Happy Halloween Everyone,
I am enjoying the fall as I learn a lot about myself. I've always heard that diets don't work and I wasn't really sure how that applied to me. I knew that extreme deprivation was not a longterm solution but that was not something I did. As I look at my behavior regarding healthy habits it is becoming more apparent that my struggle to maintain a healthy lifestyle longterm is a product of my way of thinking about it. Instead of thinking of being healthy vs. not being healthy, I am shifting to more of a sliding scale of choices and seasons. I continue to relearn lessons over and over such as when I took a year of not eating "white" foods and realized how much those foods were a struggle for me and how my intention and mindset kept me from feeling deprived. Similarly, I am recently learning the other side of that which is that it is good for me to have sweet and salty things in moderation once in a while so as to keep my cravings from sneaking up on me. Choosing sweet fruits or a little honey or maple syrup to top off my oatmeal once in a while is a great way to do this. Another example is from last night when I had a few chips with hummus while I prepared my dinner. This also relates to the amount of exercise I have incorporated into my lifestyle, it's a 6-day a week 10-minute jog/yoga habit that also includes daily long walks. Nothing fancy nor huge, yet sustainable as they are enjoyable and realistic for my lifestyle.
Noticing changes in my appearance is exciting, such as being able to wear certain clothes that have been too tight for the last year or two. I am proud of how I look and somewhat puzzled by the number on the scale. By the numbers, I have 40 pounds to go, while I feel like I look about the same as I have in the past when I would have only 10 pounds to go. I am trying to balance the accountability of the scale number with also allowing myself to recognize the healthy habits I have in place right now. I'm "already there" I've reached "the goal" of being a healthy person. So much of my outlook and confidence seems to only partially influenced by my actual size.
On a related topic, I am surprised that no one else has said anything to me about the changes that, my view, are very apparent. I have written many times here about how I struggle and don't know how to respond to this type of compliment and yet I find myself disappointed with the lack of comments as well. Maybe more people are reading this blog than I thought, lol.
With much love,
Amy B. H.
