I feel a little better today. I gained my little pound back while I was sick but I intend to lose it back this weekend and start fresh Monday morning. My body feels sloshy from doing mostly nothing. I did take the dog out last night before a storm. It was windy and wild out and it felt very good but I stuck close to home so when the lightning started I could get inside fast.
Here are my favorite healthy food combinations lately. I am putting hot sauce on most everything these days. I swirl it on my scrambled eggs. It has only five calories a tablespoon and adds flair to food. I also like to dip my raw veggies in cottage cheese. I have been swirling some hot sauce in that now, too, for a spiced up dip. Fiber is a big deal to me and I seem to need a huge dose of it every day. I mix my high fiber cereal with a lowfat yogurt and sometimes some frozen or fresh berries, just a few. I also use boiled egg and a little light mayo for an egg salad dip for celery. A favorite side dish for the whole family is cauliflower sauteed using just cooking spray until it is hot and barely cooked - then sprinkled with Parmesan cheese. The kids love it and it is a good food for me as well. When I bake my chicken I use a powder barbecue seasoning to add flavor without calories. Also have spicy Mexican chili powder for that as well or cracked pepper and garlic.
I find I do better when I rotate some of the same basic meals in my food plan. I don't get bored with it and for some reason it keeps me on track. I never thought of myself as a creature of habit but it appears that I do better when I stick to the same routine. I have been dreaming of getting up earlier and doing a quick dog walk each day, and then a dog walk directly after dinner. These don't have to always be long but they can be when time and energy permit. Even if I just slip out the door with the dog for a few minutes I am keeping up the habit. I am very good about doing my floor exercises and hand weights in the morning. If I can build in cardio times then I can vary the intensity and duration. The walk can turn to a jog, or a bike ride.
I am trying to simplify things and build in habits again that work to take a few pounds off, firm a few areas and keep me feeling upbeat. Lack of physical activity is near deadly for me and my depression. I am glad that my winter gain did not turn into a wholesale return to the original weight and that I was able to stop the gain, but I do want to persevere and get back where I was and stay there. I don't want to take the weight loss for granted. I want to appreciate it and take care of it. I feel like I have a second chance with my body - to be healthy and feel good in my own skin, to be able to do things, wear things, experience things that I could not do for a number of years. When I am feeling discouraged about not losing this 8 or so pounds I play a little game - I pretend I am waking up a couple of years ago, getting on the scale and seeing the number I see today. I'd be so thrilled. I honestly did not expect to lose this much originally.
I have also decided to get creative instead of focusing on food so much. I had a really nice chat with Our Lady of Weight Loss. It helped me brainstorm on a couple of things I want to do and write down some small steps to take. I want to do some writing so I decided to do some work in life histories - my mother's for starters. My first task is to do one starter interview with my Mom about her childhood. I have photos of her from way back when that I can use as well. I also want to create using photographs. So my first task for that project is to create an electronic file of photos that inspire me.
So counting blessings and moving on. Sick of being sick and tired. Ready to challenge myself a little!
Here is a quote from a meditation I ran across while cleaning in my closet - I think it is from Food for Thought -
"When we have hard things to do, we especially need to maintain our abstinence. We know from experience that maintaining it is the only way we can feel good and cope effectively. Formerly, we turned to food to strengthen us and prop us up during difficult times. We invariabley ate too much and were less able to manage the troublesome situation. Food then became and escape and we sometimes ended up doing nothing at all about a problem, since we had eaten ourselves into oblivion. We know that instead of strengthening us, extra food incapacitates us..."
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