Daily Faithfulness has Long Range Rewards

A couple of more pounds gone. Yep yep yep. This is a very slow slow process, but ya know, it's going to be worth all the effort in the end. I am continuing to be faithful day by day to the process and the goal, knowing that each faithful day, each "no" I say to something I shouldn't eat, each lap of the pool at the gym brings me closer to another pound lost and that much closer to my overall goal and all the rewards it will bring. I can do this!

Day by Day the Journey Continues

Why oh why? Why is it so much easier to gain weight than it is to lose it? Yes. Yes. I know. It doesn't matter. My job is to be faithful to the plan, one day at a time. My daily faithfulness will in the end be rewarded with better health and the ability to fit in cute small sized clothes! All my days on this path will be worth it.

Preparing For Myself

My husband and I went to a meal at our church. You know the kind. A meal where there are lots of dishes with cheese, and pasta, and of course desserts. Because I believe in taking care of myself, I brought a broccoli salad with cheese. Yep. I made a dish that would fit into my diet. I did what was best for me.

The important point here is that I believe in taking care of myself. I don't expect anyone else to take care of me.

By the way. I have lost another pound. Five pounds lost now.

One more, Lord. Help me lose one more.

Darn That Facebook

They look soooooo good. Eye candy. You know what I mean. I'm referring to those delicious looking recipes that uninvitedly appear on our Facebook feeds. Many are loaded with cheese, sugar, heavy cream, etc. There are also many nutritious recipes also. However, the ones that quickly catch my eye are recipes such as 'Red Velvet Cheesecake'. Oh yea. Delicious.

I love to cook for family and friends. I love to cook foods that are rich and sweet. The problem is that it is vertually impossible for me to cook those types of dishes and not partake in their rich goodness, which can completely blow my diet and make my diabetes worse.

Therefore in order to keep my diet headed the right direction, I must find satisfaction in cooking dishes that are not going to be a diet buster for my. Perhaps it's time for me to put myself first in this aspect of my life.

My Exercise of Choice

The doctors have talked to me about exercising for decades, and I have indulged in that activity from time to time. It has always been a passing fad, something that captures my attention for a while, then graduated fades off my radar.

All that changed about two years ago. To prepare for my knee replacement surgery, I began to swim laps in the heated pool at the Wellmess Center. I had not ever swam seriously in my entire life, but I found a love for being in the water.

Two years later, I'm still swimming. I now swim in a larger pool at a gym, and my love for the water continues. My swimming time is an hour and my distance is now 1200 yards, the length of 12 football fields.

Swimming is simultaneously relaxing and challenging. I can push myself to swim stronger and faster, and at the same time feel the tension leave my body. Extra benefits. The main benefit is that I burn 800 calories for every hour that I swim!

I hope to be able to swim the rest of my life.

One more, Lord. Just Help Me Lose One More Pound

It has been 12 days since I began using the weight loss app, iTrackBites. I have been able to stay within my point goals each day with only a few extra points needed. So far I have lost almost 5 pounds.

Yes. That's feathers compared to what I must lose to reach my goal. However, marathons are completed by running one yard at a time, and this weight loss journey is definitely a marathon, not a sprint.

My husband and I have been on a little trip this week. There have been several moments of serious temptation to overeat.  Yes. You know. Just one little bite. Just a taste. That won't hurt anything. How many calories/points could be in one little bite. All these things ran through my mind, but one by one, I said no to each temptation and was stronger for it. 

Each time I say no to something I know I should not eat, I am a little closer to reaching my goal and enjoying all those things I have won by losing weight. Yea!!!!!!!

Another Day Down

So far so good. I'm going to do this thing one day at a time. I have stuck with my app and stayed within my daily and weekly limits. I've lost just over two pounds!  Yea me!

Every day will be a new day, which requires a new commitment. The previous day is gone, and my focus must be on the present. I can do this. I can lose my extra poundage. One day at a time. One pound at a time.

A few weeks ago my husband and I saw the movie "Hacksaw Ridge", a true story about Desmand Daws who was a medic in WWII. He rescued 75 wounded men off that ridge, one at a time. He had no help, and very little equipment. Every time he lowered a man from the top of the ridge, he would say, "One more, Lord. Help me get one more."

One more, Lord. Help me lose one more pound.

It Is Over. It Has Begun Again

Holiday decorations are put away. Christmas wrapping paper and bows are out of sight. The cooking for three major family dinners are complete, the family came and went,  and the china, crystal, and flatware are all cleaned and stored for the next occasion. The ball has dropped. The resolutions have been made. We have settled back into our regular routine. The holidays are over. Done.

Now it it time to look forward to renewing my commitment to losing weight. My New Years goal is to lose 1-2 pounds a week, swim 3 times a week, and reach my weight loss goal by this time next year. I have done it before. I can/will do it again.

To help me on my journey, I will continue to go to TOPS meetings, and I have added an app called iTrackBites. These are tools to help make my journey easier, but the real key lies in my mind, my heart. It's up to me.