Saturday, November 27, 2010

The French Skinny Epiphany

Karen - Day 119 - Burbank

As soon as I saw this guy I knew today would be magical.


Today's the day I finally had the French Skinny Epiphany.


2:30AM- Wake up from a strange dream. Lay in bed watching thoughts circle around my head.

3:00AM - Meditate and ask for guidance.

3:30AM - I sleep.


7:00AM - Hubby wakes me with this breakfast.
I tell him I need to take a long walk today and he tells me to take as much time as I need. I grab my camera and head out.
I decide that today's post will be called "Shooting Gnomes." I don't have any myself but I love them and think what people decide to put in their gardens is fascinating.

I spot my first Gnome, the little guy up top, and shoot him.

Then my mind starts to try and figure out how much time I have for this walk and I should really get back home to let Hubby do a little work on his own and blah blah blah.........stop!

Today I will not worry about some fictional amount of time I think is okay to take for myself.

I breathe.


Then I spot this guy. Isn't he wonderful?


I start to go crazy snapping pictures.


To me this flower looks kind of shy.



I breathe.


And start to follow paths I hadn't seen before.


Which way to go?


I walked up a street I had never explored before.

A seclude little street that went straight up a hill. I see this beautiful red rose and start snapping pictures. I'm in my own little world loving the seclusion when I hear a car coming down the street. I feel myself willing the car to keep going. Keep going. It slows down. I'm still taking pictures of this rose. My back is to the street. Please don't park here. Please. The car stops right behind me. Damn, now I have to explain why I'm taking pictures of this person's garden. I turn off my camera, turn around and say...

"I'm sorry, I was..."

"Karen?"

"Cris? What are you doing here? You're supposed to be in Arizona!"

"We're here for a wedding! And this is my friend's house. What are you doing here?"

"Taking pictures of your friend's rose."

Cris and her friend get out of the car. My mind is racing. This is definitely mind blowing. Her friend invites me in to take pictures of their hydrangea in the backyard.
This seems very surreal.



They're having a pirate party for their kids today.


I snap some more photos.

Then I'm invited in while everyone is getting ready. Cris starts asking about The French Skinny Experiment and how it's going. I hear this.

"French Skinny Experiment? What's that?"

Cris introduces me to her friend's husband, The Doctor.
Not only is he a doctor but his specialty is weight loss.

I sheepishly start to explain The French Skinny Experiment. For some reason I'm intimidated. But this Doctor is one of those people who is passionate about helping people. He sits and talks with me for a long time. I honestly don't know how long because I was just in the moment and trying to pay attention.

He explained to me about fat cells. What they are and how they are released from the body.

He told me why I gained weight when I did 8 miles and 80 flights of stairs for 8 days. (And it's not because I gained muscle.)

Then he got to the heart of my problem. Portion size. He said that in France, the portions are a fourth of what we eat here. I told him that I have cut my portions down to what I refer to as Lilliputian size and he said I'm still eating too much. Then I blurt out something I hadn't even known I was harboring.

"Well, for the most part, Shaboom eats twice a day and that's it. That can't be healthy."

He smiled and said, "It is healthy. It's much healthier to eat 2 small portions a day and no snacks than to have extra fat on your body."

My whole body sank and I said, "So you're talking about a diet. I'm trying to find the answer to never dieting again."

He said, "I'm not talking about a diet. I'm talking about smaller portions becoming your new normal."

"But I'll be hungry all the time."

"No you won't. It only takes your stomach 3 days to get used to it."

"But I LOVE to eat. I really don't want to give that up."

He smiled again and said, "You will enjoy your food more."

I didn't believe him, sighed and said "Really? How is that?"

"If you were to eat 30 grapes for lunch you probably wouldn't remember it. But if you were to eat 3 grapes for lunch you would really enjoy them."

For some reason this clicked. It was if I could literally feel, in my brain, all the pieces of the French Skinny Experiment puzzle started to fall into place.

Click. Click. Click.
1. When Shaboom first went to France she was served every meal by her French boyfriend. She quickly go used to French portions. I didn't realize it but I had been afraid to eat the French portions Shaboom eats because I thought it wasn't healthy.

2. It takes 3 days for a person's stomach to get used to smaller portions. Then this becomes the "New Normal".

3. By eating less I will enjoy my food more.

4. I can eat ANYTHING I want just like Shaboom.

5. I don't have to do stairs and long walks anymore because I am chasing a 4 year old around all day. Bye Bye stairs!!!!

6. I will never, ever, have to diet again or work out again.


I walk home on a floaty cloud. Click. Click. Click. The puzzle was complete. A sense of excitement yet calm surrounded me.


HOPE







11 comments:

  1. In my mind, The Doctor is that second gnome.
    And magic.

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  2. Wow!!! What an amazing sequence of events! I think the same way you do, it is a hard habit to break. I agree with the comment above, that doctor is a magical gnome.

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  3. Best post ever. And I think your gnomic doctor must be correct...although, I would like to know exactly why the 8 miles a day made you gain weight (out of curiosity).

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  4. Please -PLEASE- explain why you gained weight when you did 8 miles + 80 flights a day. I've been working out like a fiend and simply cannot drop the weight.

    (I read your blog religiously, but have never commented before. I love your blog!)

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  5. YAY Dr. Small Portions! YAY Karen! YAY readers old and new!!!

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  6. I love this post. I'm going to start small portions right this instant.

    Just as soon as I finish my leftover Thankgiving pie. So, you know, tomorrow.

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  7. I just cried...seriously. Smaller portions I can do...80 flights and 8 miles I cannot. I love this doctor! I also love how serendipitous your walk was...

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  8. Wesley's Mom, Yay Thanksgiving Pie!

    Zanymad, it just keeps getting better and better from here on out:)

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  9. I'm glad I stumbled on this blog. I love this epiphany as it highlights the basic passion of eating food for both nutrition and pleasure. I started already by eating only half my lunch. So far so good. :)

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  10. I know this is very late but I'm following up on the post mostly because I'm curious about WHY you gained weight when you worked out if it wasn't muscle. Did we ever find out? :)

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  11. Hi Kittie, Yes I did find out. Apparently it happens quite a bit. The harder I worked out the hungrier I got. And the more I felt I should be able to eat. I mean, I was doing Sooooo many miles and stairs and crazy working out I would come home starving. To keep up my strength I had to keep the fuel going. It was a vicious cycle. I found that, for me, running around with my kid and walking to the store and back didn't tax me in the same way. I was able to eat French Skinny portions and stay full. I didn't feel like eating because I "deserved it". I just ate when I was hungry. The pounds fell off after that.
    I hope that helps!

    xoxo
    Karen at French Skinny

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