Staying Focused, Feeling Sad, Moving Forward

I am — or was — in a real funk today. I’m a little better now but I though it would help (me) to share it.

I just woke up that way and I can’t trace it to anything in particular. It’s just like a big giant dark cloud is hanging over my head. I’ve got enough therapy behind me to let me know that it’s OK to feel down once in a while; it’s actually healthy. But, I’ve got enough of a “fixer” in me to also tell me that it’s OK to try and figure out why and fix the damn thing.

I mean, when I think about things on the grand scale, I’m doing better than most. And, if one looks at my “seven lessons of prosperity,” prosperity, that feeling of being OK with most of the world, is a “most of the time kind of thing.” I think it’s more on a the small scale. But, what the hell, I’m getting philosophical. It doesn’t matter. It still feels like crap and when I feel like crap, I am more inclined to eat without control. That won’t solve a thing, so I’ve got to do something different.

So, I did a little thinking and several things are bothering me:

Colonrectal Cancer or Losing Weight? Reality check please…

One of the bigger issues in the life of my family is the cancer that has struck my brother-in-law, Flip. He went through surgery a few days ago and the news was wonderful but there's still a long road to hoe.

One of the ways he (and my sister, his wife) stays in touch with all the people in his life is via a free website called CaringBridge. They provide (according to their own site), "Free, personalized websites that support and connect loved ones during critical illness, treatment and recovery." My sister has spoken highly of them and posts regularly. Flip, when he's feeling up to it, adds his comments. Anyone (including you) can post notes of support. It really is a wonderful service and is a method by how a high-tech thing like the internet can be used as a "high touch" service to provide love and support from afar.

CaringBridge notifies anyone who wants to be notified each time the patient's journal is updated. You get an email telling you of an update. In order to find out what happened, you have to click through and read it. Because so much was happening — and most of it not good — earlier in Flip's journey, each time I got an update, I got a knot in my stomach. It was particularly unnerving when I would get the email notification on my Treo and could not log on to the site to see what was going on.

However, that trend has changed. As Flip is healing, the updates are becoming more positive; more "up" than "down." I'm sure to Flip, it seems a very long path is yet to go (and there is) but it does seem like he's turned the corner, thank God.

So, the other day, I get the email notification of an update. As soon as I can, I click through to the site. Sometimes the updates are from my sister. Sometimes, from Flip. They're ususally several paragraphs. This update was one sentence. It was from Flip.

Dying Young or Keeping a Food Diary?

Today’s winner of the no-duh award goes to the Kaiser Permanente study that found out that keeping a food diary doubles diet weight loss. OK, that’s a little mean because it is a valid study, but it shows that people who keep food diaries lose more weight than people who don’t. At WW, diaries, journals, or “quick track systems” as they’re now called, have been a staple of the program since I joined in 1971.

There was a also a study not too long ago that said that the reason so many people gain weight — or at least don’t lose it — is because people who DO NOT keep track of their fod intake tend to underestimate how much they eat.  The New England Journal of Medicine said they eat by
as much as 47 percent more then they think they are eating and  overestimate physical activity by as
much as 51 percent That’s an amazing statistic when you think of it.

Let’s say one only underestimates her intake by 25%. I mean that’s still a lot but less than the maximum. The average woman needs about 1200 to 1500 calories to maintain her weight. (To use a calculator to figure out what you need — your BMR — go to this post.) So, if she’s off by 25%, that’s about 300 to 400 calories a day. Since it takes 3500 calories to put on a pound, she’ll be putting on a pound about 10 days! (Sound familiar?)

By tracking what you eat, you become conscious and aware. That unto itself tends to slow down what you eat. (Even after maintaning my weight as long as I have, I still keep a food diary.)

So, what’s the comment in the headline about “dying young?”

One Minute Survey On What Motivates You?

We’ve all got them; those habits we’d like to change: losing weight, getting fit, exercising more, spending more time with the family. Whatever it is, I’ve set up a one-minute survey as part of my new, motivational support website. Please take the survey by clicking here. There’s no obligation. Right now, I’m just trying to get it moving. Thanks.  (Feel free to pass it along to others.)