Joyeux Dimanche - Here's to you!

Karen - Burbank, CA

I took this yesterday. The holidays are here, ready or not!

Happy Sunday.

As we speed toward the holidays I had to dedicate Joyeux Dimanche to you!

Thank you for keeping me inspired.

Sarcastic Bastard said...

This is so helpful and well-distilled. Thank you! I found you through Ms. Moon's page.

Best,

SB

December 3, 2010 12:34 PM

Than you Sarcastic Bastard! I love your name and Ms. Moon too!

Joni N. said...

So glad you had your epiphany. I had mine this summer. I was having back problems (degenerative disc) and had to totally stop working out (except for some physical therapy exercises) for about 4 months. Freaked out about not working out, I watched my portion sizes and ate reasonably heathly foods. To my amazement, I actually lost a couple of pounds (I'm not overweight to begin with). I'm back to working out again but just for 20 minutes a day. I discovered that I don't need to kill myself working out hard because it only made me hungrier and frustrated. Now I'm so much happier.

December 2, 2010 5:08 AM

Joni, I'm so glad you found your epiphany too! Thanks for sharing this!

thecommonsensualist said...

It's very interesting, isn't it? I had a similar epiphany about a year ago. I stopped dieting, stopped constantly worrying about how many times a week I went to the gym. My only rules for myself were 1. don't eat mindlessly and 2. If you're not really enjoying it, stop eating it/don't cook it. But as I went on, I noticed small habits I'd had all my life: like eating in the car on the way home from the store (!), putting too much on my plate at once (I usually only use dessert-sized plates now, unless it's a bulky salad), plopping down on the couch with snack food at the end of a tiring night at work and watching tv (now I take a book into the bathtub instead).

Instead of gaining weight uncontrollably as I thought I would this year, I went up slightly at first, and then started going DOWN...and this is with barely walking the past 2 months due to an injury. But the best part of all: I feel like I'm 'myself' again, not trying to fit into anyone's idea of what I should be like; and I have zero anxiety towards food, only joy and anticipation. That's pretty much what my whole blog is about...

bon chance! not that you'll even need it. :-) you got this.

December 4, 2010 7:49 AM

Of course this is why I have gravitated to TheCommonSenualists blog. Her motto is "eat only what you love".

I now eat "only what I love" and if it's not absolutely wonderful I pass.

karen in slo said...

Okay, I've got to say that you are blowing my mind.

I've been reading your blog for so long, but it's always been in a "fly on the wall" sort of way. I've been cheering you on (in my head) but NEVER did I consider that this is something for me. No way, Jose.

My Type A personality feels safer with counting things. Counting calories doesn't work for me because I become crazy-obsessed way. I usually do an "unoffical" weight watchers approaching, journaling and keeping track of points. I also exercise like a fiend.

And I'm not losing weight. (this could also be due to the fact that I get frustrated and eat as much chocolate that I can find, and then have to start the process all over again.)

But now.

I can't get your recent posts out of my head. They're calling me! But I'm having serious control issues. How do I let go of counting?!

I'm nervous about trusting myself.

December 4, 2010 10:56 AM

Karen in Slo, thank you so much for rooting me on! I can absolutely relate to the diet mentality and working out like a fiend! How do you let go of counting? How about you give yourself a week off. Tell yourself you can always go back to the old way, this is not a diet. Remember to give yourself 3 days to get used to French Skinny portions, but eat whatever your little heart desires. No working out like a fiend just walking to the store, looking for gnomes and smelling flowers! When those sneaky little thoughts start to make you feel guilty tell them to come back in a week. Let me know what happens!

zanymad said...

I don't know why we didn't come to this conclusion sooner. As I think back over the last year that I have also tried all of the above mentioned diets, I also remember thinking that I wished I could eat like I was 20 again. The point being is that I hardly ate...I was, in my mind, never hungry. The truth of it is, I had so many other things going on, I only ate when I was hungry and stopped when I was full. I weighed 105 lbs. Now after two children, a nasty divorce and years of sacrifice, I've found that food has been my one constant. It has become a habit...even when I am not hungry. So now I am trying to break that habit...and thinking it sounds a lot more fun to do this in France!

Zanymad, you know how much I love you. You've hit the nail on the head and are EXACTLY right! Food makes us feel better. It just does. It can still be your constant. Just start eating French Skinny portions. They will become your new normal portions in 3 days and you will be amazed at how full you become. You and food can still be friends!

"Choose carefully and with passion!"