It is time for my monthly update and accountability on the diet and exercise plan progress.
- Total weight loss – 40.5 pounds
- BP (no meds) – 128/82
- Exercise – Walking program consistent 6x a week/strength training – hit & miss (I need to really get consistent 3x a week with this – no excuses – it is just a pain to read from a paper then do the exercise…back to the paper etc… Ahhhh to just go to Curves or how about a personal trainer! Ok…I’ll stop whining and start doing!)
I am pleased with the progress. When I drop four more pounds I will reach my second weight loss goal and will be in the acceptable BMI (Body Mass Index) for my height – so close! I will also be having a blood test this month to check out my cholesterol and blood sugar levels. I hope to report to you next month that after over four months of healthy eating and exercise my lab report is excellent! Then I will be ready to begin probably the hardest part of the journey – the last fifteen pounds – to reach my goal weight. (Well, I say the hardest, but I am sure maintenance is really the most challenging, requiring life long personal discipline)
I must share that I did learn something about my eating patterns this month. I have had a pretty intense month – planning and carrying out a large scale fundraiser for the school (I will write about that later – looks like we raised over $25,000!). I was under an incredible amount of pressure and was putting in 10-12 hour days for several weeks. Here is what I discovered. At the beginning of each of those long days, I found myself wanting to start the day with a Venti Vanilla Latte and a warm chocolate croissant. After hours of working and feeling the enormity of this event weighing on my shoulders I wanted to reach for a cookie, leftover piece of birthday cake (Yes, Daniel turned one this past month & I do have photos to share!) or munch on a bowl of M & M’s as I typed on the computer.
I am happy to report that I resisted all these urges and did not give in to eating sweets or drinking my beloved coffee. However, I was constantly aware of the fact this month that I have often used food as either a way to reward myself for hard work or as a motivation to “get up & get going”. It was an eye opener for me to realize this. I am sure when I get to the lifetime maintenance phase this realization will help me to not fall back into these bad habits.
Of course I did thoroughly enjoy my days off this month – date night (yummy pasta & bread at Macaroni Grill as well as popcorn at the movies) and Daniels first birthday (homemade from scratch mouth watering chocolate cake with mint chocolate icing, dinner of beef fajitas, chips & cowboy dip…AWESOME!)
My dear darling hubby has reached his goal weight (lost over 35 pounds!) and even wore his high school football jersey to school yesterday (It was “wear purple” day). He has his blood cholesterol test tomorrow! We are praying for excellent results!
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