Thursday, December 4, 2014

I Talk to Myself, and You Should, Too

Alright, alright, alright. After a long hiatus for college degrees, family drama, and just plain insanity, this Primal Chick is back and looking to find my groove again. With the help of a fabooboo ( you know you missed that word in your life) nutritionist and coach, I'm down 12 pounds and 12 inches in the last 6 weeks, and almost 30 lbs since August 1st. I tried other eating programs, but primal just works for me. Without grains and sugar, I don't crave the crap. So, here we are again.

How do we start when we have to go back to the beginning? It's like doing the walk of shame every time I go to the scale; I know I've done wrong and everyone can see it, and it's just a bit humiliating. However, the lessons I've learned over the last year about myself are invaluable. I wouldn't trade the experiences I've had, because now I know. I know the secret of being fantastic. It has nothing to do with scale numbers and tape measures. It's all in how you think about yourself. If you believe you're worth taking care of physically, mentally, and emotionally, you will begin to make changes that show you believe it. Denying our own value causes us to keep doing the things that keep us fat, drunk, and stupid.  And that's no way to go through life. (If you know what movie that comes from, you are old like me.) Okay, maybe not the drunk and stupid part, but the fat, miserable part is definitely there.

August came and I looked in the mirror and wondered why I do this to myself. I started planning meals and going for walks, starting slow and marking my progress. Then I began to journal. Breakthrough! Seriously, it's like having a conversation with yourself, but you learn all kinds of things you never knew. It just comes out on the page and you find yourself thinking, "Huh. I didn't know I felt like that. Who knew?" Writing out all the jillions of things running through my mind helps me get control of what I'm doing.  I glue in things that resonate with me, like "Sister, put down that cheeseburger" and "You have to move your ass if you want it to get any smaller." I highly recommend journaling.

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 It also helped me see the crazy train pattern that I followed for so long. Lose weight, feel good, fall off the wagon, dive into that vat of Ben & Jerry's for a few months, wallow in self pity, beat myself up for all my failings, and begin again. I'm done with that. Let me off at the next station, because I'm not riding that train anymore.

So what should you expect to see here at Primal Chicks'? Recipes, of course, and tips on planning and preparing ahead of time, because that's still the only way to become a healthy, hot mama. I'll discuss exercise (I'm doing a boot camp now that is kicking my butt, but in a good way) and health. And you'll also see posts about the connection between your mental health and your physical well being. I still believe food is our worst poison or our best medicine, depending on how we use it.

If you're still out there reading with your jaw on the ground because a new post magically appeared after eons of nothing but tumbleweeds blowing through here, I hope you'll stick around. I'm restarting this conversation. You know I've got a lot to say. ~Shanon