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General Weight Loss Tips

Living By My Mission

Figuring out what I want is key. Any time that familiar voice tells me “Well you could eat a pint of ice cream. No one would know. You could just start over tomorrow. You deserve it.” I have a back up plan, and that plan is my mission. My mission is to do what is good for me, not what I think I deserve momentarily.

Binge eating takes me away from my mission. My mission is to be the best version of myself every day. To be present and engaged, to create, to be good to myself and my husband, to be good to others, to spread and share creativity and hope.

When I eat too much I can’t participate. I can’t be there for myself or anyone else. I have no energy, no hope, and no will to create or follow through with my mission. Food in excess robs me of time and I’m a firm believer that time is the most precious thing we have. How I spend that time is crucial. Not seeking perfection, but giving myself the best possible chance.

The struggle these past couple of weeks is knowing the difference between binge eating and frequent vs. occasional overeating. And being okay with this part of the journey which has not been completely effortless. But, I trust it eventually will be.

When I’m challenged I do two things. One, I realize that my desire to eat too much is just that, a desire. Acting on that desire means nothing more than getting out of the discomfort of having the urge. I don’t force it away, I just sit with it. I also remind myself of my mission and the decision becomes more clear. Binge eating (or even frequent overeating) is not apart of my mission and the bigger picture of what I want for myself.

Do you have a mission?

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General Weight Loss Tips

New Year, New Look

Welcome to 2011! I have to say I’m so excited for the new year. I don’t specifically know why, but I have a lot of energy and excitement about new adventures and opportunities this year. 2010 was so good to me, and I just feel very good about the direction I’m headed in.

You may notice a new header on my blog. The last one bugged me from the very first day. I wanted something new and threw that one together very quickly. I liked the type and colors, but needed something a little cleaner and focused on my blog goals. So here it is. A photo of me from my Wear it Well Fall 2010 ecourse, a photo of my favorite meal, and a photo of my first 5k bib. Food, Fashion and Fitness.

I’ve also updated my “About” page, which I hope you will check out. It was lonnng overdue. I think I last updated it two years ago. I needed a new mission statement of sorts because I feel like I’ve finally figured out what I want this blog to be and where I want it to take me. I wanted it to explain who I am and where I stand with my health and weight loss efforts as of today. My biggest blogging struggle came from comments expecting me to be like other healthy living bloggers.

And I don’t see myself in that category, at all. I see myself as someone still on this journey. A lot of the healthful lifestyle bloggers are about women who gained some weight during college and then lost it. They also blog about everything they eat. I admire their discipline and hard work and am not at all knocking what they do, but that is not who I am. If you’re looking for those bloggers check out my “inspirational blogs” list and you will find many. They inspire me and I aspire to be more disciplined.

I’m someone who needs to lose 150 lbs to be considered “average weight”, I have been overweight or obese my whole life, I struggle with food addiction and binge eating disorder. I also enjoy  a whole range of foods, I enjoy cooking, shopping locally and organically. AND I love pizza, indian food, mexican food and a whole host of other food items that just aren’t traditional “diet” fare. My goal in the coming year is moderation, not elimination (except for sugar). And I will get there, this is just my journey. I’m not an advocate for anyone or any way of living.

My deepest wish for my blog is that I can inspire other women more like me, who have a lot of weight to lose, who have pain (emotional and physical) when they exercise, who deal with binge eating, who are afraid of who they have become, who fear what they could become. That we can do this, that it is hard, that we can have a wonderful life in the meantime, and that we can love and nurture ourselves the way we truly deserve.

I also wanted to mention that I now have a Facebook (centered around this blog) for anyone that wants to be friends and communicate that way. And I can be found on twitter: @lorriefenn.

And finally, thank you for reading. Thank you for being here for the past four years, commenting and emailing. Sharing your stories with me and rooting me on through this journey. Your kindness and time here are not lost on me and the effort I put into my blog. I hope to bring more of myself to this space this year and am very excited to share with you.