Who I am!

Amazing, lean, healthy, energetic, capable, successful, motivated, caring, nurturing, nourishing. I am these things. And I am no longer going to lose these things to being “busy”. I WILL BE who I am to ME and not just to everyone else!! I’m choosing to give myself the gift of being authentically me to me.
There have been so many changes in my life this year, and my health/weight was able to float along for awhile during the changes, but if I don’t start being faithful to who I truly am….to myself….I’m not going to be happy with the results at all.
I AM going to get these last 50 pounds off! I am so able! I have been given such a gift with this surgery! With all of the mind-set changes that came with it! With the enormous boost of a 90 pound loss that I literally worked my tail off for!
Time to get out of neutral and move forward once again, before I end up going backwards. Yes, life is busy, and there have been changes….a new house, a new job, a different life than being a stay at home mom, all of my kids now in school, BUT…..I’m not putting myself once again at the bottom of a self-destructive list of caring for everyone else but me. Nope. Back up to the top with me. I can’t truly love anyone well unless I love me well. I will love my neighbor/husband/family/church/friends as myself…..so MYSELF better get some pretty good nourishing!!
This list I made…God reminded me that THIS IS WHO I AM, not WHAT I DO. So I will be faithful to me, faithful to God, and be who I am!! Details to come…. 🙂 P.S….just had my 2 year anniversary of Gastric Bypass!!

a little here….a little there

15 minutes on the treadmill last night before bed, and some bicep curls.  Gotta start somewhere!  Got it in right before midnight!

I’ve always had a tendency to jump into things fast and furious, and with still having problems with my joints being “loose” and popping out of place when I overdo it, I’m starting slow so I can sustain the ability to work out and keep moving!

time to blow the dust off…

Yeah, it’s been a long time since I’ve been here. And a long time since I’ve worked out. Yup, we’ll just cut right to the point. That’s why I’m here! I’ve been living life, enjoying life, building life, and slacking. I could call it relaxing, but it’s just plain slacking.
Had my 18 month check up a couple of months ago. Didn’t gain anything over the past 6 months. That was great news since my doc said that’s when it usually happens. I probably shouldn’t have patted myself on the back quite so heartily though, honestly. Yes, I didn’t gain, but I didn’t lose either. And I really could have. Because while I didn’t gain, it did relocate, that’s for darn sure, just ask my back side! I haven’t really worked out in months. Yes, months. I didn’t renew my gym membership….serious mistake there! And I’ve just been plain lazy. The crazy thing is, it’s almost been a comfort to me that I still have more “tools” to pull out of the tool box and work this weight loss to the max. It comforted me to know I wasn’t at my “last resort” like I was before surgery, and frustrated at having tried everything under the sun. Perhaps that’s a control issue. Um, yes.
So, okay, I’ve established that the ability to lose weight is firmly (or flabbily) in my control. So, now it’s time to USE that control, or ability, and get to where I actually want to be. I’ve actually been quite content where I’ve been. I’ve lost 85 pounds, and was feeling in very good shape, and pleased with my progress. And I’ve enjoyed that “peace with my body” for the first time in my life….for a good 6 months at least. But suddenly I’m no longer at peace with my body. Suddenly I’m noticing a little flab here, a bit softer there, a little too much mush here. And I can’t stand it. Not just because of how it looks, but because of how it makes me feel. Sloppy. Weak. Flabby. Sad. I feel better when I’m working out, eating healthy, and taking the best care of myself.
So, I’ve established that I can go without working out, and eat cookies and ice cream every day in small amounts, and drink too much coffee….and I won’t blow up to 300 pounds. Experiment over. Why I had to find that out…I’m not sure and the whole concept scares me. I’m very aware that if I didn’t have an altered stomach inside of me for the past 3 months that I would have ended up looking like an elephant. Because I.STILL.LOVE.SUGAR. And I’m not very sensitive to it. I’ve learned to “balance” and avoid the sugar coma feeling, and I certainly don’t dump from it.
So, now it’s just me and my desire. And suddenly, thankfully, my desire to be my best just overrode my desire to eat oreo cookies every darn day of my life.
I’ve been through some serious season changes. Started working out of the home for the first time in years, all of my kids are finally in school with the youngest now in Kindergarten, we bought our “forever” home, and I’m back in the ministry at our church. That’s a lot of change. Previous to all of that, I dedicated a good solid year completely to my health. Now it’s time to add that back in.
I can’t fit the gym membership back into the budget until January, so the treadmill is back in the living room, the weights are ready to go, and I’m digging out my water bottle.
And blowing the dust off of my blog.
I think I just wanted to live a “normal” life for awhile, and not have WLS be the forefront of all of my thoughts and time anymore. But I’m beginning to realize that while my weight loss surgery doesn’t have to be eternally in the forefront of my mind, my health does. Taking care of me proactively does. Because otherwise I go looking for normal in a bag of Oreo cookies again. So yeah, it has taken me these past 9 months to realize that my “normal”, or my compass in life when it comes to health, is still a bit off. It’s going to take a little more focus and effort on my part to continue the resetting of my default when it comes to healthy. So, here I go.  It’s a new day!

Fooducate

This is one of my favorite blogs! They give you the “anatomy” of a food item.  Amazing what’s in some of these everyday things! Hopefully it makes you think twice before eating.  Personally, I think we’ve been way to accepting of whatever’s on the grocery store shelves, and less thoughtful about actually nourishing ourselves and our families. The item they give the anatomy on in this post is Doritos, in which you learn there are fish “by products”.  And something or other that causes problems for people with asthma. Who knew? Pay attention people! YOU are worth it!!

Anatomy of a Dorito

 

Intentions Smentions

I could post all of my intentions here, and maybe get around to them or not, or I can just post whatever I want to post when I decide to post it.  So, the latter it is! lol!  Sharing a link today for a purse I want to make.  Acutally, I’d like to make about 20 different purses, but I really should start with one since I’ve never done this before.  Sure do have a “sewing” bug lately.  I think I’m going to organize my crafty/office/extra tv/kidsthinktheyownit room today.  I know that once summer comes I never take the time for indoor sewing or crafting or artsy things, so I need to run with the bug now!  Have you sewn anything lately?  What kind of hobbies or projects do you like to do?

Sadly, my blogging has been so neglected that I can’t remember how to add a link.  Please excuse me while I re-educate myself. blah! LOL!

crafty awesome purse to make!

There! I did it! Enjoy!