My goal was to lose another five pounds in June and I can happily say that I met that goal. Total weight loss since April 1 when I started this phase and began sharing it with you is 21.6 pounds. Very happy that I was able to accomplish that and along the way, I’m learning what things to eat to keep me full and satisfied. One good article I found that lists these foods was in the NY Post and can be found here: https://nyp.st/303tn83. The amazing thing is that I was intuitively eating many of these healthy foods instead of other less healthy choices. You’ll notice that I didn’t use the word “bad” because I don’t want to get into a mindset of what’s good and bad or whether my behavior was good or bad. Apparently, that’s not a helpful way to tackle eating issues. In any case, I’m pleased with meeting my goals and am setting another goal of losing another five pounds by the end of July. This may be hard since I’ll be at two different conferences in the middle of the month and that’s not only going to challenge me to keep eating healthy, but it will also change up what exercise I can do each day. I’m going to have to stay motivated and find ways to keep moving despite being at the conferences. I’ll share more soon on my journey to get healthier!
#WellnessWednesday – A Spoonful of Honey is Sweet in Many Ways
I started reading about the benefits of honey and decided I’d try it! Every couple of days I take a spoonful of local raw honey straight up or mix it in with my Greek yogurt and fruit. I’ve got a sweet tooth so it’s a welcome blessing, but honey has a number of health benefits like:
- 1. Providing you energy for a workout
2. Regulating blood sugar levels
3. Immunity system booster
4. Sleep aid
5. Aids in wound healing
6. Create resistance to local allergans (use local raw honey for this!)
7. Soothe acid reflux
8. Sooth sore throats and coughs
9. Boost memory
10. Anti-cancer (unlike regular sugars)
Thanks to Dailylifestyles.com, simplyhealth.io, and webmd for their input on the possible health benefits of honey.
Original Honey Image by Steve Buissinne from Pixabay
#MotivationMonday – The “I Can Do This Now” Excitement
It’s been nearly two months since I started my lifestyle change. Better eating. Continuing to challenge myself with my workouts. The end result is 15.8 pounds down, more energy, and the ability to do something like this past Friday’s outing: A climb to the top of the Vessel in Hudson Yards and a walk along the High Line. It came out to a total of 4.25 miles for those two adventures. So exciting on so many levels. Although my fear of heights kicked in the step training I’ve been doing kept me moving up and down the maze that is the Vessel without noticing a thing. Not out-of-breath for the wrong reasons. Maybe breathless because of the views and the height. A wonderful night with my best bud and I am so grateful for the positive changes happening with my body. Today I’m sharing some photos from that adventure.
#TransformationTuesday – Success is Sweet
It’s a joyful day for so many reasons. For starters Memorial Day is just a few days away and that means more time on the beach as well as better weather for long strolls on the boardwalk. Happy times for sure. But it’s also a joyful day because I broke past that weight plateau I mentioned two weeks ago and also managed to stay on track despite being at a conference last week. Conferences are always hard on account of erratic schedules and conference foods. I made a point of exercising every morning, taking the stairs when I could, sneaking in a walk as well as watching what I ate. A big help was paying extra for the club access since it meant I could get a healthy breakfast, hydration during the day and also plan for grazing that kept me from eating bad stuff while waiting for late dinners.
With all that, I’m happy to say that I’ve lost 13.4 pounds so far and I think I am well on my way to my goal of losing 15 by May 31. Wish me luck!
Original Beach Image by Pexels from Pixabay
#TransformationTuesday – Hitting an early weight loss plateau
After an amazing three weeks in which I lost almost ten pounds, I’ve been stuck at the same weight now for a week. Sigh. It’s time to consider what’s changed in the last week that might have impacted on my earlier success. For starters, I did have some more carbs in the mix and it just confirms that I have to stay away from things like bread and exchange healthier carbs for those like the carbs in fruits and vegetables. The other thing is my exercise routine. I’ve gone back to adding an extra twenty minutes of cardio after my twice weekly strength training. Last but not least, I have to look and see if I’m actually eating enough calories versus the calories burned due to activity. It’s never good to go into a mode that my body will consider a starvation mode. If you’ve hit similar plateaus with your weight loss, here are links to some articles that might be helpful:
Mayo Clinic: Getting Past a Weight Loss Plateau – https://mayocl.in/2DSwXsQ
My Fitness Pal: 10 Tips to Overcome a Weight-Loss Plateau – https://undrarmr.co/2DX4nqy
WebMD: 10 Ways to Move Beyond a Weight Loss Plateau – https://wb.md/2DTxTgW
Jillian Michaels: Break Through Any Weight-Loss Plateau – http://bit.ly/2DSeWeo
The content on the above websites is owned by the respective authors. Before starting any physical regimen you should consult with a physician. My linking to the above sites does not constitute an endorsement of any of the suggestions therein. (Sorry but you know those darn lawyers!)
Original Scale Image by TeroVesalainen from Pixabay
Original Hammer Image by bluebudgie from Pixabay
#MotivationMonday – Inches Lost and Personal Bests
I wish I could post that I lost more pounds, but sadly I didn’t. Still at the same weight thanks to having to eat out three times last week. Tough to watch salt and calories, but I have to do better next time. Despite that, I can tell from clothes that are no longer tight that I’ve lost some inches. Plus, I did personal bests at the gym on the assisted pull-ups and my dead lifts (110 pounds!). Yeah. Also hit my daily step counts and then some, so all is good this week. Working on being better for next week. How about you? How did you all do last week?
Original dumbbell Image by Roy Buri from Pixabay
Original tape measure Image by annca from Pixabay
#MotivationMonday – Time to Get Healthier
For those of you who have been visiting over the many years, you know I’ve had an up and down battle with my weight. Sigh. It’s disheartening at times, but with my daughter’s wedding in a few months and a desire to get healthier in order to stay healthier, I am once again committing to changing my lifestyle. I hope you’ll help me out by sharing your stories and by following as each Monday I share my success and/or my troubles with that week’s goal. My overall goal is to lose 35 pounds by November 1, the big day when my baby gets married. My weekly goal is to lose one pound by eating healthier and being active. Here is a picture of me today as well as a photo of some cute workout clothes my sister got me for my birthday! Can’t wait to exercise in them! Thanks, sis!
