It's hard to believe that I am one size smaller than I was last January. How did it happen? Magic? I think not! Like most good things in life, it required hard work, discipline, and the encouragement from special friends. Thanks! (You know who you are.) We have shared recipes and kept each other motivated with our weekly reports.
Second, I cut back on sweet cakes and pies, sugary soft drinks, and milk chocolate. This was a huge feat for me because these foods had become my afternoon buddies. The kickoff for this was mid-February followed by a diet VOID of these foods for about 6 weeks. The MOST important thing I did when I removed these food favorites from my diet was to replace them with something equally satisfying. So, I added MORE fresh fruits and veggies to my diet. These are some of my new foods - bok choy, spinach, rutabaga, turnip roots, bison, purple sweet potatoes, almonds, and greek yogurt.
NEVER underestimate the value of counting calories. I know it may sound tedious, but with the help of online calorie-counting sites (I use myfitnesspal.com) this task is easy to master. I enjoy the daily challenge to stay within the caloric boundaries I have set.
And, last but not least, is exercise. That dirty word. Hoping I would forget, right? Well, it is of utmost importance. When I first started I couldn't last 5 minutes on the elliptical. Now I'm going 35 minutes. Way to get that blood pumping!
And the results - oh my! When the number on the scales go down, when your clothes begin to sag, when you begin to FEEL good again, when the doctor says "Your blood work is good!", when you have MORE energy, when you gain a new confidence that this way REALLY DOES work, you are motivated to keep it going!
My goal for 2012 is to weed out more processed foods from my diet, and eat even MORE fresh! I want to cook more meals at home for even MORE control. That way I will know what goes in every dish! And, this last food goal is WAY ambitious - to try my hand at growing a few of my own veggies. I'll definitely let you know how this one goes.
Would love to hear back from my readers. What are your special goals for 2012?
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Congrats, Patricia!
ReplyDeleteThe general rule is that calorie reduction is the way to lose weight and regular exercise is the way to keep from gaining weight. Mixing both works wonders.
In 2011 a co-worker and I made a spreadsheet with a goal to run 365 miles in 365 days. Well, at the end of the year I was a mile over the halfway mark (183 miles, to be exact). So my goal for 2012 is to not only get those remaining 182 miles, but get them by the end of September instead of December. So far I've run 10 miles in 10 days in 2012 and, knock-on-wood, my legs haven't fallen off yet.
Wow! All that and coaching, refereeing (I hope I spelled that right), and leading Upward Soccer; chasing a toddler; a long daily commute ... how in the world do you find time to run?!
ReplyDelete~Every neighborhood has a guy who's out there jogging at 9:30 PM with reflective gear on. I'm that guy!
ReplyDelete