Tuesday, September 16, 2008

The journey is the reward....


When I first started this journey to live a better life through journaling my food www.thedailyplate.com it never really dawned on me how much my life would change.

I backed into weight loss and it happened without me thinking about it too much. We were eating out way too often, sometimes at the end of the day we would realize we had not really eaten fruits or vegetables. Because of the arthritis in my knees we weren't exercising like we should. It was not good.

After logging in the daily plate.com for a day or two, it didn't take me long to notice I was not getting the right nutrients. At the bottom of your "plate" there is a list of the percentage of nutrients you had eaten. Like, calcium, sodium, carbs, protein, fats, sugars, fiber. Knowledge, powerful stuff.

My eyes were no longer covered...I could see...see that a few veggies, a couple of fruits, some low-fat yogurt, lean meats, fiber filled foods, whole wheat's, lower sodium foods....weight was flying off me. Before I knew it I'd lost 20lbs. We were walking about 2 miles a day...I started walking really fast...the pain from arthritis was way less. We added a mile.

We also found that we could still eat a few sweets, dark chocolate has fiber! Angel food and strawberries, low-fat milk shakes and smoothies. We never feel deprived. It's just choices, making the right choices.

After awhile your clothes get too big...baggy bottoms are not too attractive. To the store you go...it's the best feeling in the world when you can get in the smaller sizes. The best!!! Still, it never occurred to me (since every other diet I'd been on clothes just fit better) that I would actually wear a smaller size.

So far I've lost about 47lbs. Someone that saw me recently and said it looked like I'd lost 100lbs. Oh dear..not quite!

The journey is the best part....I'm sure there will be a part of me when I hit goal (18 more pounds) that will miss these times. So wherever you are in your way to health, remember to enjoy each step of the way, each obstacle, each little victory. Don't hurry it or rush it. Just plain appreciate where you are today.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Hi Maree,
What a great post and also thank you for the wonderful comment you left on my blog. I rejoined Weight Watchers today because I need the meetings and the accountability. I already feel so much better about myself just walking back through the door. You are right, it is a journey. Joyce Meyers has a book that is titled "Enjoy Where You are At on the Way to Where You are Going". That is what I am going to do. You are such an encourager to me. Wow, 47 pounds. I'm gonna finish it this time!!

Hugs,
LeAnn:)