Weigh IN!!! Also known as that part in the movie where everyone goes WHUT!

Do you remember that scene in the sixth sense where Bruce Willis figures out he is dead?
lol.
This is that moment in our challenge.
There is a reason I have  been so lackadaisical  about things...
So willy nilly, neither here nor there...
I wanted to see if I spotted any sort of patterns with each of my participants in this challenge.
I told you this whole thing was about the mind..

See if any of my REMAINING participants can spot the patterns....

lol because I have 8 remaining participants.
Not bad...
about the equivelant washout rate of your average special forces selection process.
The people who want it most don't have to be told.
I won't be posting weigh in losses today..even though we have some...
These last 49 days were all about spotting my participant's patterns...seeing them and then reflecting them...
and participant, if you see you...don't feel alone..
Anyone coming here that has a weight problem will see it in themselves as well...


Patten 1
Allowing special occasions to torpedo your eating.
Then you get back on track..
then you get off track...
wash rinse repeat...
resulting in the same 3-5 lbs lost in the course of  49 days?
Best bet for this type..
no special occassion eating allowed? lol.
There are a ton of special days..
that is why the calorie cap. 
You can still celebrate, and no one cares what you eat..I swear.
Unless you plunk a cheerio on your plate, heave and sigh, no one will notice.
You could have a very nice baked potato, a small piece of chicken and some broccoli for around 550 calories...looks very normal.
Sometimes special occasions are our excuse to eat.
They always were for me.
My favorite excuse.
I have to eat a slice of cake on my daughter's birthday or it's bad luck.
I have managed to knock that down to a bite.
I don't need a slice. lol. 
For instance...I lost no weight during the last two weeks.
Why?
I didn't feel like counting calories.
That's the truth.
I just didn't care.
I couldn't bring myself to give  a flip.
And it was the wrong answer.
only thing that saved my rear (as always) 
exercise.
That and not having seconds...
I would measure.
but I didn't count.
So...I would eat my usual breakfast and lunch..
and then for dinner I would eat a serving or whatever.
It worked.
I maintained.
overweight. lol.
to lose, you have to commit..especially the lower you are.

Pattern 2
The ever changing diet.
The pattern here is the process of thinking.
The thinking says "There is a perfect diet"
That when you find the perfect diet, you will no longer struggle with food.
Or you will no longer struggle with you.
There is no such diet.
The only perfect diet is the one you will stick to...
it will not make you not want to eat.
It will not cure your craving for chocolate.
And it will not stop making you think about food all the time.
It's what we food addicts do.
We think about food.
The question is..when you think about it,  Do you feel like you were in a healthy and positive place with your food, or out of control and using it to do things it has no place doing.
Is it hard to count calories?
Yes..
It's harder to feel like you've failed yourself..
so if you have switched up your 'diet' in the past 7 weeks..
ask yourself...
did it change anything beyond the first three days.
Or did your old thought patterns emerge again?
Did your old habits emerge?
You have to fix your thought patterns...
That thought pattern that needs to be fixed is this..
that food will cure something.
Or that different food or less or more or red or green food is the answer.
You are the answer.
The food is a tool.

Pattern 3:
Now this could be conjecture..
but the person who is at maintenance and refuses to see that they are at maintenance.
lol.
lucky duck.
If  you can keep yourself at a healthy weight for 50 days..
and it's within 1 or 2 pounds..
and you are exercising, and eating healthy..
like I was at 147.
And you still feel the need to lose weight to hit a magic number..
You still have the 'food is the enemy' meme going.
you could have pattern 3.
I got worn out.
you see...
and I have a feeling someone else may be there.
There will be no names mentioned  here on this post.
lol
My 135 is going to come because I have decided that I am ready to eat around 1600-1700 calories a day for the rest of my life..
every day.
no special days.
No binge days.
and I am willing to work out 45 minutes to an hour a day 6 days a week.
That will undoubtedly bring me to 135 if not lower.
And if lower..fine.
I am not stressing about it.
I had to come to a place and a number that I could live with long term.
I don't want my body to be skinny.
I want it to be strong, and fit and active.
I want to be a good role model.
so...
If any of you spotted a pattern in there.
Don't feel singled out...
I did all of those.
This 100 day challenge is not just about losing weight.
It's about changing how we use food.
Understanding what is holding us back.
And moving forward.
With a firm commitment to find what we can do...what exercise, what food..what life..
We can enjoy.
For the rest of our lives..
and then do it.
I will be sending out question 5 tomorrow.
Have a great night guys.
Chris out.