It’s been awhile since my last post…
I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and are looking forwards to the new beginnings and new blessings of the New Year.
My leg is doing really well. I go back to Dr. Manning on January 18th. I’m so ready to be over this. I still have trouble with my leg swelling and it’s still sore at times, but I can feel my calf getting stronger and feel I am able to endure more each day. I haven’t worn the “boot” since before Christmas (yaay!) and have started trying to wing myself off of the compression wrap although it helps A LOT will the swelling and support when I get tired. So all in all I’m healing very well and doing much, much better – Thank you Lord.
So with all the fun and fury of the holidays I have found it really difficult to maintain these last two weeks. Like most folks I have barely been home, am always on the go and have and will be traveling out of state. I was recently introduced to a new snack (Thank you Aunt Dee for sharing!) that has really helped my “sweet tooth” during this time and has been super easy have with me on the go. LARABAR makes a gluten free, dairy free, soy free, non-gmo, vegan and kosher fruit and nut bar that I have completely fallen in love with. With all that “free” going on in the description you may not think these would be filling or taste that good, but they have truly been a life saver!!! They average around 200 calories a bar, so I’ve used them for a mid-day snack and sometimes even for breakfast. They have minimal ingredients that are recognizable – nothing artificial – simply the types of fruit, nuts and seasonings that are in the bar. My favorite by far is the peanut butter cookie! I love peanut butter and love love love that I get the taste of a peanut butter cookie with out all the refined sugar and guilt that comes along with it. The one thing that I’ve struggled with most, even more than the over eating and snacking was drinking my water. Water is so key to weight loss and health in general and I’ve found that I absolutely HAVE to pack my own water bottle or have access to filtered water at all times. Without it I find myself opting for more sugary options and I absolutely CAN NOT allow myself to get back in the habit of drinking any kind of soda – diet or not – or my favorite of all SWEET TEA. It’s just not that good for you even though an ice cold coca cola or glorious sweet tea with fresh squeezed lemon is a sip of heaven in my book, I have to be strong and do what’s best for me and do what will help get me to my goal which I consistently have to keep at the front of my mind. I’m quickly approaching the 1 year mark of my actual weight loss. While I’m still not near my goal, I’m not too far off from where I thought I would be. My goal was to lose 80 – 100 lbs by February 7, 2011. I’m currently maintaining at 60 lbs and feel very confident that I can lose 20 more lbs before then. As of January 3rd my workouts will be as aggressive as they can be with Dr. Manning’s blessing over what I can do with my calf and I will be back to planning all my meals and sticking strictly to my diet. Having a wedding dress to fit into on 02/26 is great motivation as well. A quick side note about my wedding dress…if you haven’t heard…I got to exchange it for a smaller size!!!! IT FELT AMAZING try on a smaller size and it fit like a glove!!! I also made another little discovery the other day….I have less than 100 lbs to lose to get to my goal weight. That fells pretty amazing too. When I started this journey I had 150 pounds to lose to get to my “goal weight.” And while I won’t disclose my current weight or my goal weight just yet, know that having such a BIG number almost cut in half is a wonderful feeling and a huge accomplishment. I know with a little more hard work and continued commitment I can be at my goal weight in another 9 or 10 months. Probably closer to 10 months since I will allow myself some indulgences while we travel during the honeymoon.
God is so good – he has blessed me beyond anything I could have ever imagined and without his love and strength, the love and support of my family and friends and the constant inspiration and motivation that I have found in the smallest and greatest of places I would not have been this successful or made it this far in my journey.
God Bless you all and may you have a safe and blessed 2011!
