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This message has been edited. Last edited by: Ben22,

Benjamin,
Best of luck to you. I too crave sweets and am not knocking down the doors at the gym. In fact I considered postponing this session until after Christmas. Probably a bad idea. But I just can't seem to get the sugar thing under control and this time of year it is everywhere. Maybe I will just start with the working out thing and take it from there...

Thanks Benjamin and deb,
I really needed your comments. I posted somewhere else because I missed that this formum is separate. I wondered if stopping caffiene and sugar really helped that much. Also, I am just now starting session 5, only watching the video, and am having a hard time with the diet part. I also have been procrastinating the exercise part. AND beating myself up over it. So it is once again late at night, I will begin with at least some sit-ups and jog in place or something just to say I started and do some tomorrow. We will make it! Right?

Don't forget that dancing around the house counts as exercise!

Great idea. I shall try it. Thank you.

Hi there,
Haven't done so great with the exercise thing again. But I do have to agree that dancing around the house definitely counts! Dancing to the "Grease" soundtrack is great exercise, my 4 year old daughter loves to watch me dance and sing until I drop from exhaustion ( doesn't take too long )
Anyways, I can definitely tell caffeine gives me anxiety attacks and had figured that out some time ago so I had already cut caffeine out before starting the program. Except that which comes in chocolate. I am not sure about sugar and anxiety and depression and exactly how that works.
I did start work on session 6 since I am failing this session so miserably and was beating myself up for it. I started wanting to stop the program I was doing so bad. I do know that when I exercise I feel so much better and stop craving the sweets but I need a kick in the a s s to get me going or something.
We are not alone, if we can forgive others and provide some comfort maybe we can show ourselves some compassion too huh?

Well, I only had two glasses of diet pepsi today and no coffee. I also did not resist
having some chocolate. Overall not too bad
for me. I like your determination Benjamin
and am glad you are attacking this at such
a young age. It has been a lot of years for
me, BUT it is never too late!

Hey deb, dancing is exercise. You have done
some exercise - which is more than I have so
far. I a-m g-o-i-n-g to make it though! I am.

Learning to make that infamous "LIFESTYLE" change that equates to "exercising & eating healthier/portion control" can be tough. However, tough doesn't mean IMPOSSIBLE, lol lol . Let your desire to feel better + recover fr anxiety disorder/depression be your motivation. Allow that "desire" to fuel your motivation to make those healthier changes Lucinda is talking about w/ food & exercise. I did it. If I can, so can you w/o a single doubt.

I originally started Lucinda's program back in NOV 2006. @ that time, I was lazy + wornout + very over-weight + didn't love myself @ all(a factor KEY in exercising & eating better). I'm 5'3 1/2 & I was size 22 - almost size 24 = apprx 215+LBS. That is a lot of weight for such a short person. Her program "stirred the pot" for me. Meaning, when she talked about the direct coralation b/w food/exercise & anxiety disorder/depression - I tested her out(chk me out, right lol) & did my own research on it(add'l homework in conjunction w/ the program) & my own analysis - like I was a walking/too much talking(hahahah - feeling quite silly today)science experiment. How? Well, I read books on nutrition/exercising - specifically aiming/focusing on its effects on anxiety disorder/depression. Remember, KNOWLEDGE is POWER. The more imformed you are = the more educated you allow yourself to become, gives you the TOOLS/SKILLSET you need to make the CHANGES in your life 1 needs to in order to recover. That, in part, includes nutrition/dietary intake/exerising. Next, I took her "cue" & started to implement SMALL changes in my food & exercising. Now, I am not talking about an instantaneous POOF - I'm changed - no. Little ones. Right away were caffeine & sugar. Then, as best I could @ that time, I started w/ food - 1 day @ a time - 1 MEAL @ A TIME: making a healthier choice @ bfast, for example. Instead of bacon/egg/cheese on a roll & homefries & pastry(remember, I was fat - just KEEPING IT REAL to prove my point)- I'd have scramb egg on a roll ONLY - w/ fruit(like a fruit salad). AGAIN, sm changes - 1 MEAL @ A TIME. I WAS TESTING LUCINDA, I WAS. I wanted to see LITERALLY - if I ate a little better & moved my tushy even just a little something EVERYDAY(like she recommends) - would I feel better in terms of ANXIETY LEVELS. My "motivation" back then & even now was MY WANTING TO FEEL BETTER. I meant it when I said it too - that was my motivation. Through trial & error, if "such & such" worked - well heck, I was gonna do it - if "that thing" didn't - I squashed it.Exercising & eating better MADE ME FEEL BETTER - Lucinda was right, AGAIN! W/ exercising, initially, I couldn't do much. I was lazy/overweight/out of shape. I didn't allow that to stop me. Initially, I got my IPOD ON - & walked dwn the block. That was all I could physically do & all I could motivate myself to do @ the time. I told myself, "ok, so you can do that walk dwn the block. Then, we're gonna walk dwn the block EVERYDAY." Dwn the block, eventually, progressed to AROUND the block & then AROUND THE NEIGHBORHOOD. Until, over a few months, I was taking a 1 HOUR walk around my neighborhood w/ my IPOD on. YES, there were days I HAD TO FORCE myself - fr just the exhaustion that stems fr the worst of anxiety disorder & attempting to recover fr it. My motivation? As hard as it was GETTING MYSELF TO "JUST DO IT", my "doing it" REWARDED ME (mentally/emotionally/physically/spiritually/anxiety wise) TEN FOLD = I felt better. So, I did it anyway - the effort was worth the reward. I began to truly notice some nice changes in my anxiety levels as a result of the sm changes I was making w/ my exercising & attempt @ healthier eating. AGAIN, I'M NOT TALKING ABOUT BECOMING MRS JACK LALANE over-nite, hahahha. Small changes - remember, CONSISTENCY ='s results. The real effort on my part, in terms of exercising/eating better-healthier/portion control - DIDN'T COME until (AFTER I recovered fr anxiety disorder) - I was officially diagnosed w/ MAJOR DEPRESSION in MARCH 2007 - the 1st time in my life(I was 39-going on the BIG 40, LOL).

In March 2007, I was officially diagnosed w/ major depression. I had never experienced this in my life. My soul/spirit/energy level - MY OOMPH were totally depleted. Like someone zapped me w/ a tazer & I turned all DOOM + GLOOM - physically & emotionally I was a world of hurt & then some. I addressed the depression in therapy w/ a psychiatrist(my personal why's behind my depression). The bulk of work needed to recover had to take place on my own - at home. I wasn't working yet(was home for several yrs cause of anxiety disorder). I had to figure out HOW. That singular act - my figuring out how - equated to me learning to LOVE MYSELF(as I said wayyyyyyyyyyyy up there ^^^^^^^ lol). I had to get to know myself & trust myself - my gut/GOD VOICE - so that when the DEPRESSION was telling me lies, I always did the opposite. For the 1st time in my life, I had to focus on me & do for me & whatever it took to make me FEEL BETTER = learning to love me. That, in part, included my addressing my food issues + emotional eating + being fat/way out of shape + totally unsexy - didn't like how I looked + feeling like I was 80 instead of the YOUNG & VIBRANT WOMAN I WAS. I did look way older for my age @ the time - CROSS MY HEART HONEST. When I had this "get real honest w/ myself homework moment @ home", I cried + mourned + got really angry. I had put everyone & everything BEFORE ME - to the extreme, that I HAD FORESAKEN MY OWN SELF. So much so, I couldn't even understand the TOTALITY of the concept of what "loving myself & taking care of me = making me my OWN PRIORITY" - REALLY MEANT = I had no damn clue. So, 3 MONTHS after being officially diagnosed w/ depression - I JOINED WEIGHT WATCHERS.

It was when I joined W.W.'S, that I got serious w/ my exercising & dietary change. NO, THIS IS NOT A CYBER-INFOMERCIAL or them. I mention them only to get my point across - that LENORE was taking ACTION - she was doing for HERSELF - by taking care of herself, by not only acknowledging she had a problems - but SHE SOUGHT HELP & DID SOMETHING ABOUT IT. You see, obviously I didn't like how depression felt - so the more I engulfed myself in this LIFESTYLE CHANGE - the more I felt better w/ my depression - I felt HOPE & OPTIMISM. Every single week we weigh in. Stepping on that scale makes you accountable to no one else BUT YOU. Stepping on that scale allows you/me to realize what is at stake here - RECOVERY FR DEPRESSION + GETTING HEALTHY + FEELING BETTER. I am human & STRONGLY BELIEVE "no woman is an ISLAND alone" - I needed support - the weekly meeting gave me that. No, they didn't know about my depression - they didn't need to. In those meetings, I was "unlearning" yrs & yrs worth of ENTANGLED emotional eating + unhealthy eating + portion control wayyyy off the scale. I used to LIVE TO EAT, NOT eat to live. Now, no one forced me to be at those meetings - I HAD TO WANT IT. If I wanted progress in my weight - I had to try - they couldn't do it for me. MAKE SENSE. Pls understand, again - the W.W'S isn't as important in terms of recovery fr depression - as much as ME INITIATING & JOINING W.W.'S + me attending every week + me unlearning/learning to have a better relationship w/ food - & moving my tushy. It was those acts on the part of MYSELF - that allowed me to heal/love myself/recover fr depression + lose weight.

I was 211.lbs on the 1ST DAY I joined weight watchers in the end of JUNE 2007 - size 22 almost 24. Today, I am size 6 (some things size 4) + 140lbs + recovered fr depression & off all meds entirely - depression included. I too had to make this LIFESTYLE CHANGE w/ depression. It wasn't easy. I had to force myself to do it every day - 1 DAY @ A TIME. My motivation was FEELING BETTER - the better I ate + the more portion controlled I became + the more I moved -the better I truly & sincerely did feel - TO BOOT, the depression lessened.

Oprah often said, "motivation comes fr doing" - it must be initiated by the individual seeking change in their lives. Then, along the way - get support - cause we all do need it - ME TOO, EVEN STILL TODAY.

EXERCISING doesn't ONLY need to be just 1 thing - there is variety: join a bowling league + softball league + go dancing + buy a bike + take a walk in the park - or the local mall: get tired - rest/catch your breath - continue a little bit more & FEEL DAMN PROUD you did it + walk up the stairs instead of the elevator + park a little further fr the MALL ENTRANCE so you can walk it + play those WII games - THERE ARE SO MANY FUN IDEAS OUT THERE - so that exercising can be fun & feel good too.

I mentioned earlier, that LEARNING TO MAKE YOU A PRIORITY & LOVING YOURSELF - is key in this for a reason (fr my very own experience & journey): so often @ times, we put everything & everyone before ourselves - women in particular. We're the caretakers - the homemakers - the wives/mommies - well, if we keep doing for ONLY everyone else - but about us? We need to learn, gradually, how to INCLUDE OURSELVES & OUR NEEDS into our daily lives/schedules so that we are not neglected. When we are overweight & eat too much of all the wrong foods - we don't feel good + don't like how we look + often try to deny our weight by comoflauging it w/ TENT SIZE CLOTHING - we're not fooling ourselves. I realized, for myself, a big problem in MAKING THE TIME for all this - was I DIDN'T THINK I WAS WORTH IT - I DIDN'T LOVE MYSELF AS MUCH AS I LOVED EVERYONE ELSE DEAR IN MY LIFE - as a result, I got fat + depressed + so unhappy. It was when I started making time for me, via a series of much needed changes (eating & exercising PRIMARY) that I truly did begin to feel better.

I say, to all you beatiful people, guys & gals, make time for yourself. Make YOU YOUR PRIORITY.

Your friend,

LENORE

Wow, Lenore, your story is extremely motivating on a day that I really needed motivation. I am going home to get on the treadmill after work even though I feel kinda tired right now. I know I will feel better afterwards. Like you said, it's just a matter of DOING.

Thanks for the encouragement!