Life never gets back to "normal"

I, of course, have been pretty excited about my new diet/weight loss over the last year and a half. Not to mention becoming a "runner" (I'm still not sure if I can call myself that yet). But, I have forgotten a lesson that I learned in the beginning of my weight loss: Life never gets back to "normal", meaning that I never get to go back to eating whatever I want. Even with running I can't eat dessert everyday, and not measure out portions, and eat "just a little more." The pounds slowly but surely creep back on.

So, does this mean that I am on a perpetual diet? Does this mean that I can never eat what I want again? I guess that the answer is both yes and no. I am on a sort of diet, I have never been, and obviously never will be, the kind of person who can eat whatever they want and keep up the weightloss/maintenance. What I need to do is remember the lessons that I learned, in eating you make choices, a lot of them. If I want ice cream in the evening, then I can't have a cookie in the afternoon. If I want a little more dinner, I should eat a little less lunch, or vice versa. If I am eating badly, it's even more important that I make time in my day to go running (which is pretty hard with a little one). These are good lessons to learn, but hard to live out.

I guess this post is more of a reminder to myself, it's time to get serious, and be healthy! Being happy with who I am and proud of how I look is more important than that cookie that looks so tasty. If you have experienced the same thing and have any advice about staying on track, I would appreciate it!

The Downside of a Good Thing

So, I posted recently about my weightloss, and I have finally found a downside. I have weighed the same thing basically since I was a senior in high school (so like, for 12 years), with the exception of gaining 28 lbs when I had Ella. So, I have been able to aquire my wardrobe and several pieces over the last 12 years. There aren't a ton of things that I've saved for a long time, but good pieces, like suits, have lasted a long time. Well, going from a size 12 to a size 8 or even a 6 means that I can't waer any of those clothes anymore. Today, I went to a tailor to talk about altering my suits (thinking that it would be less expensive that way). What I found out is that losing so much weight basically means that he would have to take my clothes apart and basically remake them! This is expensive (over $100/suit!), and he said that some of them would be incredibly difficult to do, like my pants (since I lost over 7 inches in my waist!). Buying a wardrobe over 12 years makes it not too painful, but buying a lot at once can be a little painful. The only questions now are where do I find the best deals, and would I rather have new suits, or a fence in my backyard?

The End of a Long Journey...or is it just the beginning

This morning, I made it to the workout room at Trevecca for a weigh-in, which I hadn't been able to do before Christmas. I was a little hesitant when I went to step on the scale, but today, I made it to my goal weight!

When I began this journey on June 6, 2007, I didn't know if I would be able to make it. Could I really lose 31 lbs? I have been the same weight for the majority of my adult life, and my goal would have me weighing less than I did at my 9th grade physical. But, I knew that I was unhappy with the way that I looked and felt about myself and I wanted to change.

So, Brad and I began a long journey. We began to radically change the foods that we ate, the way that we cooked, and I began to work out 5-6 days a week. And now, 8 months later, I weigh 31 lbs less (if I count what I weighed when Ella was born, I've lost 60 lbs!) and we eat a great, healthy diet. It wasn't easy, but looking back now, it was worth it. Though let me tell you, I want to eat some Chinese food (the one single food group that I have avoided for 8 months!). I have to give a good deal credit to Sparkpeople.com, the best diet plan ever. It helped me to track my food, my exercise, and give me accountability for my weight loss. If you have struggled with diets in the past, I encourage you to check it out.

Today is a great day, and I am excited. But this doesn't mean that I can stop exercising and eat what ever I want. I think that we have successfuly made a life change. I look forward to Ella (and her someday siblings) growing up in a healthy household that will help to give her a great start in life. I hope that our lives will continue to be different!