I wasn't an angel by any means. I had a slice of pie with whipped cream. I had maybe 6 sugar cookies total over the seven week span between Thanksgiving and the New Year. Full Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners complete with turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, eggnog and the like so I didn't miss out on anything.
The difference was as soon as the dinner was over, that was it. I didn't let a one day indulgence turn into a seven week food fest. I had to learn to balance and the truth of it is, I didn't have the cravings this year.
There is also the fact that I am working again. Now that I have a pedometer ( and I recommend everyone get one), I see that on average I walk 2 to 3 miles a day at work. Now that isn't much really in the huge scheme of things, but it burns about 200 calories. What the pedometer doesn't take into consideration is the lifting, bending, and other exercising I am also getting at work. At first it killed me at the end of a shift. Advil was fast becoming my best friend because it was the only thing to stop the muscle ache. Now, I can work an 8 hour shift and come home fine. I have toned up my muscles and they are not nearly as sore as t hey were in the beginning.
The thing is, I set a goal, and I met that goal. This is the first time in years where I accomplished a weight loss without giving up. I didn't starve myself (that doesn't work), and I found a way to exercise. I have changed so much in the past year both physically and mentally. Best of all I have dropped 3 sizes in clothing which is a great ego booster!
My next goal is to lose another 25 by July 25th and ultimately 50 by my next birthday January 25th 2017! That will mean I lost 100lbs in 2 years and I will finally be out of the 200's. The last time I was below 200 was in 1989 when I got pregnant with my last child. I am excited to be on this second leg of my journey and I invite you all to come along for the ride.
If I have inspired you, I am happy. I can't make anyone join me. You have to get to the point where you really want to do this for you. Make sure you are doing it for all the right reasons and that you WANT to do it. Don't let anyone influence your decision, especially society. Society wants us all to be Victoria Secret model sizes and guess what...ain't happening. Beauty is beauty and it comes in all shapes and sizes. Marilyn Monroe was a bigger gal and who doesn't think she was sexy? To me, true beauty radiates from within yourself. It is confidence in loving who you are and how you present yourself to others. But I am getting off track here...what I was trying to say is don't do it because you think it will make you sexier, do it for health. That was the reason I did it and I can tell you my blood pressure has dropped back to normal, I can walk more than a block without sounding like a tea kettle, and I just feel better. If I can do it, anyone can. Baby steps, one at a time, will lead you down the path faster than you realize it.
So that is it for this time dear readers. I thank you for your encouragement and continued support and please know I could not do it without all of you in my corner.
Rottie
