Best Life Challenge: The Best of Bill's Blog
Week 32: Oprah Radio, XM 156
PAGE 18
My biggest challenge has been stress-eating in the car. I originally subscribed to XM Radio for the comedy channel, but in the past two months I have discovered that the Oprah Radio channel can and is bringing a much more positive influence to my life.
All of the "friends" including Bob (not on enough), Dr. Oz, Jean Chatzky, Maya Angelou, Dr. Robin and Gayle King (who, I must confess, I listen to most mornings), equip me with an optimistic view for my day and keep me focused on the good that is out there. I don't want to sound corny, but XM 156 delivers optimism and encouragement to my daily three-plus hours in the car—replacing the regular daily chatter, pessimism and anxiety I used to listen to. That only added to my stress and anxiety and made me more apt to drown my emotions in high-fat and calorie foods.
Spending so much time on the road, it is very easy to fall back into the same old bad eating habits, including mindless eating of high-fat comfort foods while listening to the yelling and arguing that sports radio brings into my car/world. I am not looking to throw sports radio under the bus, as that is my primary resource for information on sports that I care about, BUT I realized that the all-or-nothing sports radio mentality is strikingly similar to my own personal mentality that had been perpetuating my former, unhealthy lifestyle!
I feel like XM 156 offers an opportunity to be exposed to many ideas and topics that are very relevant to my life that would normally fly under the radar until they became issues. Before, I used to use my daily driving time to "check out" in between the many business calls. Now, in between the calls I am checking in and truly making a better life for myself. The pounds continue to come off, but more important than that my outlook on life continues to change.
The positive feedback on my appearance and weight loss from family, friends and members seems to be increasing over the past few weeks. My challenge is to get over the embarrassment from the compliment, say, "Thank you," and avoid my typical apologetic response when I start talking about how I never should have been that heavy to begin with and that I still have a long way to go. I struggle with accepting a compliment, patting myself on the back and being proud of what I have accomplished in the past eight months. I am proud of myself!
Keep moving forward,
Bill
All of the "friends" including Bob (not on enough), Dr. Oz, Jean Chatzky, Maya Angelou, Dr. Robin and Gayle King (who, I must confess, I listen to most mornings), equip me with an optimistic view for my day and keep me focused on the good that is out there. I don't want to sound corny, but XM 156 delivers optimism and encouragement to my daily three-plus hours in the car—replacing the regular daily chatter, pessimism and anxiety I used to listen to. That only added to my stress and anxiety and made me more apt to drown my emotions in high-fat and calorie foods.
Spending so much time on the road, it is very easy to fall back into the same old bad eating habits, including mindless eating of high-fat comfort foods while listening to the yelling and arguing that sports radio brings into my car/world. I am not looking to throw sports radio under the bus, as that is my primary resource for information on sports that I care about, BUT I realized that the all-or-nothing sports radio mentality is strikingly similar to my own personal mentality that had been perpetuating my former, unhealthy lifestyle!
I feel like XM 156 offers an opportunity to be exposed to many ideas and topics that are very relevant to my life that would normally fly under the radar until they became issues. Before, I used to use my daily driving time to "check out" in between the many business calls. Now, in between the calls I am checking in and truly making a better life for myself. The pounds continue to come off, but more important than that my outlook on life continues to change.
The positive feedback on my appearance and weight loss from family, friends and members seems to be increasing over the past few weeks. My challenge is to get over the embarrassment from the compliment, say, "Thank you," and avoid my typical apologetic response when I start talking about how I never should have been that heavy to begin with and that I still have a long way to go. I struggle with accepting a compliment, patting myself on the back and being proud of what I have accomplished in the past eight months. I am proud of myself!
Keep moving forward,
Bill
As a reminder, always consult your doctor for medical advice and treatment before starting any program.
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