14 pounds down!

Angela:

For me, it has been several weeks of busting down bad habits. Joleene's conference call workshop on Emotional Eating had an incredible impact on my journey. This past weekend, I literally had to "talk myself down" from an old favorite go-to fast food dinner meal on night's when it was just me at home and I didn't cook the meal. It literally took 2 hours of talking myself down, and finally there it was: the realization that I didn't need a greasy, highly caloric and fat gram-laden meal that would be of no benefit to my body's nutrition OR day's outlook. 

I have met a milestone goal I set for myself at the beginning of BetterU on September 30. This was the main goal I discussed with Regina in her office, that I wanted to take off some weight during the course of BetterU, but not as what I call "gimmicky, fast fix" temporary weight loss on the scales that comes back quickly due to the methods used (and I have tried an abundance in the past). I wanted the lifestyle change that would result in pounds gradually coming off. When this opportunity began, I literally had stopped weighing myself on the scales periodically and had a brand new set of scales sent to me by a company who is a fan of my blog for a "New Year, New You" gift still boxed up and in my closet, since January...I have previously blogged that I was to a point that I didn't want to even look at the reading on the scales when I went to the doctor's office for an appointment. The day I had my initial appointment with Regina, before I headed out the door, I literally had to get my new set of scales out of the closet and out of the box to weigh myself for starting weight, then had weigh in at the clinic which was the very same reading. I also determined to break a habit I had with owning a set of scales: weighing every single day. I set the day I had the appointment with Regina as my weekly weigh in day. Today was my weekly weigh in day. Up to this point, I chose not to share my weight progress. Last week when I did weigh in, I determined I would share this week for the first time:

Since BetterU began on September 30, I have lost 14 pounds. The food blogger in me compares this to nearly 3 sacks of 5 pound flour. I feel beyond fantastic!

I shared this milestone this morning at the Y when I had my bi-weekly meeting with Michelle and the Y's CEO who took part in the press conference in September said he had to come see me while I was there to congratulate me. I told him I use the quote he said at the press conference for motivation, "You will find this will not be easy, but nothing worthwhile rarely does come easy." Not for one minute have I thought, or felt, that it was. I am incredibly grateful to have been given this opportunity through the North Country chapter of the American Heart Association and honored to be on this journey alongside each of the ladies in BetterU.