This was originally posted on Sparkpeople on December 29, 2009. As of today, April 27, 2010 I have now lost 80lbs.
Today I hit a big milestone! Today marks 60 pounds lost in 6 months! The more important goal that I hit today is that I set a goal to lose 20 pounds in ten weeks. Not any ten weeks, but the last ten weeks of the year. The ten weeks with Halloween candy, Thanksgiving and Christmas goodies. The ten weeks with unpredictable weather for biking, running and walking outside. The ten weeks when the gym schedule gets all screwy. The ten weeks when the calendar gets full and my patience wears thin. Yep, that is the goal I set and that is the goal I hit today! I cannot express how empowering that is! I feel like I just faced the dragon and came out the victor! It feels like I went into battle armed and ready and used every thing in my arsenal to win the prize. I feel strong! Like amazon woman warrior strong! It is an amazing top of the world kind of feeling that makes me feel ready to take on the next challenge, knowing that when it gets tough I can look back on this moment and know that I have what it takes to succeed. I've always admired strong female role models like Wonder Woman and Xena Warrior Princess and now I know, I have the heart of a warrior and the drive to succeed. Nothing can get in my way, unless I allow it! And today, I will not allow it!
Things I learned from setting the goal to lose 20 lbs. in 10 holiday weeks:
1. A (1) taste of anything will not throw me off track.
2. I can have dessert. One bite of cheesecake to decide if it is worth it, a second bite to confirm it's worth and a third bite to savor. Done. Eating the rest of the cheesecake will not make it taste any better, as a matter of fact it can negate the goodness by making me feel overly full or uncomfortable.
3. I can be pretty creative in how to get a workout in when the weather is bad, the gym is closed, etc. The trick is wanting it! I look at it as 'warrior training'. I cannot be fit for battle if I do not train.
4. The right balance between rest, workout, social events and good nutrition are vital to my well being.
5. If I don't care enough to look after me, sure as shootin' no one else is going to do it.
6. I want to be the kind of woman that inspires me! I want to be amazed by what I can accomplish when I set my mind to it. I want to stand back and say 'it can be done and I did it' and then look for the next challenge.
7. Friends can either be your biggest encouragement and support (spark friends) or your biggest detractors (jealous friends who try to tear you down).
Thanks for your encouragement and support! For your motivations, inspiration and insight! Thanks for helping to arm me for battle and to feel up for the challenge! The battle I fight is not against my weight or my fat . . . it is a battle for my health, my well being and to get to the heart of the woman I was created to be! {She pulls her sword from the sheath at her waist and holds it high in the air} "Who is with me?!"
I just discovered your comment on my blog. Thanks for commenting. I love that you also were able to lose 20 pounds in 10 weeks. During the holiday season no less.
ReplyDeleteI also read what you spoke about. It's so true. What makes us so much different from that innocent little girl and us now, in God's eyes. I think He really does see us that way. Thanks for the perspective!
Yesterday was a great food day. I did have a soda, which obviously is not great, but I also had all of my servings of fruits and vegetables. And what's even better is that I didn't even try. It wasn't like I thought "I better eat an apple, so I can hit my daily recommended servings of fruit", I just ate apple slices because I wanted to.Then for dinner I wanted something a bit light, so I just decided to do a veggie stir fry and it was SOOOOOO GOOOOOOD! It was pretty simple. I have a couple sauces I like to use. The first is called Asia Specialties Sweet Soy & Garlic Sauce. I tossed 2 tbsp of that in my wok. Then I added 2 cups of mushrooms. While those started cooking down I chopped up half of a yellow onion and tossed that in. There's a second sauce I like that adds a bit of a kick to dishes and it's called Taste of Asia Medium Chili Garlic Sauce. I added 1 tbsp of that in with the mushrooms and onions. Then I chopped up a cup of broccoli into bite sized pieces and added 2 more tablespoons of the Sweet Soy & Garlic Sauce. Since it was all veggies I allowed myself a few more calories with the sauces. The total dish was 255 calories and extremely satisfying. The flavor was off the charts. I had to make Steve try it (he had already eaten), because I knew he'd ask me to make it again if he tasted it. He asked for a second bite and asked if I had made enough for his lunch the following day! Unfortunately for him I hadn't, but I'm glad to know we both really enjoyed it. I ended the day with just under 1300 calories. Here's a pic of my dinner for your viewing pleasure. :-)
ReplyDeleteThe volcanic activity on the Big Island has created a highly acidic environment where heavy VOG (volcanic gas emissions) coats everything with sulfuric acid. My gout attacks often started on heavy VOG days and others seemed to have attacks at the same time. In order to keep my body more ph neutral, I started eating foods that were high in alkaline, like agave syrup (instead in sugar), bananas, and papayas. I drank alkaline bottled water from the local health food store and noticed that it made me feel better. People at the health food store in Hilo told me to make sure to keep the cap on during voggy days because the air was so acidic it would turn the alkaline water acidic in just a few hours.Water on the Big Island contains high levels of calcium due to it leaching out from lava. I read some claims that high levels of calcium in drinking water can cause gout attacks because the high mineral content makes it harder to dissolve and remove euric acid from the body. In California I had a reverse osmosis water system which may have helped protect me from attacks. So I started drinking bottled water created by the reverse osmosis process which removes most of the minerals in the water.
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