Butterflies and Rainbows

For some reason, I’m feeling extremely optimistic about meeting my weight loss goals this year.  I’m not complaining about feeling this way!  I just wish I could bottle this feeling and pull it out when I need it most….because, I know that day will eventually come along when I’m struggling again and need a pep talk.  But, for now, I’ll just ride this wave and love every minute of it! 

I finally convinced myself to get on the treadmill today.  No more excuses….now that I’ve begun my exercise regimen again, I can’t let myself stop.  Its so hard to get myself motivated to start back up again.  I walked for 30 minutes at 3.0 mph.  I can’t believe how out of shape I am again….Yikes!  But, I’m not going to push it too much.  This time, I’ll actually follow the orthopaedist’s instructions and not do too much too fast.  I did feel some twinges along my right knee.  I hope its nothing to worry about.  I am taking the Osteo Bi-flex that Dad recommended.  However, I’ve neglected to do the doctor’s recommended exercises.  Hubby has agreed to help me set up a weight training workout tomorrow.  Hopefully, I can build up the muscles supporting my knees and stay pain free.  Maybe, I can run again one day!  Oh really really hope so.  Can you believe that I have dreams where I’m running.  No, not running from anyone/anything!  :D   Just running for the sheer joy of it.   I miss it.

Made a big pot of Lentil and beef soup this evening.  This the first time I’ve tried this soup.  Its pretty tasty…and packed full of protein for a mere 130 calories per 1/2 cup.  YumYum!

Hope everyone has a great on-plan day tomorrow.

Rhonda

Made it through another on-plan day.  Is it two weeks of repeating something that makes it a habit….or was it 6 weeks?  I find it hard to believe that staying on-plan will ever be a habit for me, but we shall see.  My plan was for 1700 calories today, but I’m running a little short.  Maybe I have enough left for a small glass of wine? :)  Didn’t get on the treadmill today.  I really need to get a handle on this exercise thing.  I know the scales won’t continue to move down without the exercise.

Oh….almost forgot….today was weigh-in.  Lost .8 of a pound.  Not too shabby considering I was up 3 pounds on Thursday morning!

Hope everyone had a great on-plan day.

Rhonda

Made it through day 3 of being back on-plan.  The sugar detox is kicking my butt!  I went to bed with a headache and woke up with the same headache, only worse.  I’ve been fighting it all day.  Eating lots of protein hasn’t relieved it any.  I can’t wait until that point where I feel awesome.  I know from doing this in the past that the awesome part is coming soon……tons of energy and an upbeat outlook.    I’ve decided to cut the phase 1 short and begin a modified phase 2 tomorrow.  I’m also counting my calories in addition to following Southbeach and I’ll begin with 30 minutes walking on the treadmill tomorrow.  The right foods + the right calories + cardio exercise = great weight losses! 

Didnt get far on the housecleaning this weekend.  The headache didn’t help and my vacuum belt broke. :(  Also, got an e-mail response back from Habitat for Humanity.  I’ve always dreamed of volunteering with them.  One of my New Year’s resolutions is to finally put feet to that dream.  Unfortunately, HFH doesnt build in my county.  I’ll follow up with some inquiries to find out how far away we are from the next county and where they are building there.  We moved here in June and I’m not sure.  Georgia has a ton of counties!  Hopefully, that one is not too far.

Well, I need to set up the crockpot with my steel cut oats.  And, I think I’ll sit down and watch one of my TiVo’s shows.  With the writers strike, my options have been extremely limited! But, I think Amazing Race is on there. 

Hope everyone has a great on-plan day tomorrow.

God Bless,

Rhonda

Made it through day 1 of being back on-plan yesterday.  It was tougher than I thought it would be.  I’m trying to do phase 1 of Southbeach again so I can detox from the sugar and get a great jump-start to losing weight again.  But, I really hate Phase 1.  I miss my morning bowl of steelcut oatmeal and I miss my fruit smoothies.  I’m also a bit headachey and feeling fatigued.  I know this is from the detox, but its not too much fun.  But…..the scales dropped this morning! Yesterday morning, I got on them (I weigh every morning) and they were up by 3 pounds!  I just knew that my overeating over the last few weeks had finally caught up with me.  But, this morning, those 3 pounds were gone.  Must have been some water weight as I had to get up twice in the night to use the bathroom.  I’m hoping that I can drop a pound of two by Monday morning so that I can have a loss for the first week of the year.  So, I’ll be staying on phase 1 today and staying on-plan this weekend. 

Today is housecleaning day.  Other than losing weight and getting fit, I also made a resolution to finally getting my house clean and organized and keeping it that way.  My biggest challenge will be re-training my 2 daughters and my Hubby to pick up after themselves.  My big suggestion to those of you with small children….start teaching them now! Your house will thank you.

Reality check.  I’m 43 years old.  I have those little crinkly wrinkles around my eyes and mouth from years of smoking and years of youth/teenage sun-worshipping. I’ve had 2 c-sections, a fibroid removal and a total abdominal hysterectomy and I have a very large scar to prove it. My hair is dry and coarse from the hair dye to cover the gray. I carry massive amounts of weight around my midsection.  The “girls” hang low, the arms have wings, the knees have bags, the bum has dimples..and the dimples have dimples!  And, we haven’t even gotten to the roadmap of stretch marks across my tummy and hips and the spider veins that decorate my legs.

I have been overweight for most of my life.  I’ve never had the sexy toned body that I’ve always dreamed of.  I’ve never worn that tiny little bikini to the beach. I’ve never walked into a room and turned heads.  I’ve never put on the sexy matching bra and thong from Victoria’s Secret and felt like I was my Hubby’s ultimate fantasy.  

I am realistic.  Losing over 100 pounds will not magically make me look like Brooke Brooke.  I will still have the slightly sagging body of a “mature” woman.  I will have loose skin and my tummy will always be evidence of my two pregnancies and my missing fat. My face will still tell a story of my life experiences.   

For a long time, I was saddened by my reality and I thought “it doesn’t matter anymore.  I’ve missed my chance for sexy.” But, I’ve finally come to a big realization…………

I’ll become healthier.  I’ll become stronger.  I’ll feel better.  I’ll even look better without 100 pounds of fat and with my new muscles.  And, I’ll be perfectly happy being the best “me” possible.