Monday, September 19, 2011

Time for Change




Those of you who read my other blog know that Beren and I are out of town for an extended period of time. While Beren spends most of the weekdays, and some weekends, working, I putter around the house, shop, do crafts, read, basically whatever the heck I want to do. It's really lovely, having all of this time to myself. But having so many hours in the day to spend on just me, I have absolutely no excuse for not taking care of myself, for not exercising, for not cooking and eating properly, for not staying on my eating plan. I've decided to take this opportunity and use it for some serious self-improvement, some extreme self-care. I've been taking my vitamins, applying my moisturizers, deep conditioning my hair, expanding my mind while exploring the city...all wonderful, positive things. But I have not been exercising enough, or eating even 50% On Program. So it should be no surprise to me that my jeans are a little bit tighter, that I'm not as happy with what I see in the mirror, or in photos...



So today I got up and logged on to Weight Watchers, found a local center and attended a meeting. I bought the Monthly Pass, a program which is not available down south. Weigh-in wasn't pleasant but it wasn't a complete shock either: 166.4. I have gained back 10 of the 20 pounds I lost last year. Rather than beat myself up over it, though, I took a deep breath, smiled and re-committed to this weight loss journey.



Interestingly enough, today's meeting topic was about time management. And, coincidentally, most of the other attendees (older retired folks) are in the same boat as myself; they have plenty of time to take care of themselves. No children or jobs to use as reasons/excuses. Our leader Barbara talked to us about that, asking what, other than lack of time, prevents us from doing what we know we have to do to achieve success. For me it's a combination of laziness and a little bit of anxiety that leads to overeating. Being up here, while a luxury, is also taking me away from some of the things I love at home: my kids, my cats, my house, my friends. Even, though I can't say I really miss it, my job. I'm sorting through these emotions, coming to terms with the touch of homesickness, learning to detach from my grown daughters just a bit in order to create healthier (less dependent) relationships. Now I just need to add the next component: finding other ways to deal with the emotions other than stuffing them down with food. Smarter choices would be:

* Taking Loki for a neighborhood walk
* Taking myself for a long stroll on the beach
* Exploring, by foot, the museums and local attractions nearby
* Visiting the health food store and farmers market for fresh fruit & veggies
* Distracting myself and/or talking myself through the anxious, sad times
* Sharing my feelings with Beren and asking for his support, and not in the form of a fried mozzarella stick *grin*


Do you all have any other suggestions? Thoughts?

I'm going to read through my WW pamphlets as if I'm a new member, starting fresh for the first time, then plan a new recipe for dinner. I'm looking forward to hearing from you all..

Have a Beauty-Full Day,

6 comments:

  1. I don't know if you're a fan of oats or not but I eat oatmeal for breakfast every day. It has made a -huge- impact on my weight loss. I don't eat yucky plain oats, I load it up with yummy things like fruit, raisins, nut butter, soy milk, honey, you name it. At first, I thought "yeah right- who wants to eat oatmeal for breakfast every day?" but now that I do it, I actually look forward to it and feel like crap when I don't eat it. It seems to help my craving for cake and sweets too. My mornings are really busy so I whip up a big batch on Monday and just eat it up and add my fixin's throughout the week I get a lot of good ideas for oats from this blog: http://www.katheats.com/

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  2. oh, and skinny taste.com. I don't know how I'd live without it!

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  3. You can do it!! I'm going to throw myself into photography, praying that some hobbies help me out of my struggle with obesity. It's like once you get to the 200 mark its totally downhill. I'd give anything to be in the 160 range again!! There's always going to be some excuse not to do it. You are absolutely gorgeous. Gonna by myself a new set of scales tomorrow to start my own journey. You are an inspiration!!

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  4. Brittany, I totally agree about Skinny Taste! Wonderful recipes, haven't been disappointed in one of hers yet. I also love oatmeal, especially steel-cut. Yummy and filling! Lately I've been on a breakfast sandwich kick, eat the same thing every day..grin..we are creatures of habit! xoxoxo

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  6. Aw, Brigett, thank you!! What a sweet comment to wake up to this morning. Let's cheer each other on, ok? xoxoxo

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