I'm baaaaack.....

Sorry it's been a while...daily life as a full-time mom and corporate slave certainly takes its toll - some weeks more than others...and this was just one of those weeks. Anyway, I'm back and I've brought my positive attitude with me as promised! I'm happy to report that I have made some progress again and have lost another 2 lbs. For the first time since I started this lifestyle change, I actually 1) believe that's really what it is (I'll go over the evidence in a minute) and 2) am starting to notice some positive changes in myself. I'll start with #2. I'm down a total of 12.4 lbs. in the past 6 weeks and as you know, although the first 10 lbs. fell off quickly, I've been kind of stuck since then. Because I lost the first 8 lbs. in nearly the first 2 weeks, my pants have been sagging in the butt for a month now. I vowed not to buy any new "transitional" pants until I lose another 10 lbs. or until my pants fall down, whichever comes first. At any rate, I walked by a mirrored building today (one that I visit on a somewhat frequent basis) and as usual, I glanced at my reflection. I happen to be wearing a dress today (I'm challenged right now in the area of britches as I mentioned...so I'm much better dressed these days) and for the first time in a very long time (probably 8 or 9 years) I actually wasn't put off by what I saw. That's the best I can describe it. For once I didn't say to myself, "OMG your a$$ is huge" or "your stomach is sticking out past your boobs"! I looked and thought "you are STARTING to look really good". There wasn't anything that negative that jumped out at me, which felt nice. Hey, baby steps. I'm starting to feel like I have a flatter tummy and like I look thinner in the face (several people have actually told me that recently) too.

Okay - regarding reference #1 above - dieting is a difficult word all around. It's difficult to mentally process, it's difficult to do and it's just an evil word that hangs over your head willing you to fail. A "diet" is something that is temporary. It says that you cannot eat anything fried ever again - at least until said diet is over. At which point you can eat whatever you want again with the understanding that you will gain back any modest amount of weight (plus more usually) that you lost on your "diet". I finally believe that this new way of eating has become a lifestyle change for me. I still haven't had a sip of soda and it's becoming second nature to grab a bottle of water or order it in a restaurant. In addition, I am still eating "bad" things here and there...which may sound negative but is really a positive thing. I know what you're thinking...."Girl needs to eat...She's losing her mind!" but I can assure you that I'm right...or at least this is the right thing for me. I've had one or two people (I won't mention any names) come down on me for that. One friend said that I should NEVER EVER EVER have pizza. Well, first...she obviously has much more willpower than I do and second, I don't want to live a life where I can't have an occasional slice of pizza. I honestly believe that you can still lose weight even if you eat a handful of potato chips and a scoop of ice cream here and there...as long as 95% of the time, you're eating well. And I'm living proof. I may not be losing it as quickly as I'd like or as fast as others do, but I can't worry about them. I have to focus on what works for me and what will make my weight-loss successful. And for me...not feeling deprived all the time goes a long way to that end. Besides, I'm still losing at a steady pace and if I only lose two pounds a week, I'm okay with that. Not depriving myself of everything all the time will ensure that once I lose the weight, I will have the mindset to keep it off...and let's face it, that is another animal all together. When I first started eating more healthfully, my dad said to me, "That's the thing about these 'diets'...will you ever be able to eat normally again"? Normally? I thought about that. I said, only half believing it at the time, "Well...yes. But instead of eating a bowl of ice cream I will have a scoop. And instead of eating a bag of chips, I will have 4". And the good news is...once you've gotten used to eating healthfully, even for a short while...you crave less junk and four potato chips is enough.

I had friends over Saturday night for drinks and appetizers. I won't go into the boring details of what I ate and drank (I'm pretty sure that part of this blog may have lulled readers to sleep in the past) but I will say it was not a "healthful" evening. I had two vodka drinks and a few really unhealthy apps...but only a few. BUT...the next day I had fruit, salad and cottage cheese...despite the fact that my family had burgers on the grill - my favorite thing. And that's what progress and lifestyle change is in the dieting arena...only eating a little bit of the bad things and only once in a while, taking responsibility for it when you do and getting back on track the next day. That, my friends, is the definition of living a healthful lifestyle...everything in moderation.

On a side note, I bought a treadmill this weekend and walked on it for the first time this morning for 40 minutes. I'll keep you posted (obviously...duh) but I hope this helps kick my weight loss back into gear! It's my goal to be down two more pounds by Saturday morning...at which point I will weigh less than I have in the past 10 years or so. When I've lost weight in the past (and gained it back), I never got below this magic number. It will be like reaching the first summit on the climb up the mountain. I can't wait to finally make it to the top of that summit...and to celebrate with a diet coke!

Just kidding.