Weight Loss 4

So I've been pondering which weight loss system to adopt, per Martha Beck's instructions in the Jump-Start section of her book The Four-Day Win. I'm leaning toward using the SparkPeople nutritional tracking tools to monitor daily calorie intake. They also have tracking tools for exercise, sleep, water intake, etc. I think that's all I'll need. I know my weak points are late night binges and not enough sleep. Otherwise, I think I eat pretty well. I'll get to the exercise goals soon.

Right now I really want to focus on getting enough sleep.

Synchronicity As Guidepost

As I am seeking a return to joy, I am being very observant for things that bring me joy. Synchronicity--or, as I like to think of it, magic--is a source of great joy and delight for me. I feel most at one with the universe when I experience synchronicity.

I was reminded of this a couple of days ago. I had written a post on this blog about how getting more sleep would likely improve my ability to lose weight. Later that evening, I had let those thoughts go, and my thoughts had moved to a very different track. I had read something about "signs" in our lives--things that have symbolic meaning for us, iconic images related to significant events, etc. The idea was that these signs are a tool used by our inner selves to help point our way, or act as guideposts to remind us of our unique spiritual path.

Weight Loss Factoid 1

I was just thinking about how getting to bed earlier seems to help me avoid eating food after dinner. Right then, a link to this article about evening eating by dietitian Becky Hand arrived via email from Sparkpeople:

Sleep is a regulator of two hormones that affect appetite, leptin and ghrelin. Leptin helps suppress food intake and stimulate energy expenditure, while ghrelin stimulates appetite, fat production, and body growth. When one is sleep deprived, the level of leptin drops and the level of ghrelin increases. The result is a drastic increase in hunger. One study reported a 24% increase in hunger, with excessive, uncontrollable cravings for calorie and carbohydrate packed foods such as cookies, candy and cake. It can all add up to a vicious cycle of late night binges, lack of adequate sleep, uncontrolled snacking, late night binges, and so on.

This information could help me avoid late night eating. I need more sleep to take care of myself lovingly anyway. This is just one more motivator.

Weight Loss 3

On to Jump-Start Plan Stage 3 in Martha Beck's The Four-Day Win. Today the exercise was to complete a questionnaire to figure out my current diet profile. Martha has found that some people like lots of information and others don't want to know the details. Also, some people like a lot of external structure and others want to be independent of external structure. She's come up with 20 questions which help identify where a person falls within that matrix.

Weight Loss 2

Today I read Jump-Start Plan Stage 2 in Martha Beck's book on weight loss called The Four-Day Win. It described how to work with two aspects of myself, the Dictator and the Wild Child. Here is an exploration of each of them and their motivations.

Earning a Joyful Living 1

For the past couple of years, my "day job" has been taking care of my little grandson (now 2 years old) while my daughter is at work. In return, she pays nearly all the household bills. I also continue to do a little webdesign in the evenings and on weekends, mostly for clients I've worked with for years, which pays reasonably well. I also write a newspaper column on "locavore" eating (eating locally grown food as much as possible), which pays very little. I enjoy doing it, though, and I've recently received invitations to speak and teach classes on the subject. Neither of those pay much either, unfortunately.

For most of my life, I've made at least enough money to get by comfortably. I've gone through a couple of periods where I didn't always know how the bills would get paid, and also a couple of periods where I was making enough more than I needed to accumulate savings and even investments. Right now, however, I'd like to be making more than I am. I want to make enough money so I can always do whatever I want, purchase whatever I want, travel wherever I want, go to school again if I want, etc. Retirement age is approaching as well, and I would like to have extra money set aside to cover eventualities.

My immediate goal is to figure out how to earn six figures ($100,000+) annually in the limited amount of time I have to devote to earning a living and doing something that excites and energizes me.

Weight Loss 1

As I began studying Martha Beck's book, The Four Day Win: End Your Diet War and Achieve Thinner Peace, I (of course) jumped almost immediately to the Appendix, entitled "The Four-Day Win Jump-Start Weight-Loss Plan." Martha promises quick initial results by following this Jump-Start Plan, though she also insists on a commitment to work through the entire book to achieve lasting results.

Okay, okay, says my impatience. Or is it my eagerness? At any rate, let's get started.

Weight Loss: It Begins...

One challenge to living in joy for me has been being overweight and the health effects that come along with it. For one thing, I often feel physically exhausted. Who wouldn't if they had an extra hundred pounds clinging onto their body? For another, trying to lose the extra weight has been demoralizing, and I've allowed it to seriously damage my self-image. I've berated myself for not having willpower, for being weak, for having no self-control, for allowing myself to become unattractive, for being a slob, etc., etc., etc.

Feelings About Whitney Houston

Last Sunday I watched a long special on OWN (Oprah Winfrey's TV network) about Whitney Houston. First there was an interview of Houston by Oprah. That was followed by an interview with the family about Houston's death.

I felt strongly pulled to watch the programs, though at first I didn't understand why. I have enjoyed Houston's music very much, but didn't really want to know all the maudlin details of her demise. I try to avoid filling my mind with images of pain and negativity whenever possible. I just don't see the point of seeking out misery.

New Teachers

I have worked with many wonderful teachers in my life--some in the flesh, some through books, some well known, others quite unrecognized, and some not very much fun--all have touched my life in ways for which I am infinitely grateful.

For the past couple of years, I feel like I've been on hold in terms of personal growth. So much change and activity has been going on in my physical life that I've had little time to reflect on what it all means. Recently I've started trying to catch up with myself, to catch up on growing from my experiences.