Finding Mary #2 - Attitude

Hellooo!

I started talking about my approach to eating differently in FINDING MARY #1 (tap on the link).  I hope you enjoyed it.   I'd like to talk a little more about that new approach today, and in true Pout style I'll slip in a few outfit pics whilst I'm at it!

I can only tell you what works for me, we're all different and I'm not a dietician or a medical professional.  Always consult with your doctor before making changes to your eating or exercise regimes.


What Happened

Grey cashmere/merino polo neck, v. old suede skirt which fits me again!

Epiphany!

 At the beginning of the summer I made changes to what I ate and how I treated myself.  Why? Because I had an epiphany.   Yeah, epiphany is a bit of grand way of describing a life event of a mediocre blogger, but epiphany is what it was.
 I saw a rare glimpse of myself 360° and my reaction was that the real me was trapped in an alien body, or a Monica fat suit!

Mary's in there somewhere, I cried, release Mary!
(Or as Pythonites would cry "welease Ma-wy!")

It sounds a bit sci-fi, I'll give you that, but that's what happened!

I realised many things immediately after this epiphany.  I think epiphanies have a way of doing that, opening your eyes to the truths then finding you the tools to manage what needs to change.

And things did need to change and for the right reasons and mine was that I was in the wrong body!  I set about finding Mary.

Grey suede boots from Debenhams.  Attitude, model's own!

Attitude Shift

I realised I needed to be kind to myself.
I'd tried the bootcamp style deprivation in the past and I was walking talking evidence that it doesn't work.

I realised I needed to eat less than I was eating and less of what I was eating.
Btw, I didn't overeat - I ate less than most, I ate slower than most, but my body must need less than most.

I realised I needed to keep things Light Touch to have a chance of long-term success.

And it needed to happen NOW, not next month, after my holiday, whenever.  NOW.  Every single day of change would make a small  difference; a whole bundle of days would make a bigger difference.

Put simply, my attitude shifted.

And that shift allowed all the jigsaw pieces to fall into place.


New Approach

- I formed a loose undraconian plan to fit in with my epiphanal thinking.  (I may just have made up a new word -  epiphanal !).

- I talked my plan through with my doctor and he was cool.

- My plan quickly evolved into something that totally worked for ME.  There can never be a one-size that works long-term for all.  We are all different.

- Simple.  Light Touch.  Flexible.  Balanced.  Elegant.

Those are the words that fit what I'm now doing.  Present tense because I still have a way to go.

Attitude is the key to a successful weight loss regime.
Without the magic of attitude I was destined for mediocre, short term success on repeat.

I now realise that attitude drives whether I'm successful or not at losing weight.   It's pivotal.  The reason why I want to lose weight and my approach to achieving this are essential to success.  Without the magic of attitude I will have limited success and status quo will return.  That's why I've covered attitude today, for what I eat is almost secondary.

I'm writing in the first person, btw, because I can't prescribe for others.  I'm in the driving seat for my personal journey.  But are you finding my ramblings in any way useful?

I was out and about early, so I needed a snuggly car shawl (Next).

Now I'll stop at this point.   I could carry on wittering, giving you the nitty-gritty, the food plan, the whats and whens of my weight loss journey to-date, but perhaps you're not really interested?  Maybe I'm talking to myself!
But as usual, whether you want to comment about today's subject or about something else entirely, I'd love to from you.


A la perchoine,
Mary.