staying strong

I am pleased to announce that after my 9day Isagenix cleanse three months ago, I am still staying strong at the weight I'd attained after the cleanse, which is 145. (Remember, I'm 5'8", not 5'2").  My clothes are all fitting comfortably (not tight, and even a bit loose in areas I like them loose, like my thighs and butt). Which of course is the best part and main goal, to have my clothes fit the way I like them.

I am in no way on any sort of 'diet'. I am simply living, and trying to do all things in moderation. Yes, I eat ice cream. (And last weekend on vacation I indulged in berry cake(divine), fresh cookies, ice cream, swiss rolls, chips, and even THREE apple turnovers at the Dixie Stampede!) Not something I normally eat in any 5day period, but I did there, and I had no sense of 'guilt'. I knew that moderation is my plan in everything, and that this was just a splurge while on my vacation and that my main meals were moderate and not gut-busters, so I wasn't 'completely off the wagon with no hope of return'.)

The main part of my moderation plan is portion size. I've realized that my family hates any 'healthier' version I make of any food so I am tired of the complaints and am no longer trying to use whole wheat pasta etc in my dinners. I am simply making normal dinners, but my portions are the difference. Instead of eating past fullness and getting stomach aches, I am eating less, and THINKING about it during a break. If I am still hungry after the break, I'll eat more. If I then realize I am full (usually the case because it takes a while for your brain and stomach to register fullness), then I don't eat more. It is working out well. Especially since my family is definately a 'restaurant' family. Yes, I usually try to get grilled fish or salads (because I like them, not because they are 'diet' foods). But some restaurants have only one genre of food (ie. fried food or pizza), and so at those restaurants , yes, I am eating fried fish and pizza. In fact, this week I ate pepperoni pizza twice. But the improvement for me is that I only eat 2-3 pieces and am completely full, versus when I used to eat 5 or 6.

This moderation, in normal every day food, is keeping me at an even weight level.
I have to admit also (don't get jealous--I am amazed myself), that my workouts are less intense and less time consuming than before, and I am STILL maintaining a good weight.
I am trying to do my treadmill everyday (like I used to), but it doesn't always happen. (The good thing though is... I don't freak out when that happens, like I used to!  I am so pleased to see this progress in my mindset --see Mindy, I told you I was working on being less of a gym rat!---- anyway, this is good progress , plus instead of trying to do at least an hour on the treadmill, I am fine if I can only fit in 20-30 minutes. During the summer I was able to do about 2, and sometimes 3 classes at the gym a week (the kids don't like going, so I didn't want to drag them there everyday, it was summertime and I wanted to focus on having fun all summer with my kids, not dragging them with me to the gym). I was planning that once school started (2days ago) I would be able to go to the gym 4 days a week. At the beginning of summer I was really looking forward to this, but for this first month or so I have a lot of stuff going on at school (I'm the PTA treasurer), and at my husband's companies (I am the bookkeeper, and there are a lot of new changes going on that require my attention right now). And quite honestly, now that the end of summer is here, I am looking at my schedule and thinking 4 days a week at the gym is probably unrealistic for me, unless I want it to become an 'idol' again in my life. Which I don't. So... all this to say...

I am not working out like a maniac, yet I feel good about this new moderation in my life.
I am not on a diet.
I am not restricting myself in any way, but am making wise choices, and using moderation in ANY choice I make.
And I am happy to say that this LIFESTYLE is working. My weight is not a yo-yo. I am at a good, comfortable weight, and I am STILL enjoying life  (sorry, but I can't handle deprivation, it doesn't work for me).
I really want to stay on this plan. I hate being yo-yo in my weight. I hate that 'weight' becomes a focal point because of yo-yo stuff. I want it to be a non-topic, just a part of life. Honestly, I am getting there. Now, this isn't to say I wouldn't mind losing another 5 pounds, but I am not focusing all my thoughts and time on that. If it slowly comes down, just because of wise moderate choices, that's fine. But I'm not thinking about that everytime I get dressed. I am doing good. This is just life for me. I want it to stay this way. I don't want this to be a 'phase'. I am consciously making it a longterm reality.

So there is my update, I haven't blogged in a while (like I said I was out partaking in summer activities with my kiddos), but here is the update, and its a good one :)

p.s. while on vacation, I was goofing off while changing into my swimsuit and struck a pose in the mirror. I was surprised... I looked GOOD! It was the whole "Daisy Duke" look, bikini top and jean shorts---of course my shorts weren't cutoffs with my cheekers hanging out, but you get the idea, at least they were jeans :) So I told my daughter to snap a photo of me, and I jumped on the bed and showed it to my hubby and said "look, you are so lucky, I am looking GOOD!", he laughed and blew me off and told me I was crazy. Which maybe I am, but I was seriously digging the swimsuit top and jean shorts look. I'm posting the shot here for proof that moderation works. "You can have your cake, and eat it too" (just a slice though, not the whole cake at once!)  lol  So, hopefully, this is inspiring to folks out there... if u can get your mind grasped around a concept, it can become a lifestyle, and not feel like a deprivation diet.