30 Pounds Down

Seriously - I am shocked. I never imagined that I would be able to accomplish losing 30 lbs in 4 1/2 months. I keep expecting to hit a plateau and become stuck without adding exercise to my weekly routine. But so far, the weight loss is a direct result of watching my food intake. That's it. I didn't count calories in the beginning because that was too much for me to think about when I was trying to make such a big change in how I was eating. I simply chose foods that I knew were higher in protein, and overall lower in calories, sugar and fat. As I have progressed, however, it has become easier for me to actually research caloric intake and figure that I can safely lose 1-2 lbs per week by consuming between 1,200 and 1,400 calories daily. And the weight loss has really been a result of being mostly good about food choices.

I really don't do fast food except in limited situations (as I eat Taco Bell for dinner). I am not perfect. I splurge regularly (like once a week on average). I do not exclude any food. I just eat less of my "problem" foods like chips, sweets, chocolates, cookies, cakes, butter, white bread and pasta, etc. And the result for me has been learning how to actually listen to my body about when I am hungry, when I am satiated, when I really want to indulge and when I just don't feel like eating if I splurged the day before for example.

I know that some people question for a moment whether or not I am going about it in a healthy way. And the truth is - I am doing this slowly and consistently and completely healthy. This means a lot to me since I spent 2-3 of my teenage years bingeing and purging after pretty much every meal. I was full-blown bulimic and I am sensitive to not returning to that way of thinking and behaving. And the reality is, I had gained so much weight in my years of marriage and raising my kids that I naturally have a lot to lose. As it stands right now, I weigh less than when I got pregnant with my first child but I am still heavier than when I got married and heavier than when I was in college, let alone high school.

I don't have a "target" weight that I am working toward. What I would like to achieve is making it into a "normal" weight range for my height and build. In a dream world I would like to wear a size 8, but a size 10 would be a-ok in my book. I just want to be healthy for me and I feel like it is possible now. I could not imagine it before but now I can. So, that's it. I have lost 30 lbs and I have never been more proud of myself for doing something that doesn't cost any extra money or program or special diet. I am proud of myself for doing something just for ME.

Today, I stepped on the scale and I weighed 166lbs and I'm going to keep doing what I'm doing!