It's not an easy sight

There is so much to be said about perspective.   When I look at photos from a year ago, I want to die.  How awful!  I look great now.....in comparison.  But when I see how I really look now, well, let's just say I still have a long way to go!    I am truly not fishing for compliments although I have received many.  I am just encouraged  and driven to stay focused on keeping on keeping on. 

Amazingly, still losing

   I am so happy to have stumbled onto a way to lose weight without going insane!  I waited 3 days to see the same result, and now I can officially say that I have lost 31 pounds. Rhonda, are you going to post every time you lose one measly pound?  Why yes, yes I am.  This is huge.

  I have come to a place where diet and exercise are actually working. I am not deprived nor have I been miserable at all.  The only thing that I can say is different this time opposed to all the others (and there were so many) is the commitment to exercise that I have now.  The Weigh Down program, which is the basis for what I do, practically discourages exercise.  Their reasoning is more emotional than physical: they want people to desire to eat less, not exercise so they can eat more. They also want people to know that even if you can't exercise because you are in a wheelchair or something, you can still lose weight.  I understand this, however, I can now see the long-term benefits of a regular exercise routine.

  I want to say that I am proud of what I have done, but honestly, I am just thankful.  Thankful to God for helping me find the way out.

An After-Thanksgiving recap

I did pretty well in Israel.  We were super busy and active.  Thanksgiving.....not so much.  I will tell you that it is hard to eat less when your mom is visiting.   We made a bunch of things, all good I should tell you.  

There are differing views on how to handle holidays if you are trying to lose weight.  One is to modify recipes to make them lower in calories.  That is not for me.   I like the good stuff.   You cannot convince me that mashed cauliflower and mashed potatoes are the same.    The other view is to eat the same, but less.   The last is to just overeat, and deal with the consequences later.   I have to admit that I was between #2 and #3.   I have 1.4 pounds to reckon with. All in all, it doesn't seem too bad.  My goal is to maintain until the new year.

I don't really view overeating at a holiday meal as something that is so bad.  What is bad is continuing the undesirable behaviour days after the holiday.  What we did was that we planned on leftovers so that we could enjoy the feast for two days rather than just pigging out on the first day. 

Honestly, I enjoyed the food but I felt rather sluggish.  I still need to find that stopping point, regardless of how delicious everything is!

Post-trip weigh in

Like I said before, I had no intention of dieting while in Israel, and I kept my word!   We had a great time, and the food was really good and abundant.   I will do a post about the trip, and share photos, but first, the day of Reckoning.   I stepped fearfully on the scale this morning before heading out to the gym.   Result?  The same as before I left!   I lost 30 pounds this year, and did not find them in Israel.    WooHoo!!!   Happy Dance!!!

Portion control

Let's face facts.  Most Americans eat too much.  Agreed?  Restaurant portions are huge.  Most of us think that since they thought that was a good-sized portion, we should eat that portion. After all, we paid for it!  At home, we eat whatever and how much of whatever we want.   That is why we are where we are.

   Enter Portion Control.  Yes!   Let's eat less. Let's weigh and measure out each thing we eat before we eat it.  Just look up "portion control" on Pinterest, and you will be amazed at all the products available and different methods of portion control.   If you control your portions you will lose weight.  True Fact. The added benefit is that there is no thinking or feeling involved.  You just eat what you have previously controlled, and you will be fine.   Until you go to a restaurant.

   Here is another true fact.  (Isn't that redundant?)   Thin people do not measure their food.  Nor do they eat everything that is put in front of them. They just eat what fills them up.  Note: it takes very little to fill them up, they are very sensitive to fullness.

  So, I submit to you this:  measure your food and control your portions for a while to get an idea of how much you are overeating, but then try to become sensitive to real hunger and fullness.   Learn these words, "I don't want anymore, I am full"   Skinny people say that all the time.

If only!

Also, I want the muscles I am using to light up when I use them.  Is that too much to ask?

Revised Goals and a bit of randomness

Today I weighed .2 less than yesterday, which means that yesterday was not a fluke!  Yay.   So I have been thinking about my new long-term goals.  As they say, "If you aim at nothing, you'll hit it every time"  I can't remember if that was Dave Ramsey, or Dave Ramsey quoting someone else.   Anyway.....   I did the math on the last two months, and I lost 1.5 pounds per month.  Horrible, you say?  Not at all!  I am so encouraged!  Slow, steady, reasonable weight loss is an amazing thing.  So my new goal is.......1.5 pounds per month for the next 24 months.  If I can do this, which I know I can, in two more years I will weigh what I weighed on the day I got married.  Sounds like a nice goal to me!

  On to the randomness.   I love, love, love Pinterest.  Except for all the time I waste on Pinterest.   I read about fitness among other things.  I have been seeing blogs written by Body Positive writers, and there is just something about that that I find really disturbing.  Now, I know that there are those with real medical issues that make weight loss hard.  However, for most of us it's a matter of too little movement and too much food.  Rejoicing in my "curves" (they are more like bulges) is not realistic or healthy.  And let's be honest.....nobody feels good with bulges and the health problems that these bring with them.  (think knees, hips, back, blood sugar, cholesterol)  I would love to encourage others to continue to try, to fight, to move, to never give in and never give up, no matter how hard, and no matter the challenge.   Let's not just be happy that we can buy pretty clothes.    I know I will never be 120 pounds and I am good with that.  But I can always aim for trimmer, healthier, fitter, stronger.  It's not easy and I know that better than anyone.  But if you aim at nothing.....you'll hit it every time.