in the brain, which tells the body to store fat in the most dangerous place, the belly.

Booster Attribute #3- Pride
Enjoy the qualities and achievements that you are most proud of.

Booster Attribute #4- Power
We all need to feel powerful, to experience a sense of competency and mastery in some area throughout our lives.  You can increase your sense of power by knowing you are a good parent or that you are really good at something else.  People who do not feel power are prone to hopelessness, anger, low self-worth, and sadness.

Booster Attribute #5- Passion
When you engage in an activity you are passionate about, time seems to fly.  Fill your life with things that are captivating.

Booster Attribute #6- Productivity
Distract yourself with something that makes you feel productive.  Clean out the "junk drawer".  Redirection, when we're feeling sad, helps to decrease many pitfalls in our life, especially paralysis-analysis, persuaveness and pessimism.

Booster Attribute #7- Pleasure
Do something that makes you happy.

Diet Rehab: Serotonin & Dopamine Pitfall Foods

Serotonin Pitfall Foods:

Breadsticks, Crackers
Cake
Candy
Coffee w/flavored syrup
Cookies
Doughnuts
Fruit Juice
Hot Chocolate
Ice Cream
Jam/Sweetened Spreads
Milk Chocolate
Muffins
Pancakes
Pie
Soda
Sugar (white, brown, powdered)
Sweetened breakfast cereals
Syrup
Waffles
Whipped Cream
White Bread
White flour
White pasta

Dopamine Pitfall Foods:

Bacon
Breakfast pastries
Brownies
Buffalo Wings
Butter
Cheese dip
Cookies
Corn chips
Cured meats (Salami, Slim Jims)
Deep-Fried crackers
French Fries
Fried Foods
Full-fat coffee drinks
High-fat creamy cheese
Movie theater popcorn
Mozzarella sticks
Potato Chips
Sausage
Soda

Diet Rehab, Dopamine Foods

Dopamine Foods:

Low-Fat Dairy:
-almond milk
-non-fat, reduced-fat cheese
-fat-free cream cheese
-nonfat, low-fat sour cream
-plain, low-fat Greek yogurt
-skim, 1% milk

Whole Grains & Seeds:
-flaxseed
-high-protein pasta
-quinoa

Protein: Unfried & Unbreaded:
-Animal protein
-chicken
-eggs
-lean beef (>5%)
-low-fat sliced ham
-pork
-turkey

Other Protein Sources:
-protein bars (>15%)
-protein shakes w/o added sugar
-whey protein

Seafood:
-halibut
-herrinng
-salmon
-shrimp
-tuna
-white fish
-trout

Beans:
-black beans
-black-eyed peas
-cannellini beans
-chick peas
-edamame
-great northern beans
-hummus
-kidney beans
-lima beans
-navy beans
-pinto beans
-refried beans (fat-free)
-soy beans
-split peas
-white beans

Nuts & Seeds: (10-15, unsalted)
-almond & other nut butters
-almonds
-brazil nuts
-cashews
-hazelnuts
-macadamia nuts
-peanut butter (natural)
-pecans
-pistachios
-pumpkin seeds
-sesame seeds
-sunflower seeds
-walnuts

Vegetables: (Raw, Grilled, Sauteed, Steamed, Juiced, unlimited)
-asparagus
-avocado (half)
-beets
-bell peppers
-broccoli
-brussels sprouts
-cabbage
-carrots
-celery
-collard greens
-corn
-cucumbers
-eggplant
-garlic
-green beans
-kale
-leeks
-mushrooms
-mustard greens
-onions
-popcorn: air-popped, low-fat, stove-popped/canola oil
-romaine
-spinach
-squash
-tomatoes
-turnip greens

Fruits:
-acai berries
-bananas
-blueberries
-cranberries
-goji berries
-lemons
-limes
-olives
-raspberries
-strawberries

Oils & Dressings:
-Canola, Olive
-Mustard
-Smart-Balance
-vinegar

Spices & Herbs: Flavoring
-Black Pepper
-Cayenne Pepper
-Chile Pepper
-Cilantro
-Dill
-Ginger
-Hot Sauce
-Low-Fat Mayo
-Mustard Seeds
-Oregano
-Thyme
-Turmeric (mustard)
-Vinegar

Drinks, Desserts, & Sweetners:
-Unsweetened tea: green or black
-Unsweetened Iced Tea
-Stevia-Sweetened soda or juice
-Stevia
-Xylitol
-Vegetable Juice
-Dark Chocolate (>70%)
-Frozen plain bananas
-Frozen plain berries

Diet Rehab, Serotonin Foods

Serotonin Foods:

Low-Fat Dairy
-almond milk
-non-fat, low-fat cheese
-fat-free, low-fat cottage cheese
-nonfat or low-fat sour cream
-plain low-fat Greek yogurt
-plain low-fat yogurt
-skim or 1% milk

Whole Grains & Seeds:
-brown rice
-flaxseed
-high fiber bars (>5g)
-high-fiber tortilla (>3g)
-plain instant oatmeal
-quinoa
-soba noodles
-steel-cut oats
-whole-grain bread/bagel/pita (>3g)
-whole-grain cereal (>5g)
-whole-wheat pasta

Oils:
-extra-virgin olive oil

Spices & Herbs:
-basil
-cinnamon
-cloves
-cumin
-dill
-ginger
-oregano
-parsley
-peppermint
-rosemary
-sage
-thyme

Drinks & Desserts:
-unsweetened tea: herbal, white, red, decaf
-vegetable juice
-dark chocolate (>70%)
-frozen plain bananas
-frozen plain berries

The Compound Effect, Finishing Off Ch 05

It is our responsibility to be willing to allow our lives and our minds to be touched, molded, and strengthened by the people who surround us.  (pg 135)

III. Environment: Changing Your View Changes Your Perspective

The dream in your heart may be bigger than the environment in which you find yourself.  Sometimes you have to get out of that environment to see that dream fulfilled.

Create a positive environment to support your success, by clearing out all the clutter in your life, the mental clutter of whatever around you is not working, whatever is broken, whatever makes you cringe.  Each and every incomplete thing in your life exerts a draining force on you, sucking the energy of accomplishment and success out of you as surely as a vampire stealing your blood.  Every incomplete promise, commitment, and agreement saps yoru strength because it blocks your momentum and inhibits your ability to move forward.  Incomplete tasks keep calling you back to the past to take care of them. 

YOU get in life what YOU tolerate.

What you have decided to tolerate (passive receiver) is also reflected in the situations and circumstances of your life right now.

You will get in life what you accept and expect you are worthy of.

If you tolerate disrespect, you will be disrespected.  If you tolerate people being late and making you wait, people will show up late for you.  If you tolerate being underpaid and overworked, that will continue for you.  If you tolerate being underpaid and overworked, that will continue for you.  If you tolerate your body being overweight, tired, and perpetually sick, it will be.

Your life will organize around the standards you set for yourself.

Protect your emotional, mental, and physical space so you can live with peace, rather than in the chaos and stress the world will hurl upon you.  (pgs 138-139)

-------------------------------------

Summary Action Steps:

01- What is the influence that the input of media and information, is having on my life?  What input do I need to protect my mind from and how am I going to keep my mind regularly flushed with positive, uplifting and supportive input?

I do not watch local news.  I do watch crime shows such as Criminal Minds.  I do watch shows such as Restaurant Stake-Out, Restaurant Impossible, Hell's Kitchen and Bar Rescue.  History and space programs are my most dominant type of preferred shows to watch.  Other than the end of the Jodi Arias trial and the weather channel, I do not really watch much media type programming.  I am not sure how my choices in programming would negatively affect my life. 

The input I need to protect my mind from is the negative thinking of people that are in my life.  At this point in my life, I feel the only option I have is to "invest" in Positive, Inspirational, Motivational, Uplifting and Supportive reading (PIMUS).  At some point I may invest in some audio tapes, but there is not a large need now, due to the fact that I do not spend a lot of time driving.  I cannot completely divest my life of negativity right now, but I can keep running the clean water (PIMUS) thru the muck, keeping some kind of control over the depth of the muck.

02- Evaluate my current associations.  Who might you need to further limit association with?  Who might I need to dis-associate from?  What ways will I expand my associations?

This is a difficult one to work with right now.  I need to build myself so that I have more of an ability to re-evaluate my current associations. 

03- Pick a peak-performance partner.  Decide when, how regularly, and what you will hold each other accountable to, and what ideas you will expect the other to bring to the conversation.

I guess my peak-performance partner would have to be Mary Jo.  I need to cultivate this opportunity and make more effort to be committed to the "program".

04- What are three areas of my life I am most focused on improving.  Find a mentor....could be an expert who has written down their ideas in books or recorded their ideas on CDs.

~Education, ~Self-Image/Confidence, ~Positive Thinking.
My mentor will be found in published authors who can help lead me in the right direction.

--------------------------------------------

Personal Thoughts:

It's really difficult for me to reach out and find a "peak-performance partner", AKA Accountability Buddy.  I would prefer it to be someone who I could hang-out with, and be motivated just by the accountability you get when you interact with someone on a daily basis.  I know Mary Jo is interested in a healthier lifestyle and this is why I am choosing her.  I just will have to rely on phone calls, and that means I have to reach out as well.

When it comes to mentors, I was worried about the possibility that it might need to be someone physically active in my life.  I finally found the part that said it could be someone in the form of a published author, and this was a relief.  I can continuously choose motivating and inspirational reading to maintain this need.

How do you work on associations when you do not have the full ability to evaluate all of your associations?  I have some things I cannot or will not change at this time, and I am simply going to have to A- work around them, and B- immerse myself in PIMUS reading.

I AM working on my education and this will give me choices in the long-run, it is an investment in my future.  I AM working on the positive thinking by PIMUS reading.  Hopefully these two areas will spill over onto the Self-Confidence/Image issues.

The reading assignment today really touched me in the aspect that I have been a passive receiver.  I have allowed people to walk all over me.  I have allowed people to disrespect me.  I think my example of being a passive receiver, has spilled over onto one of my daughters.

Ultimately I recognize now that I cannot blame others, situations and bad-luck, for my choices.  I can acknowledge the role they played, in conjunction to my bad choices.  It comes down to the fact that every choice I made turned into a behavior that became a habit over time.  My choices became my outcome.  I chose to become a passive receiver; no one but me is responsible for that.  I am in control of my future and the choices I make today will result in my future outcomes.

The Diet Rehab, pgs 44-52

Chapter 2 - The Secret of Gradual Detox

What is gradual detox?  Gradual detox is a way of slowly letting go of an unhealthy habit by gradually replacing it with something else, allowing you to circumvent the possibility of withdrawal.

Gradual detox is accompanied through the two cornerstones of Diet Rehab: pitfalls and boosters.

Pitfalls are the foods, activities and thought patterns that ultimately lower your supplies of the brain chemicals you need to feel healthy, happy and energized.  A pitfall food--something high in starch, sugar, or fat--temporarily lifts your serotonin or dopamine levels, but the high is soon followed by a crash, and as we've seen, these foods undermine your body's ability to make its own stores of these vital brain chemicals.  A pitfall activity is any type of behavior that likewise lowers your stores of vital brain chemicals.

Boosters are the opposite of pitfalls--they're foods, activities and thought patterns that boost your stores of serotonin and dopamine, giving you the physical and emotional nourishment that your body, mind and spirit crave.  Activities can also boost your brain chemistry.

Are You Hungry For Serotonin?  (from page 73)

01- I feel that I'm not getting enough of one or more of the following: calm, serenity, peace, or quiet. (3)
02- When I feel blue, my idea of comfort might include one or more of the following: cuddling, seeing a therapist, meditation, yoga, a gentle stroll, a romantic movie, peaceful music, or talking to someone to cheer me up. (4)
03- I crave tea, wine, cigarettes, or cigars. (4)
04- When I'm in a bad mood I crave sugar, carbs, foods with a soothing texture or temperature. (3)
05- I don't like it when things are out of place. (2)
06- I don't like it when people are late. (3)
07- I question myself and wonder whether I'll be good enough to reach my goals. (4)
08- I wonder why other people seem to have it so much more together than I do. (3)
09- I feel lonely. (3)
10- I prefer a job where there is not much pressure or where I can work alone without competition or demands. (3)
11- I like to take care of others by cooking. (4)
12- I will eat when others do, just to be polite. (4)
13-  I startle easily or am easily frightened.  (4)
14- I get stuck in anxious thoughts. (4)
15- I'm fearful. (3)
16- I carry tension in my body, especially my neck, back, shoulders, around the temples, or in my jaw. (3)
17- I get headaches. (4)
18- When I have a physical symptom, I worry about what potentially life-threatening disease I might have. (3)
19- I have trouble falling asleep. (3)
20- I don't like to sit still. I either pace, do something with my hands, or have something in my mouth.  (2)
21- I feel nervous. (3)
22- I have the general feeling that things are not going to be ok. (3)
23- I eat to calm myself down. (3)
24- I feel overwhelmed. (3)
25- I don't like change. (3)
26- I consider myself a conflict-avoider or people-pleaser. (3)
27- When things are bad, I have trouble seeing any hopeful possibilities. (2)
28- I use sedating prescription drugs. (0)
29- I have a history of anxiety, panic attacks, obsessive-compulsive disorder, anorexia, or specific phobias. (4)
30- I have responded favorably to anti-anxiety medications, sleeping pills, etc. (1)
(96)

Are You Ravenous For Dopamine? (from page 106)

01- I feel that I'm not getting enough of one or more of the following: adventure, excitement, new or stimulating life experiences. (3)
02- When I feel blue, my idea of a lift might include one or more of the following: action movies, adventure sports, loud music, screaming, hitting something, acting out, gambling, spending money or casual sex. (2)
03- I crave coffee, energy drinks, soda, sex, cigarettes, cigars, hard liquor or beer. (0)
04- I crave fatty foods; foods that are new, adventurous, or spicy; or foods that have stimulating textures such as crunchy chips or salty popcorn, especially when I am in a bad mood. (3)
05- I don't mind things being out of place. (1)
06- I often procrastinate or show up late. (3)
07- I have gravitated toward jobs that involve risk-taking, competition, and high stakes. (1)
08- I often find myself working with large groups of people and usually enjoy it. (1)
09- I isolate myself and don't like reaching out when I'm in a bad mood. (3)
10- I want things when I want them. (3)
11- I'm not a detail-oriented person. (0)
12- If I haven't reached my goals, that's not my fault. (0)
13- People would say I make impulsive decisions. (1)
14- I have trouble listening. (1)
15- I often wonder what's wrong with other people. (2)
16- I can't finish things. (3)
17- I have trouble staying asleep. (2)
18- I have lost interest in things I once found pleasurable. (2)
19- I like adventure and change. (1)
20- I would rather say what I mean, even if it means hurting someone else's feelings. (1)
21- I have trouble concentrating. (1)
22- I feel bored. (2)
23- I have low energy. (3)
24- I feel restless. (2)
25- I feel hopeless. (1)
26- I find myself crying or tearful. (2)
27- I feel generally dissatisfied with life. (2)
28- I use prescription stimulants in a way I know a Doctor did not intend, or use illegal drugs. (0)
29- I have a history of depression, bipolar disorder, or ADD/ADHD. (4)
30- I have favorably responded to ADD/ADHD stimulant medication, non/stimulant medication, etc. (0)
(58)

Wow.

Personal Thoughts

I really had no interest in reading the book "The Compound Effect" when it was given me.  It sat in my car for a couple days and then when we started reading as a group, I picked it up with good intentions.  What I found was a book that I could relate to; a book that made sense.

I find it incredible that some of the opinions expressed in this book, echo thoughts that I have thought myself.  This past reading assignment talked about how we muck up our lives with negatives and garbage.  It spoke of how we have the choice to choose to stay within the muck, or we can choose to to immerse ourselves in positives and inspiration.


I think that ever since I met my ex-husband, my life began a very slow spiral into muck.  I compounded one bad choice on top of another, and eventually I buried myself so deep that I forgot what it was like to be "me", to have fun, and to enjoy life.  Becoming a parent was not an easy transition for me.  It was like diving into the deep end of a swimming pool, without really knowing how to swim very well. In the beginning I knew enough to get by, but not enough to take the quickest, most efficient, and responsible direction.  I kept making mistakes and kept treading along in the muck, sinking further and further as I went along. 

A couple years ago I had the opportunity to spend a year with a really happy-go-lucky and fun personality.  During that year I became a happier person.  I re-discovered the "me" inside that had been slowly buried and pretty much lost.  All of a sudden I am laughing and wanting to get out and do things.  About 15 months after I met this friend of mine, she moved away.  All of that happy influence she had on me, moved with her, and I slowly returned to the deep, dark, depths of muck that I had been in before. 

Returning to the muck was not as easy as it was to get into it in the first place.  The first trip into the muck was so slow that I hardly noticed what was happening.  This time, I knew what was happening and felt powerless to avoid returning.  I became angry and resentful.  I did not want to go back into this muck of an existence.  I still don't.

There are some things in my life right now that I cannot or will not change.  There are some things that I cannot help but change, and one of those things is my education level.  I may have balked and made excuses why I could not return to college over the past few years, but I see now that they were just excuses....excuses to stay in the muck.  What?  Stay in the muck?  Ya, I was making excuses to stay in the muck, because the muck was my comfort zone.  In the muck I could continue the bad habits of avoidance, procrastination, negative & defeating thinking, and self-criticism.  As this book has pointed out, I was blaming others and bad luck for my own bad choices.

From pages 23-24, "Choices will always be the root of every one of our results. Each choice starts a behavior that over time becomes a habit.  Don't choose at all, and you've made the choice to be a passive receiver of whatever comes your way.  You make your choices, and then your choices make you. Every choice has an impact on the compound effect of your life."

So by choosing to stay in the muck, I am choosing to be the passive receiver of what comes my way.  What kind of life is that???

I honestly believe that as I take these steps out of the muck of a comfort zone that I have been in, I will find myself no longer content to be a passive receiver.  I am tired of "the falseness of a worn-out relation".  (The words of a song from the past just came to mind, and wow, how the song's meaning just started making sense to me.  Wow! Once again, music stepped in and expressed how I feel, much better than I could.)  I want some substance in my life, some REAL solid substance with quality people of like mind, goals and dreams.

I plan to devour every book I come across; that motivates, inspires and pushes me to be a better person.  I'm tired of treading mucky water.

REO Speedwagon --- Time For Me To Fly

The Compound Effect, pgs 113-132

The Compound Effect, pgs 113-117

Consistency is the key to achieving and maintaining momentum.  (pg 114)

Miss only a couple weeks of anything--workouts at the gym, affectionate gestures toward your spouse, or the phone calls that are a part of your prospecting routine--and you don't just lose the results those two weeks would have produced.  (pg 115)

Making the right choice, holding up to right behaviors, practicing perfect habits, staying consistent, and keeping your momentum is easier said than done, especially in the dynamic, constantly changing and always challenging world we share with billions of people.  (pg 116)

Summary Action Steps:

1-Build book-end morning and evening routines.  

2-Three three areas of life where I am not consistent?
  What has this inconsistency cost me?
--Diet, Exercise, Organization
--I am out of shape, my diet is lousy and lack of organization has affected my "back stock", finances, and daily routine.

3- Record 6 key behaviors relevant to my new goals.

The Compound Effect, pgs 118-132

Choices, no matter how insignificant, when compounded, can make an extreme impact on my life.
I am 100% responsible for my life.  Everyone is affected by three kinds of influences: input (what you feed your mind), associations (the people who you spend your time with), and environment (surroundings). (pg 119)

I. Input: Garbage In, Garbage Out

To run at peak performance, we have to be vigilant about consuming the highest-quality nutrients and avoiding tempting junk food.  (pg 120)

We cannot change our DNA but we can change our behavior. (pg 121)

You get in life what you create in life. (pg 121)

Step 1: Stand Guard

Your friends, family members, and your own negative mental tapes can muck up your life.  (pg 123)

No matter how good at avoiding negativity we think we are, and no matter how we train ourselves to be relentlessly positive, when it comes to sensationalism, our basic nature cannot resist.  (pg 125)

Step 2: Enroll in Drive-Time U

The time you currently are wasting, could be better used obtaining the equivalent of a Ph.D. in leadership, sales success, wealth building, relationship excellence--or whatever course you choose. 

II. Associations: Who's Influencing You?

The people we habitually associate are called your "reference group."  We tell the quality of our health, attitude, and income by looking at the people around us.  The people with whom we spend our time with, determine what conversations dominate our attention, and to which attitudes and opinions we are regularly exposed.  We start to eat what they eat, talk like they talk, read what they read, think like they think, watch what they watch, treat people how they treat them, even dress like they dress.  (pg. 127)

What is the combined average income, health, or attitudes of five people I spend most of my time with? (pg 128)

Shift associations into three categories: dissociations, limited associations, and expanded associations. (pg 128)

Dis-Associations:

Make the hard choice to not let certain negative influences affect you anymore.  (pg 129)

Determine the quality of life you want to have, and then surround yourself with the people who represent and support that vision. ... Put up boundaries between you and people who drag you down. ... Breaking away will not be easy.  (pg 130)

Limited Associations:

The influence of associations is both powerful and subtle.  The person you are walking with can determine whether you slow your pace or quicken it, literally and figuratively. ... Identify people who have positive qualities in the areas of life where you want to improve--people with the financial and business success you desire, the parenting skills you want, the relationships you yearn for, the lifestyle you love.  (pg 131)

Befriend the person you think is the biggest, baddest, most successful person.  (pg 133)

-------------------------------------------

Association Evaluator:

Name:         
MR -  10, 2, 5, 0, 2,  5,   3,  5..... Average 4.97
CW -    6, 9, 8, 7, 9,  8,   8,  9 ..... Average 8
CL -     8, 8, 8, 8, 8, 10, 10, 10.... Average 8.75

Watch "Look What You've Done to Me - Boz Scaggs" on YouTube

Brand New Day

Rise & Shine 4 Today:

I am grateful for:  God, my children, my dogs, my husband, health, life, today, basic luxuries.
Sending love to:
(I reserve the right to repeatedly focus on any certain individual, subject)
Number 1 goal:  Earning my college degree.
Daily Reading: Diet Rehab
One Hour Focus: school work
Three Priorities for today (MVPs): 
Bonus MVP for today: Create Weekly Rhythm Register spreadsheet.
Reward: Email & Facebook

Sweet Dreams:

--How did the day go?

--What do I need to carry over to tomorrow?

--What else needs to be added?

--What is no longer important?

--Journal the day.

--Read something inspirational.

 Positive, Inspirational, Motivational, Uplifting and Supportive (PIMUS)

The Compound Effect, pgs 102-113 (Establishing a New Routine)

"Rise & Shine"

--Think of everything you are grateful for.  Attune the mind to abundance.  The world looks, acts, and responds to you very differently when you start your day with a feeling of orientation of gratitude for that which you already have.

--Send love to someone.  The way to get love is to give it, and one thing I want more of is love.  Give love by thinking of one person and send them love by imagining all that I wish and hope for them. 

--Think about, focus on the No. 1 goal and decide which three things to do on this day to move closer toward reaching it.

--Set timer for 30 minutes.  Read something positive, inspirational and instructional. 

--When alarm sounds, for one hour, take the most important project and work on it for an hour of completely focused and with no distractions.

--Take 15 minutes to calibrate your day.  Review three MVPs (Most Valuable Priorities) for that day and ask self "If I only did three things today, what are the actions that will produce the greatest results in moving me closer to my big goals?" 

--Reward yourself.  You can open your emails now, check Facebook.

--Get to work.  Work on MVPs.

"Sweet Dreams"

--How did the day go?
--What do I need to carry over to tomorrow?
--What else needs to be added?
--What is no longer important?
--Journal the day.
--Read something inspirational.  Focus on something constructive and helpful toward making progress on my goals.  The mind likes to continue to process the last information consumed before bedtime.

---------------------------------------
This is a format for something that I would like to incorporate into my day.
I may just do a daily or nightly journal post in this format.

Diet Rehab, Dr Mike Dow (pgs 36-43) Addiction, Yo-Yo, Reward Response

Continued From Previous Post:

How Stress Can Make You Fat:
When we're stressed, our adrenal glands produce cortisol.  Cortisol is intended for the times when we have to jump into action...part of the "fight or flight" response.  It raises our blood pressure.  It tells our cells to store fat, to create fat reserves.

If we combine the rush of cortisol with sugary, starchy foods we crave under stress, and we have a recipe for insulin resistance.  This is is a condition where our bodies stop efficiently metabolizing blood sugar.  As a result, more calories are stored as fat.  We have trouble losing weight and we start gaining.

Cortisol and other elements of our adrenaline rush speed up our metabolism initially, which suppresses our appetite so we can focus on the task at hand.  When the rush wears off, we're super-hungry because our body expected us to burn off all that extra blood sugar and fat.  It creates hunger to compensate for this supposed activity.

If you've had some "pitfall" thoughts that have created additional stress, your stress and subsequent hunger-- will increase. 

Cortisol also suppresses our immune system and deplete our serotonin and dopamine levels, sending us into a state of anxiety and eventually send us toward depression.

The fat cells around our body are particularly sensitive to cortisol and to high insulin levels.  This area of our body is also very effective at storing energy.  This is why when we stress, it leads to weight gain on our bellies. (pgs 36-37)

--------------------------------------------

Addiction and Yo-Yo Dieting: (pg 37)

We need to maintain healthy serotonin and dopamine levels to feel good, and if we are not eating the right foods or engaging in the right activities, our levels will fall too low.  We may force ourselves to forgo our "medication" for a few weeks or even months.  Unless we genuinely learn to replace it with something healthier, we will always be tempted to come back.

---------------------------------------------

Getting to Know Your Hunger: (pg 39)

When Do I Feel Hungry?
x_after something upsets me.
x_after something wonderful happens.
x_because I am bored.
x_when I feel like I deserve a reward.
x_based on a cue: after a TV show is over, when I get home, etc.

How Do I Feel Hungry?
x_suddenly I am ravenous
x_gradually, my hunger goes from being small, to a pressing one.
x_I crave particular foods or types
x_I feel desperate
x_I feel calm and pleasant anticipation
x _I am constantly hungry.
x_I am constantly looking forward to my next meal.
x_I look forward to the food itself
x_I look forward to some other aspect of the  meal: the break, the time with family or friends, the chance to get away from work or out of the house.

If you are hit with constant hunger, there could be a huge emotional hunger in your life that is not being met.  If you are eating healthy meals and snacks filled with booster foods, usually we will feel gradual hunger every two or three hours.  If we have stuffed ourselves with a big meal, we may not feel physically hungry for at least six hours, as physical hunger usually comes on slowly and gradually.  Eating when you are bored, to give yourself a break, on a set schedule, or in response to a cue might mean that you're eating food you do not really need.

Just restricting your access to food does not change the reasons that you were eating excessively in the first place.  If your brain chemistry remains unbalanced--if your brain is still looking for dopamine and serotonin--keeping yourself from eating too much at one time will not change the dynamic.

The Reward Response: (pg 42)

Sugar and starchy foods relate to our hunger for serotonin and the high-fat foods feed our need for dopamine.  Whenever anything pleasurable happens to us, we get a little shot of dopamine, a tiny burst of Yes!  That little bit of dopamine serves as a reward for anything we do that feels good.

This dopamine reward is one of the reasons addictions are so hard to give up, even when we have physically detoxed from them.  Even when the physical addiction is broken--when there are no more withdrawal symptoms and our body is back to normal--that dopamine reward beckons and it can be very hard to resist.

End of Chapter 2.  To be continued.

Diet Rehab, Dr Mike Dow (pgs 1-35)

I decided to begin another book, and I'll be doing it slowly, like TCE.

Introduction:
"I'm going to make a confession: I used to have a food addiction.  Although I've since kicked the habit, every so often I want one of the foods I used to be addicted to."  Dr. Mike Dow

From me:
"I have a confession to make: I have a food addiction.  I crave different foods and haven't figured out how to get control over it yet."  ~ Me

Introduction:
Self-medicating (with food) is not just a metaphor.  Anti-depressants like Wellbutrin lift dopamine levels, as do nicotine, amphetamines, cocaine, bacon, potato chips, and other high-fat foods.  Serotonin and dopamine are helped by Prozac and Zoloft and street drugs.

We do not want to feel as bad as we feel, so we turn to our addiction to self-medicate.
Just as you can form an addiction to alcohol, nicotine and drugs, so can you become addicted to food.

When your life is full of serotonin-and dopamine-boosting activities, and when your thoughts trigger big doses of serotonin and dopamine and the self-esteem, optimism, and energy they bring, you will no longer crave the fix of different foods.  (This is a "light-bulb" moment for me.)

Part One:  Understanding Food Addiction
~Willpower is not the problem.

If your life is stressful or if you feel chronically anxious and unsafe, your serotonin levels probably have been low for a while, making you all the more vulnerable to the power of sugar and carbs.  Like wise, if your life feels boring and restricted, if you chronically feel blue and lethargic, your dopamine levels have likely dropped even before you started worrying about your weight. (pg 25)

When you do weight-loss surgery, if you do not address the patients' brain chemistry, they'll continue to feel miserable and deprived.  They'll still crave the foods that make them feel good--that did, actually, generate the brain chemicals that we all need to feel good-and then, as happens to most people who have weight loss surgery, they aren't able to stick to the recommended behavioral changes for one year after the procedure.  (pgs 25-26)

We all have to feed our brains with the right foods and activities or we'll never be able to be free from the addiction.  (pg 26)

Two: How Food Addiction Makes You Fat:

~Discover Your Food Habits
01- Is there at least one unhealthy food that you consume every day?
Butter, Salt, "White" foods.
02- Do you panic if you think you might not have access to this food everywhere?
No.  I do, however, think about when & how I will get it next.
03- Have you ever felt you might need to cut down on this? Yes.
04- Has anyone suggested you change your eating habits? The doctors.
05- Do you ever feel guilty after eating or drinking? Yes.  I also feel a lot of discomfort.
06- Is this unhealthy food on your mind within an hour of waking up? Yes.
07- Do you feel powerless when you have a craving? Yes
08- Have you tried, but failed, to cut back on this item in the past? Yes
09- Do you turn to this food when you're feeling low or high, or when you're not even hungry? YES!
10- Have you felt as though your self-esteem and relationships might be better if you didn't have these cravings? YES!
11- Do you seem to think about eating most of the time? Yes
12- Is there a difference between your private and public eating?  Yes
13- Do you tell yourself you could quit consuming this item whenever you want, even though you've never been able to?  Yes
14- Do you look forward to the time when you can eat this item?  Yes
15- Are you envious of people who have a casual attitude toward food?  Yes
16- Do you sometimes enter a translike state when you are eating?  Yes
17- Does most of your eating occur late at night?  Yes

The Dangers of Tolerance:

One of the key hallmarks of an addiction is tolerance: when you keep needing more to get the same high. (pg 32)

* First you enjoy "something".
* Then you need the "something".  You still enjoy, but it "hurts" not to have it.
* Finally, you need "something" desperately, just to feel normal.  You feel lousy without it.

Making It Through Withdrawal:

The other hallmark of addiction is withdrawal--the pain of giving up an addictive substance that the body has come to rely on.

Withdrawl symptoms:
* Problems with memory
* impaired concentration
* changes in sleep patterns
* anxiety
* depression
* fatigue
* increased reliance on other addictions
* moodiness
* irritability
* headaches

Because of tolerance and withdrawal, food addiction is not a stable solution to the problems of unbalanced rain chemistry.  You are always going to keep wanting more--and you're always risking withdrawal symptoms the moment you cut back.  It is hard to revel in the pleasures of food when food feels like your jailer.  (pg 35)


To be continued.

The Compount Effect, pgs 93-101 ("Mo")

How To Meet "Mo":
(Momentum, Motivation, Moving)

* Make new choices based on goals and core values.
* Put those choices to work through new positive behaviors.
* Repeat healthy actions long enough to establish new habits. (21 days?)
* Build routines and rhythms into your daily disciplines.
* Stay consistent over a long enough period of time. (21 days?)

Habits, disciplines, routines and consistency are the keys that unlock "Mo". (pg 98)

The best routines fail because we do not have a system of execution.
To reach new goals and develop new habits, it is necessary to create new routines to support your objectives.  (pg 99)

-----------------------------

Dear "Mo",

I would really like to hang out with you "long-term". 
I am really frustrated that I have not met you sooner. 
Where have you been hiding?  I need your help.
There are some things I would like to change in my life.
I need momentum.  I need motivation.  I need to get moving.
There is going to be a major attempt to find you, Mo.

Sincerely, Me.

------------------------------

The Compound Effect, pgs 83-92 (Game Changers)

Game Changers
Six Ways For Installing Good Habits

01- Set yourself Up To Succeed
02- Think Addition, Not Subtraction
03- Go For PDA: Public Display of Accountability
04- Find A Success Buddy
05- Competition & Camaraderie
06- Celebrate

"It's not so much what you attempt to take out of your diet, it's what you put in it."

TV is an easy mental escape from reality.

Summary Action Steps

--Three best habits that support my most important goal:
01- I like to eat fresh fruits and veggies.
02- I look for, and buy healthy food.
03- I read nutrition labels.

--Three bad habits that take me off course from my most important goal:
01- I have snack attacks, later at night.
02- I do not stop myself when I know I'm making the wrong choices.
03- I do not stay consistent long enough to establish a new habit.

--Three new habits I need to develop to get on track:
01- I need to build strength in being able to avoid wrong choices.
02- I need to build consistency, and accountability.
03- I need to establish an exercise program, and stick to it.

--My core motivation:
I haven't found one yet, that is strong enough to get and keep me going.

--My "Why" power:
I want to live.  I want to someday see & meet future grandchildren.  I want to be happy.

As for "Living Your Best Year Ever--A Proven System for Achieving BIG GOALS...
That is not a cheap program, from what I've seen from the research into it that I've done.

The Compound Effect, pgs 70-83 (Goals & Habits)

You only see, experience, and get what you look for.  If you don't know what ot look for, you certainly won't get it. (pg 70)

When you define your goals, you give your brain something new to look for and focus on. (pg 71)

Goals:
01- I want to achieve a bachelor's degree.
02- I want to maintain a 3.5 or higher, GPA.  Currently 4.0
03- I want all of my credit cards paid off.
04- I want to own my own house.
05- I want to lose weight.
06- I want to be size 9-11 again.
07- I want to end my food addiction.
08- I want a health care career.
09- I want to have long-term friends I can hang out with.
10- I want to achieve a more positive life and thinking.

What stands between me and my goal is my behavior.

YOU => CHOICE + BEHAVIOR + HABIT + COMPOUNDED = GOALS

You => Decision + Action + Repeated Action + Time = Goals

Top Three Goals:
01- Lose weight
02- Be debt free
03- Positive Thinking

Habits and behaviors never lie....there's a discrepancy between what you say and what you do.

Five Strategies For Eliminating Bad Habits:
Identify Triggers:
01- I am more likely to succumb to temptation at night when I'm aloe.
02- I am more likely to step outside my boundaries when I get "generous".
03- It is far too easy to stay in my familiar comfort zone.
Clean House
01- I am not able to remove trigger and temptation foods from my house.  I wish I could.
02- I can pay off debt and refuse to reload.
03- Refuse to go there.  Let it go.
Swap It
01- Set a "cut-off" time daily.  Take a walk or shower when triggers pop up.
02- I can leave credit and debit cards at home.  Avoid likely spending places.
03- I can remind myself with daily positive quotes and inspiration.
Ease In
01- I can reduce fat, calories and cholesterol.  I can increase fiber.
02- I can work towards a cash only basis.
03- Force myself to stop and investigate where that thought came from.
Jump In
01- Go to the gym.  Go for a walk with dogs.
02-
03- Share positive inspiration with others. Motivate others.

Sometimes wading in does not work and you need to jump all in.
You cannot always wait until the perfect moment, day or time.

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Habit Assessment:

Who I Need To Become:
* I will be organized.
* I am determined.
* I am a work in progress.
* I will be debt free.
* I will have a bachelor's degree.
* I can accomplish more (work, exercise, progress) every day.
* I will inspire and motivate myself.
* I will succeed.
* I will inspire others.
* I will be an asset.
* I will believe in myself.

New Habits, Disciplines or Behaviors I Need To Start:
* see list above this section.
* Be more productive.

Existing Healthy Habits, Disciplines or Behaviors I Need To Expand:
* My education, GPA, must remain a priority.
* My children will remain a priority.
* I need to expand my "awareness".
* I need to discipline myself more.

Poor Habits Or Behaviors I Need To STOP:
* Disorganization
* Procastination
* Lack of Self-Esteem
* Negative Thinking
* Criticism


*

The Compound Effect, pgs 55-69 (Habits, Goals)

The power that habits have over your life:
The older they are, the bigger they get, the deeper the roots grow, and the harder they are to uproot.  Some get so big, with roots so deep, you might hesitate to try.

A daily routine built on good habits is the difference that separates the most successful from everyone else.

The slightest adjustments to your daily routines can dramatically alter the outcomes in your life.

Your choices are only meaningful when you connect them to your desires and dreams.  The wisest and most motivating choices are the ones aligned with that which you identify as your purpose, your core self, and your highest values.

When faced with a choice, ask yourself "Does this align with my core values?"
If it does, do it.  If it does not, do NOT do it.

Having to fight challenges our skills, our character, and our resolve, and it forces us to access and exercise our talents and abilities.

Motivation can help us use a powerfully negative emotion or experience, to create an even more powerful and successful end or achieve a goal.

We can take control by not blaming chance, fate or anyone else for our outcomes.
Rather than letting past hurtful experiences sap our energy and sabotage our success, we can use them to fuel positive, constructive change.

IF you are not making the progress that you would like to make and are capable of making, it is simply because your goals are not clearly defined.

Whatever you vividly imagine, ardently desire, sincerely believe, and enthusiastically act upon...must inevitably come to pass!

The person who has a clear, compelling, and white-hot burning why will always defeat even the best of the best at doing the how.

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Core Values Assessment:

Who is the person I respect most in life? What are their core values?
My grandmother.  Her core values were to work hard, pay her own way, and her faith in God.

Who is my best friend, and what are his/her top three qualities?
My oldest daughter.  Qualities: Independent, Mentally Strong, Knows her core values.

If I could have more of any one quality instantly, what would it be?
The one quality I would want to have is to have the solid determination to accomplish any thing I set my mind to.

What are three things I hate?
I dislike cruelty to animals.
I dislike people who use unearned reasons to justify their purpose, goal or point.
I dislike liars and cheats.

Which three people in the world do I dislike the most and why?
My step-daughter.  She manipulates, plays and uses people.  She took something of value from me.
My father.  He messed up my head, my self-confidence, and self-esteem. (He's still my father!)
My ex-husband.  He disgusts me.

Which personality trait, attribute or quality do people compliment me on the most?
I care.

What are the three most important values I want to pass on to my children?
"Do unto others as you would want them to do to you."
Be kind to animals.
Do not let anyone defeat you (mentally, spiritually).

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Relationships and Family
5 + 1 + 1 + 5 + 5 + 3 + 3 + 3 + 5 + 3 = 34

Physical
1 + 5 + 5 + 1 + 3 + 2 + 4 + 4 + 3 + 4 = 32