What a Difference Two Months Can Make!

Well, two months ago I began this journey towards a healthy lifestyle.  On June 16th I recorded my daily caloric intake without making any eating adjustments in order to get a baseline count of the way I had been eating, and on June 17th I began eating to stay within a healthy calorie count and proper nutritional values each day.  As a result, I’m so excited at the changes I’ve already been experiencing up to this point, including:

- So far, I have lost 23.4 pounds, which means I have been averaging about 2.75 pounds lost for each of the last 8.5 weeks.

- Most of my shirts are starting to get a bit billowy, and my pants are feeling baggy.  I have to wear my sweats and shorts that have ties in the waistband when I work out, or else I can’t hang onto them.

- For most people to look at me, they probably wouldn’t notice too much of a difference yet, but my husband can reach his arms around me farther when he hugs me.

- My six-year-old told me, “Mom, your arms and legs look smaller than before!”

- The space between me and the steering wheel in the car is growing wider.

- I have not had to take any acid reflux medicine in six weeks.  Every symptom of G.E.R.D. has completely disappeared!  (This is a HUGE milestone, considering the reflux had gotten so bad that I had been taking up to 2 reflux meds a day for several months, and it had even sent me to the ER on three separate occasions, one of which, the doctors thought I had been having a heart attack but it turned out to be reflux).

- The workouts I’ve been doing are helping to build my core strength and flexibility, and I seem to be experiencing a lessening of the pain I’ve had in my back for the last two years since I got hurt when I fell at the park.  I believe that the more weight I lose and the stronger I become, my back is going to be completely healed as well!

- I have not exceeded my daily calorie limit, not even once.  In fact, I am typically well under it each day.  In doing so, I’ve been able to make my new lifestyle fit within my family lifestyle, which includes eating out anywhere from 1-4 times per week and I have been eating the same meals with my family that we cook at home.  My entire family is benefitting from healthier choices at home! 

- I’ve also made it through church potlucks, holiday cookouts, birthdays, and other celebrations.  I haven’t felt deprived, but rather, have learned to use my organization and planning skills to prepare for each event ahead of time.  This isn’t a diet, it’s my new way of living.

- Through it all, I’m finding it refreshing to no longer be stuck in an unhealthy food rut, and I’m rejoicing in the strength and direction I have that can only come from God.  I’m finding a greater joy and satisfaction in Christ as I grow in this area of self-control. 

I’m so thankful to have finally moved out of just wishing and dreaming about losing weight and getting healthy, and have stepped into the realm of identifying a clear vision for the future, setting goals, and actually doing something about advancing towards those goals.

I praise God for change!