Is it just me, or is the prep work the hardest part of this weight loss program? For me, staying on program isn't the hard part, it's having things lined up ahead of time: planning my meals, making a shopping list, going grocery shopping, preparing the meals, getting up early enough to have breakfast and pack my lunch before I start my day, and having something lined up for dinner before I get home. If I do the prep work, the program is so much easier.
During my prep work this morning, I had an "ah ha" moment. After filling holes, where the hinges used to be and a number of holes inside the cupboards, I climbed up and down the chair to clean the top of the refrigerator. As I quickly climbed the chair, I realized that I'd been up and down that chair for over an hour effortlessly! It wasn't until that moment that I realized why I had put off painting the kitchen for almost a year: it would have been too much for me physically.
I never thought about all the restrictions that my weight placed upon me when I was heavier. It's when I encounter moments like this, that I am reminded that this journey is a process of self-discovery. It's so easy for me to focus on not losing weight "fast enough" and meanwhile miss seeing the many positive ways my weight loss has affected my life. An hour of climbing the chair didn't draw my attention to how I could not have done this a year ago. It was when I climbed up and down from the chair four times quickly that I suddenly realized: hey - last year I couldn't get up on the chair once, never mind several times in a row - or repeatedly for a hour!
I look forward to many more new discoveries in my life!
Another great discovery - reconnecting with my inner runner. Last weekend I ran another 5k (which is a little over 3 miles). This one was in Amherst and it had killer hills. My total running time was the same as the Hot Chocolate Run in Dec., which was just under 45 minutes, but given the hills involved - this is great progress!
Here are some photos I took before and during the race...
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| Warm up before the race |
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| I need to get a better running outfit! Me on left; Aime on right. |
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| Coming up to Emily Dickinson house and the last of the hills. |
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| Self-portrait while running; me in yellow, Aime in pink. My favorite photo of the day! |
Way to go on the 5K!!! I just did my first one last week, at Forest Park. It was my best time yet(33:20), and omg! Those hills! But I finished! I've since downloaded a 10K app and am going to strive for that. I need to keep going!
ReplyDeleteI do find with the prep I go through highs and lows. And I have three kids to cook for too. In the summer, I love fresh hamburgers. My dh is awesome at making them and grilling. Fresh tomatoes, lettuce, yum! I try to always have hotdogs, pepperoni, and deli meats on hand with this diet. Especially in a pinch. If I don't have time for scrambled eggs(only way I eat them), I can make a quick hotdog.
I do find also, that if I don't plan ahead, I get very bored, very quickly. That's a pain at times. When that happens, I usually get take out of some sort. Dh's family owns an Italian restaurant, so I will order a side of meatballs and a salad. That honestly hasn't happened in awhile, so that's good.
But yeah, prep is a big thing I think on this, without feeling discouraged. And as a mom of three young kids, who I stay home with, it's so much easier to grab a bowl of cereal that it is to make an egg, or bake chicken, etc.
Prep! Prep! Prep!
And good luck on the painting!