Motivation

I think Uncle Doug hit on a REALLY important point - If you mess up, forgive and move on!!! I think it's easy to get hung up on perfection, thinking one cookie or one missed workout will keep us from our goals. Well, one cookie and one missed workout did not make us fat! ha ha! But it is important to keep ourselves motivated. Here's what's working for me.

Working out - I've started going in the morning before work. It took several days to get used to seeing 5:00 two times a day, but I really enjoy it now. The gym is less crowded, it doesn't take away time from Micah (afternoon) and doesn't leave me hyper like evening workouts do. Plus, I have it over and out of the way - I don't have to debate with myself all day about whether I'll go or not. To make myself get up everymorning, I have a picture of myself before I gained all this weight beside my bed. And when my alarm goes off, I remind myself how much better I'll feel once I'm there. And of how much more difficult it will be tomorrow if I don't get up today.

Food - When I first started losing weight in February, I concentrated ONLY on portions. I lterally ate anything I wanted, just only if I was hungry and only until I wasn't hungry anymore (stopping before "FULL"). As I started paying attention to my body, I started paying attention to my body. And I realized something - my body doesn't really want a doughnut for breakfast. I don't feel good after I've had one. My body wants salads and whole grains and healthy things. This sounds funny, but my teeth love the crunch of lettuce not drenched in dressing. Do I still have sweets? - yup - in small servings when I'm hungry. But I pass them up often, too. I really don't want to feed myself on junk. Yesterday there were Krispy Kreme doughnuts in the lounge. I had already eaten breakfast, but KK is hard to pass up. I put one in a napkin and set it on my counter in my room. At about 10:00 I was a little hungry, so I had half, meaning to eat the rest after lunch. At the end of the day, I threw it away. It felt really good to be able to do that. Do I still overeat sometimes? Yup (more than I'd like) - but I've learned to let it go and get right back on track.

I guess I'm trying to say that I'm motivated by knowing I could have whatever, but I also have the freedom to pass it up and make a healthier choice. I'm losing weight slowly, but I'm okay with that. The scales are moving in the right direction, and my clothes fit better. I feel better about myself and am more at peace with food than I've ever been.

Keep it up, everyone! I'm so glad we're doing this all together. Don't know if I'll be able to catch Uncle Doug and Cody, but I'm glad we're all trying! Have a good (and healthy) weekend!