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




1 comment:

  1. Hi Shanon, you don't know me at all, (I'm a friend of Georgia's) but I know exactly how you feel. I have also lost a significant amount of weight (at least significant for me) that has been hanging around since my daughter was born four years ago. Since May, I've lost over 25 lbs, and am back in my pre-wedding clothes. (Actually, pre-wedding cloth. I have one piece of clothing that I've kept since my wedding b/c "There is NOWAY that will ever happen again!") I haven't been eating primal, but have been exercising five days almost every week and cut out desserts/sugars. The reason I'm writing this comment is b/c you wrote that the secret to being fantastic is not about tape measures or scale numbers - it is how you feel about yourself. This REALLY sticks with me and I think that you nailed it on the head! I think that the one thing that has made the difference in my motivation of getting up and going to the gym, even when I dreaded it, even when I had cramps or a headache, even when EVERYONE else in my family was still snuggled up, sleeping in, or eating pancakes, is simply because it was not about the weight. It was about caring for myself. The lbs lost is a happy side effect but the real win is how I feel. Most days, I start out feeling like I could conquer the world. Everything that my kids/husband/Satan/the world throws at me seems so much more manageable. Even weeks like this week, when I've gotten to the gym a total of two times, and binged on raw cookie dough like it was my last meal are easier to take. I know that I CAN get back on the wagon, get back to the gym and I am capable of making changes. That cookie-dough binge doesn't define me, and what is life without a little raw cookie dough anyway? But 99% of the time, I make the good choices and force the self-discipline. I know that I'm more powerful than cookie dough - six months ago, I can't really say that I was so sure about that. So hang in there - you can do it - and so many of us are encouraged and strengthened through your transparency! Thanks for writing!

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