Eating Well to Feel Well

Now that I’m at my goal (135) and focusing on maintaining rather than losing I’ve kind of lost my motivation for blogging. I keep the recipe pages up to date though, and still use that section often.

I’m starting to focus on eating clean. I love South Beach and plan to eat according to SBD principles for the rest of my life, but now that I’m feeling so much better it’s time to cut back on the artificial sweeteners and other chemicals I’ve been pumping into my body. I love my diet soda and SF gum so it’s not going to be easy - wish me luck!

We survived the blizzard and it’s really pretty outside. I haven’t had a chance to get my snowshoes out yet but I’m hoping to do so very soon. My big plans for being at a healthy BMI by 1/1/11 have fallen through. I just haven’t focused on exercising like I should and while I haven’t gained over the holidays I haven’t lost like I’d hoped to either. I’m not especially upset about it, which is probably why I didn’t manage to meet the goal. I’ll get there in January, when life isn’t as busy. This photo was taken on Christmas Day at my Mom’s.

We had a much nicer Christmas than I expected. Of course we missed my Dad but it was good to spend the day together at my Mom’s house. My daughter was here from Houston and though my son had to work on Christmas Day he spent as much time as he could at our house while Beth was here.

I’m excited about cooking these days, thanks to some great Christmas gifts. My daughter gave me a dehydrator and I’ve had excellent luck making kale chips. We weren’t as happy with the swet potato chips, I don’t think I cut them thin enough. My mom gave me an electric pressure cooker and I’m having a great time trying new bean dishes. Fergie and I both really like beans, but I’ve been relying on canned beans to save time. I’m hoping to get comfortable with the pressure cooker before I head back to work next week.

I’m having a hard time getting back into blogging. I  keep thinking about updating but never seem to get around to it. Just one more area where I need to exert a little more self-discipline I suppose.

November has been a very sad month. My 19 year old nephew died unexpectedly on Nov. 5th. He was a wonderful young man, with a great sense of humor and a big heart. So many people loved him and miss him so much. My DH and I were able to go to PA for the services and to spend time with family so I’m thankful for that, but my heart is breaking because Matthew is gone.

Instead of loosing weight in November, I gained 3 pounds. I’m back on track now though, and hoping to be back at 145 before Dec. 1st. That means I’m going to have to be pretty careful over Thanksgiving, but I’m not too worried. My mother, and both of our adult children will be spending part of the week with us, and I’m so anxious to have time with all of them. I expect to be so busy talking and visiting with them that I won’t have time to overeat!

I’ve been having so much fun with my adult size hula hoop!  It’s too soon to tell if it’s really going to streamline my waist the way I’m hoping it will, but I’m sure it’s tightening up the muscles under my flab - I can feel it - and I’m burning calories and having fun. I’m trying to get a friend or two to try hooping. I think it would be even more fun with a friend. But so far I’m still hooping solo, just me and my iPod.

I’m down a pound this week. That’s good, but I have to admit I’m a little disappointed by how slowly I’m losing this time around. I suppose it’s because I’ve got less weight to loose now, and my body is already used to good food and lots of exercise. I’m starting to worry that I may not make my 1/1/11 goal date after all. I guess it won’t matter as long as I get there, but I really hate it when I don’t make a goal.  I contemplated calorie counting, just to make sure I’m not eating more than I think I am. One of the things I love most about South Beach though is that I don’t have to count and keep track all the time. Just plan my meals and snacks according to the guidelines and then relax. LOL  I found an easy counter on igoogle though, so if I decide to seriously start counting calories I’ll do it that way.

I took advantage of the beautiful autumn weather yesterday and drove up to the ski area for a nice, long walk. The views were beautiful, and the air was crisp and cool. I was longing for gloves as I walked!

I am looking for ways to shake up my exercise routine. I still love walking and I’m glad to have my treadmill and wii fit, but it’s all getting so routine now. I investigated Zumba - it looks like a lot of fun, and there’s a class about 30 minutes from here but I’m not sure I want to commit to making the drive a couple of evenings a week. I saw a couple of news reports about hooping/hoop dancing over the summer and that looked intriguing to me. I spent some time investigating online over the weekend and couldn’t find any classes or groups in my area, but I figure I can crank up the music and swing the hoop myself at home. We found some great instructions for making your own hoop so my husband stopped at the hardware store today and bought me some black poly tubing. We’re going to make an ‘adult sized’ hoop after supper tonight!  I’m hoping it will be as much fun as I think it will!

I maintained my 50 pound loss all summer and through the start of the new school year!

It was a different kind of summer, as we all adjusted to not having my dad with us anymore. I was blessed to be able to spend a lot of time with my mom, and In between I visited my inlaws in western PA, my dear 3FC friend Cathydoe in Iowa (that’s us in the photo)  and my sweet daughter Beth in Houston.

All 3 trips were even better than I’d hoped and I’ve got some great memories to tide me over until next summer.

I’m well into the new school year now, and life has settled down enough that I’m ready to blog again. Just in time to dump that last 15 pounds and finally make my wii fit balance board coach happy. LOL

It’s been a long time since I’ve written and a lot has happened. My father lost his battle with cancer on May 2nd. He fought long and hard and we couldn’t have asked him to do any more than he did. I’ve spent most of the past 6 weeks in Massachusetts or driving back and forth from there and just couldn’t find time to post.

My weight is good, my habits are not as good as they were. I’m eating on plan most of the time, but not being as careful as I was earlier this winter. The same with exercise, I’m tired and find myself slacking off way more than I used to. However, I’m still losing weight (maybe because of the hectic pace I’m keeping, lol) and I’m down to 148 now.  I can be happy at 150, but will continue to eat on plan and exercise through the summer, just to see if my body would be happier at a lower weight.

April is a funny month in Maine. It looks like spring and then it snows. We got 6 inches of snow earlier this month and I took this photo of my forsythia. We’ve got more snow on the way tonight, too. Thankfully the snow never stays long this time of year.

We’re going through a hard, sad, busy time right now, that’s why I’ve not been keeping up with my blogging. My father is coming to the end of his fight with cancer. I live about 3 and a half hours away from them and I’ve been heading to their home every weekend and any other time I can manage it. One great thing about being a teacher is the vacations - we just finished our spring break and I was able to spend the whole week with my parents. It was so good to have that time with my family, but scary to see how quickly my father is fading.

I’ve got a lifelong habit of eating to make myself feel better and though I’m learning to replace that urge with walking/exercising I’m struggling right now. So far I’ve been (mostly) staying away from junk food and overeating things like fruit and veggies, or having second servings at meal times. Not good, but so much better than turning to bags of potato chips or Hershey’s Hugs as I have in the past. I’ve met my April weight loss goal, and I think I’m just going to try to maintain at 153 or below for the month of May. If I can get through this difficult time without gaining weight I’ll know that I can really get to and stay at a healthy weight forever.

I am one week later than planned, but I did it!  50 pounds lighter in 6 months and 1 week. I won’t really be comfortable until I get down to 150, so that I have some ‘wiggle room’ which means nothing really changes today…. but I sure am happy. 

This could not have come at a better time. I’ve got a life long habit of comforting myself with food, and we’re going through a difficult time right now. My father is a real fighter, but he’s coming to the end of his battle with cancer now. It’s awfully hard to see someone you love so much in so much pain. My faith has always been a source of strength and comfort and that’s holding true now, too. (“He helps us in all our troubles, so that we are able to help others who have all kinds of troubles, using the same help that we ourselves have received from God.” 2 Corinthians 1:4)

I used to pray and eat. I am thankful to have other outlets for my grief and worry - now I pray and walk. I’ve been walking the rubber off of my sneakers!  I still have so much to learn about keeping myself healthy but I’m very, very thankful for the things learned, changes taken and friends made during the past 6 months.

Yesterday marked 6 months on this journey. Since my before picture was with my mom on her birthday it seems fitting to put up a picture of the two of us six months later.

I’d really hoped to be down 50 pounds by now, but I’m pretty happy with 48.

I’m also happy to be done with diet coke.  It was much easier to give up than I expected it to be. I’m not going to say that I’ll never drink another drop of the stuff, but I’m not ever going to get back into my several bottles a day habit. Now that the hard part is over I’ve decided to order it in restaurants if I feel like it or have a glass at a friend’s house every now and then. I’m in this for the rest of my life and I really don’t want to say that ANY food or drink is off limits forever. I’m trying to learn moderation.  :)  Anyway, the soda thing may take care of itself. I had a sip of my husband’s diet Pepsi last night in the car and it was nasty!  lol

The new SBD challenge starts today. I did quite well with the last challenge (4 and 1/2 cups of veggies or more daily) but I’ve gotten lax on the dairy again. I need to continue to focus on getting enough of both in.

My new goal isn’t about WHAT I eat, it’s about when I eat it.  I’ve been snacking after supper whether I’m hungry or not. Usually fruit, veggies or nuts, good foods, but I’m eating them because I feel like munching, not because I’m hungry. So, I am not going to snack after supper between now and Memorial Day.  If I think I really need something I’ll have a cup of tea or something cold to drink.