Random Thoughts on Eating

Okay, I've put off this post as long as I can. I just feel so darn unqualified to write about diets or food or nutrition. My only qualification is that I've lost more than 100 pounds and kept it off for over a year now, so keep that in mind. I can only share what worked (and continues to work) for me. So here are my random thoughts--not a plan, not a *way of eating*, certainly not a magic forumla.

--There's no way I could stick to a restrictive food plan for very long because I have to feed a family of nine every day and more on weekends.

--I couldn't stick to a restrictive food plan for the rest of my life because sooner or later I would throw off the shackles and go hog-wild and EAT whatever it was I wasn't supposed to have.

--If you tell me I can't have it, I want it.

--If you tell me I can have it, I might or might not want it.

--I eat only when I am truly hungry, and stop when I am full. Politely full, not stuffed to the gills.

--Food is always available. If I'm hungry again, I'll just eat again. I don't have to be afraid.

--Food is not my friend. The only *need* it meets is true hunger. Not emotional needs, spiritual needs or social needs.

I remember feeling so shocked when I first realized how often I was eating because the food was good or it was my favorite or it was there or I was lonely or I wanted to pamper myself, etc., etc., etc. I once told my husband during the years of babies and toddlers (uh, 25+ years) that "eating is the only fun thing I do." That makes me sad now. But at the time I truly did not realize what I was doing.

It amazes me how complicated the diet world is. Everyone is looking for the miracle, the pill, the plan. I lost all my weight eating pizza, hamburgers, french fries and ice cream. And of course, apples, natural peanut butter, cheese and almonds. Just food. Sort of The Casual Approach to God Made/Man Made eating, now that I look back on it. I would go a couple of days and eat God-made food because that is what sounded good, then stop by Braum's for a peanut butter hot fudge sundae. And eat the peanut butter and hot fudge and whipped cream and cherry first, because I never knew when I would get full and stop eating.

Okay, so that's a start on the random thoughts. More random-ness to follow.

Finding Time to T-Tapp (and Homeschool)

One of the questions I get asked is "How do you find time to T-Tapp?" This post will be especially geared to the homeschooling mother and those with large families, as that is my situation and therefore, my experience.

When I began T-Tapping I had eight children still at home and the youngest two were one and three years old. Six were school-age and it was just before The Summer of the Weddings (two of my children and one nephew got married within two months of each other, and we were heavily involved with planning, sewing, shopping and cooking). Obviously I was busy. Heck, I'm busy on a slow day with no outside events. But I found T-Tapp and thought it would be a good way to look better for those weddings. Little did I know what a life-changing, body-transforming ride I was in for!

What worked best for me was to T-Tapp first thing in the morning, before my day got busy and exercise got relegated to the "maybe later" pile. I got up early, ate breakfast, did my quiet reading/journaling, and then laced up my shoes. Yes, actually changed into semi-cute workout clothes. It was part of my exercise ritual and made me feel official. Often things didn't go quite as planned so I exercised then showered while the children did their chores. If you say "well, my children won't leave me alone" or "they won't do their stuff if I'm not there" then that is another subject entirely. I'm just sharing what I actually did. Did school start late sometimes (often)? Yes. Did we still get school done? Yes.

I have noticed over 23 years of homeschooling that every year there are one or two children who are more needy in certain academic areas. I spend a little more time and effort helping that child overcome their weakness. Teaching a child to read, concentrating on spelling, and moving forward in math all come to mind. Well, that year was my year to lose weight and get in shape. It meant rearranging the schedule and committing to take the time for a season. It's a little different now that I'm in maintenance, but the losing stage took studied determination and focus.

One of the bestest things about T-Tapp is its efficiency. When my mind was whirling with thoughts of the busy day ahead and adding an exercise routine seemed overwhelming, I told myself, "ANYBODY can do 15 minutes. Just 15 minutes." Eventually during the summer I did longer workouts a couple of times per week, but during the school year I only did 15-30 minute workouts. Occasionally I did a lunchtime or afternoon workout, but the vast majority of the time mornings worked best, before the questions and distractions and responsibilities took over my brain.

Ladies, I've Been Consistent

If you've watched the video on the T-Tapp website, you heard me say in the second half, "Ladies, I've been consistent." While I was standing in line that night I wrestled with myself about whether to say that because I didn't want to sound smug or haughty. But my eyes got bigger and bigger as I heard one person after another say, "Welllll, I really haven't been consistent....." so I just had to share that "secret" of my success. Notice I didn't say, "I've been perfect" or "I put my entire life on hold so I could T-Tapp" or "I also did extra cardio, lifted weights and did Pilates three times a week!"

So what do I mean by consistent? Well, I looked back at my calendar pages from the months between Safety Harbor 2007 and Safety Harbor 2008 to find out exactly what I meant. Here's what I found:

Nov 07: BWO+ or Ladybug BWO+ 4x week
Dec 07: "
Jan 08: "
Feb 08: "
Mar 08: "
Note: The holidays and an unusual number of illnesses for me and my family, including Influenza Type A, limited my time and energy--but I still lost inches, albeit more slowly for these months.
Apr 08: 2008 60-Day Challenge began
Week 1 - MORE, BWO+, HTFS, Tempo Arms
Week 2 - LB BWO+, SATI, Arms, HTF, MORE
Week 3 - Arms, LB BWO+, HTFS, SATI, MORE
Week 4 - SATI, Arms, LB BWO+, HTF
Week 5 - SATI, LB Floor, Arms, LB BWO+
May 08: 2nd month of the 60-Day Challenge, so I did a more rigorous schedule, including Tempo Arms at least 2x week and an Arms 5-day bootcamp
Jun 08: First week I took off completely due to travel and fatigue--the longest I had ever taken off since beginning T-Tapp. To my surprise, I lost 5 pounds.
Weeks 2 - 4 - One long workout, one HTF, and a couple of shorts (usually BWO+ or MORE)
July - September, more of the same

You will notice that I mixed up workouts quite a bit. I liked the variety, it kept things fresh, and it worked my whole body in different ways. But I suspect that the actual workouts I did are not as important as the fact that I DID workouts, 4-6x week. Was my form perfect? Heck, no--but I didn't flop through or watch TV while T-Tapping, so I did my best and went to my max. And T-Tapp did its max on me.

Thought Check-Up

In keeping with the power of our thoughts, let's do a quick check-up. We can play a little word association game, or rather phrase association game. Pretend I'm the psychologist in a leather chair, clipboard in hand, reading glasses on my nose. You're reclining on the leather couch, with hands comfortably folded, feeling relaxed.

Me: time to workout
You: I don't have time
Me: time to T-Tapp
You: I'm too tired
Me: it's only 15 minutes
You: I don't wanna change clothes
Me: lace up your shoes
You: I'll do it later

You get the picture. The thought of what we should do is answered by the thought of what we *feel* like doing. Those darn feelings! Life is full of feelings. Going with the feelings leads to feelings we don't like, i.e., six weeks of not working out leads to creaky mornings and fat jeans. So we get feelings either way. Choose carefully which feelings you listen to and follow, for the Pied Piper of Feelings likes to lead you where it wants to go, not where YOU really want to end up.

Set Up Your Space for Success

I'll take a little detour from the power of thoughts to some practical things I did at the beginning of my T-Tapp life. From the start I took it seriously and set my physical space up for success. I got my own cute little flat-screen TV (with the all-important remote!) and DVD player and set it up in a corner of my bedroom on the desk where I apply makeup. As a detour from a detour, I stopped putting my makeup on at the bathroom mirror and created a space for this ritual several years ago as a celebration of femininity, but that's another post and possibly another blog. :-)

I cleared out a bedside cabinet for my T-Tapp DVDs and found a place for my brush. I bought a few workout tops and shorts at cheap places like Walmart and Ross, but they were *real* workout clothes nonetheless. I knew that a baggy t-shirt and sweat pants would not make me feel as "official" and they would make me hot anyway. In the summer I was grateful for the ceiling fan, and if I worked out elsewhere I had a portable fan. My first week of T-Tapp I wore some cheapo cross-trainers but my feet killed me. Forum posts directed me to Skechers 2250's and they changed my T-Tapp practice. I am now on my 4th pair, partly due to the fact that weight loss and T-Tapp caused me to lose 2 shoe sizes.

I was fortunate to have a large mirror in my bedroom sink area but if I hadn't I would have bought a mirror for the back of the door. A mirror is invaluable in helping with form (but NOT in watching yourself brush, see post below). Our rather small bedroom has a king-size bed but it is set on an angle. Through furniture re-arrangements and acquisitions over the past couple of years, my T-Tapp space is always a consideration. It doesn't take much space, but I'm very tall and very long-legged so finding a spot where I won't hit the ceiling fan or door frames is sometimes a challenge.

I mostly T-Tapp in my bedroom to this day, but occasionally I feel claustrophobic so I work out in the den. This doesn't happen often because I have to dodge little children, answer vital questions like "is it time for lunch?" at 8:02am, and grab the white-out from an artistic 3yo. Did you know that white-out dries like cement on skin in seconds and does NOT wash off couch cushions? At least in my bedroom, for those few minutes, I don't have to know.

The Mind of a Woman (T-Tapper)

Before T-Tapp I actually prided myself on not obsessing over the scale or diets, and most of the time I had no idea what I weighed. Of course I was very busy, but part of it was denial. So it was a bit of a shocker to begin my T-Tapp journey with weighing and measuring. 52" abs?! Oh. My. Word. Then there was the mirror and the workout clothes. I bought actual workout tops and shorts to motivate me and see my form, but the view was pretty discouraging. My husband finally told me to stop brushing in front of the mirror because I would get so depressed about my appearance. I went from hiding my body from myself (you know, get undressed in the closet) to scrutinizing every lump and bulge. I hadn't paid much attention to sizes before, but then I began to covet the next size down.

The trick as a More to Lose person was to appreciate how far I had come and celebrate the changes I was feeling and seeing. There was a temptation to feel like I wouldn't look good until I reached goal. When I wore a size 22W I thought a 14 was model-thin and I would have been very happy to squeeze into 14s. When I wore a size 14 I thought only a 10 would make me happy. See the trap? As women we are so hard on ourselves. A man can look in the mirror, flex his muscles, and think "hey, baby, I'm lookin' good!" A woman looks in the mirror and thinks "this cellulite is horrible and my inner thighs are flabby and...."

The MIND and THOUGHTS are the place to start. How do you feel if someone says something critical or unkind to you? Your spirits fall, your heart pounds or maybe you get angry or want to give up. Guess what? Studies show that your body reacts the same way if YOU say critical or unkind things to your self. Same goes for saying positive and encouraging things to your self. Your heart soars, you feel like smiling and you want to rise to the occasion. Sure, those discouraging thoughts pop up, but you just don't go there. Don't water and fertilize them. CHOOSE to be kind to yourself and be hopeful.

I've got more to say about this, so stay tuned. Time to get back to the Extreme Laundry Challenge of getting out the summer clothes and putting away the winter stuff!

More about The Beginning

One thing I did from the very beginning was to keep careful records. There was something satisfying and motivating about filling in calendar pages and writing down goals. The fun part is that I have those records to look back on now. Through my inch loss journey I was able to track results and get a true picture of the results of workouts. When inch loss slowed or stopped all I had to do was look at what I had actually done in the last couple of weeks. Somehow we tend to fool ourselves about what we're REALLY doing when it comes to workouts, so the actual proof was helpful and eye-opening. Someone once said that we think reading about T-Tapp and posting on the forum means we're spending time doing T-Tapp but the only thing that gives you results is pushing *PLAY* and getting off the couch!

More coming soon on some of the emotional and mental challenges I faced as a brand new Tapper...