Losin With Susan -- Pass the Affirmations, Please

One of the first things I noticed when we (the biggest winner team) started this diet was my reaction to food.

I'd see cheesecake and think I can't resist that. Though I'd wrestle myself away, it was always a struggle.

A few days into the diet, when confronted with chocolate marshmallow cookies in the cookie aisle in Walmart, I took a breath, said, I want to be thin, and walked to a different aisle.

The day after that, when my husband and son ordered pizza, I popped a Weight Watchers pizza into the oven telling myself, I like these better anyway.

As I thought that, I sort of paused, realizing that how I talked to myself made the difference in whether I walked away happily or had a huge struggle.

Now, I know all about positive affirmations! LOL. I've been doing them for my career for decades. I can write. I love to write. I'm happy to have this career. I CAN write a book in three weeks (that was for a special occasion).

I've been telling myself positive things about my writing, my abilities, my desires for this career forever. So why did I have such terrible beliefs about food?

Who knows? At this point, what difference does it make how or why my mind was such a bad place when it came to food. All I had to do was KNOW I had some bad thoughts running through my head and KNOW I had to create some good ones.

Like:

I love to eat veggies. (It's true.)
I love fruit.
I love oatmeal.
I long to be thin.
I look good in my orange bathing suit and want to fit into it again.
Eating well gives me energy.
I feel better when I eat well.
Vitamin water is my friend.
I have a closet full of thin clothes just waiting for me.
I need this success...

Let's pause here for a sec...

I need this success is a special affirmation. Do an experiment with me now. Take a breath, close your eyes and say that...I need this success.

I need this success.

What happens to your psyche or soul when you say that? Do you feel it? Do you feel how much you do need it? How much it will mean to you...I think so. I can't say that without getting a little heart hiccup.

It means something to me. That's what makes affirmations work. They tap into something deep inside of us that longs for whatever we're affirming. They remind us of who we are at our core. They remind us that ... we need this. If you do them right or well, they can also remind of us WHY we need this. Because if you know why you want something, it's so much easier to achieve it.

So copy my affirmations and start your day repeating them into the mirror. Say, good morning self...I love veggies. Do this every morning -- adding your own affirmations as you go -- for one month and see if your struggle with your weight doesn't take turn for the better!

Happy Friday. Enjoy the weekend. But remember...life isn't all about food. Every event doesn't have to be about food. Life is about people. Don't eat as much as you socialize. Make somebody feel good about him or herself. See the joy on someone's face when you really take the time to listen when they talk. That's really the spice of life. (I learned that volunteering at Hospice, by the way. There is no greater joy than giving someone a voice. Letting them know they're worthy of your time.)

By the way, my weight loss for this week was 3.38%. Not bad. I was "the biggest winner" on my team and also out of the 100 participants!


susan