How my new lifestyle has saved me.

Lately there has been a lot going on in my personal life and needless to say my stress level has been super high. But I was thinking and reflecting yesterday during my chilly 23 degree 5 mile run outside, about my journey to date and how much it has saved/changed me.

I know we can look at progress pictures, and I know I have muscles that I never knew existed, and I know my clothes are smaller. This is all purely a physical result of losing weight. So often I would just want to be smaller and weigh less and be on a "diet". I never realized that a "diet" would not help me and change my life. It would take a complete lifestyle makeover of sorts and becoming healthy that would change my life and save me.

When you are obese you do not realize that the eating habits and lifestyle you lead is the cause of your obesity, well at least it did not click for me. It took months of going to Weight Watchers meetings, reading blogs and networking with wonderful people online to realize that the things I were doing were unhealthy and needed to change. I was a binger. I was an emotional eater, and I did not exercise because I did not have "time". And all of those unhealthy habits caused my weight to get out of control and my medical problems to get worse.

I was taking 7 medications, I would have panic attacks, I had postpartum depression. I was depressed severely and trying to hold my life together taking care of a newborn, working full time, and taking college courses. I hated myself and this was the root of my depression. I went through some very dark times and had I not gone through it then maybe I would not have the strength I do now to keep going.

So as I was running last night I realized wow this is the new me, this is a strong woman. I was upset, I had a bad day, but I was OK. I was not buried in a tub of ice cream crying in the dark. I was not fighting with my boyfriend for no reason. I was not begging for anyone's attention. No this time I was out running and burning the stress from my body. I felt so amazing after the run, so refreshed and so relieved. It was at that moment that I realized I had really truly changed and I had developed some much better habits.

Yes I still had an inner urge to binge. But I fought it and went for a run. I came home and pulled out my kettle bell and did a 30 minute workout. It was tiring, but it was perfect because I was no longer stressed out when I was done. I ate a healthy normal dinner, and I got along with my family. I felt good, I did not feel upset, or depressed. Just more in control than I have ever been.

That is why I am so glad I took this journey and will stay on it for the rest of my life. I have been saved. I am healthier than I have been in many years. I do not need depression, heart, and arthritis medications anymore, all I need is my healthy habits and my inner strength and I can get through anything. I am sure there will be ups and downs, and I know nothing or anyone is perfect but I am OK with that. I feel in control of my body and life and this is the best gift I could have ever given myself.

Lentil Stew

Being snowed in and kind of sick to my tummy this week has inspired me to make my lentil stew again and I thought I would share the recipe with my favorite people :) Lentils are just a small bean, they look like split peas. I like lentils because A. they are a power food B. they have a mild taste which makes them easy to work with C. they cook very quickly I do not have patience for beans and I prefer to buy the dried ones without all the sodium a can brings...

This recipe like my others, is quick, easy and requires only a few staple ingredients!

	16 oz dry lentils
	1/2 cup(s) onion(s)
	4 cup(s) fat-free, reduced-sodium chicken broth
	1/2 cup(s) canned crushed tomatoes in tomato puree
	8 Tbsp reduced fat Parmesan cheese

Making this literally takes 10 minutes!
I dice the onion and saute it in the pot with some pam spray and minced garlic.
Once it is cooked a bit I toss in the chicken broth, lentils, and tomatoes.
I add some spices, you can add whatever you like, I use onion powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper
I let it come to a boil then I simmer it for about 45 minutes until the lentils are tender.
You may or may not need to add some water depending on the consistency that you want. I prefer less water to make it thicker but if you add more water it will be more like a soup.

I get 8 servings out of it, making it 4 Points Plus per serving. Once I serve out a cup of it I top it with a Tbsp of fat free Parmesan cheese to make it tasty

 

Do you have a favorite winter comfort food?

Weigh in Wednesday Week 2 Power of 1 Check In

It is week 2 of the Power of One challenge and I am feeling pretty good about my progress.I am down .8lbs and this may not seem like a whole lot, but for the first time in my journey, I am not disappointed. It is almost a full pound and all things considered I think its pretty good. I have to remember that I am not going to lose massive amounts of weight every week but that slow and steady wins the race.

Did I meet my goals this week? Absolutely. I ran 19 miles while training for my half marathon. I tracked every single day and stayed well within my points range. I weight trained with my kettle bell 3 days. It was not always easy to do these things. Sometimes it meant running to the gym and leaving the peanut at home with her daddy. Sometimes I felt guilty, but I try to remind myself that it is for her benefit that I stay healthy and on track. And it is important to take time for yourself each and everyday.

I was looking at my little weight loss book this week, really looking at the numbers and I began to realize just how far I had come. I have lost 87 freaking pounds. It is sometimes strange to look at the number and I remember wow I have not weighed 165 in at least 10 years. When I went in to give birth I weighed 274 pounds. I started my pregnancy weighing 254 so I was already out of control. Post par-tum I hovered in the 260s for awhile, so for me being down this much I know I have already lost 100lbs in a year and I know I will be hitting my goal this year!

Sisterhood Virtual 5K

Well today many people I know virtually were running races all over the country. To show my support of them and for one of my favorite websites the Shrinking Jeans I ran my own snowy 5K here at home.

It was a chilly 35 degrees this morning so I waited until about noon time to race. I mapped out a nice route on daily mile and it had warmed up to about 38 degrees so I felt a little better. I got suited up in my mask, running jacket, gloves, and under armor cold gear and away I went.

The route I had to run was a big loop around the industrial park near my house. Here the sidewalks were never shoveled and it makes street running almost impossible. The snow was too high still to trudge through but the park was actually peaceful. I do love the winter time and I do like the snow, its very pretty.

I was glad to have the roads bare it was slushy in some parts so I was glad I wore 2 pairs of socks since my feet got a little wet. I set out at a pretty good pace and listened to my gym remix on my mp3 player. I love running outside because I can set my own pace and change it as necessary. The roads were quiet and it was just pure peaceful running bliss.

Honestly this 5K was so much fun for me and I am so glad the sisterhood had it. It is amazing how since I have been training to run that half marathon that 3.1 miles seems like a quick workout. I finished up my 5K in 25 minutes and 45 seconds!!!! I felt great. I kept jogging the rest of the way home and did some push ups and sit ups and stretches to cool down.

After the race with my red nose haha :)

This time last year I never thought I would be sitting here typing the fact that I ran, ran any distance! Now I am feeling like a 5K is a walk in the park. I cannot wait to get this half marathon under way and look forward to running a full marathon by the end of 2011. I have all of my wonderful friends and virtual communities to thank for keeping me going and motivating me!

How was your virtual 5K?