Struggling With That Extra 15 Pound Weight Gain...

Dear Blogging Friends, I want to share with you that I have been struggling with a small, but unsightly 15 pound weight gain. I have a spare tire around my waist, which will not go away. This is all new to me, as I have never struggled with my weight. I have pretty much eaten what I wanted and never felt deprived of my favorite foods. I'm very thankful for this, but perhaps I have lacked a bit of sensitivity toward those of you who have not had it so easy in this area of your life. I want you to know that I am beginning to understand the difficulty of losing a few pounds and the disappointment for not looking quite so attractive in certain pants or outfits. So what am I going to do about this? Well, first I want to have the right attitude. Having a healthy body is truly the most important thing. You see I have not regularly exercised for years. So, I have decided to exercise 20 min. every other day on the treadmill. The second thing is to eat healthful food, which I crave and enjoy. What do I crave? Avocados, Adam's peanut butter, black licorice, Swiss cheese, salsa, turkey, and olives. I make sure these things are always in my home. I love Fresca. It's my favorite soda, but I rarely drink it because it has sugar substitute in it. I've chosen this lemon lime seltzer instead. It has the fizz I love and no high fructose corn syrup or calories. I have taken high fructose corn syrup out of my diet My favorite guacamole is super super easy to fix. I dice an avocado and mix it with about a half cup of really good fresh purchased salsa (or my own canned from garden). When I was younger and thinner I homeschooled three children and I cared for my baby Garrett. I carried Garrett up a flight of stairs at bed time and nap time quite often, even up through his toddler years. My legs and arms were strong. During these years I rarely sat down. I was moving all the time. I went from room to room sweeping, loading and unloading washer, dryer, dishwasher and groceries, and making copies of school work for my children. I took my children on walks and to the park. We pulled weeds together and made beds together. I kept a clean tidy home and was quite content. I no longer homeschool my children. I don't seem to rush around and work as much. I find myself sitting at the computer for long periods of time. I snack all through the day. I have come to realize something: I have discovered that it's much more fun to eat when I am really hungry. The food tastes better and I have a satisfied feeling in my whole being. Here is something I wrote to my sister about my recent struggle with losing that extra 15 pounds:
The cravings are coming back. I buy these for the kids' lunches. It's hard for me to look at these. I'm want to eat them.
For myself I bought this black licorice because I do crave this and it is natural. The other flavors they make have high fructose corn syrup, but the black is natural. If I have 4 pieces with a cup of black coffee it's 130 calories. I can stretch these 4 pieces from 12 noon to 2:30 pm. with a black cup of coffee. In this way I will stop eating soon enough that I will still become hungry for dinner. I decided to do this yesterday afternoon and I hid the cookies. The craving was gone and I was happy.
This is my favorite peanut butter and honey toast with black coffee. Have started every morning like this for the past 30 years. I use Adam's not Skippy or Jiff. I look at it this way; the calories and fat are the same, but the type of fat is not. It would be like stir frying your veggies in Crisco rather than olive oil or peanut oil Get it? Some fats are so good for your body and they help your cholesterol levels in the right way.
This morning I am sore. I only ran once yesterday, but the reality is I am sore. the soreness my body feels and this old gray day makes the newness of the treadmill wear off.
" Lord Jesus, help me to be faithful and strong in the commitment I made with You to take care of my body and to exercise." Okay, pep talk and feeling sorry for myself is over. The truth is, I am out of shape and I am still young enough and strong enough to get out there and work hard, so off I go.... "Thank you Jesus..."