Some people are so wonderful and supportive.
I've got a couple of work friends who are working on their own weight loss journey. One only eats protien and dark green vegetables. The other has the greatest vegan low fat diet until evening strikes... and the chocolate starts to call her name. We all discuss nutrition and options. We all find our own way to muddle through and see what works for our bodies and quirky life styles. I like to engage some of my naturally thin friends too. I ask them about their eating habits, exercise and typical routines. I'm always looking for ways to add a few steps or healthy treats into my own game plan. I am lucky to have a really supportive husband who will eat healthy with me. Our indulgences are pretty tame and his encouragement and love keep me strong.
09Aug2010
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I was talking to a friend about weight loss. We chatted about our weight loss journey, our successes and our pitfalls. Her strategy was so complicated and detailed, you would need to be exact and perfect in order to have a successful day. Most of the time, she set herself up so that she would not succeed. I asked her about this and commented on how exhausting this must be. She told me that she had a very unhappy childhood that continues to cause her anxiety and grief today, stopping her from living the life she wants to live... the life that she deserves to live.
My response was to send her this:
"Reminds me of a story…
Two monks were making a pilgrimage to venerate the relics of a great Saint. During the course of their journey, they came to a river where they met a beautiful young woman -- an apparently worldly creature, dressed in expensive finery and with her hair done up in the latest fashion. She was afraid of the current and afraid of ruining her lovely clothing, so asked the brothers if they might carry her across the river.
The younger and more exacting of the brothers was offended at the very idea and turned away with an attitude of disgust. The older brother didn't hesitate, and quickly picked the woman up on his shoulders, carried her across the river, and set her down on the other side. She thanked him and went on her way, and the brother waded back through the waters.
The monks resumed their walk, the older one in perfect equanimity and enjoying the beautiful countryside, while the younger one grew more and more brooding and distracted, so much so that he could keep his silence no longer and suddenly burst out, "Brother, we are taught to avoid contact with women, and there you were, not just touching a woman, but carrying her on your shoulders!"
The older monk looked at the younger with a loving, pitiful smile and said, "Brother, I set her down on the other side of the river; you are still carrying her."
… Everyone I know has luggage in their lives, some of it light, like a back pack, some of it dark and heavy like a steamer trunk.
I know you had a really rough childhood that left you with a couple of steamer trunks… but don’t you think it’s time you put it down?"
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It's great to have an opportunity to share thoughts & feelings. Just to put a thought out there, stretch it out in the sun and languor in the deliciousness of it all.
I've got a couple of work friends who are working on their own weight loss journey. One only eats protien and dark green vegetables. The other has the greatest vegan low fat diet until evening strikes... and the chocolate starts to call her name. We all discuss nutrition and options. We all find our own way to muddle through and see what works for our bodies and quirky life styles. I like to engage some of my naturally thin friends too. I ask them about their eating habits, exercise and typical routines. I'm always looking for ways to add a few steps or healthy treats into my own game plan. I am lucky to have a really supportive husband who will eat healthy with me. Our indulgences are pretty tame and his encouragement and love keep me strong.
09Aug2010
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
I was talking to a friend about weight loss. We chatted about our weight loss journey, our successes and our pitfalls. Her strategy was so complicated and detailed, you would need to be exact and perfect in order to have a successful day. Most of the time, she set herself up so that she would not succeed. I asked her about this and commented on how exhausting this must be. She told me that she had a very unhappy childhood that continues to cause her anxiety and grief today, stopping her from living the life she wants to live... the life that she deserves to live.
My response was to send her this:
"Reminds me of a story…
Two monks were making a pilgrimage to venerate the relics of a great Saint. During the course of their journey, they came to a river where they met a beautiful young woman -- an apparently worldly creature, dressed in expensive finery and with her hair done up in the latest fashion. She was afraid of the current and afraid of ruining her lovely clothing, so asked the brothers if they might carry her across the river.
The younger and more exacting of the brothers was offended at the very idea and turned away with an attitude of disgust. The older brother didn't hesitate, and quickly picked the woman up on his shoulders, carried her across the river, and set her down on the other side. She thanked him and went on her way, and the brother waded back through the waters.
The monks resumed their walk, the older one in perfect equanimity and enjoying the beautiful countryside, while the younger one grew more and more brooding and distracted, so much so that he could keep his silence no longer and suddenly burst out, "Brother, we are taught to avoid contact with women, and there you were, not just touching a woman, but carrying her on your shoulders!"
The older monk looked at the younger with a loving, pitiful smile and said, "Brother, I set her down on the other side of the river; you are still carrying her."
… Everyone I know has luggage in their lives, some of it light, like a back pack, some of it dark and heavy like a steamer trunk.
I know you had a really rough childhood that left you with a couple of steamer trunks… but don’t you think it’s time you put it down?"
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
It's great to have an opportunity to share thoughts & feelings. Just to put a thought out there, stretch it out in the sun and languor in the deliciousness of it all.
The freedom to finish a complete thought, share an idea or a smile.
Hmmm... this is nice!
