Goal Failure Syndrome, You Have It and Here Is The Cure.

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The post Goal Failure Syndrome, You Have It and Here Is The Cure. appeared first on Operation Self Reset.

Self Confidence Feeds

Joyful Freedom from Disordered Eating

This transformation is real. It is palpable. I am starting to experience life in the ways I experienced at when I was at my happiest and losing weight every week both on calorie counting and on Medifast. There is this happy contentment when you get in the groove of whatever diet plan you are on and you're seeing results and your body is getting healthier and healthier. It is aside from any angst about giving up certain foods because when you're dieting, at a certain point the results *really* are worth whatever you gave up and whatever effort you're putting in. The difference this time is, this feeling is not dependent on weight! It is not teetering on the edge of a crash into sadness and despair the moment you eat something "off plan" or see a gain on the scale. It is just a sense of things being *right* and your mind and heart being at peace.

I remember weighing in the 170's and 180's and just feeling like life was so much brighter and exciting. I was living and not just existing. All the fall leaves were vibrant and the air seemed to crisp and fresh. I thought this amazing feeling of being fully alive was because I had lost 100 pounds. But you know what? It wasn't. I have felt that way many times since then. But that sense of wellness has often been often fogged by the disordered eating thoughts that were dragging me down. The cravings... the compulsions to go and buy *just the right food* to eat and fulfill my "needs"... the sense of guilt and shame over my eating and my weight... all of those things were clouding up my happiness. But now that all of that is gone, I am free to fully live and experience life as it should be. And the best part? It has *nothing* to do with weight or "diet success." This is a beautiful thing. Eating disorders are like chains. Those thoughts that drive the disorder are a form of bondage. Being thin but still in that bondage is not recovery, and not true freedom. Diet obsession while thin is just as disordered as food obsession when fat. It is sad that eating disorders can rule one's life, but it's true that they do. You may be having good days and feel happy but always in the background is the chatter of the ED and the worry about relapse or how to quiet those thoughts. ALL of that is gone now. THAT makes any pounds gained as I worked on the mental aspect of this, worth it.

And now I am quite sure my body is returning to its best health physically, because the mental and emotional aspects are finally made right. The body will surely follow.






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I Forgot to Take My Own Advice.

Yesterday was Halloween.

In The Happiness Project, I write about celebrating “holiday breakfasts” — when, for minor holidays, I make breakfast fun for my family by putting holiday decorations  on the table and using theme colors (I dye the peanut butter black, dye the milk green, etc.). I keep it simple, so it doesn’t become a stressful obligation.

In the most recent episode of the Happier with Gretchen Rubin podcast, my sister Elizabeth and I talked about the fun of holiday breakfasts, and I described my Halloween traditions.

One of the main themes of my happiness project is memory. Time is passing so quickly; I worry that I won’t remember this time of life, what it’s like to have children this age. My shorthand for this worry is The days are long, but the years are short (of everything I’ve ever written, my one-minute video, The Years Are Short, is the thing that resonates most with people).

Celebrating minor holidays is one way to make time stand out. Because this day was unusual, it’s more memorable.

Another theme of my happiness project is light-heartedness. Instead of marching around checking things off my to-do list all the time, I want to take time for silliness, for fun, for adventures.

Holiday breakfasts are fun, make time special, and are manageable.

But here’s the thing. I know all this — and yet yesterday morning, I completely forgot to celebrate the holiday breakfast! That morning, I realized that it was Halloween, but it never once occurred to me to set up the decorations.

After all that discussion — I just forgot.

I realized by mid-day, when my daughters were already at school, so I set everything up later.  But I’m still kicking myself. Breakfast is more fun than dinner! Sheesh.

But oh well. When Valentine’s Day rolls around, I bet I won’t forget again. And I still took photos, and we got to enjoy the skeleton plates and pumpkin heads.

As you can see in the photo, our dog Barnaby was very intrigued by the holiday breakfast dinner decorations.

After the podcast episode, many people sent me photos of their holiday breakfasts, and I’ve loved seeing them (plus I’m planning to steal some of the ideas).

Do you celebrate holiday breakfasts? Or do you do something similar to make time special — in a manageable way?

The post I Forgot to Take My Own Advice. appeared first on Gretchen Rubin.

Self Help Gurus etc

Revealed! Three Book Club Choices for November. Happy Reading.

Because nothing boosts happiness more than a great book, each month, I suggest:

• one outstanding book about happiness or habits
• one outstanding work of children’s or young-adult literature–I have a crazy passion for kidlit
• one eccentric pick–a widely admired and excellent book that I love, yes, but one that may not appeal to everyone

 

Shop at IndieBound, BN.com, or Amazon (I’m an affiliate), or your favorite local bookstore. Or my favorite, visit the library!

For all the books I choose, I love them; I’ve read most of them at least twice if not many times; and they’re widely admired.  Drumroll…

A book about happiness, good habits, or human nature:

Essays by Michel de Montaigne

Buy from IndieBound; BN.com; Amazon.

 

An outstanding children’s book:

Rabbit Hill by Robert Lawson

Buy from IndieBound; BN.com; Amazon.

 

An eccentric pick:

D.V. by Diana Vreeland

Buy from IndieBound; BN.com; Amazon.

 

Some readers have said that they wished that I’d describe and make the case for my book choices, instead of just providing links. I’ve noticed that many times, when someone describes a book to me, I want to read it less. And often, weirdly, the better a book is, the worse it sounds.

Nevertheless, because so many readers have requested it, I’ve decided to give a bit more context for these choices in the book-club newsletter. So if you’d like to know more about why I made these selections, check there. To get that free monthly book-club newsletter, and to make sure you don’ t miss any recommendations, sign up here.

Remember, if you want to see what I read each week, I post a photo of my pile of completed books on my Facebook Page every Sunday night, #GretchenRubinReads.

The post Revealed! Three Book Club Choices for November. Happy Reading. appeared first on Gretchen Rubin.

Self Help Gurus etc

Just 24 Hours to Go to Get a 30% Discount on Any of My Courses

First off, thank you for all your kind emails and messages about the anniversary!

Now, there are only 24 hours to go until the 10 year website anniversary offer expires. So if you are interested in that then now is the time to take action.

Until 1.00 p.m EDT (that’s 17.00 GMT) Wednesday the 2nd of November you can get any of my products at a 30% discount.

Click here to learn more about the offer and my courses and guides

Self Help Gurus etc

Amanda lost 121 pounds

Transformation of the Day: Amanda lost 121 pounds. In college, she decided to start eating healthy and exercising to avoid a family history of type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure. Healthy eating habits and regular exercise were the tools she used for her year long transformation. Check out her story. My name is Amanda. […]

Related posts:

1. Ebony lost 128 pounds
2. Yanda lost 42 pounds
3. Quita lost 99 pounds

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Cycling to work may reduce heart disease risk

Cycling to work is linked to a lower risk of heart disease, which suggests that recreational or commuter biking may prove a significant health strategy.



via Obesity / Weight Loss / Fitness News From Medical News Today http://ift.tt/O45xlc