The secret in my backpack that I am going to share.....

Posted on January 12, 2015

My body is a carb craving fool... I love crunch! I love sweet sauces.. I love grains and starches...

My T-Shirt should read "DON'T FEED THE SQUISHY". Lol.. My squishy; that loveable squeezable soft spot directly wrapped around my midsection. I take it everywhere I go.... It often gets me in trouble as I believe it is my SQUISHY and not me that truly loves carbs. As with any battle in life you have to find an even balance and that my friends is why I am here and why I am telling you about my SQUISHY.

I have a body type that reacts great to diets like the Atkins diet or Paleo Diet. I enjoy the food I can eat on those diets and often stay in the Atkins Induction phase for long periods. The problem is that once I shed the unwanted weight and inches my Squishy often talks me into sneaking out behind the building and reuniting my torrid love affair with the likings of a certain carbtastic vixen named General TSO Chicken... Lol.. First it is a random secret meeting at lunch and then it is a full blown affair out in the open with no secrecy...

Finding that perfect harmony with sensible eating and rewards like having General TSO Chicken occasionally is where I strive to be. Seriously, I could eat Chinese Food for every meal! I am sure everyone has that one food that is their go to “good feeling” food. General TSO just makes me happy… I just love the sweet yet spicy kiss of the sauce when it touches my lips. I love the tender and moist chicken that is wrapped in a loving blanket of carbarrific batter and then deep fried. I love how they throw it atop a bed of succulent yet sexy fried rice.. AHHHH STARCH… OMG.. My mouth is watering. Thank god someone thought along the way that they should throw some broccoli into this dish… That is my balance. LOL.. “Hey it has broccoli, it can’t be that bad”.

That is not the balance I am talking about. It is that balance of maintaining a regular exercise program and eating sensibly. Feeding my body that occasional treat meal to satisfy what it likes while also sticking to a reduced carb diet. Kicking your body out of Ketosis will slow a weight loss program but it will also cure massive cravings you might be having. My advice is to keep things simple and fun. Diet on things that you can truly eat.. No one wants to live on a cabbage soup diet!! Have fun with your diet and exercise program. Don’t think you are going to jump into a boot camp and love it. Do things you like to do. Ease into it! All this weight did not show up overnight so do not plan on losing it overnight either. Share you success with others so they encourage you along the way.

One time, while on a diet, I came up with a great idea to carry a backpack after I lost my first 5 pounds. I decided to remind my body exactly what 5 pounds weighed. Each time I would lose 5 pounds I would go buy a 5 pound bag of sugar and put it in the backpack. I wouldn’t say anything to anyone about the backpack until someone would ask. I would always carry the backpack but no one would ever see me put anything into or take anything out of it. After a while people would ask about it. I would tell them "it’s a reminder". They would look back at me perplexed and I would take it off and hand them the backpack. As the backpack would be heading to the ground they would ask “what in the heck is in here?” I would take it back from them and open it and smile.. Their faces would become more perplexed… “Why in the hell are you carrying around 5 bags of sugar?”. LOL… Well, that is my reminder as to why I watch my sugar and carb intake. I tell them that each bag of sugar reflects each 5 pounds of weight I have lost while dieting. They would smile and say “WOW”. That is amazing.. (that’s a great feeling!!)

That sugar served several purposes both mentally and physically.. It gave me exercise and at the same time reminded me of why I was doing what I was doing. Maybe it is time to get out the backpack again? If you have lost a considerable amount of weight, get small patches made up at a local sewing shop and sew them onto the backpack. Maybe every 20 pounds or so add another patch. What drives you? What do you do to keep yourself on goal? What reminds you of why you are doing what you are doing? Share your story.. It could help change someone’s life.

THIS IS MY STORY....

(CLICK LIKE AT THE TOP IF YOU CAN RELATE) Leave a comment below for others to share!! Good Luck on your Journey.

I hit the 25 pound mark already this year.. It feels good to lift that backpack!

Where re are you with your backpack?

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Kelly M.

06/27/2018 9:05AM

I love this idea, very clever and useful!

Badjenetix

01/18/2016 2:42PM

Dude, you are speaking my language... I too have a squishy, although I'm trying to get it served some papers to be removed from the residence...

Kelly M. likes this comment.

Kelly M.

I have a squishy too. Menopause brought it to me. I don't like the squishy.

Happy Girl

10/07/2015 6:16PM

This is one of the best things i've ever read on DB. Thanks for all your words and tips to success!

Kelly M. likes this comment.

Dan H.

05/14/2015 5:50PM

I love this - I react in very much the same way with my eating/exercise. I've never thought of taking the success with me as a reminder as well as the incremental victory patches... That's brilliant! I'm not sure I can manage carrying a backpack weighted with sugar in a sales/management role, but I need to come up with something. I'm off to google some similar ideas - thanks for the inspiration, and best of luck continuing your successful journey.

Kelly M. and KCJAG like this comment.

KCJAG

I am also in a sales management role. I carry that backpack in and out of the office in the morning and evening. Granted, I don't wear it to customer meetings but I will sometimes put it on and take a walk through the hallways in my office.

SaraSueSue

05/04/2015 7:22AM

I love General TSO Chicken as well. I can lose weight and have no problem eliminating these treats completely from my diet for short periods of time. I suck at introusing them to my life and eating them in moderation. So I end up yo-yo dieting and losing the same 50lbs year after year. So frustrating, I completely understand!! Good Luck! The Back Pack idea is amazing!

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Tiffani N.

04/18/2015 10:54AM

This is fantastic! I have been wanting to do something similar to see the difference. I like that this was a personal choice that you chose to keep and now share! Amazing idea!

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Toni

04/16/2015 9:13AM

I love this and truly think that is the biggest thing we need to do in our journey is to reward ourselfs once in a while but keep that reminder with us of how far we have come. I hope it is ok, I am going to do the opposite since May of last year I have put on 43 pounds and I am going to go buy 4 10 pound bags of sugar and start taking that with me daily for a couple of months and remind myself what I can accomplish when I am determined and put myself first. This was a great idea and I am going to get going on it today....

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Kelley

04/14/2015 11:41AM

First congrats, Second what a good idea!! Here's hoping my Backpack gets really heavy!! thanks for the idea

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Travis

04/07/2015 12:41PM

Fantastic! Reminders, Balances, and Reflections, this post is a great one. Myself, I am stuck in an office all day, over the past little bit my external appearance at work has changed. I too carry a back pack everywhere with me (though it doesn't contain sugar) I no longer dress in your typical outfits for business, I wear workout clothes all day every day. Why? So that at any time on any day if there is free time I can do some type of activity. It is fun and contagious. Thanks for sharing.