Progress Report

I started "working on me" on July 9, about a month-and-a-half ago. My goal was to eat better (really eat less), exercise more, and to feel better. I wanted to set a good example for my kids and have the energy to interact with them more on a daily basis. I wanted my mood to be better and to feel more beautiful. I'd say I've made definite progress in the last month or so.

I have been pretty consistently eating 1200 calories (sometimes slightly more) per day. I avoid "real cokes" and drink water as much as I can tolerate it. I have naturally had to improve my food choices because I don't have very many calories to work with, so I've incorporated more vegetables into my diet (I don't like most fruits, but I do eat lots of apple slices). I have tried really hard not to eat fast food or eat out too often, but when I do, I do so in moderation, ordering a kids meal or just a sandwich and no fries. I have had some cheat meals, and even some cheat days, but the way I see it, if this is going to be a lifelong change, I have to be able to live with it, so splurges are going to happen.

I do my best to exercise in some way at least 5 days a week, but most weeks I manage 6 days. I love my Zumba classes and try to go at least twice a week, if not 3 times. Work is going to make that more difficult, but I'll get there when I can. On the days between, I either do a workout video or go for a 40 minute walk around the neighborhood. I'm still not running, but I have a plan to purchase a nice used elliptical for the garage in the very near future, so I hope to pick up where I left off with the interval training and hopefully see more pounds fall off. I also need to start using free weights from time to time, though right now I'm feeling more toned just from the Zumba that I am doing.

So how do I feel? Awesome!!! As of this week (I "officially" weigh in once/week, though I have to admit it's a bit of an obsession to get on the scale each day), I am down 13 pounds! This is the first time I have intentionally lost weight in about 5 years, so I am so excited that it's working.  My clothes from this time last year are fitting well and a few things are starting to get baggy on me. At the beginning of July, everything I owned was too tight and uncomfortable, so this is great progress. I didn't buy new school clothes this year because I wanted to wait until I can buy things that are a smaller size. I KNOW that this is coming. I am so excited to see the progress I can make in the next few months.

So many people have been encouraging me, and for that, I am so thankful. To hear, "you look great," or "keep it up" keeps me going when I really just want to shove the bon bon in my mouth and be done with it (and no, I do not literally sit around and eat bon bons). I have had some of my friends ask me how I'm making this work, and I see them considering doing the same. I have a couple of friends who are on their own journey to being healthier, so we are encouraging one another and keeping one another accountable.

When I first started writing about this at the beginning of July, I said "this is HARD." Truth is, it's not hard at all. What's hard is waking up every morning feeling terrible, looking in the mirror and hating what you see, and not being able to run around with your kids. Taking care of myself is no longer HARD. It is so much easier than I ever imagined!