I had actually intended on blogging on the 1st of May and never got around to it. Maybe it's better that I didn't. I was dreading this month because of Mother's Day and my Mom's 85th birthday. May has always been a month that I looked forward to because I loved to celebrate my mom even more than I always did to begin with. I knew that I would be missing her this month and really didn't know what to expect quite honestly. Well, something clicked for me. I decided to make a choice. A choice to be happy, a choice to be good to myself and do what I need to do for ME.
I think things started to click in part after listening to a Nutritional webinar on April 30th. I have several friends who have adapted this new lifestyle of eating plant-based, going Gluten free and Vegan and while I know that will NEVER be me, I was still able to pick up some helpful tidbits from the hour+ presentation. May 2nd was going to be my start date to begin taking care of me and changing some habits to find my old self that used to be comfortable in her own skin. These last few years have not been kind on my body- too much stress, too much taking care of others and lacking time to take care of myself.
The other thing that clicked is that I am not getting any younger. I have always teased people that when you have a birthday you have just completed the # of years that you just "turned"- so when we celebrate a 1st birthday, that person completed 1 year of life. Well, hubby is turning 50 next month, which means he will be completing his 50th year of life and on his birthday his 51st year of life begins. I'm a year behind him. Many of my girlfriends are all starting to talk about the big birthday next year and what we are all going to be doing to celebrate. Well, I for one am going to be one FABULOUSLY looking 50 year old! Appropriately, I need to lose 50 pounds to be realistic...55 or 60 would be even better- but I'm a realist - first goal is 50, when I get there if it feels like more should go, then I will continue the loss efforts. First things first.
So back to May- I know that weight loss is a combination of diet and exercise and for me I needed to adjust both parts of the equation. So many people say "but you teach all those classes at the gym- how come you can't lose weight?" - well I teach, yes- but those are not MY workouts and they are simply not enough in the overall scheme of activity needed. My other career is very sedentary and it comes with vacations where eating is a challenge. So I have gotten back to my power walking and have taken walks 15 days this month- some by myself, some with Bill and some with friends. I have successfully lost weight in the past with Weight Watchers and with counting my points- I know it works and when I'm focused and tracking- I DO make better choices. For well over a year, I've been tracking- but not focused on my eating and I simply did not care if my end of week had a big RED deficit. It's pretty simple, if you have a RED deficit you have eaten too much, not been active enough or both. That does not equal weight loss. If you have leftover points and have tracked honestly- you should see some weight loss. My Weight Watchers weigh in day/restart day is Friday- so May 2nd- I decided it was time to refocus. I knew there was no way that I would remove the full RED 90 point deficit that I've been regularly attaining, but I was aiming to reduce that deficit on week one and I did- to RED 77, then on week two, RED 34 and then this last week, I ended up out of the RED with 6 leftover points!
It's about progress, not perfection. It's about making choices that are better for ME, choices that work for me. Everyone knows I am not the veggie and fruit person- well I am back to making my smoothies with my fruits- I will soon get adventurous and try to add in a little green stuff. I never trust anyone who says "you won't taste it"- it's usually not the case for me. Nobody understands my palate. I remember when I did Weight Watchers in 1999 and BobbyJo said that Jicama was like Tortilla Chips. Oh, I gave that a try- EPIC FAIL! I started to add Chia seeds to my smoothies- again progress. I am measuring everything. I am drinking my Shakeology about 5 times a week- and that works for me. I like the taste, it fills me up and I can fell the energy from it. When I know that I'm going to have an "extreme" meal in a day- then I have tried to do two shakes in a day to minimize my point usage. The result so far? I've lost 5 pounds after three weeks of being focused. I know it's not much- but it is 10% of my total weight loss goal. I feel skinnier, I feel better. It feels great to be out walking again and other than normal aches and pains from activity- I can say that my foot issues are fine now (YAY).
So back to May--well decided that my mom would want me to take care of myself. Over the last few years, she knew I was not happy with my weight, but she would always tell me, "You look like you've lost weight dear"- even though I knew that I had not lost anything- perhaps even gained. She was my biggest cheerleader. Mother's Day- I took a "lay low" day- watched the Giants game, chilled out, enjoyed family time. Mom's birthday- I took the day off of work- well most of it and drove to Gilroy for a pool day since we were spending the night at a hotel for an evening wedding- it was perfect. The wedding was beautiful and a very nice, fun night. I started out mom's birthday by teaching back to back spin classes and played my favorite "Happy" song. I know mom would have loved that song- she loved the Despicable Me movies, but the song had not really taken off with the movie right away. Mom would be proud that I am taking care of myself and she is still cheering me on with every pound I lose, with every step I take on my walks- she is cheering for me.
GAME is ON and I've got this--I'm saying goodbye to 50 pounds and they are staying away for good- when I begin my 50th year of life on my 49th birthday this November- I will be 50 pounds lighter and fitting into clothes that have been collecting dust in my closet for years!
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