What's Really Going on Here? Ch 1

Today I am going to work on the reflection section on Made to Crave series.   I first want to summarize how I have been doing these last two days now that I am officially doing Weight Watchers.   

I have logged food on WW for three days now and I am finding myself feeling full and energized, though I had a crash this afternoon I had to work through.  I have found myself planning out my day or almost finished with the day and realizing I still had more points to use up. 

If you are not familiar with WW I will summarize it a bit.  You are given an allotted points each day to use up, I have 36.  You additionally have points each week that you can use when you go over your points or you have an indulgence meal (49).  You can also earn exercise points and it is your choice if you use them or not.  Each week you lose whatever Weekly Points or Activity Points you have left and it resets (or Activity Points go back to 0).  I am started out with 36 points and as I lose weight my points will start going down.  The maintenance points on average for women are 26 I believe.   I have researched and asked if we need to use all of our daily points and they encourage you to do so.  

The first few days I really found myself struggling to use all the points.  I did, but it felt like a LOT to eat.  Just out of curiosity I went back and entered the food I had been eating this past week from my fitness pal when I was counting calories and I found myself consistently below 36 by 4 to 6 points each day (which is a small meal in itself).   So, I had not been taking in enough at least according to Weight Watchers.  That might be part of the reason why I was having weight loss issues or what it felt like weight gain.   I feel like I am on a great track now.

So... I stayed within my point range each day this week (3 days ) and I worked out twice for 30 minutes on my elliptical (on Tuesday and just this afternoon).   I am still really enjoying my work out but am planning on upping my workout period a bit.  Not any more time on the elliptical but upping the intensity to keep my heart rate up in the high zone.   I am planning on adding some 15 minutes fitness videos that were sent to me on facebook and recommended on youtube.  I have some turbo jam here but I think that would kick my butt if I went right to that.  If there is a day I feel like kicking my butt I will do Turbo Jam in place of the elliptical lol.  I have been reminded to keep switching up my workout routine.

So, so far I have earned 6 exercise points from exercise.   I am planning on using them tomorrow during a tubberware when I have some chocolate cake :)   A very yummy chocolate cake that I am looking forward to.  When I remembered that was the dessert I picked months ago to have made I at first thought I would not indulge but this afternoon I think I have earned a piece.  I have been working hard and not just this week but I have not cheated for three weeks now.  Maybe just the metabolism boost I need.  

Ok....that was kind of a long update...now on the the reflection questions from Chapter One.

1.  This chapter brings up a little orange monster that chases around a person tempting them to eat unhealthy foods (this might have been an old WW commercial now that i think of it), it asks what form/craving might the 'orange' monster take.   It also asks if we could sit down and have a conversation with it, what would that be like.

Well...wow, that dude could take a few different forms for me.  I have a weakness for chocolate, I LOVE rice (especially the high fatty, chicken flavored, not good for you in large moderation rice), but I would say my biggest craving and weakness is when it comes to Chinese Food, especially Chinese Buffets!  Ohhh yum it makes my mouth water just thinking about it.  There are a few great placed close to us and I could eat a couple plates full, probably 2000 calories worth.   To represent that I can see a little cartoon dragon, like the one from Mulan but with a bigger face and larger teeth.  He is probably following me around wafting some of my favorites in the air like crab ragoons, stuffed mushrooms....k, I have to stop thinking about that. 

The awesome thing is I don't have to turn away from Chinese Food forever.  There are healthy choices there especially if I fill up on a salad or indulge in some of my favorites but in moderation.   I don't have to give this well meaning old time buddy the boot completely.  I would sit down and tell him even though I LOVE eating all of that stuff after I usually feeling very bad about it (sometimes physically but mostly negatively).  It makes me think of Chinese food as a bad thing, and it is not.  I will tell him I need to take a little break from him but when I am ready I will visit him again and will savor every bite.   

2 and 3. The next question is how would I respond to the idea that God made us to crave.  Then it asks how can we turn this cravings into good things.  

You know, at first it might feel/seem like a cruel joke!  Seriously!   It is not the craving that is a probably and definitely not God  but what we had turned it towards; food.  We are not supposed to crave food or fill up on food.   We are meant to crave God.   To think of cravings this way helps put things into perspective for me.  I might have a craving for something and my mind who is not used to what the craving should be thinks of food comfort things like Chinese food, chocolate, starchy things... the craving is a signal for me to stop and thing.  Is what I feel hunger?  It is a signal.  Have I been drinking water.  Make sure all of the physical things are out of the way.  The real reason might be needing comfort.  Am I upset about something?  What is bothering me.  I need to turn to something to comfort, to God.  Prayer.   Friends

4.  It then talks about how Satan tries to lure us away from our loving God bye cravings.  It asks us to think back to the last 24 hours to specific ways I have been tempted.

- Cravings; while shopping I saw fresh warm cheese curds.   I wanted them though I was not hungry.  I had to take a mind check to keep walking.  

- Lust of the eyes; while my husband and I are looking online and around town for vehicles and we have a pretty low top dollar I have came across trucks that are well out of our price range.   It made me want them and feel jealous for those that were going to get them.  We could get them though out of plan.  Who needs money saved up or investment money.   I had to recheck myself for the end goal in mind.