100 Day Challenge - Day 64 - Limiting Beliefs

What is your goal for this 100 Day Challenge? What is it that you really want to achieve by the beginning of November?

When you think of this goal, ask yourself these questions

• Is the goal desirable or worthwhile?
• Is it possible for others?
• Is it possible for me?
• Is what it takes to achieve this goal appropriate and reasonable?
• Do I deserve it?

Did you answer 'No' to any of these questions? Or were you like me and answered 'No' to nearly all of them?

Is it any wonder that there is an ongoing struggle to get where we want to go? Part of us believes that we won't actually make it while the other parts of us just keep on trying.

A belief is what you hold to be true without any conclusive evidence. If there was irrefutable evidence - it would be a fact that applied to everyone in every situation.

Explore your beliefs by answering completing this sentence -
I can't lose weight/maintain my goal weight because ...

I can't get back down to 55kg and stay there because ...

♥ 55kg is too lean and my body revolts by making me binge (It is not possible for me)
♥ 60kg is my happy weight and I always go back to it no matter what (It is not possible for me)
♥ To lose weight (at a snail's pace) I have to restrict my calories and I get tired, cranky and can't sleep (It takes inappropriate and unreasonable effort to achieve my goal)
♥ Being thin is hard, bony and painful - it makes everything sharp and miserable (This goal is not desirable or worthwhile)
♥ My husband doesn't find me attractive when I am lean (This goal is not desirable or worthwhile)
♥ No one who has had weight issues has ever maintained a low body fat percentage outside of competing (It is not possible for others)

Holy fuck Batman -- there's a revelation -- I actually believe these things in my heart of hearts. No wonder every day is an exhausting relentless battle ...

The next step is to examine and question these beliefs and look for conflicting evidence. Put them on the witness stand and let the opposing council cross examine them.

♥ 55kg is too lean and my body revolts by making me binge
My body doesn't care what it weighs, it just reacts to weeks and months of severe calorie restriction and swings in the opposite direction trying to find balance. If I lose fat easily, effortlessly and joyfully in a sustainable way I won't awaken the binge monster or be plagued by constant hunger and feelings of deprivation. I have experience in what doesn't work for me -- cycles of under eating and over eating (refeeds) set me up for starve/binge behaviour.

♥ 60kg is my happy weight and I always go back to it no matter what
My body thought 85kg was my happy weight for nearly all of my adult life and I reset it down to 60kg through willpower and determination alone. How much easier is it going to be now to settle at a lower number now I have new tools and skills.

♥ To lose weight (at a snail's pace) I have to restrict my calories and I get tired, cranky and can't sleep
Losing fat through a consistent slight calorie deficit is a brand new challenge and challenges excite and inspire me. Because I am eating clean, real food, and making small and frequent corrections every day, my body now has the hormones, enzymes and nutrients to get rid of excess fat easily. Having more energy than ever before and a fully operating digestive system (I poop every day without assistance for the first time in my life) tells me that my body is working as it should. I can trust this body that keeps my heart beating, my lungs breathing and sickness and disease away to access my energy storage (fat) when I expend more calories than I eat.

♥ Being thin is hard, bony and painful - it makes everything sharp and miserable
How my body looks doesn't dictate how I feel - whether fat or thin my feelings originate in my head and my heart. I can change how I feel in an instant. I associate thinness with pain because I have only achieved it in the past through restriction, discipline, and delayed gratification. I am learning how to be lean while being happy, peaceful and contented every single day, not just that day in the future when I see a number on the scale.

♥ My husband doesn't find me attractive when I am lean (this has been confronting and painful to say out loud)
He is still here. He hasn't left me or changed the way he treats me. He loves me no matter what and just wants me to be happy. He has associated my leaness with me being miserable, tired, and uninterested in sex -- I guess that is pretty unattractive. If I was sick with cancer and my hair fell out he would still love me. He is not in the same shape that he was 20 years ago and I still love him to death. He is proud that I am slender and take good care of myself compared to the overweight wives of his friends. He loves what is inside me and is attracted to my sense of fun, my kindness and optimism which are the things that disappear when I am fighting to lose weight.

♥ No one who has had weight issues has ever maintained a low body fat percentage outside of competing
There are three women at work and a whole country full of women (Japan) who have very low levels of body fat and stay that way without counting calories or carbs, logging hours in the gym and obsessing over their scale weight. I want to be like them rather than like a competitor who maintains competition leaness through will power and discipline alone (you know who I mean!). It should be even easier for me to stay lean than naturally thin girls because I have much more muscle which gives me a higher metabolism than them.

As this has turned into an essay, I will post my new beliefs tomorrow.

• What are your limiting beliefs?
• How do they hold up under scrutiny?
• If you are having trouble seeing the other side of the argument, post a comment and we'll give you an objective point of view?
• Are you brave enough to identify even your beliefs that are embarrassing or painful?

If you get through this exercise then you deserve as many BONUS BONES as you want -- it is not easy and rather confronting (beware: it may prompt avoidance behaviour - eat/binge/clean the bathroom instead of working through the issues).


For more information on the program I am following that has sparked all these new ideas check out the Inside Out Weight Loss FREE podcast and start from the first episode 00: Prologue.

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100 Day Challenge - Day 65 - Finding Balance

The path to peace and happiness is one of balance. We need to live in a place that is centred and grounded. Every time that we veer off course we need to make corrections to come back into balance, back to our centre, find equilibrium.

The act of calorie restriction is inherently unbalancing in our lives. We push ourselves to the extreme side of under eating and over training and the pendulum swings in a large arc to one side. Is it any wonder that we eventually cave in and end up eating massive amounts of crappy food and barely being able to leave the couch?

The very act of pushing in one direction will guarantee that you will end up at some point at the other end of the spectrum.

It is better to live in the middle, in equilibrium, in the grey scale between black and white. If you are radically and excessively moderate you will achieve your goals quickly and easily. Every single day you should be self correcting back to absolute centre.

If you overeat at one meal, you eat less at the next, or wait until you are hungry again before you eat. If you train hard and intense on one day, you do something lighter the next. If you are rushed and have no time for yourself today, you take time out tomorrow. If you feel anxious and stressed, then you listen to some music, meditate or take a walk.

Instead of eating, training and completing your 'to do' list because you have to in order to achieve your goals, do those same things with the purpose of finding balance and renewal.

I go to the gym, I walk, I do yoga because it balances me. I eat healthy, clean food without chemicals because it centres me. I listen to inspirational podcasts, write, speak kindly to my co-workers, and keep a success journal because these actions keep me on the wide, flat pathway to happiness when life tries to push me off course.

Following a prescribed weight loss diet, or a 'fat incinerating' exercise program for the purpose of achieving a calorie deficit is unpleasant, hard work and requires discipline and will power that is impossible to maintain over time.

Wanting to live a balanced and centred life means I will practice similar fat loss nutrition and training strategies but with an entirely different attitude. All of a sudden, I don't blow off my exercise because I am too tired to care about losing weight today. I go to the gym because I know that it will make today a better day because I will be in balance.

There is no longer any urgency or pressure to perform. I can simply make small and frequent adjustments throughout my day. And what follows is a sense of peace and calm that is truly miraculous and sustainable for the rest of my life.

♥♥♥

Late Breaking News
Former fat chick, former diet coke addict and self confessed comfort eater KatieP had two significant breakthroughs yesterday.

She was on her way to the kitchen to get a snack when she chose to have a hot shower first to think through what she was feeling before she ate. She realised that she was reacting to a difficult situation (details tomorrow) and just needed a break and to feel warm and safe. The shower provided what she needed and she wasn't hungry after all.

KatieP had also bought a diet coke because she wanted to practice extreme moderation by having one as a special treat. Half way through the DC she realised that pouring toxic chemicals into her body wasn't that much of a treat after all. She poured the coke down the sink and didn't finish it. A headache followed soon after reminding her that her instincts had been right.

Both of these behaviours are unprecedented and herald a significant shift in her behaviour. Is it possible that serious changes are taking place?

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100 Day Challenge - Day 66 - Mid Point Challenge - Words of Wisdom

Yes you can have it all.
The only things you have to give up are assumptions, expectations and the comfort zone that holds you back from greatness.

Post your favourite quote for a Bonus Bone.

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100 Day Challenge - Day 67 - All Hands to the Pumps

I've got nothing for you today. I need a Pirate holiday.

I am inviting anyone who has an idea for a Pirate themed task or blog topic to let me know. You might just have a few thoughts, you can ask me a question, or you can write a full blown post that I can use here [oooh a Guest Blogger!].

All hands to the pumps ladies -- I need some help here!!

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100 Day Challenge - Day 68 - The Pros and Cons

I am a bit confused about whether NOT counting calories and NOT weighing myself is preventing me from putting on fat. As I have no feedback mechanism, except for how I look (and we all know how accurate (*sarcasm*) that can be with body dismorphia and all) so I don't know if I'm eating enough, too much or too little.

Here is my list for and against standing on the scales.

Pros

1. I will have concrete evidence whether I am gaining or losing weight
2. I will be motivated to be more disciplined when I face up to the large number I am expecting

Cons

1. I will instantly want to go back into 'dieting' mode
2. I will be depressed about the number and hate myself instead of loving myself
3. The scales lie, so scale gains/losses is not concrete evidence of how my nutrition is affecting my body fat levels
   
4. I will restart the starve/binge cycle
5. I will prioritize how I look over how I feel
6. I will become a slave to the number

So, obviously standing on the scales is not what I need right now when my goal is to live a life full of energy and passion at a size I can maintain without constant calorie restriction and excessive exercise.

My highest hope belief is that by eating clean, unprocessed, natural foods my body will have the nutrients, hormones and enzymes it needs to regulate my body fat levels without any extreme effort from me. I want to let food be food again and not the enemy.

Going back on a calorie restricted diet has never helped me get to my goal weight and stay there. No matter how I approach it, I always end up in rebound binge world.

Giving up counting calories and weighing myself is unfamiliar, uncomfortable and frightening but if it works in the long run then I will be so much better off. As each day passes, I learn to listen to my body and hunger signals a little bit more.

This is how naturally thin people eat and it works for them, so there is no reason why it can't work for me.

• What is your strategy for making decisions when you are confused?
• Can you see the merit in both sides of any argument?
• Do you maintain your 'ideal body' by counting calories and/or weighing yourself?
• Are naturally thin people just genetic freaks that we hate?

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100 Day Challenge - Pirate Queen - Lizzy [Nerd Girl]

Check out our gorgeous Lizzy's amazing transformation ~

See how she became the transformation of the week at Bodybuilder.com.

Head on over to her blog Fitness, Health, Competitions! and give her some blog love and congratulations. Subscribe to her site to make sure you don't miss out on what she is up to next.

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100 Day Challenge - Day 69 - Phase Four Underway

Phase Four -- Stormy Weather

After 30 days of being on this challenge the novelty is probably starting to wear off. The motivation and enthusiasm that prompted you to sign up a month ago has begun to wane. It happens to us all.

Today's reflection is on the difference between motivation and inspiration.

Motivation is a force to take action that comes from outside of you. It might be getting ready for a competition, going to a wedding or completing a challenge (like this one). Unfortunately, motivation from an outside source doesn't usually last or is difficult to sustain.

Inspiration comes from your spirit, from inside of you. It is constant and never runs out. Inspiration is based on your core values and beliefs.

A vegetarian would never say "Oh my God I would kill for a big fat juicy steak right now - but I can't because I'm a vegetarian". Instead they choose to give up animal flesh because of their value system. They don't have to be motivated not to eat meat, or exercise their willpower, their actions are inspired by their core beliefs.

Imagine what could happen if we thought the same way about transforming our bodies.

When we are inspired by goals that have deep meaning, by dreams that need completion, by pure love that needs expressing, then we truly live life.

I now have brand new beliefs. I learned that everything that I ingest is used to build the cells of my body. Every day old cells die and new ones are created. If my cells are made from chemicals and preservatives and substances I can't pronounce then I will not be living in optimum health and vitality. I will feel like crap.

Each and every day I have the opportunity to literally create a new life by building a new body cell by cell. I no longer want to pollute my cells with toxic sludge. With this new attitude, that can of Diet Coke isn't that attractive anymore -- I am not missing out on anything except an unhealthy dose of poison that will re-ignite my addiction.

What about your beliefs? Do you still believe that you are missing out of the 'good' things in life by not eating cakes and sweets and pastry? Or are you the type of person who values physical, emotional and spiritual health more than fleeting sensory pleasure?

I know without a shadow of a doubt that sleeping with this man would be enormously pleasurable, but I would never do it because I value my relationship with Mr KatieP far more than the fleeting ... ahhhh ... mmmmm ... whoops what was I saying? Oh yeah, I'd pass on bonking JD in a heartbeat because I am the type of person who values fidelity and loyalty.

• Are you motivated or inspired?
• What type of person are you?

Leave me a comment, I'd love to hear what inspires you to never give up on this transformational journey to total health.

PS: I bet you were expecting to see the sexiest pirate of all time, Jack Sparrow, sooner or later. I think I did remarkably well to last 31 days ... and it is no accident that he graces our screens on Day 69 ... ♥

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100 Day Challenge - Day 70 - The Pirates Council

Congratulations on making it through Phase Three of the Skinny Bones 100 Day Challenge. Please feel free to copy and paste your Parchment of Progress anywhere you like.

Here is the checklist for what you should have achieved in Phase Three. If you have missed anything you can still catch up.

• reviewed your action goals -- wrote them down, looked at the journey and not just the destination -- checked the map
• worked on improving your strengths rather than your weaknesses -- your weakness is irrelevant!
  
• explored the four areas of your life -- spiritual, emotional, physical and financial -- trimmed the sails
  
• listed 25 reasons why you want to be fit, lean and healthy -- Mid Point Challenge (+ bonus bone)
• gave some feedback on the Skinny Bones 100 Day Challenge Workbook idea
• imagined your Perfect Day (+ bonus bone)
  
• resisted temptation and faced your fears -- fought the evil Pirate of Powerlessness
• tried something weird like EFT - walk the plank
• posted your crazy pirate photo - the Pirates Gallery (+ bonus bone)
  

Check In Process (*voluntary)

• Fill in the Skinny Bones Tally spreadsheet in Google with your Skinny Bones tally for this phase (if you don't have access then add it to your comments)

Comment on this post with the following information

• your milestones - e.g. weight loss, inches/cms lost, days without bingeing, physical improvements etc.
  
• your victory over the Pirate of Powerlessness
• your intention for the next 10 days
  

KatieP's Check In

• I have 13 Skinny Bones (entered in the spreadsheet)

+1 bonus bone - mid point challenge/25 reasons
+1 bonus bone - perfect day
+1 bonus bone - crazy photo
-1 bone - small dietary indiscretion [see below]

Milestones

• In the last 10 days I have had one can of diet coke and a Snickers bar, and NOTHING else with artificial sweetener, preservatives, or chemicals. In case you don't realise the magnitude of this, this is the longest I've been off Diet Coke since I was 12 years old!
  
• All food (except the slight hiccup above) has been clean and unprocessed
  
• Went out to dinner and didn't eat anything afterwards
• No binges
• 3-4 litres of water a day
• I have written my goals in my journal morning and evening and listed my successes each day
  

Intention for next phase -- try to cut back on portions, eliminate dried fruit and use my new energy to train harder at the gym.

♥ Third stage done!

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100 Day Challenge - Day 71 - Phase Three Recap and Prepare for the Pirates Council

Phase Three Recap -- Setting Sail - Leaving the Past Behind

If you missed Phase One you can find it here.
If you missed Phase Two you can find it here.

Day 79 - Check the Map
Are your goals focused on the journey or the destination? Determine your reasons why, your passion and your emotions. Take action. Write down your goals and say them out loud.

Day 78 - Your Weakness is Irrelevant
Focus your thoughts and your energy on what you do well rather than what trips you up. Forget about your weaknesses and enjoy your fabulousness. What are you famous for?

Day 77 - Trim the Sails
Pay attention to all the areas of your life for total happiness. Remember your emotional, spiritual and financial aspirations as well as your physical ones.

Day 76 - Phase One Mid Point Challenge - Bonus Bone : Why?
List the top 25 reasons you want to be fit and lean and how it affect the four areas of your life.

Day 75 - A Day-by-Day Workbook?
Leave your feedback on the length of the challenge, the 10 day phases and any other suggestions to help me create a Skinny Bones 100 Day Challenge Workbook.

Day 74 - The Perfect Day : Bonus Bone
Write a journal entry that describes your perfect day from waking through to sleeping. Are your actions today helping to make that dream a reality?

Day 73 - Walk the Plank : Do Something Weird
Did you try EFT? Did it work for you?

Day 72 - Bonus Bone - Pirates Gallery
A chance to post a silly picture of yourself in a pirate costume.

Day 71 - Prepare for the Third Pirates Council
Day 70 marks the completion of Phase Three and the third Pirates Council. This post (the one you are reading now) reviews the highlights of this phase. You can catch up now if you have missed anything.

Tomorrow morning I will post my official Phase Three check in. If you are finishing Phase Three with me, or are close enough then you can add your information by commenting ON TOMORROW'S POST (it will help me if it is all in one place):

Check in information is:

• your Skinny Bones tally for this Phase (fill in the Skinny Bones Tally spreadsheet in Google if you have access otherwise add it to your comment)
• your milestones - e.g. weight loss, inches/cm lost, days without bingeing, physical improvements
• your victory over the Pirate of Powerlessness
• your intention for the next 10 days
  

Day 70 - See you tomorrow at the Pirate Council for Phase Three and the start of Phase Four - Stormy Weather

So get cracking on those tasks and challenges so you can get your Skinny Bones tally up.

Heave Ho Me Hearties ... We've been doing this for a whole month! ♥

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100 Day Challenge - Day 72 - Pirate Gallery - Bonus Bone

Here is a portrait of the crazy Pirate KatieP.
Post your own photo for a Bonus Bone.
What can I say? I thought you could do with a laugh!

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10 Steps Back From the Brink of Dieting Hell

I know what it is like to have finally achieved the body of your dreams through hard work, determination and sacrifice, and then to find that you have no clue how to keep it.

You wanted so desperately to be thin, but you only managed to stay there for such a short time, because once you achieved your goal, you discovered you wanted to eat calorie dense food more than you wanted to be lean. It seemed like overnight all your will-power, discipline and good habits just disappeared.

You are now once again carrying more fat than you feel comfortable with, but the only way you know how to get back to where you were is a low calorie diet that leaves you hungry, drained and depressed, along with hours of exhausting exercise. You can't go out anywhere because the lure of food when you are constantly hungry is irresistible and you don't have any spare time after all the cooking, measuring, logging and training anyway.

How do you come back from the brink of dieting hell?

1. Understand that you are normal

Having issues with binge eating after long term calorie restriction is completely normal. It is not an indication of some mental illness or full blown eating disorder, it is a biological result of under-feeding for so long.

... a psychiatric syndrome, called semi-starvation neurosis, which had been noticed before in people of normal weight who had been starved. They dreamed of food, they fantasized about food or about breaking their diet. They were anxious and depressed; some had thoughts of suicide. They secreted food in their rooms. And they binged.

Semi-starvation neurosis syndrome and had been famously documented by the Minnesota Study. Please click here to read this great summary because I guarantee you will recognise yourself in the behaviour of these subjects who were on a 1600 calorie diet for only 3 months.

Understand that you are not crazy, forgive yourself for over-eating and constantly thinking about food, and remember that you are completely normal.

2. Stop Living By the Numbers

This is difficult I know, but throw away the scales and stop counting calories. You are so much more than a number. You have been on this weight loss journey long enough to know if you are getting leaner or not and you don't need some stupid number to mess with your head every morning (noon and night).

You can still weigh your food (I weigh peanut butter and my protein) but forget about weighing everything else. Eating too many vegetables never did anyone any harm.

3. Change Your Goal

If your entire focus is just on your outward physical appearance, then you have probably achieved fat loss through methods that are not particularly healthy. You eat diet products that have been stripped of all their nutrients and are far removed from their natural state. Your dietary choices have been based completely on the calorie count of food.

Change your goal to that of getting and staying healthy. No more chemical laden fake food substitutes. Choose organic food if you can get/afford it. If you want something sweet, have some fruit. Try your tea without sweetener and if you just can't get used to it, add a small amount of honey. Eat full fat yogurt instead of low fat ice-cream. If there are more than 4 ingredients on the label or if it contains a chemical or preservative don't eat it. Make having the healthiest body possible your new goal.

4. Figure Out What Your Body Really Wants

Figure out what types and quantities of food, and what types and quantities of exercise make you feel the best (before, during AND after eating or training). If you are exhausted and hungry most of the time, then something is wrong.

Improve the quality of your food and lessen the frequency of your training until you find the place where you are full of energy and joy. Life is to short to be miserable because you are 'trying to lose weight'. You may find that the fat disappears by itself once you figure out what makes you feel good.

5. Try Something Completely Different

Don't follow some nutrition or training plan set up by someone you don't know and who doesn't know you. Follow your instincts. If you've always wanted to be a vegetarian, give it a try. If you love low carb but it stops you eating vegetables then simply decide that plant derived carbs don't count. If you love fruit but think you always have to have protein with it, then change your mind and just eat the damn apple! If you hate interval sprints then walk instead or take a fitness class.

Make you your own rules based on your tastes and experience. You are wiser than you think.

6. Expect to Fail

It will go all horribly wrong and you will want to scurry back to the safety of a familiar diet and training regime but resist the urge. Don't expect to get it right at first. Make adjustments as you go.

Set new guidelines that take into account your weakness. If you tend to binge, then let yourself eat as much as you want as long as it is whole food (including high calorie items like nuts and dried fruit). If you want chocolate, just have the 70% high quality dark stuff rather than caramello. If you have to go to the gym everyday, then shorten the time you are there or get a massage instead of training.

7. Deeply and Completely Love and Accept Yourself

There is nothing wrong with being you -- you don't HAVE to change. You are perfect right at this moment. Your body is part of you, so love it and treat it kindly. Treat yourself the way you would treat your best friend, your child or your partner.

8. Focus on Your Victories

Think about all the things that you do already that are wonderful healthy habits and be proud of them. Spend time at the end of each day writing down all the things you did well that day -- that you ate a healthy breakfast, that you went for a long walk, that you helped someone out, that someone complimented you on how nice you looked. Don't even think about the things that you stuffed up -- forgive yourself and move on.

9. Be a Detective

You wouldn't follow a get rich scheme written by someone who is poor. So don't follow a plan written my someone who has always be lean and athletic and never been overweight or who doesn't have your attachment to food. Search out people who have lost weight, struggled to keep it off and then found a solution. Try Marna Goldstein or Andrea Albright for starters.

10. Never Give Up

It is tough, it is frustrating, but you can do it. As long as you keep trying and never give up, you haven't failed. If you would like to find balance and peace with your eating and training, make living healthy your goal every single day, then you will gradually find each day becomes easier and easier.

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100 Day Challenge - Day 73 - Walk the Plank | Do Something Weird!

I have been waiting for two days to publish this particular post because I am a skeptic and I wasn't convinced that this weird shit would work. But it does.

It is called EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique) or Tapping. The reason I am so certain this is right for me is because I was surfing the internet and I stumbled on this site by accident and downloaded the free manual and then, THE VERY NEXT DAY, I was listening to one of my MP3's from Unstoppable Fat Loss and it was discussed in great length as a life changing technique.

I don't usually post videos (because I never watch them on blogs) but if you've got 5 minutes, take a quick look. This girl is so cute and endearing (and a New Zealander). She does a wonderful job of describing the easiest EFT technique.

Every time I feel like eating when I am not hungry I say 'Even though I want to eat when I am not hungry (or I feel like a binge) I deeply and completely love and accept myself'. Somehow the craving goes away and the words 'deeply and completely love and accept myself' are now branded on my brain.

I have said to myself at times, I just wish I could take a pill to stop this anxiety and stress that drives me to eat for comfort. Doing the tapping sequence seems to work like taking a 'chill pill'.

Just try it a few times -- try it on something that is easy to notice a difference with (like actual physical pain). I used it first on my dodgy leg that I injured dead-lifting the other day (Even though I have a painful leg I deeply and completely love and accept myself). Surprisingly, the pain got better almost immediately.

Then try EFT with your cravings -- it can't hurt and it may be the intervention you've been looking for.

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100 Day Challenge - Day 74 - The Perfect Day

It is 4-55 am and I wake from a heavy sleep, alert, revitalized and refreshed. My husband is snoring gently beside me and I kiss him lightly on the forehead as I get out of bed.

I head to the kitchen where I make myself a huge mug of tea. I carry it with me to my office where I turn on my computer.

It is still dark outside and I can see the lights of Balmain gently reflected in the still waters of the harbour. It is quiet and peaceful. I can smell the calming aroma of my vanilla green tea as I sip it slowly and murmur a silent prayer of thanks for the day.

I check my emails and notice that overnight 20 people have bought my e-book and 30 people have signed up for their own 100 Day Challenge. I check that my blog has published and respond to any comments that have been left since last night.

I write my affirmations for the day in my notebook and then get dressed for the gym. As I head out the door, the sky is just beginning to lighten and the birds have started singing.

At the gym, I lift heavy and hard for 30 minutes. I take time to chat with some of the girls who have asked me about my training program. I head for the cardio machines and power walk while I listen to an inspirational MP3 on my Ipod.

Once I am home again, I prepare a healthy, delicious breakfast from whole foods without any chemicals or additives. My sweet tooth is perfectly satisfied by the fresh banana in my pancakes and I am full and content at the end of the meal.

I jump into the shower and catch the reflection of myself in the mirror. I am lean and muscular. I am proud of how I look. After my shower I dress, do my hair, and put on some makeup. I no longer need to worry about my contact lenses now I have had laser eye surgery.

It is now 8am. I spend the next 4 hours on the computer reading blogs, commenting, responding to emails, posting on the Skinny Bones Forum, writing blog posts and encouraging my challenge participants. I write a guest blog for a major Health and Fitness blog, an article for Hubpages and do an online interview for a Fitness magazine. I drink 2 litres of water without even thinking about it.

I am so totally absorbed in my work that I don't even notice it is lunch time until my stomach starts grumbling. I head to the kitchen and prepare a wonderful stir-fry with chicken thighs and my favorite vegetables. My husband isn't starting work until this afternoon so we sit on the back steps in the sun and talk together while I eat my tasty satisfying lunch. He's a little frisky today so I 'sort him out'!

After lunch I spend another 2-3 hours working on my latest e-book. I am so excited to re-write my original e-book with all the new information I have learned. Another 2 litres of water is gone before I know it.

Around 4pm, I head out the door and up the street to take a yoga class. The class gives me time to focus on myself and clear my mind completely. I breathe deeply and come home rejuvenated.

After a quick snack, I have another shower and then slip into my favourite designer dress and heels for this evening's engagement. Tonight I am speaking at a conference on empowering women. As an author earning my living through writing about my passion, my experience is inspiring other people who want to live an extraordinary life. I am offered the most beautiful gourmet meal at the conference and I enjoy every mouthful although I get full quickly and can't finish it. I meet an incredible group of fascinating positive women who invite me to have lunch with them the next day. I quickly agree.

When the hire car service eventually drops me home, I am happy that the evening went so well. I spend some more time tidying up my blog post for the next morning, writing in my journal and catching up on any emergency emails. I climb into bed and read the final draft of Tom Venuto's latest book he has asked me to review for him. I finally fall asleep exhausted and content.

This is my perfect day.

Some day soon, this will be how I live my life every single day. I am so excited!

Every day that I go to the gym, eat healthy, whole, chemical-free food, kiss my husband, drink water, write, blog, learn new things and save my money is another step closer to my dream.

When you think about it like that, there is no daily struggle or hardship, today is just another day investing in my future.

• What's your perfect day? (write it as a diary entry rather than a list because the image is more real when you describe what you see, smell, hear and feel)
• What would it look like if there was absolutely nothing in your way? Let your imagination go crazy!
  
• What do you already have/do that is part of your perfect day? (hold on to that with both hands and acknowledge how far you've already come)
• What are you doing today to make that day closer than it was yesterday?
• What can you let go that is just distracting you from the task at hand?
• Skinny Bones Pirates get a Bonus Bone

Dream a bigger dream and take action, in some small way, to make that dream a reality.

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100 Day Challenge - Day 75 - A Day-by-Day Workbook?

I am thinking of putting together a day-by-day Skinny Bones 100 Day Challenge Workbook with all the individual tasks on each day and a place to fill them in. That way people could start their own challenge at any time.

I need your opinion ...

Is 100 days too long?
Would a shorter challenge be better/easier?

Are the 10 day phases just weird?
Should they be 7 days like a normal week?

Would anyone beside me use it?

Any other ideas to improve the challenge?

Please give me your thoughts.

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100 Day Challenge - Day 76 - Phase Three Mid Point Challenge - Why?

Today's challenge is to list at least 25 reasons why you want to be fit, lean and healthy that will empower all areas of your life. A minimum of 6 reasons each in physical, spiritual, emotional and financial (+ one extra for good measure).
(Don't forget the positive and present tense!)

--Physical--
I am strong enough to protect myself
I live each day with energy and vitality
I can run for a bus without getting breathless
I can take the stairs 2 at a time
I look great in my clothes and even better naked
I have wide shoulders, a flat stomach and a gap between my thighs

--Emotional--
I have a positive outlook on life
My moods are balanced and even
I have great sex
I can find solutions to problems without being overwhelmed
I positively affect everyone I come into contact with
I model a life that is extraordinary and I celebrate my uniqueness
I love my life

--Spiritual--
I live in the present
I am thankful for each breathe I take
I live mindfully and consciously
I connect with similar souls in the universe
I appreciate the magnificent of creation
I feel at home in my body
I have the qualities of patience, kindness and giving

--Financial--
I am earning my living through my passion
I spend my money responsibly
I give to others in greater need
I invest in my health and well-being
Improving my health and fitness is my career
My example and my unique voice grows my online business

• What are your reasons to change your life?
• How will being fit lean and healthy affect your entire life?
• If you can't think of enough reasons, then maybe this isn't what you really want.
• If you have no trouble at all with this exercise, then reflect on your list -- WOW!
• Skinny Bones Pirates get a BONUS BONE for their list
  

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100 Day Challenge - Day 77 - Trim the Sails

When people say they want to lose weight or get fit and healthy, they usually mean that they want to be happy. Being out of shape, tired and sick makes them unhappy.

But happiness and total health is more than just looking good on the outside. It is more than just achieving your physical goals.

There are four sails on your ship - physical, emotional, financial and spiritual. Sometime we focus all our energy into one area of our lives and the others suffer. You need all four sails to cross the open sea.

Imagine the successful businessman who has financial security but is overweight and rapidly approaching a heart attack.

Imagine the person with spiritual insight and a sense of purpose in his life but can't afford to pay the rent.

Imagine having the body of your dreams but having no friends or family to share it with.

Think today on the four sails of your life. If you are only looking after one sail, then you are not going to get to your destination when the storms hit.

• Hug your kids, listen to your soul, save a few pennies, and go for a walk.

The simple prescription for happiness and total health.

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100 Day Challenge - Day 78 - My Weakness is Irrelevant

I am so frustrated that I can get everything right except my eating. I really need to work on getting this under control. I am going to focus all my energy into fixing this issue once and for all.

Except I'm not because my weakness is irrelevant.

What is happening is that I am constantly thinking about how crap my eating is, so my eating is crap. I beat myself up when I eat the wrong thing, I spend hours trying to find the perfect program that will cure my ills, and I become confused and stressed every time I have to make an eating decision. My head is full of negative, self defeating, non-productive thoughts.

I am no longer going to worry or stress about my eating choices because my weakness is irrelevant.

Now I am focusing on what I am really really good at. This is my Pirate Legend, the things I am famous for.

Here is my list of famous feats for yesterday ...

Sunday
♥ I walked to the library and back
♥ I connected with my blog/forum friends
♥ Loads of people read my blog, forum and articles
♥ I gained knowledge by reading
♥ I gained inspiration from listening to other people's health and fitness stories
♥ I made a small income from my online business
♥ I wrote out my goals
♥ I enjoyed the beautiful warm day
♥ My eye felt better
♥ I didn't ingest any chemicals, only real food
♥ I showered, washed my hair, shaved my legs and wore makeup
♥ I noticed my thoughts and stopped the negative ones
♥ I honoured my body with food that was not processed or manufactured
♥ I lived passionately and truthfully
♥ I spent time absorbed in activities that fill me up
♥ I wrote
♥ I was happy

These victories are my strengths, my fame, and my fortune. It doesn't make a difference whether they are simple and easy wins or hard fought battles, I achieved great things in a single day.

If I think on these things, then the food doesn't matter ... after all, it's just food for fuck's sake. And I know that by putting my focus on what I can do well, then the rest of it will fall into place eventually by itself.

I give myself the gift of patience and forgiveness. I will learn and I will grow and as a result the simple act of choosing healthy and nutritious food, without struggle or deprivation, will come as easily as my desire to be strong, committed and inspirational.

• Is your focus always on the negative? Has that helped you improve?
• What if you could get better by working on your strengths and not your weaknesses?
• What have you achieved today? What are the great things you do you never even think about? What are you famous for?
  
• Give up stressing about the bad bits for just 10 days. Every time you have a thought about that thing that trips you up, replace it with a positive thought instead e.g. "I might eat crappy food sometimes but I never have a problem smashing myself in the gym! I love training! In fact today I'm going to do an extra rep on every set because I am getting really strong ..."
• You are so much more than your weakness -- forget about it and take comfort and pleasure in your fabulousness!! Your strengths matter and your weakness is IRRELEVANT!!
  

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100 Day Challenge - Day 79 Phase Three Underway

Phase Three -- Check Your Map
Today you should revisit your map in light of everything you learned in Phase One and Two.

♥What is the treasure you are seeking? What do you hope to achieve at the end of these 100 days? Do you have a specific goal, an end point, something you can measure?

♥Is the treasure the purpose of this challenge or just a reward that it secondary to the adventure? If you could get your hands on the treasure right now, would you give up being a pirate? Would you be a pirate anyway because that is who you are? Do you find happiness and satisfaction solely in the thrill of being free, lawless and traveling the high seas? Would you still do it if there was no prize?

♥Do you know why you are on this challenge? How does this challenge express your passion? Do you feel emotional when you think about all you have achieved and the opportunities that lie before you?

♥How much will it cost to achieve your goals? What will you need to give up - time, money, indulgence, familiarity, comfort? Are you actually making the transaction daily by taking steps towards your goal?

♥How long has it been since you wrote your goals down on paper, or said them out loud? Nothing is real until it exists outside your head.

• Decide if your are goals focused on the journey or the destination
• Determine your reasons why. Identify your passion and add your emotions into the equation.
  
• Take action
  
• Write down your goals daily and say them out loud
  

Phase Three -- Setting Sail -- Leave the Past Behind

It is time to put your old life into storage, say goodbye to the things that have held you back, and sail away from a life that is comforting and familiar. You have the right map, the right crew, and a vessel that is swift and strong. It is time to create your future ... and it starts right now.

It is time to decide if you are in or out -- because the ship is sailing and you need to get on board. It doesn't matter what you have done over the last 20 days because today is all you have.

Remember who you are, and who you want to be ... it's time to get this party started. Are with with me??

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100 Day Challenge - Another Wild Scheme - Unstoppable Fat Loss Challenge

I have just purchased Unstoppable Fat Loss -- not because I need another 'how to' program but because this one focuses on the emotional component of getting and staying lean which is my biggest hurdle. The catch phrase is ... "empower your mind and your body will follow"

For the small sum of $US 19.95 I got 42 audio MP3s (by people like Tom Venuto, Craig Ballantyne, Leigh Peele, Nick Nilsson, Mike Geary, Valerie Waters) + 21 pdf transcripts + a support community and the transformation challenge. For me, the focus is going to be on transforming my mind rather than my body.

So for Phase 3 and Phase 4 of the 100 Day Challenge I am going to be getting some of my own motivation and inspiration. I will share my insights and revelations with you along the way.

If you are a Pirate of Potential and you have got lost at sea [you can't have had more of a disaster than my past ten days], then today is the start of a new Phase, a fresh start.

Make the next 20 days better than the last 20 days. Don't let anything hold you back. If you've been a bit half-hearted, now is the time to turn it around. You are more than capable of changing anything you want to!

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100 Day Challenge - Day 80 - The Pirates Council

Congratulations on making it through Phase Two of the Skinny Bones 100 Day Challenge. Please feel free to copy and paste your Parchment of Progress anywhere you like.

Here is the checklist for what you should have achieved in Phase Two. If you have missed anything you can still catch up.

• reviewed your action goals -- checked the map
• identified what you need from the people around you depending on whether they had the same or different goals -- recruited your Pirate Partner(s) and crew (+ bonus bone)
  
• recognised and thanked the person who helps you the most -- chose your first mate (+ bonus bone)
• identified the person who inspires and motivates you - your role model -- mid phase challenge post (+ bonus bone)
• started a journal -- started writing your own history
  
• resisted temptation and faced your fears -- fought the evil Pirate of Powerlessness
• stepped out of your comfort zone - walk the plank
• voted on the poll 'how clean is your diet?' - stocked the galley
  

Check In Process (*voluntary)

• Fill in the Skinny Bones Tally spreadsheet in Google with your Skinny Bones tally for this phase (if you don't have access then add it to your comments)

Comment on this post with the following information

• your milestones - e.g. weight loss, inches/cms lost, days without bingeing, physical improvements etc.
  
• your victory over the Pirate of Powerlessness
• the most important lesson you've learned over the past 20 days
  

KatieP's Check In

• I have 11 Skinny Bones (entered in the spreadsheet)

+1 bonus bone - recruited my crew
+1 bonus bone - thanked my first mate
+1 bonus bone - mid point challenge/role model
-3 binges
-1 not training as much as I could have

• I didn't give up even when I repeatedly lost the plot, and then got sick
  
• My major victory was not reverting back to a restricted diet plan when it all went to shit in the past 10 days
  
• The most important lesson I have learned is that giving up is not an option.

Look for the Phase Two Booty tomorrow.

♥ Yo-ho-ho-ho -- we did it gang! Second stage done!

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100 Day Challenge - Phase Two Review in Pictures

New Article

• How to Transition to Intuitive Eating after a Low Calorie Diet

100 Day Challenge - Day 81 - Phase Two Recap and Prepare for The Pirates Council

• NEWS: The Skinny Bones 100 Day Challenge now has a FORUM open to past, present and future Pirates and their friends. ANYONE can join - click here.

♥♥♥

Phase Two Recap -- Recruiting Your Crew
If you missed Phase One you can find it here

Day 89 - Check the Map
Time to re-visit those goals to make sure they are still working for you. Add, subtract and adjust -- just make sure those daily actions are propelling you in the right direction.

Day 88 - Bonus Bone : Recruit Your Pirate Partner and Crew
Write your recruitment advertisement listing all the qualities the people who support you should possess.

Day 87 - Bonus Bone : Promote Your First Mate
Identify that one person who is your health and fitness soul mate. Say thank you.

Day 86 - Phase One Mid Point Challenge - Bonus Bone : The Pirate Kings/Queens
Who is your role model? You coach, your mum, a famous figure athlete? Tell us who you look up to and why for a Mid Point Challenge Bonus Bone.

Day 85 - Create a Permanent Record
Print out a copy of the 100 Day Challenge Template or create a journal of your own. Make a lasting memento of this time when you took control and smashed through the things that always held you back.

Day 84 (or at any point in this Phase) - Fight the Evil Pirate of Powerlessness
Face your greatest fear and beat it. Resist temptation. Do something when you don't feel like it. Fight the evil Pirate and win. Figure out what to do when you lose.

Day 83 - Walk the Plank
Challenge your beliefs. Stop the insanity. What can you change in your life even though it frightens you?

Day 82 - Stock the Galley - How clean is your diet?
Nutrition is the most important part of a healthy, empowered life style. Do you enjoy eating clean, need your naughty treats, or swing from one extreme to the other? What is your approach to eating? Take the poll.

Day 81 - Prepare for the Second Pirates Council
Day 80 marks the completion of Phase Two and the second Pirates Council. This post (the one you are reading now) reviews the highlights of this phase. You can catch up now if you have missed anything.

Tomorrow morning I will post my official Phase Two check in. If you are finishing Phase Two with me, or are close enough then you can add your information by commenting ON TOMORROW'S POST (it will help me if it is all in one place):

Check in information is:

• your Skinny Bones tally for this Phase (fill in the Skinny Bones Tally spreadsheet in Google if you have access otherwise add it to your comment)
• your milestones - e.g. weight loss, inches/cm lost, days without bingeing, physical improvements
• your victory over the Pirate of Powerlessness
• what you have learned in the last 20 days
  

Day 80 - See you tomorrow at the Pirate Council for Phase Two and the start of Phase Three - Setting Sail.

So get cracking on those tasks and challenges so you can get your Skinny Bones tally up.

Bugger me ... It's going so fast! ♥

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100 Day Challenge - Day 82 - Stock the Galley

Before we set sail across the wide blue ocean, we need to make sure our ship is stocked with the finest food and drink.

As you are in charge of stocking the galley, let us know what your nutritional strategy is? Maybe it is too strict ... and causes you to 'sink' or maybe a bit loose and you could clean it up a little?

This poll is open to all readers (not just the Pirate of Potential).

Get This - Survey Results - GlowDay.com

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On Judgment and Awareness

From the book : Breaking Free from Emotional Eating

A judgment is a continuous, high pitched, silent scream. It hurts to listen to it. First you try covering your ears. Then you try leaving the room. Soon you become frantic; you'll do anything to make the shrieking in your head stop.

Eating makes it stop. Eating takes your attention away from the shrill and focuses it on the taste. Eating provides relief from whatever you are judging yourself about, until you start judging yourself for eating. Eating makes it stop until eating makes it start. So eating doesn't make it stop.

Nothing will stop a judgment but the awareness that it is a judgment. You can't fight - and win - against a judgment. It is like pruning a plant, only to have it grow back wider and bushier. When I tell myself that I am fat, my response is to eat more, not less.

Judgments do not lead to change.

Change happens the way a plant grows: slowly, without force, and with the essential nutrients of love and patience and a willingness to remain constant through periods of stasis.

If change is what you want, you need to learn of gentler of way of dealing with yourself and others.

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100 Day Challenge - Day 83 - Walk the Plank

• When you live a life based on the externally imposed and inflexible need to be thin, it is impossible to develop trust in your ability to eat what satisfies you because what you are believing is that being thin will satisfy you. *
  

• While it is true that you cannot trust the feeling that because you want something you must have it, it is not true that you cannot be trusted. Or that you cannot lose weight by listening to yourself. *
  

• Trust develops and builds when I am given a choice (and not, as in dieting, denied it). Trust develops when I choose to make myself comfortable, not miserable, to take care of myself rather than hurt myself. Trust develops when you learn from actual experience that you can decide which desires to act upon and which you will leave to fantasy. *
  

Being Thin Does Not Satisfy Me
Being sick lean is no longer the driving force in my life. The spot on the map marked by an "X" is not about how I look, it is about how I feel.

I am no longer able to endure the heartache, pain, and struggle of living from hour to hour counting down until I can eat again. I am tired of not sleeping through the night because my body is screaming for nourishment. The time has come to explore new ways of staying fit, healthy and SANE.

I Have Given Up Dieting

• When we give up dieting, we take back something we were often unaware we had given away : our own voice. Our ability to make decisions about what to eat and when. Your body is reliable. It doesn't go away, get lost, stolen. If you will listen, it will speak. *
  

Pirates Answer to No One
It occurs to me that I cannot be truly empowered while I serve the rules and promises of experts who tell me what to eat and how to train in order to be fit and lean. These strangers tell me that if I obey their laws, I will be one of the few who achieve their goal. Yet, if it were true, then everyone would be the size and shape they wanted. It clearly doesn't work.

It is even more evident when I listen to your stories which echo my own day after day. We are sick of fighting, sick of deprivation, constantly living in hope that tomorrow will be worth all the struggle today and ending up face first in the nearest bucket of ice-cream.

Is There Another Way?
Eat when you're hungry
Eat what you want
Stop when you're full

Oh Yeah ... Intuitive Eating ... Tried It Once and It Was A Disaster
Let's try that again ...
Eat when you're HUNGRY
Eat what you WANT
Stop when you're FULL
Intuitive eating with boundaries!

I Eat When I'm Hungry
There is a difference between mind hunger and body hunger. Fortunately, I know intimately what body hunger feels like. So I wait until I my stomach is empty and growling before I eat ANYTHING. No treats, seconds, or dessert unless I am physically hungry.

I has been years since I have eaten when I'm hungry. I am either denying the sensation by waiting until an appointed time to eat a minuscule amount, or eating large volumes of food way beyond the sensation of hunger when I binge. I am now choosing instead to rely on my body to tell me when I need to eat, through a real and tangible physical sensation.

I Eat What I Want
Eating what I want doesn't mean eating cheesecake and hash browns at every meal. It means asking myself 'what does my body want right now?'

My body wants fuel and nutrients in the right quantities so it doesn't need to store it (as fat). My body wants to feel energised after a meal not sick, bloated, bogged down and sleepy. I eat to honour these wants. I am developing trust in my body by not measuring, weighing or logging my food. I have enough experience in portion control and macro requirements that I don't need to track any more.

Occasionally, my soul need feeding as well. When these needs outweigh my body's needs I will give myself what my soul needs. Comfort food is acceptable but I must still wait until I am physically hungry, truly eat what I want and stop when I have satisfied my emotional need. I will also carefully observe the effects these not so healthy foods have on my body and spirit.

I Stop When I'm Full
I stop eating when my hunger is satisfied. Satisfaction only occurs when I am physically and psychologically nourished. In order to stop when I am satisfied, I need to wait until I'm hungry and eat what I really want. If I mistakenly eat too much or too little it is OK because I know that it will simply alter how long it takes to get hungry again.

I choose to eat real food that my body will recognise as filling. Processed chemicals (like protein powder and SF maple syrup) just confuse my satiation signals. So back on the menu are real yogurt, full fat soy milk (just because I prefer the taste), and naturally sweet things like fruit.

Why am I Doing This?
Because I need balance and clarity in my head and room in my life to think of other things besides food. I want to trust myself instead of being in constant conflict. I want to be lean so I can live my life not live my life to be lean.

How is it so Far?
It is almost the scariest thing I have ever done. I am frightened beyond belief. I am choosing to abandon the only way of preventing getting fat that I know (counting calories) and I am fucking petrified. I cannot even imagine doing this for a week, I can only concentrate on one meal at a time. I still have a compulsion to work out how many calories I am eating which I must resist. It is not easy.

But if it works, I will be free at last. I am launching my sailing ship into an unknown and unexplored sea. If I get lost or battered and bruised I can always turn around and head for home.

But not many Pirates do that do they?


*all quotations from this book
Breaking Free from Emotional Eating

• Is the price you are paying to be thin too much?
• If 'eat less : move more' really worked, why do we struggle so much?
• What if the opposite of what we believe was also true?
• If this was your last day on earth, how would you choose to eat?
• If your body could speak, what would it say?
  
• Can you be a Pirate without being lawless?
• Have I gone fucking mad (again)?

New article :

• From Dieting to Disordered Eating : A Cautionary Tale
• How to Choose a Weight Loss Program : Use this Checklist

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100 Day Challenge - Day 84 - Winning the Fight

Time to check in on how you did with fighting the evil Pirate of Powerlessness this phase.

This time around, I lost the battle and ended up in a semi-binge last Friday night.

In the true Pirate spirit, I am retreating to allow my (self inflicted) wounds to heal and reflect on mistakes.

Since the FND (Friday night disaster) I have been re-evaluating almost everything I believe to be true. Somehow, the way I have been living is not my best life. I have created a reality that is a constant struggle and filled with pain.

I will rip open my chest and reveal the details of my exposed beating heart tomorrow in my 'Walk the Plank' post. Until then, all I can tell you is that it not what you expect. This Challenge has already changed my life in ways I could never have imagined ...

• How was your encounter with the evil Pirate of Powerlessness in Phase Two?
  
• Did you beat him senseless or did you take a bit of a thrashing?
• Are you discovering new things about yourself every time you win/lose a fight?
• Have you walked the plank yet in Phase Two?
  

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