I spent most of January adjusting my diet. I started the South Beach Diet and while I did not adhere to the "no carbs the first two weeks. period." policy to a "T", I did do very well. The purpose of cutting out all carbs and only allowing low-fat protein is to train your body to crave the proper things, instead of sugar and carbs. This was hard for me since my diet had pretty much consisted of carbs, carbs, a bit of protein, maybe a veggie with dinner, then more carbs. Oh, and throw in a couple of handfuls of sugar too. I gained 15 pounds in about four months in a very unhealthy manner. So, the type of torture was absolutely necessary to get me back on track. Now I have a cup or two of coffee in the morning and drink water and non-caffeinated tea the rest of the day. I have had a glass of wine on a couple of occassions and I have enjoyed a Coca-Cola a time or two but my day-to-day choices have remained healthier. Instead of crackers and cream cheese, I had pears and Laughing Cow cinnamon spread or celery and hummus. Instead of sugar-loaded brown sugar and maple oatmeal or a granola bar for breakfast, I have been making protein shakes that consist of soy milk, spinach, blueberries, banana and a scoop of chocolate protein powder. I do enjoy my grains now, but the bread and pasta are whole wheat or multigrain and I attempt to limit myself to one or two servings a day. I haven't lost much weight, I think 3 pounds total in four weeks, but overall that is not my goal. My goal is for my clothing that fit me well in January 2013 to fit me just as well in January 2015 (hopefully sooner!). My biggest goal is to be bathing suit ready for our anniversary trip to the Florida Keys in September. That means no tshirt or shorts over top or a desperate grab for the towel as soon as I leave the pool. While my weight may not be changing much, I am noticing a positive change in my problem areas. In other words, I am moving in the right direction.
This month the exercise comes in to play. I took a much too long break from the gym and, boy, is it hard getting back into that routine. I have gone twice since the beginning of the year. But today was encouraging for me. My brother is in town and he wrote up an exercise plan for me. This morning I met him at the gym and I asked him to show me the various exercises to be sure I was doing them correctly and to get some feedback. By the end we modified the plan quite a bit, back to the basics, but I feel confident in what I am to do when I go and have a routine for each day of the week. Sean is extremely knowledgeable in the human body, weight loss and training. It is a passion of his and I am glad to have someone like that to point me in the right direction and get me motivated. Now I get to pass it along to my gym partner and we can start our 100-day challenge. 100 days straight of some sort of exercise (at home or at gym, walking, weights, yoga, zumba, whatever) to create a healthy habit.
I not only want to create a healthier lifestyle for myself, I want to be an example for my children. I hope by seeing the changes I make and living them out day by day, they will understand the reasons, see the difference and make better choices themselves. Because Mommy can only make choices for them for so long.
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