Tag / self-love

by Janet

IF.IS.IT.

It’s been about 50 days since my last post on Life: from A to Z and I’m happy to be back and coming at you with some of my latest news…

“I” is for Intermittent Fasting

I’m happy, and almost reluctant, to report that I’ve been experimenting with Intermittent Fasting for just over a month and my weight is back down to what is was at the pre-COVID mark. While that number is still too large (see my old progress report here), it is TWELVE pounds lighter than I was when I started the 16 hour fasts in early March.

Bottom line: My weight is where it was on March 9th, 2020, right before the pandemic shut me down and binge eating and television watching became my new go-to sport.

That being said, I am SUPER jazzed about bringing back my New Lifestyle, New Me series because I’ve been making some life changing discoveries. First and foremost, when I spent my time and energy focusing on food—as in what I should eat, when I should eat, and how much I should eat (not to mention macronutrients and all of that other stuff!!)—then “food” became my primary focus, which made it almost impossible to NOT eat. Food, food, FOOD… THAT is what was ruling my mind this time last year.

I don’t want to get into any particulars on intermittent fasting because it’s so popular these days and all one has to do is Google search it or look for smart phone apps and all of the details and info are right there at your fingertips. What I WILL say is that fasting, unlike dieting, has allowed my brain to NOT think about food. With that little reprieve, I’ve been able to put my mind to better use by learning about cravings, habit loops and reward-based learning (Dr. Judson Brewer has some great stuff).

It’s amazing what we can accomplish when we DON’T put our minds to it. Ha!

Anyway, that’s about all for now. I’ll be back soon enough. I have 3 weeks left of classes and then I’ll be graduating with my Bachelor’s degree!! Yipeee!! Summer will be a time for fun, laughter and celebration and—God willing—a time to throw off the old masks and live life to the fullest.

About the Image

Speaking of masks, I created the featured image for this post because the mask is supposed to represent “fasting,” not COVID. That’s why my nose is exposed. To add to that, the image of me was taken quite a while ago, maybe 10 years or so, and when I found it I was thrilled at how thin and healthy I looked. I added the mask (obviously) with Photoshop, and then did a little manipulating with some of my cool iPhone apps to make it look like a sketch. I’m sure that at the time the photo was taken I probably hated the image. That’s just the way it always is (and I’m sure I speak for many women on that).

And I think I learned something when I found that old thing hiding in a soon to be deleted digital folder—I learned that we’re not always as “bad” as we believe we are. We think that we are too fat, too old, too skinny, too wrinkled, too young, too short, too tall… and the list goes on and on… but when we look back with fresh eyes we realize that all we’ve really been is WAY TOO hard on ourselves. So just stop.

“There is nothing in nature that blooms all year long, so don’t expect yourself to do so either.”

AUTHOR UNKNOWN

Have a beautiful evening and I’ll see you all soon!

—Janet

by Janet

Happening NOW

“Whatever the present moment contains, accept it as if you had chosen it. Always work with it, not against it. Make it your friend and ally, not your enemy.”

—Eckhart Tolle

THINGS ARE HAPPENING NOW!

I’m really excited about the letter “H,” because things lit up when I thought of the word happening. After re-reading my last post, Grounded, I noticed some negativity and a little self-criticism in my words. That got me to thinking.

I criticize myself a LOT. My images, my words, my thoughts, my actions… it’s like they’re always on the seat of judgement, and I am the head juror—the accuser—ready to convict and condemn. Well… I am done with that!

I love the fact that I’m back in school and pursuing my goals and dreams. One way that I’ve looked at it is that I’m finally learning the art of “delayed gratification.” I spent my earlier years (like the first 50) jumping into action because of what those actions had to offer me immediately, so taking time out to focus on something that will shape my future is ideal.

But then I looked at it from another perspective, thinking that doing something for the benefit of my future was preventing me from living in the NOW. So, there I was… ready to criticize myself again. How apropos!

What I realized, when thinking of the word happening, is that whatever it is I am doing in the present moment—no matter WHAT that is—is what is happening. It doesn’t matter what it is, where I’m doing it, how, or even WHY. It just IS, because it is happening.

So I will embrace whatever is happening, just as I am embracing what is happening right now… as I write this post. Because that is what is happening at the moment, and in the moment is a beautiful place to be.

—Janet

ABOUT THE iPHONE IMAGE

I finally broke out of my comfort zone (which is my comfy couch) and took a walk on a brand new bike path in my neighborhood (like right next door). The featured image is what I saw when I reached the end of the trail, so I took a shot with my iPhone. The effect is appropriate to me because it’s like an urban sketch, showing off the lines in an interesting mix of concrete and nature.

I’m adding a new category to my site for these iPhone images because, although the composition is all me, I can’t take credit for the effects. They can be done in 15-30 seconds with the right app, and this one was done in Graphite, by BeCass‪o. I’ve been checking out quite a few and I really enjoy the effects that are available on this particular app… for $14 a year. Just sayin’.

That’s about all for now. Thank you for stopping by and I’ll see you again soon!