The ME I WANT to BE - Weight Loss Support Week of July 20, 2003

[greysangel]

Good morning everyone!

I have been enjoying my weekend off. Yesterday was the perfect free day...no binges, no overeating, no guilt and all pleasure! I made the picnic oven fried chicken, Lindas baked beans and roasted yams for dinner and enjoyed a portion of everything! I decided yesterday I wanted to bake and made up some cran banana muffins which were delicious. I enjoyed one yesterday and will enjoy one today and apart from the sugar, they are pretty virtuous! I bought a new journal for my second challenge, and I am on fire. I really hope I can keep this burning inside me. Seeing the pics yesterday just put me in the best mood. Eating well on free day made me feel even stronger :cool: I'm ready!

For those of you who didn't see the end of the last thread, the direct link is:
http://www.greysangel.com/wwjeanne/jbfl1.html

Not huge changes but definite changes and that's good enough for me!

Daily promise - to have another day like yesterday..it was an awesome anchor :)

This week's topic is an article from August's Energy Magazine. It's a long one, but I feel there are good messages here. Please take some time this week to put down the bat and honor the body you have.

I will post this on a separate post coz it's long :D

JeAnne

[greysangel]

You and your body
by Susan Bierma, Energy Magazine

Whether you like it or not, your body is your lifelong companion. You are in a relationship with it - and it's not the kind where you can pack up your bags and slam the door behind you when things go sour.

For better or for worse, in sickness and in health, until death do you part. So why not approach it like any relationship you want to work? Listen. Nurture. Support. Feed its passion. The payoff is a mutually beneficial partnership that energizes you and helps you achieve your life goals.

"You and I are not our bodies," says Maria Nemeth, Ph.D., founder of the Mastering LIfe's Energies and Befriending Your Body seminars, and recent guest on the Oprah Winfrey show. "If we look at any philosophical or spiritual approach, we know we are much more than our body. But we have a body and because of that, we have a relationship with this body. And if we want to be successful in life, we have to learn how to have a relationship with this body that's a partnership and not adversarial."

Imagine going to a couples counselor with your body. What wuold it say about being in a relationship with you? According to Nemeth, what many of our bodies might say is: "She never feeds me. She never rests me. She's always comparing me to other people and if I get the slightest imperfection, she wants to hide me. I don't know if she really even cares about me."

"Often when people take their body's point of view, they come up short," Nemeth says. She says the first step to improving your relationship with your body is to quit worrying about whether you love your body and instead realize your body loves you. "If you look at whether or not ou love your body, what's going to happen is all your complaints about your body will come up," Nemeth says. "Instead, the question is whis: how would you behave if you knew your body loved you absolutely and all it wanted to do is support you? "That was a new way of thinking for me," says Linda Tell, who recently went through one of Nemeth's workshops. "It made me realize I wasn't treating my body very kindly. I wasn't paying attention to the signals it was giving me. When it said it was tired and wanted me to rest, I would keep pushing myself. Or if I was eating and it gave me cues that it had enough, and "this doesn't really taste good', I just kept forcing it down. I wouldn't want to treat another person that way. So, if I personalize the concept of my body-seeing is as someone who loves me- why would I treat it badly? That was a real eye-opener."

But what if you feel your body has betrayed you in some way-perhaps it's a sports related injury when you're training for an event, or some other ailment that's slowing you down? "Your body does not betray you," Nemeth insists. "Your body is subject to laws of physical nature. Often your body is doing the best it can, but something needs to be tended to." Instead of becoming frustrated and angry with your body and exercising through the pain, for example, Nemeth suggests working through the problem as you would in any successful relationship. "Within the context that you love each other, you work out the best strategy for taking care of that pain" See a doctor. Adjust your training. Whatever you do, dont ignore a problem, take action to address it.

Similarly, you wouldn't like it if your partner or friends were constantly comparing you to other people and held you up to some impossible standards. So don't do it to your body. "We are assailed at a very early age with these idealized, brushed photo finish, no varicose veins, celulite free looking people and we become interested in having bodies that, as closely as possible, approximate these shapes," Nemeth says. "There's nothing wrong with looking good. The problem is taking your attention away from the body you have and putting it on all these external images. That creates a diconnect." Rather than trying to acheive a certain weight or size- based on what you think your body should look like- Nemeth suggests creating goals around what you would like to do with your body that would be fun. You and your body's goal might be riding your bike from inn to inn during the fall leaf change in Vermont, running your first 10k, being able to give your kids a run for their money out on the playground for an h our, or competing in your favorite sport for a city league.

If you think about it from the relationship standpoint, it makes sense. What works better in your relationships with other people - trying to change and control the other person, or working together toward a comon purpose that brings you both joy? Taking a partnership approach to exercising has helped Tell see results she could never achieve in the past. "I'm seeing changes in my strength and measurements, and I've lost 5 pounds in two months, which is pretty incredible. One of the things I see now is that my body has been patient with me, and many times I have not been patient with my body. I'm giving myself more time, rather than expecting it's going to happen immediately."

To shift from a disconnected or negative stance toward your body to a productive partnership you need to "clean out the closet of your mind," Nemeth says. "Get rid of all the old clothes that no longer work for you. In the closet of our minds, those are thoughts." Your relationship with your body can be a reciprocal cycle of feedback, wisdom, support and energy.

(There are a few exercises ...let me know if you are interested and I'll type them out!)

[slknight]

JeAnne, wow! I really like that article. Thank you so much for typing it out. I've got to go think about this.

-Susan

[clairea]

JeAnne, that is a great article. I have never thought about things that way, but it really does make sense.

Last week was ok. DH and I have been doing South Beach Diet -- today is the beginning of our second week. He is really having a hard time with it and wants to go ahead and move into phase 2 (where you start adding back some good carbs). I'm not sure whether I'm going to do another week of phase I or not. We were pretty much eating the way he suggests for phase 2 before we started, and I have definitely had a lot less energy this past week. I did lose 4 pounds, though, so that was nice. I just need to decide what to do. The only things I am really missing are my kashi at breakfast and fruit.

Claire

[Hkgall]

WOW - What an interesting concept. Right now I'm promising myself that I will think of my relationship with my body in this way atleast once a day for this week.

Last Friday went exceptionally well following the processed foods nightmare I purchased at the grocery store... I had a serving of cheeze-its and some coke. To balance that out I was moving all day, and then at the last minute went with a friend to my 1st Body Pump class in 5 years. Yowza! Followed that with 25 mins of running, and I am still feeling it! Definitely going to incorporate Body Pump into my workout plan - I love the total strength workout you get.

Hope everyone had a great weekend!

Holly

[JanetJ]

Great, great article. Wow...that really gave me something to think about. Thanks, JeAnne. I'm going to send this to a couple of friends who may appreciate it.

I was MIA from this thread last week....first time this year, I think. Let's just say that I wasn't very "on plan" last week...in fact I think I forgot that there was such thing as a "plan." No excuses, no beating myself up...just confessing here and announcing that as of this morning I am back on top of the game. Lots of challenges to face this week - 2 different golf tournaments I'm participating in for work with lots of free food and beverage up for grabs. Guaranteed exercise though, right?

Hope everyone is having a wonderful weekend and looking forward to a great week!

[sarah louise]

I was really interested in the article. Thanks for posting!! It gave me a lot to think about, and I am definately going to try harder to nurture my relationship with my body.

I had a good beginning last week, then we went out of town Thursday for a wedding. We stayed with family and it seemed impossible to stick to my plan (I know I could have tried harder). I actually missed eating healthy and I am looking forward to get back on track tomorrow. This is new for me!!

Thanks again for the inspiration! -sarah

[greysangel]

Holly -

Sounds like you had a great day!!! Woo hoo!

Janet - Consider it a body/mind break. I did that this weekend and it felt awesome to just have two days off...not crazy eating, but just a break from planning/sweating/obsessing :D Jump back in and be accountable!

Sarah - It feels good to eat right doesn't it? I just wish my mouth and taste buds were as happy with cottage cheese as with ice cream :)

Good morning everyone! The fire is burning in my belly and I'm on day one of a new challenge. This morning I kicked my arse doing the rock hard challenge. Just when my legs were wobbling and begging for mercy, I got on the tread and squeezed in some sprints. Wahoo!

Today I promise to train in the kitchen and in the gym with heart and soul! Gym accomplished :cool:

Quotes for the day:
Exercise is the spark; nutrition is the fuel. - Bill Phillips.

Every drop of sweat is your fat cells crying - Yahoo group (I love this one)

Make it a great day everyone!

I'll be back later to post the three exercises with that article seeing as everyone liked it so much. I thought it was pretty great too and plan to spend a lunch hour or two this week doing the exercises.

JeAnne

[greysangel]

Just a reminder as well that this isn't just WW support...everyone and anyone is welcome here :) We all have the same issues and the same goals.

Exercise #1
Draw a big square on a piece of paper and label it BOX A. In it, write down every complaint you have ever had about your body. Start from your toes and go all the way up - from the thick ankles to your funny ears, or whatever the case may be. But don't stop there, also include limiting traits about your body, such as, "I have no balance, therefore I could never ski" or "I don't have good hand eye coordination, so I could never golf."

Then draw another big square next to it and label it BOx B. In it, write down all the fun things you would do with your body if it weren't for everything in BOx A. One of Nemeth's clients, a woman in her 50's, wrote down "surfing in Waikiki" "And you know what, she ended up doing it and having a ball," Nemeth says.

After you've filled in your squares, notice which one gives you energy and whicy drains your energy, in which there is an opening for possibilities versus a repeat of the same patterns you've always followed, and how you will feel and behave toward your body based on the contents of each.

Now choose which box you are going to focus your attention on for the rest of your life. Whichever one you choose, tear up the other one.

If you choose to focus on A, your list of complaints, at least you'll know why you always get what you've always gotten.

If you choose B, you might want to perform some sort of ritual to destroy Box A, such as burning it in a bowl. "You are hereby declaring that you will focus on your fun goals and ways to achieve them, and that every time you notice yourself focusing on your complaints about your body, you will tell your mind, 'Thank you so much for sharing, but I choose to focus on Box B' "And you will even inform your friends: 'every time you hear me talk A stuff, you have my permission to point it out to me'".

more later!

JeAnne

[greysangel]

I must be bored today...you ladies aren't very chatty today!

Sit down with your favorite lotion and rub it into your hands. As you do this, appreciate everything your hands have done for you over the years. "One woman remembered how her hands held her first child for the first time and one guy looked at his hands and remembered all the times his hands saved him from falling, because he's a rock climber. It doesn't take more than 10 minutes, but you will be amazed at how appreciative you will become of your body."

3
Find a quiet place and lie down or sit in a chair. Take deep breaths, concentrating on your heart area, "because it's through your heart that your body speaks to you, not through your head," Nemeth says. When you feel a warmth or a sense of opening in your heart area, ask your body the following questions:

What is your wish for me?
What is your hope for me?
How would you like to support me?
Why have you chosen to be my body? (Sounds weird, but wonderful)
How can I support you?
What would you like from me?
How can I be a loving partner to you?
What have you been trying to tell me?
How can we be in partnership?
How can we best play together?
What makes you happy?
How does it feel to know that I know how much you love me? (convoluted but important)

Nemeth suggests doing this a few times because your body is eager to respond to you, but the problem is, you're not used to listening.

"One of the things I realized from this exercise is how tired I sometimes get and that I don't acknowledge that," Tell says. "If I do take a break, I often sit down and turn on the TV, but the message that comes through to me is that my mind is tired too, wants a break, and the TB is not making me feel rested. That was a huge awakening. As a result, I decided to take a nap everyday."

Eventually, you can tap into your body's wisdom more frequently and spontaneously. You can ask at any time, is this something you really want to do or eat?

According to Nemeth, your body is just waiting to support you in reaching your life's potential if you'll let it. "one of the things you'll discover is that your relationship with your body, unlike other people, is probably on of the most unconditionally loving partnerships you will ever be in. It's up to you to wak up to this unconditional love. If you do, you have a chance to use this special energy of physical vitality to bring about your most relevant and meaningful goals and dreams for life."

And now my fingers are telling me to rest them!
;)
JeAnne

[gertdog]

Hello all,

JeAnne that was a fantastic article, thanks for sharing it (and all the exercises too!)

I had a good week of exercise, but my eating was pretty off. We made an unexpected trip to the midwest for DH's grandpa's funeral and I didn't really have much say in what food there was to eat, nor did I feel I should make a fuss. There was just whatever friends and neighbors had brought to the house- some meat and cheese, lots of potato chips, and TONS of cake, cookies, pies. So i did my best but it still wasn't good. Cheese sandwiches and cake do not a good meal make.

I will get back on track this week...

Stephanie

[pattiarl]

JeAnne, I am anxious to read those articles but am a little busy at work today.

Well, things seem a little better for me. Had a blast at the reunion although I ate and drank way too much. I tried not to stress about it, but just really get back on the wagon today. And I have been good although I won't make it to the gym today. I journaled (honestly) and have left points for dinner tonight since I am going over to a friend's house. I will make it a point to WI today and I think that will help motivate me.

I have to work or have plans every night this week so I am a little bummed that I won't be able to eat at home. I am trying to meal plan but it's a waste if you're not eating at home!

Everyone seems to be in good spirits this week--keep up the good work.

Patti

[SallyCC]

Great article this week. I really like the exercises and the concept of the unconditional love our bodies have for us. It really makes sense.

I am really fine tuning this week. I am focusing on carbs...I need a wake up call so I am emphasizing more veggies and keeping the carbs real low for this week. I did read the SBD book and I am using some recipes from that book but I am very hesitant to 'jump on any bandwagon'....although what I am reading does make sense. My husband had kidney stones and then was hospitalized (with a migrane)..these two scary weeks are really a wake up call. I have been doing WW ( I love my meeting) but I've been basically staying around the same for months. There are so many good resources here on this board ( and online) that I feel very lucky. I know from past experience that deprivation is not the way to go but having variety and a menu plan that is good is important for me. The article this week made me think about other ways I can take care of my body. I did start golf lessons with my friend and my godchild (who is also my friend) five weeks ago...and I am finding that fun. I went out and bought a set of clubs last week!!

Have a good week!
Sally

[pattiarl]

Okay, I didn't do so well yesterday (too much wine) but at least I journaled it and moved on. Today is a new day and a new slate.

Hope everyone else is having a good day.

Patti O.

[greysangel]

Stephanie and Patti;
In some situations you have to just make the best choices and go with the flow. It is wasted energy to obsess over it or to beat yourself up about it. You can always wipe the slate clean, get a big ole cup of water and whip out the journaling pen.

Sally - Sounds awesome! I always think it's great to mix it up and think we live in a time that information of all sorts is readily available to us. We owe it to ourselves to investigate and pick the best courses of action for ourselves!

Yesterday was a "10" day. Eats were so squeaky I think CA heard me :cool: Gym kicked my booty and I did it again today.

Today I promise to move forward by repeating yesterday's success.

JeAnne

[ebobbitt]

Greetings! Just wanted to check in. I'm having a horrid week at work and in my personal life--I feel like I'm on some crazy ride and I can't get off. I'm supposed to weigh in today and hopefully I'll actually make it there. Everyone have a good week and I'll try to check in again later this week.

[pattiarl]

Hang in there, Elizabeth, and I hope things settle down for you.

And JeAnne, congrats on yesterday. I know you will repeat it today.

Good day all.

Patti O.

[Hkgall]

Woo Hoo! A loss!!!

2 whole pounds to be exact. I am LOVING my new workout schedule (running & body pump 3x's/week!). I'm at a new low after hovering at the same weight for 6 weeks, so I feel extra-empowered. The weight I was at had been a "resistance level" for me I think - had been at that weight for a long time in college. But really, the changes in my strength and tone are what excite me the most! For anyone out there who's in a plateau, I highly recommend changing up your exercise plan, and/or what you eat. Give your body some surprises! I just added those body pump classes and my body is definitely responding to the change.

I have been thinking about my body as a separate person every day... I think that it would say that I take it on something of a rollercoaster every month, but I do think it would say that I'm making a strong effort to make positive changes. That's pretty good for me for right now.

Hope ya'll are having a great week!

Holly

[greysangel]

Today's promise is to make the best choice I can at a company lunch.

Holly - great advice on changing it up! And also many congrats on your loss :)

Hang in there Elizabeth...hopefully the storm will pass!

JeAnne

[pattiarl]

Great news, Holly. I have been going to BP for a while and I loved the changes it made when I first started going. I haven't been to a strength class in a couple of weeks and I am ready to get back into the groove.

I bought brown rice for the first time today so I can try to garlicky brown rice recipe (along with the bourbon glazed pork chops and peaches.) I have to work or I have plans until Monday so I am a little bummed I have to wait so long to try these things--all my attempts at menu planning get foiled :).

Patti O.

[JanetJ]

Hi everyone! Just stopping in here admist a crazy, crazy, crazy (did I say crazy?) few days at work. I'll be out in the field (read: golf courses) the next couple days and wanted to connect with this thread before facing the challenges ahead. I've been on track all week and having plans in place to keep it that way.

Elizabeth, hang in there and I hope things get better for you.

Holly, congrats on the loss!

[Chefzhat]

Was away last week and couldn't check in, but I'm home now and trying to get ready to go camping. Struggling with a bit of pneumonia. The medicine is making me feel awful and I cough a lot. Should be a real treat to the campers on the next lot!!:D

JeAnne, those articles are great! I purchased some lotion the other night and sat on my deck and rubbed it into my hands and tootsies and thought of all the great things they've done for me - babies, braiding hair, walking to class, walking down the aisle, wearing rings, walking on the beach, jumping for volleyball, writing letters, starting my car . . . It's funny how much I need to force myself to sit down and appreciate things. I'm going to incorporate it more into my week.

Eating has gone well, gone slightly low carb just to get off the junk food kick. Maintenance is back on track, I guess. The support here is amazing - good eating everyone!

Debie

[BeckyM]

JeAnne -- Thank you, thank you, thank you for that article and the exercises. That is such a refreshing way to think of one's body. I know I don't do enough to nurture that relationship! In fact, over the past weekend and the beginning of this week, I was eating way too many sweets, not listening to my body saying it had had enough. I definitely need to do exercise #1 and start focusing on the things I can do with my body if I work in partnership with it.

Because of my very poor eating habits this past week, I was up a pound and a half when I weighed myself yesterday. :mad: It angers me that I did that to myself after working so hard to get that weight off. But I'm back on track as of yesterday morning, and though I'm still craving the rest of that Grasshopper Ice Cream Pie that's in the freezer, so far I'm resisting and substituting healthier choices.

I have been doing fairly well exercise-wise, though I do think I need to figure out how to incorporate some other activities into my routine. Right now I'm mostly just walking with my 10-month old daughter in the baby backpack. It gets me some good exercise, but I need to add in some stretching and weight training. I have some Pilates videos I used to do before I was pregnant, and I loved those, so I need to figure out how to work them into my schedule again too.

Promises for today:
* Think about my relationship with my body
* Stay within my points and make WISE choices about how to do that

Becky :)

[greysangel]

Janet - Have fun in the field!!! :cool:

Debie - I also did the lotion one...I really liked it. I did it to my feet too...my feet have been good to me.

Becky - You faced the music and now it's time to move on! Resist the grasshopper pie..the first bite tastes as good as the second/third etc.

Today I promise to find a way to pick my spirits up and feel positive...I have no reason to be blue!

Jeanne

[greysangel]

Hi everyone;

I was going to wait until Sunday, but I figured I sort of wanted to put it out there sooner than later. I've done a bit of thinking and after religiously doing this thread since jan 02, I've decided to take a little break. I feel I need to refocus my energies and feel the healthy living board has certainly grown enough that there is plenty of support on other threads.

I totally encourage y'all to keep the thread going if you want to and I'll be sure to pop in every now and again as I can't totally stay away :cool: There's also the HLS thread, the BFL support thread, the low carb support thread and the monthly challenge threads for inspiration and support.
keep believing it's possible!
JeAnne

[clairea]

((((JeAnne)))). I have always been amazed at your ability to keep coming up with support and encouragement for all of us week after week. It takes an incredible amount of energy to do that for as long as you have, and your wisdom and kind spirit on this thread and elsewhere have touched more people than you will ever know. I know there are many people who have found a lot of inspiration following your story, so I hope you will continue to let us know how things are going on the weight loss/fitness front. I also want to congratulate for recognizing now what you need to do for yourself, and actually doing it! That is a tough thing to do, but it is so very important. I hope we are still going to see you around the boards, even if not on this thread as often.

Claire

[BeckyM]

NOOOOOOOOO! JeAnne, we NEED YOU (said in a whiney voice)! When I read that you're planning not to continue leading this thread, those were my first thoughts. I really appreciate your perspective on this whole weight-loss & healthy living journey. You always seem to have something inspiring to say that seems to speak right to me and gets me back on track if I've strayed. I am sure that this probably takes a lot of your time and energy, and I can understand that you might want/need a break. So the logical, unselfish part of me says thanks for all you've been doing, and good luck with the other things you choose to focus on in the future. The selfish part of me says, ARE YOU SURE? ARE YOU REALLY GOING TO LEAVE US? Anyway, I will miss you, and I'm grateful for all the time & energy you've devoted to us!

Becky :)

[newtricks]

((JeAnne))
I hope your reason for laying this to rest is that you *are* the you you want to be. And my wish for you is that you see yourself as others do - so kind, and funny, cool, smart, and yes, totally inspirational. And judging from the pictures a babe as well.

You might not realize how many people are inspired by you. Myself, for example. I participated here for a while last spring (2002). I lost some weight, then stopped, then gained much of it back. On my journey to figuring this all out I kept coming back here. Did I *ever* write anything? No. Was I heartened and inspired that you were still here? Absolutely. You gave me hope that I could find my inner strength and resolve. Thank you for that.

You'll still be around and posting on the Good Food board as well? I hope so.

Peace. Barbara

[gabbyh]

Dear JeAnne,

I will be forever grateful for all of your inspiration that helped me, personally, to get on track and know that "I CAN DO IT"!

You are the reason that I was able to get this monkey off of my back after many, many years of trying...although I'm not where I want to be...yet...I am well on my way!

Regards,
~Gail~

[greysangel]

((((((((((((HUGS))))))))))))

Thanks everyone. Believe me, it means a lot.

Barbara - the answer to your question is yes and no. In some ways I am the me I want to be. And yet now there seems to be what Martha Graham calls a "blessed unrest"...I'm happy where I am, but I'm eager to do more and be more.

There are a few reasons why I made my decision, but it all boils down to needing to break away from a food focus. It's always about the food, and yet I am finding so many mental leaps and bounds because of the gym more than the kitchen.

I never really planned to go anywhere and the thread can very well survive without me being at the forefront :D I could never totally leave the CL boards as I've made friends here and face it, I love food! But I also need to find things that support where I'm going in my journey as well.


You ladies have done a lot to be proud of....weight loss, better attitudes, recognizing behavior patterns that don't fit what your goals are, lower cholesterol and blood pressure and better health. Don't make the mistake that it's anything other than THE HARD WORK THAT YOU DO EVERY DAY TO MAKE IT HAPPEN FOR YOU!!!! Support is awesome..I love my husband, I love the inspiration I get from others ahead of me, I love guidance and advice. However, at the end of the day I'm the one that makes it happen for me.

Here's a great poem/letter. It's one of my favorites that I stumbled upon in college and has more meaning now than ever before.

There is a vitality, a life force, a quickening
that is translated through you into action,
and because there is only one of you in all time,
this expression is unique.
If you block it,
It will never exist through any other medium
and be lost.
The world will not have it.
It is not your business to determine how good it is;
Not how valuable it is;
Nor how it compares with other expressions.
It is your business to keep it yours, clearly and directly,
To keep the channel open.
You do not even have to believe in yourself or your work.
You have to keep open and aware directly
to the urges that motivate you.
Keep the channel open.
No artist is pleased.
There is no satisfaction whatever at any time.
There is only a queer, divine dissatisfaction;
A blessed unrest that keeps us marching
And makes us more alive than others.

- Martha Graham to Agnes DeMille

[kwormann]

Even tho I mainly lurk, I DO lurk and it is sad to "see" you "go"

You are such an inspiration to all of us. Without you, the other support threads probably wouldnt exist.

We will miss you! Please dont stop coming to the BB...I NEED your great recipe reviews:)

[SusanL]

you need to do what is best for you but please know that there are many bb members who count on your inspirational messages. But I understand if you need to take a break. Please know we will miss you and welcome you back when you are ready!!!
Love,
Susan

[newtricks]

I guess I should say I hope you are the you you wanted to be when you started the thread! Keep on.

Also, did you read this months Oprah? It's good and her essay in the end reminds me of the article above about your relationship with your body.

[pattiarl]

JeAnne, I will miss you so much but I am glad you are doing what you need to do. I can honestly say that I would not be where I am today without your leadership and the support on this thread. I do hope that you will continue your work in the kitchen because I so enjoy reading your reviews:)

Not to be a copycat, but I also wonder if I need to focus my energies elsewhere to try to get off this plateau :confused:

Best of luck and a world of thanks.

Patti O.

[greysangel]

hee hee...just to reiterate...I'm not going anywhere :) I just felt that with leading the thread for as long as I did, I felt a certain amount of obligation to be "here" for everyone...to respond to everyone, to post an informative topic, to encourage, kick, hug, cheer up whatever :D That was responsibility I put on myself and now I just need a break from that. I need to focus on what's going to take me to the next level. It sounds completely selfish, but sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do. What one person calls obsession, another person calls dedication. I have to be dedicated to my journey in order to go forward!

But I'll still be around! Patti - focus is key. Whatever area you choose to focus, hone in on it. Take the steps necessary to form a positive habit. I'm convinced that half the work is in our heads :D The rest falls into place after we clear out the head part!

JeAnne

[kwormann]

Dont worry about feeling "selfish". Women are condiitoned to feel guilty if they take care of themselves....when that is what we actually need to be doing!

SO kudos to you!!!:D