Week 28

Last night's session was my first after switching to bi-weekly sessions and I truly can say that I missed not going these past two weeks.  I was surprised last night at how many people from our group did not attend, it made for a quick night with not much discussion.  I hope that we continue to have most group members attend every two weeks so that we can all help each other to stay in tract.

I have been in full maintenance for the past few weeks and its been a struggle, there were numerous times that I would "test" the waters and have something I thought I wouldn't consume for months to come.  I am still recording what I am eating regardless if it is on my exchange list or not so in any given day I know exactly what I have eaten, good or bad :) Since the start of transition I have gained back 5 lb, some of which I know are from transitioning to my new calories but these past two weeks I have gained back 2.5 lb and I know it's from my food choices.  Last night it hit me that I need to re-evaluate what I am doing and why I am doing it.  Before entering maintenance I actually was only 11 lbs away from reaching 100 lbs of weight loss and now I am 16.5 lbs away.  I want to reach this goal on my own and I know I can do it.  I have all of the tools and resources available, I know what to eat and when to eat it, I am way more active then I ever was and can do this.

So,  with that being said I am back on track.  I woke up this morning and prepared my meals for the day and wrote everything down.  The goal over the course of these next two weeks is to focus in me and my food choices, become more diligent with my daily walking and journal more.  I knew there would be struggles, but I didn't think they would arrive so early on.  I have the support of a few other  group members who are also struggling a bit right now and we have all made it our mission to get back on track together which is what I think we all need! Especially me!

Week 26.....busy dayz

Wow, life has been super busy, but even though life is busy eating will always be a part of my day.  Now officially half way through the program, the past few weeks have been good and bad at the same time.  On a positive note I have increased my activity, started an aqua-fit class once a week and walk 3-4 days a week for 20-30 minutes each time.  I am feeling great with my level of activity, walking is easier than it ever has been and my body just moves around with ease.  I do not have pain in my back or in my legs and my feet do not hurt from standing for periods of time.  

Now with that being said eating has been a bit if a struggle, not everyday but just once in a while.  For the past few weeks while entering into maintenance and increasing my calories I have definitely tested my limits with food.  For some reason foods I said I would never eat again have snuck back into my life.  Chocolate for instance is something I have had more than once but feel gross after eating it,  another food item I have had lately is Nutella on a piece of toast.  Something that could sit in the cupboard for months prior to this program I couldn't get enough of past week.  Again feeling gross after eating it I still wet back to it.  I am constantly reflecting by journaling and trying to determine why I may be seeking these items.  From what I can tell it seems like I am just "testing the water" if I eat this will I gain weight?  It's amazing how quickly I chose to try a few things and how easy it was for me to just decide to eat them.  

Over these past few weeks while increasing calories and activity I have gained 4 lbs back, I know by journaling and keeping a food log that I have gained these lbs because its expected during this phase but I am reminding myself that I need to keep track of this because it could easily get out of control for me.  I knew this part would be the hardest part of this journey for me because I do not have shakes to rely on as a quick fix.  Everyday I have to plan and cook to ensure I have enough to eat and I am getting all my exchanges as I should be.  I am still enjoying cooking and trying new flavours, my taste buds are still shocked when I try something new or introduce a flavour that's strong.  I am satisfied with my exchanges and am not experiencing extreme hunger which could cause me to overeat  or indulge in something I shouldn't.  I just need to remember that this is a journey and there will be ups and downs and as long as I always go back to what I know are the right choices I am ok with the little slips that I may have, it's a part of learning how to live a realistic healthy lifestyle.