Friend of Julie: My New Life

 

   In September 2011, I started this blog to share my weight loss journey. I stopped posting in April 2017, because, as many of you know, I stopped following follow the key program several years ago.

  A knee injury led to some weight gain and a lot of knee pain for a couple of years. After being told I needed both knees replaced, I lost the weight I had gained and I’m happy with my weight for the first time in decades. This will postpone knee surgery and when I have surgery, I will heal much faster, being lighter and more active.

   I have a new life than I did six years ago. I retired from my career as a web developer in 2015. These days I help people capture their stories in print and in film through my business, StoryCatcher Studios.

   I maintain my weight loss through making good food choices and exercising. Maintaining weight is never as simple as that sounds. I find tracking my weight daily helpful, as the data keeps me aware of where I am and what food choices I need to make each day to stay within my target weight. When I reach the higher weight range, I change my food choices.

   I’ve learned that choices I enjoy in life best evolve around being kind to myself. I feel good about the little things in life. I clean my kitchen before I go to bed, because I know how good it feels to walk in there every morning to a clean and organized kitchen. I feel good when I make the right food choices, because I know when I see my weight in the morning I’ll be happy with what I read on the scale. I feel good knowing that after I eat a too much less than optimal foods, I can turn things around by returning to healthier foods.

   Previously I wrote in this blog about my Little Mean Girl, my inner critic whose persona was befitting to her name. I no longer relate to Little Mean Girl, because I know being kind to myself is what makes my life all that I want it to be. I have no time for mean people in my life; real or imaginary. Life is much more fun being kind to myself and I work to keep this focus. 

   We are all so much more than a number on a scale. Regardless of what the scale reads or your clothing size is, be kind to yourself and to your body in as many ways as you can.