Sunday, August 14, 2011

What an adventure...


Life really is an adventure. I was doing some recollecting this morning on the past year and the changes that I've made and am making. I am on a journey, and hopefully before I call it quits on this journey I will have lost 100 lbs. I've been making great progress, but its hard. I don't pretend that I don't cheat, because I do. I try to be good but some habits are just so hard to break. I'd really rather have pancakes with strawberries and whipped cream, hash browns, sausage, and or bacon than oatmeal or "healthy" cold cereal. It's hard eating 6 times a day and remembering - "oh, now it's snack time! Stop what you are doing and go eat". That being said, following the rules on eating that Dan, my amazing trainer, has given me, eating oatmeal and healthy cereal for breakfast is working, and I'm feeling good. I notice a difference when I eat and when I don't eat, and with what I eat.
Josh that I work with had almost cured me of my "I have to have a doughnut, because they are here" excuse. I see them, I think that would be good, but not as good as being healthy will feel. I wish that I could do the same thing with Chili Cheese Dogs, but I haven't found that will power yet, they always do, and always will be a weakness to me. Learning to eat healthy after years of not is not easy.
Along with eating healthy is exercise. I started doing water aerobics and got a monthly pass to the rec center. It fun. I really like the teacher on Tuesday nights. She makes it fun but kind of intense at the same time. I enjoy it, I also feel super uncoordinated and silly at times, but everyone else probably feels the same way, so usually I just make a joke and laugh it off. I bought a new bathing suit a week or so ago. I like that it is fully lined but you can tell a big difference between that and my tankini. The tankini seemed to have quite a bit more tummy control, sure you had to worry about the top trying to creep up under the flotation belt, but you didn't feel the jiggle like jello below the waist. I have to say this has given me cause to keep the core muscles tight, I am more aware of the jiggling when I don't. Its funny how with the new swimsuit my focus moved from my thighs to my belly. Focus is a good thing.
I've been doing a little weight training as well, and by little I mean little. My darling roommate has some weights and resistance bands that she has given me unlimited access to. I have not taken full advantage of that privileged  however I intend to take it a little more seriously. It is amazing to me how when you start to do something that is good for you, and you feel better after doing it, you still have a hard time doing it consistently.
I have to thank my family and friends for their support and help in this. It's hard telling your brother you can't go to dinner with them because Cafe Rio' isn't really diet approved, or at least the things you like to eat there aren't. It's hard eating before so you don't "pig out" on the bad stuff, it's even harder when you don't and you do eat to much of the bad stuff and feel like death afterward. They have been great in supporting and loving me through this, even when I'm moody.
Today Strider and I went up to Cascade Springs. It's been years since I've been there. It was a beautiful day and a fun experience. I like wanting to do things. I like feeling like I can. I like the changes that I see. I like this new adventure.