As you may recall, last week I asked you to consider several questions about eating, exercising and just plain living. Considering the answers to these questions helped me to shed more than 30 lbs. recently. I have kept it off for several years now and I think this is largely due to thinking through these questions. So today I have some more for you to consider and I promise…these are the last ones! (I heard you–you just said, “Hallelujah!” or “Thank God.” Don’t deny it!):

1. Do I need to clean out the pantry and the refrig and the “stash” (Yes, I know some of you hide food from your family.) so that I’m less tempted? I often designate one side of the pantry or a couple of shelves to “my food” so that I’m less tempted to eat the junk food that everyone else in my family insists on having on hand. *sigh* Remember—I’m still “in progress,” too! This may get better after the DS goes to college. I sure hope so!
2. Am I ready to actually design a way of eating and exercising for the rest of my life? If not, then stop reading this now until you are. Why? Because you do have to do this the rest of your life. The reality is that you’re aging (even if you’re a teen!), so your body is going to start rebelling about this and keep rebelling for the rest of your life. So unless you’re willing to make a sensible diet and exercise plan that you can keep going for the rest of your life, this won’t work. End of story. Deal with it. It’s reality. But, you can do this!
3. Is it easier for me to count calories, points, fat grams, carbohydrate grams? Is it easier for me to do portion control? Is it easier for me to weigh my food? Is it easier for me to just have the food put in front of me, ready to go? Is it easier for me to avoid restaurants? (The portion sizes and calorie counts in most restaurants are ridiculous!) Do I have time for meetings?
4. Can I work exercise into my routine? Do I do better with 4 workouts a week ? 5 per week? 6? 7? Again, I defy research and actually do better with 7. Why? Because I can get really, really lazy if I skip one. I change them up, so that the intensity is lighter one day and harder the next.
5. How often do I need to weigh myself? Experts say to do this once per week to keep your morale up. Actually I do better knowing, each and every day, exactly where I stand. It determines the intensity of my workout and gives me feedback about what foods pack on the pounds and which ones don’t seem to bump it up even an ounce. I do have to tell myself it’s ONLY a number and not who I am.
6. What are my strengths? Are you great at keeping records? Then, log everything you eat and go to town with spreadsheets! Are you a writer? Then, journal about how you’re doing and how you’re feeling! Are you a reader/researcher? Then, google about diets and exercise to your heart’s content and find the tips that work for you. Do you get lost in TV shows? Then, plant that TV next to a treadmill and work out to your favorite program. I bet you’ll workout longer than you thought! Are you a brilliant chef? Then, take healthy foods and conjure up great recipes of eats for all those days when you don’t feel like eating “diet food.”  Do you like to do crafts in the evening? Great! Just don’t eat while doing them! Use these things to your advantage!
7. How do I sabotage myself? I tend to take the chip bag to the couch with me and before I know it, I’ve consumed the whole bag! I also tend to eat everything that’s in front of me, whether I’m hungry or not. I can make a mountain range out of an anthill, particularly if it’s an opinion about myself as I try to change my health in a positive way. So, I have to have a battle plan for when I do these things. They are going to happen—I just have to have ways to cope with all of this nonsense!
8. What is the best thing I can gain if I do this? I have some real health concerns that could take my life at any minute and so, when I want to be a bum about eating right or exercising, I remind myself that I want to hold a grandchild in my arms someday. That future grandchild is what gets me off the sofa and onto my treadmill. So, is the teeny bikini the “best thing”? Is it getting a date with that one person you’re dying to go out with? Is it not having to take medication that you hate taking? Whatever it is, keep that idea firmly in your head at all times! And no, no one else gets to judge your “best thing,” as long as you don’t turn it into an obsession!

Don’t miss You 3.0: MIP Eating Plan on Friday!

Tomorrow’s Post: A book is a poem? A poem is a book? (And I thought I was long-winded.)

You might also like: You 3.0: Mindset, Part I, You 3.0: Mindset, Part II, Lessons Learned from Visiting Sam Moon for the First Time, Absolutely, It’s All about the Splash