Highs and Lows of Bad Eating Habits.

I hired a holistic nutritionist today. After losing 100 pounds with gastric bypass surgery, and still holding on to bad eating habits, I decided it was time to learn something about my health. I began the nutrition journey this year because I refuse to go another year being labeled obese. I don't want to be overweight, I don't want to be rail thin. I do want to be healthy. I want to be able to climb mountains with my nephews and not worry about falling. I want to be able to hold a baby on my lap and not get winded while playing a game of freeze tag. So today the journey began.

I researched the options, and found someone that I feel is a good match for me. Someone who will call me on the carpet when I beat myself up, or don't admit to my mistakes. Someone who will be there when I need to talk it out, and not let me off the hook when I steer off the plan.

I have three challenges 1) to increase my energy levels, 2) to lose weight and 4) to find a routine that will work for me with my work and personal schedule.

Interestingly she told me that as women age, one of the biggest challenges we face is our energy. I have felt exhausted over the past three years, and I blamed it on all the weight I was carrying around. Don't get me wrong, the weight does slow me down, but she assured me that by eating right and following a few simple rules, I can get my energy levels more regulated.

The first three rules I have for this journey: 1) No sugar. 2) No breads 3) Eat every four hours and nothing after 7:30pm. The weight will probably not come off until I get this routine down, and the plan is to develop a discipline of healthy eating so that each week we can incorporate new goals into the mix. Let's see how it goes.

What to look for when choosing a nutritionist? For me, I went to a website that offers nutritionists by city. I read through the biographies and credentials and narrowed my search to 5 possible coaches. I then sent an email requesting more information. I narrowed the search down then by the response or lack of response, whether they provided a free initial consultation, and the resources they offered. To me cost was important, but I opted for a little higher cost based on the level of service I received from the beginning. Cameron Rupprecht in Alexandria, VA offered experience, compassion and was excellent with follow through. When I talked to her I felt she was really listening to me and developing a program that was personalized for me specifically.

She didn't expect me to "do it all at once" but developed a series of small goals over the course of the first week. Every two weeks a new discipline was added. I will post more as I go. If you feel classified as obese, and want to participate in a place where you get support and encouragement in a non threatening environment, please join me and feel free to share your story here. My goal is to change the way America treats the obese, one person at a time.

My Three Things Today

As promised, each day will begin with my three things:
1) Go out for a walk at lunch time.
2) Make three past due phone calls: Carmax, the Dermatologist, Dr.Office (bill)
3) Cancel Moisturizer order at $87 a pop! Who needs a month of moisturizers for $87 a month, okay, this was a week moment kind of thing. I was feeling old, my face was feeling old. I was in a "depressed" watch television kind of spirit. So they got me for one month. Let's not make it a year!

Well, today has started out like any other day. I woke up feeling achy, sore, tired and I have to go to work. I work for a living. It pays the bills, it provides me with the oppportunity to make foolish purchases like the moisturizer up there at the top of my Three Things list. Lately, I have been looking at the money I make and realizing that I want it to go to better things. I want it to be able to provide for me long after I stop working. Early retirement would be nice thing. Can it be done? I think there is a way but first I have to get a handle on the spending. I have to quit spending. How can I do that? I love to spend as much as I love to eat, and its not often on myself, its for others.

Yesterday I was craving donuts (bad on two counts). First I wanted Krispy Creme donut (if that isn't two fat hips waiting to expand) and Second, I wanted to buy them for the company. Bring in a dozen for everyone. Now that may noat seem like a large expense, but I am always thinking of ways to spend money unnecessarily. Would you believe that yesterday, one of the girls came in with donuts. FOR HERSELF. Not to share, just to eat. Two of them FOR HERSELF. Now I can't comment on why she needed two, but I started thinking about what constitutes healthy behavior? Was she wrong for not thinking about everyone else in the company? Not at all.

So here is the lesson. I don't have to be all things to all people. It doesn't matter if everyone loves me, likes me or wants to be my friend. I need to focus on three things that will define who I am: God, My Husband, My family. It may not be the same three priorities for you. It doesn't matter, just put yourself first. The rest will come. I believe it will.

Book: The Love Dare.

Have you read it? Have you heard about it? Well there is a new book out called the "Love Dare" and it challenges the reader to love their spouse by following the tasks over the next 40 days and it will change your relationship. God will change your relationship. Why would I do this you might ask? Well, lately I have looked in the wife mirror and haven't really liked what I was seeing. I was holding in a lot of anger, acting very critical, never satisfied, never happy and while some of it was justified, some of it was just plain mean and undeserving. I woke up one night and realized I was so angry at myself that I was turning it around and blaming him for my predictaments. Sure, he played a part, but my way of dealing with it was sure not helping either of us. So I decided to secretly take the 40 Day Love Dare. What was I thinking?

Day 1: Be patient, Don't say anything negative or argumentative to your husband. You can't advance off that day until you accomplish the goal. Imagine my chagrin when I woke and was made immediately aware of my mood and many things I wanted to say to many people. I hadn't even put my feet on the floor yet and I was already thinking about what I had to say. And not much of it was good. Then, I went downstairs. What is it with men? I did the laundry last night and have on so many occasions asked my husband not to put my pants in the dryer and leave them there. Why? Major wrinkles. So again, the second moment, where I wanted to say something, am not allowed to hold it in, and I am not allowed to say anything critical.

So I did the adult thing and decided perhaps it was best if I just didn't talk to him today. Because there was no way I could not bite my tongue, not say something, and if I had to say something negative I was to not say anything at all. I am sure that would not happen. I am the kind of woman that tries to be the bigger person, and then have spent so much time thinking about the perfect comment, response, or comeback that it has to come out. Lucky for me, my husband has a great sense of humor. He thinks everything I say is funny. Which by the way frustrates me even more!

So, about midday, I am feeling guilty, and I decided to call to say hello. Our normal habit. And guess what? I am not advancing off of Square One, Day One today. Patience and understanding with my husband needs major work. But I do love you Babe! Come back to hear more about the Love Dare. I won't be posting all 40 days, but I am sure there will be some interesting lessons along the way.

How are you doing on your three things? Let us konw.

My three things today:
1) Orgnazize my craft room
2) Call my brother and offer to help while wife is out of town
3) Try to get past Day 1 on the Love Dare

Journalling for a Healthy Life.

Well, I decided that this is the year for better health, and what better way to begin then to start exercising more and watching my weight. I had heard that it helps to journal what you eat but since I honestly believe that I eat like a Rabbit (very little)and I have my husband believing it too, I didn't think it would do much good. Well, let me tell you...I wrote down my caloric intake religiously the first day. Anything I popped into my mouth, I wrote down. At the end of the day I told my husband what I had eaten and asked if he thought it was much food. The truth was "IT WASN'T MUCH FOOD", but it was "ALOT OF CALORIES", 4200 calories to be exact. (You know, if you want to lose weight that number has to be below 3500). I was in shock, I still am. And I am journalling regularily now and becoming much more aware of what is going into my mouth, when it goes in, and why. A handful of peanuts here, 2 dove chocolates there, skipping dinner, popping a roll in my mouth. Doesn't sound like much does it? Well, the math speaks volumes. An ounce of cheddar cheese, can easily become 4 ounces in my day (I Love Cheese), a handful of peanuts can easily become two. I don't think I will journal for the rest of my life, but I will until I have a better understanding of the food that I am eating and its affect on my health.

I am not a meal planner, I skip meals often, I nibble alot, I don't exercise much even though when I do I feel wonderful! In this crazy little head of mine, I actually believed that for as little as I was eating, I should be bone thin! Right! Think again. It won't happen if you don't know the calories you are putting into your body. Its true, you can eat more and weigh less if you eat smart.

Three goals for this week:
1) Keep a food journal every day this week.
2) Continue to exercise one day a week.
3) If I clean up my crafting room, I am buying the cricut machine.

How is that for motivation?? :)

The Good Life Revolution

We are on our way. Don't look back. Take assessment. Where are you now? what's working, what's not. Its a Good Life Revolution and I would love to have you join me. Today, its the power of three. Pick three habits or changes you wish to make in your life. Don't pick three that are overwhelming or unattainable. Just three simple things that you can tackle or complete in one day or one week. That is it. Post your three, and at the end of the week, let's check our success. I find that as we move through life, we set ourselves up for disappointment. We set these grandiose dreams like "Losing weight"...How much? How fast? Is that a reasonable goal? Not really. A reasonable goal has to be specific, the more specific the better. It might be something so simple as taking a healthy meal to work every day next week. Or it might be starting to walk around the block each night. That is it. Small attainable goals. You may not believe this to be true, but I know it works. Because once you can feel good about that small goal, you can increase, add on another, make it a little more difficult. But its a positive step and that is all it is about.

A while ago, I found my self in a deep rut, I mean deep. The pit was so deep that one of my favorite writers: Beth Moore, who wrote "Get out of that Pit" said you become so comfortable in the pit that pretty soon you are putting up curtains, laying down a carpet, finding a big sofa chair to keep you in the pit. What a visual! And how true. I needed to get out of the pit, but the walls were too high. So my first goal? To get out of bed 15 minutes earilier than I had been. This sounded so small at the time, but that 15 minutes got me up and moving and I was no longer arriving late for work. Then I moved it to 30 minutes. This allowed me time to make lunch and add in about 10 minutes of prayer. When I realized how much I liked that silent morning time, I began making my lunch at night and that gave me 30 minutes with God. You get the idea. Small attainable goals. Pick three that you can celebrate at weeks end. You can share them here, or record them in a journal. It doesn't matter. What matters is that you begin the Good Life Revolution.

Here are my three for this week:
1) To record my calorie intake for the next 7 days to see where my weaknesses and where I can improve.
2) To go to the gym one time a week.
3) To get back to bible study on Wednesday nights, at least one night a month.

Get the picture? Now its your turn.