Meeting goals and slipping back into that old top

Angela:

October was a month of meeting goals and welcoming huge milestones during this Challenge. I love my time spent at the Y and my bi-weekly progress meetings with Michelle have given me countless inspiration. 

This was mine and my husband's standard vacation month due to his hectic summer work schedule at the hospital, so I knew the trip to Long Beach Island on the Jersey Shore with the tantalizing seafood and never-ending sweet treats. I met the goal of controlling my eating and limiting sweets plus working in a daily beach walk. Then came my first time since starting this project for a weekend trip to my in-laws in Binghamton down I-81, known for big family meals. Same thing, controlled my eating and the fitness trek walks in state park I had come to dread started getting easier and not dreaded as the weeks in October passed. 

I thoroughly enjoyed Nicole's first nutrition class and look forward to the next I'm able to attend. I met my Halloween goal of not going crazy with eating Halloween candy and overeating my meals, snacking all evening. 

The 18th was my late Mom's birthday and my first true "emotional eating" test. As Joleene discussed this habit in the first conference call discussion, I began to think on her words about this subject, and for the first time was inspired to truly explore this top obstacle in my life. My Mom's birthday came and I'm a cake girl, I believe that won't come as a surprise to anyone who has viewed most of my down-home recipes on my blog. I kept saying to myself that although my husband was out-of-town for work that day, I would still celebrate with a cupcake from April's Cupcake Shop (next door to the Y, where they seriously know me by name...). After I came home from my progress meeting at the Y with Michelle that day, I began to look at outfit possibilities for the day. In my closet, I ventured past the leopard print camisole that fit me when I moved here in June 2011, but would not even go past my head when I began this Challenge on September 30. I thought to myself, "Not yet, don't try it." then I thought, "Do it. See what happens." I put the camisole over my head and then watched as it kept going over my chest, down to my waist and fit me perfectly. I looked up and said, "Happy Birthday Mom", then I nixed the cupcake idea and brought home a one portion fresh fruit cup medley for birthday dessert. That was my October during the BetterU Challenge.