State of Beginning

Hey, look! I remembered my blog address!  :)

Over the past couple months I really lost track...and realized I had gained about 5 pounds back.  That is NOT the right direction I want to move if I am going to be healthier.

I guess I have to face the fact that I will always be in a state of beginning...

and never be "finished"....

until death! (Now, that's not what I want to focus on!)  

I might actually be much better off if I think of each new day as a new beginning...

a new, fresh start...

a clean slate...

without the shadows of yesterday...

a day for successes all its own!

How's that for positive thinking??

 

Get up!!

Success: Fall down seven times; get up eight.... 

Today I am getting up!

I am going to record my food again on my iPod, and I am going to keep my iPod charged so I don't have any excuses for not recording.  Recording my food is one thing that is consistent with past success.  When I am struggling to find motivation, I have to just stick with what I know can work.

Looking for Motivation

I have still been struggling this month...with eating well, keeping my food log, and sometimes, exercising.

I try to remember what gave me the resolve I had in January...what led me to be so sure I could do this?? And where did it go??  I need it...again...and again...

Never Give Up

It has been a struggle the past few weeks.  I have made bad choices and followed them with other bad choices.  Eating right is so difficult for me!  The really sad part is that I know I am making a poor choice, and I do it anyway.  I recently read a blog post in The Happiness Project that reminded me that I am not good at eating a little bit of something....like M&Ms, chips, or any other carb that calls my name.  I need to just say "no!" to all of them.  It is easier to walk away from all of them than to try to eat just a little.....And neither of these is really "easy."

There's a Japanese proverb that says "Fall down seven times, get up eight."  That is what I need to do---get up! The change I need to work on right now is getting up rather than being defeated.  It is time to get up again and move on toward my goal! (This little video is a great illustration of getting up after a fall.) 

Home again

Once again, it's been a while since I have posted.  This has been a really busy month with out-of-town plans every weekend...until this weekend!

Much of the week before last I was in New Orleans for a conference.  New Orleans is NOT the place to go to lose weight!  Lots and lots of good food there!

One of my colleagues asked for light dressing for her salad, and with a laugh, our waitress replied something like, "This is New Orleans, honey. We don't have light dressing.  New Orleans isn't the place for diet food."  

That was also evident when I wanted skim milk with my beignets. (OK, I know beignets are not health food either...I had to try them while I was there, and I did not over-indulge...I only had them once.)  When I asked for skim milk, the teenage boy behind the counter gave me a puzzled look and told me they only had whole milk.  Ugh! Whole milk is just....thick....after drinking skim milk for years!  I opted for water instead.  (On a side note, the tap water was really good!  I don't always find that when I drink tap water out of town.)

Though my eating was not exemplary, I did make some good food choices, and I did workout every morning.  The exercise room in our hotel had an elliptical machine that I bonded with.  I did a lot of walking, too.  I have to believe that exercise contributed to my breaking even weight-wise the day after returning home from my trip.

I have sort of coasted this week, though, settling back into my routines.  

The one routine that I am most happy about is exercising.  In addition to my morning elliptical workout, I have been walking regularly.  I started a few weeks ago, and although I don't walk more than a mile yet, I have to believe it is going to eventually help my knees feel better and stronger.  I am excited that my husband has joined me this week, too;  we go right after supper before getting caught up in other evening responsibilities.

This week...

...I will resume more good habits, especially eating less.  I have noticed that I have eaten more since the trip to New Orleans.  

...No more Easter candy in the house...we thought it would be ok to have some when we had friends over to share it.  In retrospect...NOT a good idea!  I cannot stop once I start.  So I know that I have to not start.

Keep working towards your own goals, friends!  You can do it!

Celebrate Jeans

Exciting news worth a celebration for me---I have worn jeans the past three days--all day!!

For those of you who are not around me on a regular basis, this may seem to be a strange thing to be excited about.  But...I don't think I have fit into my (largest) jeans for months and months...and it's sad to say, I am not exaggerating. So, I am darned excited!

A week or so ago, I tried one pair on, and they fit but were a little too tight for my comfort level when sitting.  Thursday afternoon, a number of colleagues were discussing wearing jeans to our meeting on Friday.  I decided to give my jeans another try....and they were just fine! 

I wore a different pair this weekend, too.  Again--just fine! Even for a three-hour trip in the car after eating lunch! 

I am not a fan of buying jeans (any clothes for that matter!)  It is so difficult to find jeans that fit. I have a narrow waist in proportion to my large behind and fat legs, so finding a pair to fit in all three places is no easy feat.  Therefore, when I grew out of my jeans (UGH!), I refused to try to find ones that fit a larger me.  

So....here's a cheer to wearing jeans that now fit once again! (And here's hoping I will have to shop for smaller ones in the near future.)

What are you currently celebrating about yourself??  I think it is important to be proud of even little accomplishments!

No More Complacency

I remember the conviction I began with almost two months ago.  I was determined to make healthier choices.  And I was successful at doing so…

but...

lately…

I have become complacent.   

My good choices have been interspersed with not-so-good choices.  

I know when I get busy with a lot of other things it becomes difficult to stay on track.  When my "regular" routine, if there is such a thing, gets interrupted, I lose focus.

Some recent choices have included a pizza buffet, chicken strips and fries, and a red velvet whoopie pie.  Somehow I convince myself that I have been doing well, I have even lost some weight, and “just a little bit” of whatever carb or fat won’t hurt.   

The problem is that “a little” never stops with a little.  It becomes so much more. Enough more that I didn't weigh myself on Friday.  I didn't want to know for sure.  (Am I like the young child, covering her eyes, believing that she is now hidden?)  If I pretend I am not sabotaging my goals, it's not happening? 

So here I am, once again, reminding myself of my goals.  I am glad that I wrote them down so I can look at them again.  My food choices affect so much more than my weight!  And my goals involve being healthier, not just lighter.

Earlier today I was ready to put out a plea for help from my friends.  I have been faltering and need support.  

What is really cool is that I heard from three friends today...who provided unsolicited support to give me the boost I needed...and it means SO much!  

One friend said something like, I am following your journey, and I can tell you are losing weight.  Another send a Facebook message to inquire how things were going and shared what helps her be healthier.  And at about that same time, I got a message from another friend thanking me for inspiration and wondering when we can get together.  So thanks, Jane, Cynthia, and Jenna!! Thank you!!  I really needed to hear what you had to say today.

And I can't forget the friend I had dinner with last night...she and her husband are also working on being healthier.  She started about the same time I did and has lost over 10 pounds!  Talking with her helped me to pass up a second serving of delicious, healthy food...because I wasn't really hungry.  Being able to say it out loud to someone who understood was really helpful!  So thanks for being there, Jill!

I don't know if I can say it enough.  The kind, supportive words mean so much.  I do need them.  We all need them.  I hope by reflecting on the kindness I have received, I can be more giving of the same!

Please don't hesitate to ask someone how things are going (you know, how they are really going), tell someone you care, tell him/her you are proud of them, or offer your support.  You may not have any idea how much he/she needs your kindness at that time. 

Feel free to comment on a time when someone has given you the support you've needed at just the time you've needed it.