Today marks the 231st day since I made the decision to change my eating habits.
Starting Weight: 185
Current Weight: 148.8
Goal: 140
I've been hovering just under 150 lbs. for a few weeks and thankful I haven't had a gain. A person has to hang on to something positive. There have been plenty of positives on this journey, for sure.
Some observations I've made in the last couple of months have been not small ones.
Snoring. I've quit snoring. OMG! Nobody is happier than I am except maybe the hubs. Not only did I often wake myself up but I have no idea how many times he couldn't sleep because of it. It was so bad that I dreaded going on my annual girlfriend trips as I sure didn't want them to hear my snoring.
Inflammation Gone. My frozen shoulder pain has completely disappeared. I hadn't connected the dots until I saw a family friend who happens to be a massage therapist. She had seen me in March and I had complained about it then. The pain was so intense that it would wake me up out of a dead sleep along with the snoring. I was a mess. I could not move my arm and had to physically lift it with my other arm to roll over. When I saw her at the beach in September, she asked me about it. When I told her it was completely gone, she asked if I had seen a physical therapist or chiropractor about it. Nope, nobody got time for that. I told her I had no clue why it quit hurting. She reminded me that I had completely eradicated refined sugar from my diet. Sugar is an inflammatory, did you know that? It's the only explanation for it. Huh! I am now a believer.
No More Fanny Pack. I no longer have a flap of creased fat hanging on my belly like an out of fashion fanny pack that causes stinky, itchy sweat. Sorry if this grosses you out but it was a source of terrible embarrassment for me. If nothing else, this one thing was a huge motivator to get this weight off.
Automaticity. This is not a word I've ever used before but it is certainly a concept I've thought about a lot over my lifetime. I have often said that if there was a pill I could take once a day that took care of my fuel for the entire day, I'd sign up for that. I absolutely hate spending any amount of time thinking about what I'm going to eat much less doing the shopping for it. This goes way back to when I had a family to feed and it was my job to figure out something exciting to serve them every single day of the week. It didn't help that my first husband came from a family of foodies. His mother was a fabulous cook. So, I often ran out of ideas and gumption. If it had been up to me, we would have been eating cottage cheese and tomatoes every night of the week and maybe oatmeal if I got tired of that. Working a full-time job and having any energy left to be creative in the kitchen was a stretch. Now, on BLE I have the eating plan I've always wanted. I can eat the same thing every day of the week and nobody complains. And, I do eat pretty much the same things every day.
Cravings Gone. Of all the things I love the most about this program is that my craving for sugar is gone absent. Oh, it could come back alright. All I have to do is pop a cookie in my mouth or take a bite of pumpkin pie. This is probably the best part of BLE for me and thousands of others who are shedding butt loads of pounds. Once the refined sugar and flour (in every form) was completely removed, so were the constant thoughts of getting more. Within 48 hours of my first day on this program, I was free from cravings. I am now diligent about reading labels.
Carbon Footprint Reduced. My garbage can takes an entire month to fill up before I have to send it to the curb for pick up. The only cans I'm having to recycle are the ones that contain coconut milk (first pressing) I use in my coffee along with cartons of half/half (for my coffee as well). I'm trying to get off the half & half but haven't quite made the leap yet. It's a goal. I do have plastic containers that hummus comes in as well as cottage cheese. I try to reuse those as much as I can but for the most part my shopping is done with some great little mesh bags I bought for fruits and veggies.
Simplicity. Today I'm eating simple, whole foods and I dig it. People ask me if there is a cookbook for BLE. I have no idea if there is one. I don't want to spend any time trying to improve on what is working for me. My diet pretty much consists of black beans, brown rice, apples, eggs, red peppers, hummus, salad, and boca burgers. This plan does not require moving to plant based menus but I chose to do that mostly. I will occasionally have shrimp or a piece of fish.
Clear Lines. One of the tenants of this program is that we don't take a holiday or vacation from the plan. This means no birthday cake, no pie at Thanksgiving, no cheesecake, no stopping for an ice cream cone. This is rigid, yes. The thing is, when I eat sugar, I cannot stop. I'm very clear about this now. If I am to stay on course, I have had to adopt the idea that I cannot eat these things even on special occasions. If I go off the rails, I'm not sure I'll be able to get back on, ya know?
In the end, the best part of this right sized body and freed mind is it that I feel like I have dodged a bullet with Type 2 diabetes. The constant sabotaging voice in my mind has quieted. Oh, she's still in there but she is sleeping. All I have to do to wake her up is slip a bite of cake in. I'll let her sleep for now.
I had hoped that the seasonal affective disorder would have subsided but it has not. Winter solstice is next week and I am suffering the effects of gray skies as much as I ever have. The part that's better is that I'm not making it worse by eating myself into a coma. I still suffer from depression but it is manageable and I know it will pass. I find myself cruising the internet, looking at photos of my beloved Arizona and dreaming about sunny days.
If you are interested to learn more about bright line eating, I suggest you invest $16.97 in the hardcover book written by Susan Peirce Thompson, Ph.D. Bright Line Eating: The Science of Living Happy, Thin & Free. You never have to spend another dime on weight loss programs. Read it cover to cover. Then make a decision. It has been life changing for me.
love, susan
