The Healthy Lifestyle, Update

Hi friends.  I am about to share more of my weightloss journey with you.  I'm sorry if you don't like it.  It's just that, well, I am a teacher by nature.  I can't help it!  So, when I learn something new, through experience or just from reading about it, I love to tell you about it because I want you to learn too!

Well...

I've been on the journey still.  Since January (or was it late December?)  The journey is a long path that I will be on for my whole life.  It has many ups and downs.  I had a rough patch in there during late spring, when we were very busy and the healthy lifestyle kind of was set to the side.  It's so easy to make excuses! But on the whole, I'm headed in the right direction.  I'm so thankful for my friends who have encouraged me on the way.  My walking partner who comes to get me at 5:30am!  My buddies who track their food along with me at myfitnesspal.com . And my little (or not so little) family that is patient in their own way while I struggle with making different foods and taking time to exercise or write down my food for the day.  Thank you all.

Things that I am working on....that are working for me (as in..helping me to lose pounds!)....

**Planning out the fruits and veggies of the day.  Really.  If it is planned for me to eat them, then I don't think we are going to not have enough for the kids for the week and I can eat them freely.  I plan out all three meals of the day for the week and try to get four servings of fruits and vegetables for everyone in there.  I know you are supposed to eat more, but you've got to start somewhere!

**Using myfitnesspal.com is really helping too.  It is so important to keep track of what you eat.  It allows you to keep track of important nutrients too, not just calories, and it helps you figure out how much you can eat and still lose weight.  It calculates it specifically for you and your age, height, weight, special needs, and amount of exercise.  It varies daily with whatever exercise you did that day, so it's helpful to keep track!  It's a free website.  So go ahead and click over there if you like.  The food database is so much more inclusive than the previous website's that I had been using.  If you do sign up, let me know so I can "friend you" (silly i know) so we can encourage one another!

**I have set little goals for myself along the way.  Otherwise it can be overwhelming.  I have a weekly goal, a monthly goal and a final goal.  They change sometimes, but it helps to keep the forward momentum.

**I have found a fun reward for myself, because I need lots of encouragement and most people are too shy to encourage me about my weightloss.  So I encourage myself! My reward is...for every week that I stick with my goals (tracking food and exercising) then I buy myself fresh flowers and the end of that week.  I love flowers in the house, and sadly I am lacking them. (ahem, J, ahem...)  Now I get them and I feel good about spending that small amount of money on myself because I earned it!

**Just keep trying.  Not every day is going to be easy.  Some days I screw up.  Some days I'm grumpy and selfish and lazy.  Somedays I eat ice cream.  It's okay.  It's not the end of the world.  Just stop, turn around and get back on the path.  Do it quickly or you'll feel worse. (talking to myself here)

I'll leave you with a final quote....
"Do or do not.  There is no try."  -yoda
(did I get that right?)