Keep on Truckin'

We haven't given up! I am so proud of us! We are both down around 20 pounds. This may seem like nothing for most people, but it's a huge step for us. We are losing slowly, and we are losing the right way. After years of being on diets and gaining back more than I lost, I finally found something that is working. Who knew it was so simple. Calorie counting and exercise. So easy.

I have learned to LOVE some new foods, and I quit missing that bad stuff after not very long. Don't get me wrong, if you brought me a sweet potato pie, I'd want some, but for the most part I want the good stuff. For instance, I used to LOVE a McDonald's sausage and cheese biscuit (extra cheese please), it never filled me up enough, I was always starved by lunch. Now my go to breakfast usually contains a protein, a whole grain, and a fruit. Kashi 7 Grain waffles (2 for 150 cals) are delish! I usually have a banana with them, or if I'm feeling a sweet tooth I add some dark chocolate. So freakin' good. I also LOVE oats. I eat oats for breakfast at least 3 times a week. Oats with peanut butter, oats with cinnamon, oats, oats, oats.

I am so glad Erin and I decided to make this change. 20 lbs down and I can already tell a difference.

I still need to work on my exercising. I HATE it. No fun, but definitely necessary. I have been walking on my treadmill, or dreadmill as some bloggers lovingly nicknamed it. I always feel better after, but never want to start. I know if I keep pushing myself the exercise will become easier. I just have to keep on moving.

Here's to Erin and I in the new year. Losing weight, trying new things, and becoming the best version of ourselves!

Progress and Dance

We’re still here! And doing well. Both Ally and I are down 20 pounds since we started the process of editing our lifestyles. Slow and steady, sweetheart. Slow and steady.

That’s not to say there haven’t been setbacks; we’re not living on the set of a Hollywood movie with multiple takes. But it’s all about learning. And it’s not surprising that a lot of the work is mental.

The holidays. *groan* Well, that would top the list of obstacles so far. It’s one thing to avoid Red Lobster, another thing entirely to avoid your grandmother’s Christmas spread. Steaming turkey. Cornbread dressing. Ten different pies. And I’ll be honest, Thanksgiving and Christmas were initially deemed major fails for me. But then I questioned my concept of failure. Is eating a decadent meal with family 2-3 times a year failing? Or is that moderation?

Which leads to a new thought – yeah, we have to mentally prepare ourselves to create a healthy lifestyle, but we also have to find a realistic perspective about food. Because it’s not about total deprivation. We’ve said that all along. It IS about moderation. Too many times we all feel that anything short of total submission to a diet or calorie counter is the only success there is. We beat ourselves up for anything less.

Think about this: most of the results we get in life are based on what we do MOST of the time, not what we do sometimes. I mean, you’re not going to run a marathon if you train once a month; you don’t lose weight if you replace one super size burger meal a week with a salad. But the opposite is true too – you can still run a marathon if you miss a day of training over a month’s time; you still lose weight if you have a burger once a week and eat healthfully the rest of the time. So why are we trying to be puritans about all of this? I’ve come to accept it if once a week I have a nice meal out with friends. That’s not to say I eat three rolls before dinner, but I certainly don’t feel guilty for having a fair portion of a special meal.

Recently I read a book that said one problem we can develop related to food is taking it out of the context of nutrition using food to respond to emotions. The author talked about providing ourselves more options in dealing with life than just turning to food as a pacifier. The problem, he said, is that we aren’t creative enough to find another reaction to stress or joy once we have learned to abuse food to deal with our feelings.

Reflecting on the holidays leads me to fully agree. And to see how we enable each other to live that way. Why is it our knee-jerk reaction to invite someone to dinner or buy a tub of ice cream when we want to see a friend? Wouldn’t it still be girls’ night if we piled on face masks and watched chick flicks without the Ben & Jerry’s? And wouldn’t we still talk if we didn’t have an overflowing bowl of pasta sitting between us?

I’ve been striving to find active ways to enjoy time together with friends. So far, we’ve played disc golf (very, very badly on my end – but it was fun). We are planning an evening out in a few weeks – on a dance floor! In our city there is a center that offers a 1-hour dance lesson followed by 3 hours of open dancing. I imagine this will be a chance to create hilarious memories that we wouldn’t make over a dinner table, stuffed with food to the point of dazing off.

So the journey continues. And it’s turning out to be a lot of fun! Because when you open yourself up to something and begin pursuing taking care of yourself it’s a chance to get into a lot of new environments where you meet really inspiring, successful people. I have met a gym buddy who practices ASL with me and a gym buddy who tells me the best places to try Zumba classes. And I actually look forward to seeing a class full of Zumba ladies every week, popping off sassy remarks as quickly as they pop their hips. Once you step out and try, you meet people who are able to encourage you and open your mind to opportunities you didn’t see coming. And it takes that constant growth to make a go of it.

Glad to be back!

Erin

RECIPE FOR CHOCOHOLICS:

1 box German chocolate cake mix
1/4 c. water
1 egg
1 can pumpkin

--mix all ingredients
--spray mini muffin tin with nonstick spray and fill with batter
--bake at 350 degrees for 17-20 minutes or until done

According to my calculations (and I'm no mathmatician, like Ally) it's a little under 100 calories per muffin. My muffin tin holds 24 I believe.