Good Morning everyone! This morning I did my first week weigh in and boy do the numbers feel good to see! I started last week at 170 pounds with a BMI of 29.9 (one point away from obese) and today I have dropped 6.2 pounds, a total of 3.6% of my body weight, and now I have a BMI of 29. I am still 43.8 pounds away from my goal but the motivation I have is so empowering! I actually look forward to waking up in the mornings and starting off with a nice jog, followed by a healthy breakfast.
Water has become my true friend. I never thought I would say this but I LOVE water! I used to argue that as long as I was drinking something I would get my daily fill of water but now my body wants water. As I jog infront of my television shows and enjoy sharing my exercises with my children I don't feel like it's a chore anymore. I found a productive way of managing my time and energy during my "relaxation" periods. I feel inclined to exercise, to burn off some calories, to get my heart pumping. I haven't felt like this in many years.
When I quit smoking I picked up an addiction that I thought wasn't even possible. Food. I took the need for comfort that I once got with a cigarette and substituted food for it instead. I ate myself into obesity. I became the person I never wanted to be, the mom who would rather sit on a bench than run through the park with her kids. What's interesting, though, is that I didn't overeat with junk food or stuff that, in moderation, wasn't bad for you. I love carbs and I could eat and entire Lipton Noodles side packet, serving for 4, in one sitting... for a SNACK! But now, I look to other alternatives. I look to something that I can eat slowly and still satisfy that need for food. I know that my need for food won't go away but my control over how much I indulge can be controlled. I find that if you eat yogurt and only dip your spoon in just so there is enough to taste, you can make that I container of yogurt last 30 to 45 minutes while you snack on the couch. Even something like ice cream can be controlled like that. It's not the amount you put in your bowl, it's the size of the bite you put into your mouth.
I like to eat a lot. If I sit for those 30 minutes and eat only one container of yogurt or only one bowl of ice cream my "need" for food will be satisfied yet I wouldn't have had as many calories/ fat as I would if I ate fast and continued to refill my bowl or get more containers of yogurt. I also know that once you finish a plate of food you should wait 15 minutes to have seconds. It takes your body at least that amount of time to send a signal from your stomach to your brain telling you that you are full. I also know that if you drink water before a meal you will start filling your stomach and be more inclined to eat less. These are techniques that I have been trying and they really work. It's amazing at how much lighter I already feel knowing that I am beginning to control my own life.
I have the power to control what I do with my life. I deserve to do good not only for my family, but more importantly than myself. If I let myself go then I will let everyone around me down, along with myself. I don't want to be that couch potato that I have become. I am finally ready to step willingly and happily into womanhood and embrace the person that I am going to become, the person that I know I am, the person I have been hiding from myself and from the world for so long now.
Take the time out to look at yourself in the mirror, I did. What do you see? Who will look back at you when this journey starts? My reflection said it all. She said "Thank you".
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