Patricia lost about 30 pounds with my program and she recently shared how she got to celebrate her sixth anniversary with her husband by having a very decadent dinner including dessert! Her shared experience exemplifies her tremendous growth and with permission I share it with you.
So it was our six year anniversary and in lieu of gifts and cards we decided just going out to dinner is what we both wanted. It was a really nice place and they make high end food. A filet is $45! So I enjoyed myself and took advantage of their cooking prowess. I didn’t look at the menu and think “healthy.” Instead I looked for things I can’t cook. I looked for special items.
It was a special dinner with special foods. I love to treat myself, splurge and celebrate and I felt really excited!
We looked at the menu and I found an appetizer that was special-pork belly. No one cooks this so it felt special. And it was fantastic.
When the meal came I knew I would eat about 1/3-1/2 and then ask to have it boxed because I wanted to save room for dessert. Anniversary dinner has to have a dessert! So we each got a small dessert and shared each other’s.
The next day, I pulled out the other half of the filet and ate it for lunch. I gave the smoked cheddar mashed potatoes and the rest to my husband to eat.
It was the ultimate dinner and I would do it again. It was a meal and evening to remember.
Yes I got on the scale the next day and weighed as I do everyday and there was a two-pound gain but I didn’t freak. I just buckled back down, and now, a day later, it’s already gone.
So I asked Patricia if this was different than prior to her taking and graduating from Lifestyle 180
She wrote me back …
OH yeah! Leanness Lifestyle University is helping me to delve into these topics/issues that have held me back in the past. In the past if I went off whatever current plan I was on, well shit, I blew it! Because this course is set up so differently and is more about long term success, I can stumble and then choose to go forward. It’s not pass or fail. I can choose my behavior, and then reap all of the consequences, positive and negative. THAT is huge for learning. I stick in it. I gut out the thing that comes next and the most important thing after I gut it out is learning that nobody died. It’s okay! I can then choose to pull it back on the tracks.
A splurge is no longer a program-ending disaster. I cannot tell you how I needed to learn that. Ya, intellectually I knew it but really authentically getting through it helped me develop so much confidence. When I think about it, THAT is one of the tools I will need for a lifetime of maintenance.
My past was: try to eat on plan–imperfection?–QUIT. Well that’s not good. When I used to do that I didn’t learn anything except how to quit and that created the feeling that something must be wrong with me.
Because you foster an environment of support and non-judgement you have allowed me to f up! And I’m a better person for it. Boy did I need that!! Its my journey.
David Says
What a transformation, from the inside out. The journey isn’t always easy, there are hills and potholes and roadblocks galore and we acknowledge that right from the get go. We don’t bury our heads in the sand or chant affirmations that are supposed to make it all better, all the time. And we don’t Pollyanna our way through life as though there aren’t negatives, difficulties and so many life events that do make us say “F! me!”
But we also don’t allow ourselves to live with stinkin thinkin for too long, we learn strategies for improving mindset, attitude and focus so that as life continues to dole out pain, struggle hardship and adversity we are better life managers, we become more emotionally fit, and through it all we become better at making choices with our food, our movement and we are gifted with a true, authentic sense of freedom.
The notion that once you lose the weight you’re NEVER going to be able to eat anything decadent or that even tastes good is ridiculous. As Patricia so exemplified, she made that conscious choice to eat a very decadent, splurgy meal for her special day – a sixth anniversary with her husband.
We welcome you as you are if you’re ready to make the change and transform from the inside out. Lifestyle 180 is the course Patricia took but you can check out what we have available HERE.