January 18,  2014

The first 5 days are over.  I've done well.  Notice how the first few days are great, and then  the next few, although you're doing the same thing, is not met with the same enthusiasm?

I was met with temptation yesterday.  Not a specific food or anything.  It was a mental struggle.  I wanted something I didn't have.  I wanted junk food.  I was in the Family Dollar and person after person was buying chips, candy, cookies, etc.  I had to stay focused on why I was in there, and I left as soon as I bought the product.  

Enough said, for now.

January 15, 2014

I've been on my new eating plan for 2 days.  I haven't starved.  I haven't had cravings.

So something must be working right.  I have noticed that if I prepackage my foods I am satisfied with less.  I get in trouble when there is more to go get.  You know what I mean,  more in a pot on the stove just calling your name.  More in the bowl on the table.  More at the "salad" bar.  I am allowing myself one entre and all the green vegetables I want.  

I'm doing okay, so far.

SUCCESS IN NOT ALWAYS ON THE SCALE

January 14,  2014

Every so often I will send helpful hints to aid us in our health success.   Today’s point is this:

SUCCESS IS NOT ALWAYS MEASURED ON THE SCALE!

As we start our journey, take your measurements: waist, bust, hips, upper arms, thighs, and calves.  Put this away some place and don’t look at it for awhile.  Just remember where you put it.  We will come back to this information later.  

How do you feel?  Tired, in pain, you have no energy?  Get a spiral notebook and write down the following:

Date

Weight

Measurements

How you feel

It is important to do this at the beginning because you would be surprised at how even  or 1 week of discipline can affect you in a positive way!

REMEMBER OUR MANTRA:  “I CAN DO ANYTHING FOR A DAY!” 

PAIN

January 7, 2014

I am trying to get a support group together at work.  I have several people interested.  I'm excited about it.  Several things we need to talk about is:

Why are you wanting to lose weight?

What has been successful for you in the past?

Is weight loss your only measure of success?

What are some of the challenges you face that you find hard to overcome?

What is your goal(s)?

What steps are you willing to take to achieve your goal?

Who in your life is there to support you in this journey?

Who in your life is your biggest obstacle in your weight-loss journey?

We need to also talk about:

portion control

snacking

eat, eat, eat, don't skip meals

exercise

drinking water

setting reasonable, measurable goals

My reason for starting this journey is PAIN.  It's 4:26 on a Tuesday afternoon and my feet, ankles, calves, and knees are in excruciating pain.  I am taking anti-inflamatory drugs that don't seem to be working. I have got to take some weight of my skeletal system.

January 6, 2014

I need to watch out for Sunday's.  Mother had a wonderful lunch prepared and, of course,  I didn't want to be rude.  I over indulged.  I can't do this alone.  I decided to try Nutri System. I know the food is not the tastiest, but it is already planned out for me.  We'll see.

So, today, I had a nutritional shake for breakfast.  I actually like those.  I'll eat lunch at school.  I know I need to watch out for the potatoes. If it's white, keep it out of sight! 

I can do this. 

   I can do this.

        Drink water, drink water,  drink water.

Okay and I'll bring my green tea with me school. That  can help.  It certainly can't hurt.

January 5, 2014

I succeeded in drinking my water yesterday.  I  had to consciously remind myself to do this.

Lifestyle changes.  Baby steps.  I can do this.  Okay, what is today's goal?  Drink 3 or more 

glasses of water and limit breads to one serving  today.  This might be hard.  I love bread, 

but it doesn't love me.  As soon as I eat bread, I bloat up like a helium balloon.  

You know what's really hard for me?  Nibbling.  At work, church, etc. there are always little

"snacks" available.  Yes, it makes for a warm feeling, but for me, one snack leads to 

another.  Snacks sneak up on me.  I don't realize that I've even eaten anything until I think 

about it later.  Sometimes I snack so automatically that it doesn't even register with my

brain that I've eaten anything.  Does anyone else struggle with this?

Why lose weight?

January 4, 2014

Losing weight.  I am 57 years old.  I have diabetes, and my feet and knees hurt all the time.

I have to admit that I love the flavors of food.  I love the comfort of food.  I love the companionship of food.  The thought of dieting disgusts me, so I need to think of another word other than diet.  As you can see diet has the word DIE in it.

I need to become healthy.  I support a family; therefore I work everyday.  I can't retire anytime soon.  I can see that my knee and feet problems are getting in the way of effectively teaching.  By the way, I am a teacher.  

Obstacle #1  I don't cook.  I can cook, but I find that when there are leftovers in the house that I overeat.  Any suggestions?

Obstacle #2  I don't exercise.  Right now it just hurts too much.  I get exhausted cleaning the house. How can I build up to exercising when my knees hurt so much?  Yes, I've been to a doctor, but I was told to lose weight.  It's kind of a cyclical problem.  

Okay, here is the biggie.  I weight 215 pounds.   There, I said it.

What are my goals?
drink more water
eat less bread and pasta (they are my killers)
eat more vegetables
exercise
Did you notice I didn't put a weight loss goal here?  
I guess a year from now I would like to have lost 25 pounds.  I know I could lose more, but I've done that before.  I've lost a lot of weight, kept it off a couple of years, and then when anxiety overcomes me, I resort to eating.  

So, what I am I going to do today?
Today's goal is to drink 3 glasses of water.  That might not seem like much to you, but for me
that is an accomplishment.

I can't do all of this at once.  I have to do small changes that will hopefully become a lifestyle change.

If you have any positive ideas, recipes, or suggestions, please join me in my journey by sharing in my blog.

I did manage to drink my water today.  Goal 1 meets with success.