Choosing A Program For My Lifestyle Change

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Thoughts on Choosing a Program

There is no one size fits all when it comes to eating strategies. Choosing a program for weight loss must be carefully analysed to see if it fits into your lifestyle. You must be able to stick with your program for life, that means long term, plain and simple.

That doesn't mean that you won't be adjusting your plan, so where you start out might be far from where you end up. The main thing is to learn as you go and make choices that will keep you headed towards your end goal. My end goal is Optimal Health, a healthy thin body and sharp mind.

In doing my homework, I looked for a program that would help me get to where I desired to spend the rest of my life.  I knew I needed easy quick weight loss and an opportunity to learn how to change my eating habits and beliefs towards food.  There are many programs out on the market, I have done most of them during my 40 years of trying to loose my excess weight for good.  The problem is I have not ever succeeded, in making permanent changes.

It's not that I haven't learned anything in my 50 years on this earth, it's that I am human and haven't figured out how to take this knowledge and make it work for me. So I am going to throw off my humanness, trust in my higher power and do everything possible to apply my knowledge to create a new lifestyle. I am changing my eating habits on my journey to obtaining a healthy thin body.

I could write books about what I have learned over the years, the right way to loose weight, keep it off, the best foods to eat or avoid, etc.  I could co-author with almost all of you as well.  We have the knowledge, we have the tips, tricks, secrets, we have it all.  We have will power and desire, we really do have it all.  So what is our problem?  

Our problem is that we have not changed our minds. Mind control over ourselves is the only way we can change our lifestyle for the better. It isn't that hard, in fact it is easy.  But we do have to decide where we want to be and then consistently work on our habits, so that time can be our friend as we make new our new habits work for us. 

Each of us have different tastes and food desires. We each need to recognize our likes and dislikes and understand how we can build our healthy lifestyle.  I will always love chocolate, but I visualize chocolate as my friend. I don't over use it, I respect it. I definitely will not give it up, but I will have a healthy relationship with it.

All foods will fit into a healthy lifestyle in moderation.  So my favorites like bread, bacon, chocolate, tortillas and turkey dinners can be included in my meals as I live a healthy lifestyle. However, they will only be used in moderation.  Moderation to me means a healthy relationship. I am in the process of learning how to respect food and how I can understand and experience a healthy relationship with food for my overall health. 

I am able to restrict certain foods from my meal plan right now, because of the Take Shape For Life program.  Normally when a food is restricted from your diet, cravings are triggered and eventually you are driven crazy with desire and soon you give in and start eating that restricted food. When you are on a healthy weight loss program, your cravings dissipate and you are able to have a healthy relationship with the food around you.

This is not to say that you totally give up your favorite foods forever.  But from personal experience I am finding that these favorite foods are loosing their fanatical hold on me.  Take pizza for instance, one of my favorite foods because of the bread crust, tomatoes, veggies.  Not so much the meat parts. But I love bread and veggies.

So for my first 3 weeks on the Take Shape For Life all was well.  I was doing just fine adhering to the plan and soon my initial cravings for bread, sugars, salts and fats disappeared. But then one day, I couldn't stand the idea that pizza was off limit for several months.  So I made pizza.

Cauliflower crust pizza. Yum!

Cauliflower was my crust, cheese from the Meatless Options list, veggies and a homemade tomato sauce made my pizza.  It was ultimately fantastic!  I really loved the fake pizza!!  But, isn't there always a but?  But, I still wanted a bread pizza.  Stupid, I know, but I was desperate, at least I thought I was desperate.  

It didn't help that there were pizza ads everywhere. A new add for Papa Murphys showed up at our house, and every one else's in our city. Stuffed crust pepperoni for a pretty decent price.  I gave in and had my Hubby order one.  We do have kids after all, and they are not on the Adult version of the Take Shape For Life program. So I ordered it for them.  

Who would guess that they really did not want pizza? They had some, but then there was tons left over. My plan was to eat the cheese and toppings with one bite of bread/crust. But the best of plans often fail. So after that first bite, which tasted fine, I couldn't stop. After several bites, I realized that the pizza didn't taste fine, it was rather blaugh.  My cauliflower pizza was better in overall taste. 

It was my brain that was mixed up, what I believe about the taste of pizza crust made of bread was not worth stopping my journey towards ultimate health. In fact nothing off program has tasted as good as my progress feels!! Sometimes we all have to make those choices of eating, tasting off program to realize that we can stay away from these foods for a while as we reach our goal weight.  

While on maintenance, and as I add these foods back into my eating lifestyle, I will be able to manage my desire to remain healthy and eat proper portions. I will be master over my food choices and enjoy every bite that is alloted on my meal plan I make. I have great plans for the rest of my life. I will be healthy and happy.  I will be able to move easier and enjoy activities with my family and friends unlike I have ever done before.

My homework brought me to the Take Shape For Life program.  I had invested in the Medifast foods before and I had lost weight on their program. I knew that the Meal Replacements would help me loose the weight I needed to part with.  I came back to Medifast because of the Take Shape For Life program.  The program offers a personal health coach with the purchase of the Medifast Foods.  

The coach and Take Shape For Life tools are helping me loose the weight and alter my eating habits and relationship with food.  This is a lifestyle change and not a diet, get the weight off and go back to my old non-working habits.  A wonderful lifestyle change that will allow me to take care of my health and then take care of my family's health and teach them how to eat healthier for Ultimate or Optimal Health.

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