Heading in the right direction again

Just got back from my weigh in at MRC. And I am pretty happy. I lost 2.5 pounds so that means that I am back at 54 pounds total lost to date. So that leaves only 6 pounds to reach the 60 pound mark. I cannot wait!!!

So it shows that even with the little set back just getting back on plan and refocused did help to drop what I had gained from being on the pain meds. Now time to focus and get ready for the 5k walk on Saturday. I am excited, for a couple of reasons. One, I am going to try to challenge myself and see if I can be in the top 6 finishers. And second my friend Chris is going to come with me to cheer me on and then we are going to go have lunch. So it will be a great weekend. And I will post pictures from the race. Have a happy and blessed day everyone. :-)

A spoonful of Sugar

Got some great information from MRC the other day that I just wanted to share.  I don't think that we really realize it but Sugar is not the best thing for you especially from the aspect of trying to live a healthier lifestyle.

Did you know.....

• Sugar can suppress the immune system.
• Sugar can upset the body's mineral balance
• Sugar can contribute to hyperactivity, anxiety, depression, and concentration difficulties.
• Sugar can produce a significant rise in triglycerides.
• Sugar can cause drowsiness and decreased activity
• Sugar can reduce helpful high density cholesterol (HDLs) while elevating harmful cholesterol (LDLs)
• Sugar can cause hypoglycemia
• Sugar contributes to a weakened defense against bacterial infection
• Sugar can cause kidney damage
• Sugar can increase the risk of coronary heart disease
• Sugar can promote tooth decay
• Sugar can produce an acidic stomach
• Sugar can raise adrenaline levels in children
• Sugar can lead to periodontal disease
• Sugar can speed the again process, causing wrinkles and grey hair
• Sugar can increase the risk of Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis
• Sugar can contribute to diabetes
• Sugar can contribute to osteoporosis
• Sugar can cause a decrease in insulin sensitivity
• Sugar leads to decreased glucose tolerance
• Sugar can cause cardiovascular disease
• Sugar can increase systolic blood pressure
• Sugar causes food allergies
• Sugar can cause free radical formation in the bloodstream
• Sugar can cause toxemia during pregnancy
• Sugar can contribute to eczema in children
• Sugar can overstress the pancreas
• Sugar can increase the amount of fat in the liver
• Sugar can increase kidney size and can produce pathological changes in the kidney
• Sugar can increase the body's fluid retention
• Sugar can cause hormonal imbalance
• Sugar can cause headaches, including migraines
• Sugar can increase blood platelet adhesiveness which increases the risk of blood clots and strokes

So as you can see Sugar has effects that are not the best for being able to live the healthiest lifestyle and lose the weight that we are trying to lose. So hopefully this gives you some food for thought.

Leona Lewis - Footprints In The Sand

This Is a very Beautiful song that I want to share because it expresses the fact the even in the struggle of weight loss we are not alone.

Little set back, but time to refocus and get back on track

Went to weigh in this morning and because of having the set back last week with my spastic colon. I had gained 2 pounds. Which really is not bad considering that I was put on very harsh medication to treat the pain. It could have been worse. I could have gained a lot more.

So it's time to refocus and get back on track. My plan is to keep increasing my water intake. Get in at least 3 days of cardio. And just keep taking all my supplements. Determined to keep losing and get to my next goal. Which is to reach a 60 pound weight loss. That's only 8.5 pounds. I can do that no problem. I want to be past that before Thanksgiving. Because I know that going into the holidays is going to be a huge challenge. But that is one challenge that I am going to conquer. Just like all the others that I have already been able to overcome.

So time to step things up again and get back on track.
I will do it!

BetterMe Coaching Tool

BetterMe Coaching Tool: "The Go Red BetterMe Coaching Tool is the perfect companion to the Go Red BetterU 12-week program. Every day, you'll get tips, reminders, and more sent directly to your tool. You'll also be able to chat directly with other members of the program on the “Wall” share tips, motivational quotes, and work through barriers with others. You can also access and edit your journal entries directly from the tool."

The emotional side of weight loss

You might not really think that your emotions have much to do with losing weight, but that is a very large part of why we struggle with losing weight. More than likely you are an emotional eater. We all are in one way or another. Many it for comfort, to feel better. Or from boredom. That was me. I would get so bored that I would turn to food.

When we are infants we are emotional eaters. It gave us comfort to eat, to deal with the stresses of begining life. As we grew we should learn to find other ways to cope, but many like myself never learned that. It was easy to turn to food. Because I was never taught differently. When I was growing up food was where much of my family found comfort and happiness. Family gatherings always revolved around lots of food. So whenever I was alone and extremely bored I would grab junk food to not have to think about what or how I was feeling. And that is what had gotten me into trouble where food was concerned. As I became an adult other factors came into play with my weight, I let my emotions control more of myself because of depression and illness and again boredom. And even some self loathing. It wasn't until I began to experience even more health issues that I finally came to the realization that there was nothing and no one that could fix things and make them better. Food doesn't fix things. Medication doesn't fix things. And my Dr's certainly couldn't fix things. There was only one way things could change. I had to start loving myself and taking care of myself. And I then could change things and begin to lose the weight that I have fought all my life.

So making the choice to love myself, and realize that I am a worthwhile person is when losing weight began to really work and it was then that I found that choosing to live a healthier, more productive life was actually very easy. It is how I have learned that rather than being an emotional eater I eat to give my body energy and fuel to live the best life possible. But that life does not revolve around food. I choose to live my life to the fullest and no longer need to depend on food or others to do it. It's time to choose life. If I can do it you can too.

So many Changes....

As I have been on this journey of weight loss and self discovery. So many changes have been happening. But all of very exciting. Today another new change. I have lost enough weight lately that I realized I needed to get a new pair of jeans. So today during my lunch break I decided to go the Gap and see if I could find some jeans. The salesperson was really nice. He asked what I wanted in a pair of jeans. And when I told him, he gave me a few different suggestions and one even was a smaller size then what I currently have been wearing.  And so I went to try them on. And found that I actually could not only wear the smaller size that he had given me. But it was even a little loose. So when I told him that he recommended try the next size down. And believe it or not they actually fit. So I bought my first pair of size 12 jeans. Unreal. I have not been able to wear a size 12 for a little over 10 years. Feels really amazing!!!

So my motivation just keeps going and keeps growing stronger. I can't wait to see where I will end up when I reach my goal weight in January. Maybe one of my friends at work is right and I will be a size 6....giggles. I will be really happy if I can be a size 6 or 8. More than anything I am most looking forward to reaching the point where I will never be considered Obese or even overweight again. Especially since I have battled my weight all of my life. I have already decided to surprise my Dr. when I reach goal. Because then I will be able to make him take the Obese diagnosis off of my health chart. And I know that might seem silly but it will be so amazing to be able to not have that on my chart. Because that will be another health issue that I have been able to completely reverse. And I never imagined that this would be possible and now it is.

Life is pretty amazing now. And my confidence just keeps growing as my body keeps shrinking.  So watch out world this butterfly really is spreading her wings.