Joining the Thin Club

Meet Larina Kase - co-author of Joining the Thin Club

Hi everyone, I’m Dr. Larina Kase coauthor of Joining the Thin Club and founder of Strength Weight Loss and Wellness (http://www.strengthweightloss.com). I was thrilled to collaborate with Judy Lederman on Joining the Thin Club because as you probably know, most people who go through all of the work to lose weight end up putting it back on. Most books focus on losing weight so I felt there was a real need for a book on how to actually keep it off.

As a psychologist ands success coach, I help people turn knowledge into action. You know that you need to continue eating healthy and exercising, but why don’t you do what you know you should?

There are dozens of reasons that we cover in our book, including:

·         Continuing to see yourself as an overweight person.

·         Interpreting minor setbacks as total failures.

·         Becoming anxious and stressed as you worry that you could regain the weight.

·         Neglecting to address emotional eating problems.

·         Dining with people who have unhealthy eating habits.

You can have the best weight loss plan in the world but until you address these and other issues, the habits that led to your putting on weight in the first place are likely to continue.

Writing Joining the Thin Club with Judy was wonderful because it was a synergistic experience. By this, I mean that the whole is greater than the sum of the parts. Judy shared all of her stories and secrets about the journey downscale and I added some research and psychological perspectives. The best part is Judy’s humorous and candid writing style.

I’ll be back from time to time to post tips on this blog to help you become and stay a Thin Club member for life!

Thanks for reading,

Larina

Love Hurts But Food Shouldn't

Life isn't always smooth sailing.  Kid issues, parent issues, career, marriage and social challenges can proffer some mighty bumps in the road.  And if you are on a diet or trying to maintain a weight loss, you may have to fight off the learned response of drowning your sorrows in a pint of Ben & Jerry's Chubby Hubby.

I hit one of those snafus last week, encountering difficulties with someone I am dating.  That, coupled with work deadlines and the release of the book presented some daunting challenges.  Plus, with the kids away at camp, I found myself alone with the dreaded refrigerator this weekend.

The old Judy would have gone to town and by Sunday morning I'd be in a funk, sugar-coma and fearful of mirrors and scales, lest I have to confront the ramifications of a "lost weekend."  Instead, I decided that this weekend was going to be "Judy weekend."  I ran to the supermarket--yes, I did.  But instead of buying cookies and ice-cream, I bought myself the ingredients for a fine and healthy dinner - fresh veggies (I roasted them), salad ingredients, and as a very special treat, I bought two HUGE bouquets of fresh flowers.  The flowers smell and look amazing and they are zero calories.

I fixed myself special, healthy and well-balanced Friday night and Saturday afternoon meals, presented nicely--as if I were entertaining someone special (and who could be more special than me?).  Saturday morning I went to synagogue and prayed (another mind-toning activity when things are tough for me), and I spent the rest of the time reading and taking long walks.  One was with a "walking buddy" whom I was able to confide in.  And Sunday activities will include going kickboxing and getting my hair blown out.

While there were tears and considerable pain this weekend--love is, after all, sometimes a challenge and just because you "tone" your mind, doesn't mean you will always be happy in life--there was also satisfaction in knowing that I was caring for myself in the same way I generally care for others.  And the "comfort" food I chose was the right combination of protein, carbs and flavor. So after the weekend is over, I know I'll feel better and stronger no matter where my love life takes me.

Can Your FRIENDS Make You Fat????

According to the New England Journal of Medicine, the results indicate that yes, birds of a feather waddle together!  The clinical evidence supports what I have found to be a sad truth--when you lose weight, you may have to "lose" some of your friends as well.  When we choose to be thin, we are choosing more than the right foods.  We are choosing self control over helplessness and structure over impulse.

Hollywood embraces the fat-thin friendship ideal.  Laurel and Hardy, Abbott and Costello, Lucy and Ethel--you get the picture.  But when we get beyond the stereotypes, are there inherent relationship challenges to a fat-thin friendship?

My munchy-crunchy food buddy Cindy was an old friend from before my weight loss.  We would spend long, lazy afternoons munching on home-baked goodies, watching videos and creating recipes that were anything but healthy.  And we had PLENTY to say about those size 4 neighborhood cuties who ate a rice cake as a meal and exercised as if their lives depended on it.  The ones who exercised all day, took nice long walks with their fit and handsome husbands.  They were the enemy.

And then I lost weight.  Of course it was gradual, but the friendship began to falter.  While Cindy stuffed her face with gobs of gluten, I was working hard to keep my weight off.  That meant eating healthy and walking with my friends, no sedentary stuff for me!  And one day I realized that I had inadvertently switched sides.  I had become the enemy.  One of the Thin Club members who ate a rice cake (ok, with some cottage cheese!) for lunch each day.  Like the ones Cindy and I used to trash in our food frenzies. 

In my estimation, the study is right, successful weight loss requires more than just food and exercise shifts.  It requires a life change - and that means throwing some of the dead weight overboard.  Sorry, Cindy.

Value Yourself

Part of the process of thinking thin, involves reaching a point where you value yourself.  You know that you are "worth" the time and effort you put into maintaining your weight and your health--and your life, in general.  You become jealous of your time--and choose carefully how and when to spend it.  Time is money, after all...and time can be spent, working, recreating or doing things to take care of yourself.

I have learned to take those choices very seriously over the years and I have learned to spend my time and my energy carefully.  That means, I choose exercise over sedentary activity.  I choose healthy food--even if it takes a bit longer to prepare--over junk food alternatives.  And I choose to be around people who eat, think and value themselves, as I do.

Some might say I have "attitude," and I guess I do.  I have developed an unapologetic attitude when it comes to caring for myself.  Because if I don't love myself, who will love me?  And if I don't do for myself, who will do for me?  And if I am not there for myself, I will never be there for others.

It is a lesson that spills over into every aspect of your life--from relationships to career--and of course to your attitudes towards food.   Give yourself permission to make yourself "number one."  Give yourself permission to say no to activities, career moves, friends and family that make unreasonable demands of your time and efforts.  That will help you stay on track in life--and on your diet and exercise program. 

The End Game - or The Beginning?

It's about one week to my book launch and counting.  Is staying "thin" any easier now that I've written an about-to-be-published a book on the subject?  The answer is unequivically, "No!"  True, I no longer go to Dunkin' Donuts and order a thing beside iced coffee (with skim milk and artificial sweetener)--and frankly--I've FINALLY mastered the art of not even feeling tempted by those Boston Cremes that used to call me by the dozen!  But I cannot tell a lie--there are days when my commitment wans.   Hot summer days when dragging myself to exercise is the last thing I want to do.  And when ice cream -- not the sugar free low fat kind -- looks DARN good!  On days like these I remind myself that I'm in it for the long haul - and I'm in it to feel good.  As much as I hate getting even sweatier on a hot day, I know that AFTER the exercise I will feel much better than I did BEFORE.  I know that if I opt for a fresh fruit or the lowfat ice cream, I will feel more in control.  These are the things that motivate me these days.  And if I lose one or two of the "last five pounds," that's great.  And if I don't, well, the choice is mine--I can try harder--or I can look at the big picture.  It's about how I FEEL and about being HEALTHY.  Not about watching a little pointer on a scale.