It's Amazing what you can do...........

When you put your mind to it! For so long I have been making this so much more difficult than it had to be. I am not saying there aren't times when choosing to eat healthy are difficult, but for the most part, I am finding it pretty easy. I think getting rid of the whole dieting mentality has really helped me A LOT! Instead of thinking of eating habits as a temporary thing I need to change for a certain amount of time to achieve a specific outcome, I now see what I am doing as not a diet, but truly a way of life......I am making changes and trying to form habits that I intend to carry out for the rest of my life. 

In doing that and thinking that way, it is not realistic to think that I will never taste anything yummy again, or to think that I will never again enjoy any "good" or "tasty" sweet treats or other tasty food. I feel like I am learning to eat healthy, while occasionally enjoying something delicious. So, after a week of really working hard to make great choices, I have to say that I was beginning to feel a little deprived of something savory. Despite the fact that I thoroughly enjoyed everything I put in my  mouth all week, I was craving something sweet and I was craving a splurge of something salty. So, on Saturday, I allowed myself some license. I made myself a waffle for breakfast, a tuna Sandwich for lunch, 1 Reese peanut putter egg  and for dinner, Maggie and I decided to go out and have some Indian food. Then, for desert, we went to Rita's and had some Frozen Custard. Ok, so I allowed myself to not be so regimented about food, and it felt good for the day, but after that, I am ready to get back to eating a little more healthy. And unlike my past habits, although I did enjoy some splurging, it was very controlled. No binging and I feel I ate in moderation.

Another big change I feel I made was not finishing my whole dinner. Infact, I only ate about half of it. And I felt full and satisfied. And I forgot to mention, on Saturday, I worked in the yard for about 3 or 4 hours and today I worked in the yard another 4 hours or so. So , hopefully I worked off anything I ate.

I think the best part, and the thing I feel the happiest about is how much energy I have. When I am eating bad, it is so hard to feel like I want to do anything because of feeling physically bad, but also, mentally, eating bad plays a big role in how you feel emotionally. But eating good gives me so much energy, and I am so happy because there is a lot of work to do around the house but the good news is, I feel like I have great energy to get it done and I can really enjoy it.

A challenge I had this week though was that when I weighed in Saturday morning (That is my new weigh in day now), I only lost 1 lb. I felt a little disappointed by that, but maybe it had something to do with my 8 pound loss last week. I just felt like I worked so hard all week and ate so good and healthy. I shouldn't balk at a pound. I remember my lecturer once saying that a pound was the equivalent  to 4 sticks of butter. When you think about it, that is a lot. Even 5 pounds doesn't sound like a lot, but that would be equal to 20 sticks of butter.......Visually, that is a lot of fat. So, I won't let my 1 pound get me down and I am still motivated to stay working hard. I feel so good, why would I want to ever feel any other way??

For so long, I have struggled to find motivation every day to stay on a healthy eating regime, but it really is amazing what you can do when you put your mind to it. I can do this, I am doing it and I can't imagine anything knocking me off this great path that I am on!!!

"Success is not measured by what you accomplish but by the opposition you have encountered, and the courage with which you have maintained the struggle against overwhelming odds."
Orison Swett Marden