My mission!

Back in July I posted on my health and fitness - made several goals and stuck to only one of them. I started my discussion group on facebook and have tried to regularly post there with my buds who are also trying to get healthier. A few weeks into our discussion groups existence, Tam heard about a book on Oprah called 'Women, Food and God' by Geneen Roth. We decided that we should do an online book club around the book and all purchased a copy. Initially I got about halfway through and then got distracted by school. So last week after talking at length with my gorgeous cousing Isla, I picked it up again and started reading from the beginning.

This book is going to CHANGE MY LIFE.

I am thinking about food differently, I am thinking about why I want to eat when I reach for food when I'm not hungry, and I'm trying to live in the here and now. Now some of you may think 'So What?' but for me this is a BIG BIG deal. I eat when I am sad, bored, happy, lonely, excited, tired, frustrated, worried - basically anytime I'll eat - but usually I'm really not hungry. I'm what Geneen refers to as a Permitter - I constantly allow myself to just eat what I want when I want with no thought about whether A: I'm hungry or B:if I'm hungry then what food does my body need and want. I just eat whatever I can get my hands on and usually a lot of it.

I think the other part of this book that appeals to me is the fact that she is trying to teach her readers to trust their innate judgement. I have always believed my judgement was flawed. I find it insanely hard to make decisions and often let others decide for me. What I am learning through reading this book and trying to get in touch with my body is that if I listen to what my body wants, not what my mind is telling me I want, I will eat appropriately and eventually I will reach my healthy weight. I know it's kinda radical. Geneen descibes diets as simply a means to punish ourselves for being overweight and that because we aren't really in touch with or listening to our body it can't be sustained. Makes sense to me!

Therefore I have decided to use this book as my guide. I have spent the last two days focussing on my body and what it needs for fuel. I have been suprised by how little I have needed and amazed at the difference between what my body appears to need and the quantity I have been eating. No wonder I'm overweight!

I have also been reading Cathy Zielske's blog (she's lost about 20kg this year) and one of the things I love is that she has been taking photos in her bathroom mirror to document the change in her body. So here's mine for now:

I'm also doing a 12 week challenge with my friend Sonia - my challenge is to go to the gym 3 times per week and to eat only when I'm hungry.... Week one just finished and I lost 200gms...better than nothing I say.

Here's to getting healthy!!

Emily xoxo