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Introduction Text August 2009: Time for a new update, I see! I have now lost somewhere in the neighborhood of 40 pounds and feel SO different - lighter, and able to move more easily. It's exciting to look at my "before" pictures and compare the way I looked then to the way I look now. I know I was doing the best I could at the time, but I sure am thrilled to have been able to make the changes which have led to weight loss. It's been a slow process, but I'm sticking with it! I'm grateful for my dear Spark Friends (my cyber friends!), a very supportive, encouraging Spark Team; I'm grateful for my "real" friends who are there for me through thick and thin (in more ways than one!), I'm grateful I am able to exercise at a fitness center so I can do it ANY time of the year, and the list of things I'm grateful for could go on and on! This journey to a healthier self is different for all of us yet has many similarities, and it's much easier not to travel this journey alone. May you find the encouragement YOU need to just keep going, making healthy choices, one at a time, as you find your way to greater health. ------------------------------------ July 2008: I've lost almost 20 pounds now and have made a lot of changes in my life this summer - it's amazing how strong the feeling is that I'm leaving my past behind and pressing on to whatever may be ahead (see "casting my cares aside" blog entry)- not really knowing what that is, but excited about the prospects in spite of that - with greater health, a smaller me, a more organized home, graduate school on the horizon, a new position to look forward to, though yet unknown, and the list goes on! Hang on! Here we go! ---------------------------------------- Here's a very small part of my back story - excerpted from a team post on 5/2/08: The weight I'm losing right now is weight I gained relatively recently (a gain of 40 pounds in 3-1/2 years, when I had lost 70 and kept it off for literally YEARS before that). In that time frame I FINALLY graduated from college (a 10-year journey while trying to work at the same time and "keep myself afloat" financially); began my new (second) career, which is a dream come true, but very demanding; became the caregiver for a disabled family member who moved in with me; moved to accommodate those needs - and the list goes on! When I look back, it's no WONDER I could not seem to find the right "place" for myself to actually make positive choices regarding food and exercise and general good physical, emotional, psychological, and spiritual health. I was just trying to keep my head above water in so many areas of life. I'm so thankful to be in a different phase now, devoting more time to making sure my personal (emotional, spiritual, physical, etc.) needs are met while taking care of all of life's other responsibilities (which are definitely blessings, too!). Sigh.... Can't you feel the relief when you're in that place in your life? I know many of us have experienced that - being in that place where you can make those good choices, along with being in the places where you just don't have the resources to do so. I am thankful, too, that I finally accepted the fact that I HAD TO just realize that sometimes getting into the right mindset takes time, and I need to be kind to myself in the meantime. No wonder it's so exciting to me to be back in my healthy mindset - it's been a long journey to get here!

Make healthy food choices more often than not. Exercise, in some way, daily - just MOVE! Achieve my weight goals, one pound at a time, with 10-pound "mini" goals. Focus more on the positive choices made than the numbers on the scale as my measure of success.

Counting calories, carbs, and fat to stay within the appropriate ranges for me. Walking daily or as often as possible, even if it's just a 10-minute time period. Adding regular strength training to my fitness routine.



"Don�t let the world or your own doubts take away one of the most positive things you have going for yourself � your determination to create a healthier, more energetic, more vibrant, more wonderful YOU. " - from "Going Through the Emotions - Why It's Worth the Trouble" by Mike Kramer, Staff Writer, SP

Add a Link I'm not where I need to be, but, thank God, I'm not where I used to be. - Joyce Meyer
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