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Contract

I, Carol K, being in pursuit of sound mind and body, hereby commit to a long-term process of self-discovery and freedom – freedom from guilt, self-abuse, disappointment, poor health, lack of mobility, the stifling of my inner voice, self-pity, selfishness, despair, dishonesty and pain – all brought on by my overeating and extra weight. God gave me a wonderful gift of this body and I am committing the sin of misuse.

I understand fully that this is a life commitment, not a short-term effort. It is not a diet and not a casual undertaking. This is a process, a journey of self-discovery. There is no "starting over" and no "I failed, I might as well blow it off for the day." When I falter, I will pull from my past experiences and the many skills that I have to get back on track and move forward in my journey. Every sidestep or bump in the road will present a positive opportunity for learning about myself, not an excuse to wallow in self-pity and whining.

My first objective is to be free from overeating. How can I accomplish this? It will be a continual experiment in trying "what works." The knowledge that I have gained through my years of dieting serves me well now. Because I have learned that I am sensitive to carbohydrates, I will endeavor to reasonably limit them in my customized eating plan. I will be flexible in my eating plans and do whatever it takes at any particular time. There is no wrong way, other than overeating. I will constantly remind myself that this is an ongoing experiment.

I will listen to my body.
That means being aware of my hunger – a totally new concept for me. For a while, as long as it takes, I am going to carry index cards and write down my hunger level before I eat: 0 being ravenous and 10 being miserably stuffed, 5 being satisfied. I will give real thought to what food I want to eat....the perfect food at the time to meet my needs and desires. I will pay close attention to my reaction to particular foods. Is it satisfying, tasty, does it bring on cravings?

I will take a moment to thank God for my blessings before I take the first bite. I will enjoy His wonderful gift of food with no guilt, being aware of the pleasure of each bite. I will rate my hunger while I am eating and strive to eat to satiety: 6 or 7 on my hunger scale. Besides my hunger level, I am going to record any thoughts, motivations for eating, etc.

For years, I have eaten for every reason other than hunger. I will actively look at my reasons for eating and focus on other ways of coping with the challenges of life.

I will care for and nourish my body with water.
Although I have not been a water drinker through the years, I have added water to my daily routine. I will increase the amount I have been drinking. I know that it is vital to my skin and hair and maintenance of my body and how it functions.

I won't be overly judgmental of my behavior.
I have already discovered that if I set rigid restrictions on myself I will eventually binge. Therefore, I will allow myself to eat any and all foods that I choose, in particular, special occasions, with reasonable guidelines and making good choices based on what I know about my sensitivity to carbs. This way, a majority of the time, I will be eating at the ultimum level, and will be accepting of all behavior.

I want to increase my stamina, energy and attain good health through exercising.
Besides helping with weight loss, exercise is vital to good health and stamina and my emotional well-being. If I want to be active as I age, then exercise must be a key ingredient in my life. I will continue to increase my walking time and distance. I will set aside time each day, or at least five days a week, to exercise. Nothing else will interfere with my exercise plans. No excuses. I will strive to be flexible and have fun in my exercising, looking for varied forms of exercise, such as yoga, jazzercise, dancing, mini-trampoline, etc. I will look for more opportunities to exercise: taking a break at work and going for a 10-minute walk, walking up the stairs instead of taking the elevator, etc.

I have wanted to do yoga for some time. I will incorporate yoga into my life by doing the kundalini tapes a couple of times a week.

As extra protection, I will take vitamins.
I will take a multivitamin tablet, vit E, C, and Cultrate with soy.

I will not worship the scale god.
Although I use the scale as an indication of my weight, it will not be all-powerful. I have measured myself and will take periodic measurements....that will be my true indication of my success. Also, how I feel, how my clothes fit, my self-satisfaction is what I am accomplishing will be my real measuring stick.

I will prepare and plan for success.
To assure my success, I will take the time to buy healthy foods and have them available, both at home and at work. When I go out to eat, I will make healthy decisions and eat according to my hunger, not using it an opportunity to overeat. I will do whatever is necessary to succeed. That means looking at my weak times, such as when I get home in the evening and I am starved. I will have a healthy snack ready and make sure that I have eaten properly earlier in the day.

These are my commitments for life and I will enjoy the process by rewarding myself.
I will have mini-goals and will reward myself when those are met. My first goal is to lose the 5 lbs I keep putting back on. I will think of specific rewards and work towards them, keeping track of my success.

I will manage my time in a positive way.
My success in attaining my objectives is my primary goal. I will honor my commitments and not make excuses. Exercise is important and I will do it in my pre-determined time with no excuses. I will make opportunities for expressing my creative side, such as time for writing, crocheting, taking organ lessons, etc. My life is full and I will focus on my relationships, accomplishments, career, and improving the woman that I am, rather than allow my particular behavior with my food to overshadow my world.

I will participate in the low carb board for positive reinforcement and commitment.
There is much to learn and much to give. Sharing experiences is crucial to my success. I will not isolate and allow myself to be negative about my program. It is my program. I can change it at any time and will do so – always being true to myself and my objectives.

I will not put off living my life.
I will enjoy my life and take advantage of every opportunity RIGHT NOW, not later, "when my body is perfect and everything is as I want it". My body is beautiful now. I love the woman I am and am excited about what I can become. My weight and behavior will no longer prevent me from participating in my world. Enjoying the journey is of utmost importance.

I, Carol K, willfully enter into this agreement.
I am excited about the possibilities of discovery and recovery in this journey into myself. I can change my contract at anytime. It is mine alone. It is a tribute to what I can be and can achieve. It gives expression to my inner voice and comes from deep within. This is what I aspire to do CONSISTENTLY. There is no wrong path, there is only my path. No matter what is going on in my life, I will find time to take care of Carol, otherwise, I will be of no use to anyone else. I can honor God by showing love to my own body and caring for it. I am excited about the adventures, rewards, self-satisfaction, and success that lies ahead of me.