The Snail

One day, one hour, one minute, one second and one choice at a time, that is all I have to manage. Time is flying by me so fast I can hardly remember what happened last week. I choose in this moment not to worry about how long it is taking me to rid myself of these unwanted pounds. I am awake about 63,000 seconds a day and the choices are never ending, but the fact is I make good choices all the time, and once in a while out of all those choices I make a bad one. Unfortunately depending on the choice I make it can impact me for a day, a week, or my life. Food choices are one of the things that will impact my life forever, so I have to make good choices. The same goes for exercise, I have to choose to get up and move.

So here's to the journey even if it is a snails journey I am destined to take, let it be. I will try to remember this saying “Even the snail reached the ark” I will reach the ark.

One Hundred Ten Days Whoo Hoo!

All of my friends that are dieting along side of me, are losing weight so much faster than me. I don't know why, but I know sometimes it just stinks to finish the race last, but I am starting to see that it is the race, not the finish line that is important. What if no one I knew, was dieting, what if there was no scale, what if there was no race. There is a race though, I make sure of that. Every time some one tells me they lost 3 or 4 pounds I immediately start thinking of ways to improve what I am doing. But short of going on The Biggest Loser, it looks like if I follow the Weight Watchers program it is going to come off one pound at a time.

It has been One Hundred and Ten days, and I have lost 19 pounds. That is a little over 4 pounds a month. Not great, but not bad either. One third of a year, I want to do this 365 days, then I want to start over and do it again. Living healthy is something I don't ever want to stop doing. If I lose 20 pounds the next 4 months, and 20 pounds the next 4 months, then in one year I will reach my goal. Whoo Hoo!
I will probably have to pull this post out and read it from time to time, when I am discouraged, but I do realize this is not a diet, it is my life, this is not a race, it is my life. This year I have lost several Friends, to death. They were all younger than me, so for me, my life is a celebration and I want to live it as healthy and as happily as I can.

Healthy Snacks!

Hello my name is Betty and I'm a grazer. I can only imagine how hard it is to give up alcohol, or drugs, food has its hold on me. I wonder sometimes if I will ever overcome this. I don't enjoy grazing on just anything though. I tend to go for the salty or sweet, or on some days I need something salty first, then I chase it with something sweet and of course and on a really bad day I go back and for until I am full.....or sick. In an attempt to sabotage myself I have to make myself a snack tray each day and leave it on my desk or on my table at home, somewhere I can see it and when I want a snack it will have to come first from my tray. This little muffin tin works perfect. Six 1/2 cup snacks. Most of the snacks are either 1 point, 2 points or zero points. I usually try really hard to put at least 3 zero points snacks in my tin, never more than one 2 point snack.

Here is a list of snacks I like:
Cheese sticks
Apples ( I put the whole apple in one round)
Apricots, dried
Berries (any kind)
Cherries
Cantaloupe
Crackers
Laughing Cow cheese
Pop Corn
Muffin tops (Vitalicious)
orange
Pretzel sticks
Broccoli
Carrots
Celery
Tomatoes
Cucumbers
Pop Corn Clusters
WW Cookies
There are tons more, my goal...... to find healthy snacks, until I overcome my grazing addiction.

No more excuses, so what if it's hot outside!

I am not really very good at adapting to change, but sometimes you just have to do it and find something good in the changes. I work in an office and sit most of the day, so my two breaks and lunch hour have always been a high priority for me to get outside and walk. It is close to an hour of movement, and I love walking on our campus. I have always said, "why do I need a gym, I have high incline walking, stair stepping, and beautiful walkways at my fingertips." My ipod has become my most cherished piece of exercise equipment, but there are times when its just not possible to get out there and walk. When it is raining, or freezing cold, or if it is 100 degrees out side. I was still walking when it was 85 degrees, but when the humidity was bad, I about died. So since I would have to walk to the gym on campus to exercise indoors, that was a big NO, and I can't just sit here at my desk all day long, I decided to buy Leslie Sansone's Walk Slim DVD. Let me tell you, it about kicked my butt. I found a little hiding spot in the back of our very cold equipment room and I just pop the DVD in to my player and "instant gym". I am always freezing when I start out, but about 5 minutes into it I am nice and warm and when I am finished I am sweating up a storm. It's a good thing I share a cubicle with just me :-). I like this change, but I will be happy for the trade off of walking outside again when the weather is nice. I think I get a better workout with the DVD, but I miss my music, and the fresh air.
So whoo hoo for me No More Excuses!

Time to get serious, REALLY!

I have been doing this for 3 months now, and I have only lost 18 pounds, thats not counting the 2 pounds I gained this week either. I know I will lose it this week, but I am frusterated because I really haven't gave it 100%.

Today I walked and jogged 4 miles and when I finished I sang "I feel good, like I knew that I would". It did feel good, and I am so sore at the moment I can hardly move, but I realized, that was 100%. That is what I must do every day. I may not exercise that much every day, but I will try harder to eat right, move more and take one more step toward my goal.

Whoa! Did I eat that?

I have had a stressful week, and I don't do stress very well. I really thought I had a better handle on my eating habits but not so. I planned for eating healthy, I took food with me to my family's home. What I didn't count on was the fact that I would slide right back into the grazing habit that pretty much has always been my Achilles' heel. I am glad I lost 3 pounds last week, because I am not feeling good about this week at all. I tried to get back on track today but I was starving all day, and since I used all my extra points for the next 3 weeks in the last 3 days, I had a hard time today. I drank a green monster for my snack tonight even though I was out of points, I consoled myself with the thought that it was healthy and only 3 points.

On the positive side I did exercise today for 35 minutes. I am hoping that tomorrow I will find my resolve. This weekend I will plan, plan, plan and I will get back my 3 pound weight loss, that I have not officially gained back since my weigh-in is on Saturday. Just being honest. (insert big smile here)

What a blast this is!

Living healthy goes against every thing I have ever experienced. The world I live in, the people I surround myself with, their lifestyle is just like mine has always been, so I want to join in and consume the candy, the cake and the fried foods. I want to but, I don't want to so I am torn should I give in once in a while, or should I constantly be in a battle with myself over this. I have decided that for me, I will join in once in while. I won't turn my nose up and insult the people that love the foods I have always loved as well, but I will put my butt back in the healthy car as soon as I leave the party. It's not about every single meal, its about the 22 other meals that week. I had a great fourth of July, I ate well, and I also ate a few things I shouldn't but I had a blast, and oh yeah I Lost 3 Pounds last week! Yea!!!