A Perfect Storm

Sometimes, things happen that are completely beyond one’s control. You know, like solar eclipses, being late for work after hitting ten red lights in a row, or having your cable television box fail the night your favorite show airs. A couple of days ago, I found myself in the middle of such a quandary.

My boyfriend’s parents were in town visiting from the UK. When we met over dinner, these delightful souls presented me with a box of Godiva chocolates for my birthday. I’m not talking about the dainty containers with a nibble of four squares either – this was a premium box of about 20 pieces, each with individual names and bio descriptions that rivaled professional athlete trading cards. In prime PMS mode, my brain silently screamed “jackpot!” But I tried to take the high road and hide the box from myself in the depths of my kitchen pantry. It didn’t work. The next day, alone and struck with an intense sweet craving, I broke into the box like a crack addict seeking a fix. The cute little chocolate covered cherry in the pink foil wrapper – appropriately named “Cherie,” was the first to go. Many of its friends soon followed. Within an hour, about 2/3 of the box seemed to magically disappear.

The reason I wanted to share this story is to clarify a misnomer. After you lose weight, you don’t have to be “perfect” to keep it off for good. Sure, I do make healthier food choices most days of the week, and exercise very often. But it’s okay to sometimes indulge your sweet tooth. In fact, I usually plan on one day each week to eat whatever I want, which might be a dessert, or tortilla chips or something fried that doesn’t typically hit my radar. That means that I don’t have “all or nothing” rules to rebel against. What I’ve learned, though, is to accept the indulgence and then move back into my regular habits. A couple of hours after the chocolate binge, I ate a very healthy dinner…whereas years ago, my instinct would have been to gravitate towards something intensely fattening since the day was “ruined.” Then I went back to my gym workout and my regular eating habits in the following days, balance and harmony restored.

So what did I learn from this experience? While premium chocolates and PMS might comprise the perfect storm, taking a long-term perspective can minimize any damage.

The Siren Call of the Desert

Just got back a couple of days ago from my annual girl bonding trip to Canyon Ranch in Tucson, Arizona. Been going for the past three years courtesy of my dear friend, Jennifer Grizzle, who is altogether sassy, smart and incredibly likable, despite her enviably low body fat ratio. This year fifteen “ranchettes,” as Jenn calls us, participated in the experience. Being my third outing, I didn’t have the dewy glow of a newbie visiting the mothership of fancy spas for the first time, or last year’s sense of being a pilgrim returning to Mecca. I just knew that it was important for me to be there.

There are many things that I adore about Canyon Ranch. For starters, my naturally curly/frizzy hair looks amazing in the absence of humidity. The athletic facilities and workout classes rock. I love their desserts, especially the peanut butter mousse and to-die-for chocolate ice cream topping that is paradise in a little 90 calorie serving. Their spa treatments are sublime, which isn’t that surprising since a few even sound like desserts themselves…just ask my friends who tried the warm vanilla float. But the thing that I really dig is the enlightenment.

You see, right now I’m figuring out how to infuse my passion for health and wellness into my career. My PR firm already handles food and consumer clients, so it makes sense to add more in those areas and others related to healthy living. As some of you already know, I completed a book proposal last month on how to maintain weight loss for good once the diet is over. Been interviewing women who lost at least 50 pounds or more and kept it off for over five years, the point at which your chance of regaining the pounds really diminishes. The insight I gained from my soul sisters in lifetime weight loss has been amazing…we’ve got some great, empowering information to share with the world. All factors considered, I felt that Canyon Ranch would help me develop even greater clarity about the future.

So I booked time with a counselor in their healthy living practice. Had a reading with Catherine, the astrologer, who is so good that she converted me from a non-believer into a third-time repeat client. Even had a reading with their psychic, Pat, who was spot-on. Took spiritual walks and soaked up the ambiance. Wrote in my journal like crazy and spent hours in self-reflection. And you know what? It turns out that like Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz, I had the answers within myself the whole time.

My experience proved that sometimes you’ve just got to get completely out of your everyday life to see what lies ahead. Glad I heeded the siren call of the desert. Might not have had any celebrity sightings this year, like sitting next to Diana Ross in 2007 or spotting anchorman Ted Koppel with his wife in 2008. But I’m starting to build the bridge to my future, and that is incredibly exciting!

Seventeen Years of a Lighter Life

Seventeen years ago this month, something rather mundane and yet earth-shaking, at least for me, happened. That’s the day I decided to adopt a healthier lifestyle for good. You see, I was a trans-fat addict, with an extra fifty pounds on my 5’4” frame to prove it. The average day consisted of Oreo cookies for breakfast, French fries as my primary “vegetable” and multiple vending machine treats preserved to last a couple of decades. Sounds lovely, doesn’t it? Add in an aversion to exercise and it is no wonder the scale topped 175 pounds.

Yes, I tried diets in the past. And that was part of the problem. There was always something to rebel against. I was doing it for everyone else in my life except for the most important person… me. Inevitably, a few pounds would be shed only to return a few weeks later with new friends in tow. Unhappy with my life, I started working with a therapist earlier in 1992. That spawned, after a few months, the desire to treat myself like a friend. It all came to a head on Friday, September 4, 1992. My college friend Leslie came into town for a visit and Samantha, my then and still best friend, decided we would all hit her gym for a step aerobics workout. This was 1992, people…a time of big hair, big shoulder pads and aerobics classes filled with skinny chicks wearing spandex tights. While intimidated, I decided to go. Didn’t have anything remotely appropriate to wear, so I grabbed a big t-shirt and extra large pair of shorts from my-then guy’s dresser drawer and headed out. I was the biggest girl in the class, by far. But I loved it. I loved the music, and feeling like I was dancing, albeit with a four inch high rubber platform. Positive energy filed the room. An hour later, completely exhausted and out of breath, I finished the class. It was an ecstatic moment, and ultimately life changing. I decided to join the gym and the following week began taking classes before heading to work in the morning.

Over the course of fifteen months, I ended up losing the weight. Taking it off slow really made a difference. I methodically focused on eating healthier, began guzzling water like a frat boy inhales a keg of beer, and continued to increase my exercise. That same approach has helped me keep it off for good too. In fact, that is why I started this blog…to share what I’ve learned along the way and the wisdom of others who have embraced a permanently lighter life. Looking forward to sharing with you!