Wow! Victorious Breakthrough

I was stressing about a number, and my past experiences with that number. The number was 330, a place I've plateaued several time. I really believe drinking 64 oz. of water before eating, and within the first half hour after waking up, have helped me break through this typical plateau. Today, I weighed in at 329, that puts me at 34lbs lost, only 3 lbs away from having lost 10% of my body weight. I'm really excited about how things are going.

Further great news, everyone in my family has lost weight. My hubby has lost about 20lbs, I'm not sure what my oldest daughter has lost, but her prom dress was too big, and she had to go with a different one because she had lost weight, and the youngest wouldn't weigh herself when we began, but since she has noticed a real change she is weighing herself now. We had been keeping our bathroom scale under the sink, none of us really wanted to know what it said, but now it is out in the bathroom and we all weigh in frequently.

Okay, so I'm excited about scale breakthroughs, but I have to tell you, I try not to obsess with the number on the scale. I'm being honest, if I step on the scale, and I don't like the number, I don't track it. In other words my weigh ins look far between when I'm plateauing. It is a mind set that the number I don't like is not permanent, and tracking it would make it permanent. 

So, non-scale victories: yesterday I walked quite a bit around downtown and it wasn't terribly strenuous like it used to be, and I stayed on plan yesterday, even with eating out and having a busy day of meetings. Perhaps tomorrow I will talk about eating out strategies that work for me.  Also, yesterday I got to wear this great dress that I had bought a few months back at the thrift store. I really like it, and it makes me feel sassy. Finally, a huge non scale victory yesterday, I have a denim jacket that I bought quite a while ago, but it never completely buttoned, yesterday I was able to button it, easily. Now how is that for sassy! (Below is the sassy dress, not on the same day, but....)

Mother's Day Blessings

Everyday I'm learning, little by little, that the little steps matter. Today, my husband got me a great Mother's Day gift, that really helps me pursue health. He bought me a kite. It is important to find things you enjoy, and I enjoy kite flying. I haven't done it in years, but I can't wait to go to the park around the corner from us and fly my kite. Yesterday was a bit cold for such things, but as spring is finally springing here in Oregon, I'm looking forward to outdoors pursuits.

There was still food at our Mother's Day celebration, but I decided I wanted spring rolls. It is a meal I adore, but don't really love making because it is a lot of prep. The family got together and did the prep, and I just helped direct. It was an awesome time sitting around the table making spring rolls and talking. A small thing that blesses a mom's heart.

Today, I finally remembered I wanted to start drinking the 2 quarts of water before I eat anything. Since I try to eat within an hour of getting up, and I want to drink the water in basically one sitting, it was a challenge. The thing is now, I feel great. Drinking that much water helps get things moving, plus I know that all the rest the water I drink throughout the day is kind of bonus water.

Finally, the best mother's day I got was when I stepped on the scale yesterday I finally dropped that pound that had been stubbornly hanging on. Right here, where I am now, has always been a place that my body wants to plateau. I'm going to have to work to shake things up so I can continue to lose about 15 lbs a month. My plan is to incorporate more exercise, and of course adding the water in the morning. I hope it is enough to shake it up, because I'm done fooling around. This weight is going to go.

Starting the Day Right

Starting the day on the right track cannot be underestimated! Today, for example, I decided to do something a little different from my typical eggs and veggies breakfast. Cereal just sounded good, and since I want to live a life of abundance, and not limitation, I decided to go ahead and have cereal. I had some gluten free Puffins Peanut Butter cereal. I stayed with a serving size, and I added a half of a cup of soymilk to up the protein content. With that I had my usual cup of coffee, today with maple syrup.

It all came in at the right caloric load. So, it balanced out to 209 calories, which is right on track for a meal. I eat 5-6 small meals a day, and keep them around 200 calories. This meal had 34 carbs, which is a little high for a typical morning meal, 6 grams of fat, 8 grams of protein, which is a little low, I like to stay at 10 grams and above, and 3 grams of fiber, which is reasonable. So, all the numbers were okay, not great, but acceptable.

Why then, am I so hungry after only an hour? I'm finding myself counting down the minutes until my next meal. This is not something I normally do. All I can gather is that it is the lower protein count, and perhaps the carb numbers. I'm not exactly sure, but I do know that either an egg breakfast, like a frittata, scramble, or even a tofu scramble, keeps me satisfied, and on track with my day better.

It is important to know how to start your day. Here is where I believe each person is individual. Some people start with fruit. I used to drink 2 quarts of water before I ate or drank anything else in the morning. This is a great way to get your body primed for the day. Actually, as I'm writing this I think I want to get back in that habit. It has several benefits. It helps your body flush toxins that may have gathered overnight while you sleep, it gives you all the water you need for the day in one sitting, so you know you will not get dehydrated during the day, and it assures that you are not going into the first meal of the day starving.

In fact, often we think we are hungry, when in fact we are thirsty. Next time you think you are hungry, try drinking water. If you find drinking water challenging, infuse it with fruit. Lemons and limes are great for detoxifying and alkalizing your body. Other fruit, like berries can be very tasty, you can even try cucumbers for a refreshing treat in summer. Another way to try drinking water is with therapeutic grade essential oils, like doTERRA. I particularly like the Slim & Sassy blend. You can find out more on my website : http://mydoterra.com/amandavellinga

Blessings to you, as you seek ways to start your day right. Let me know what that means to you.