The Journey

A friend of mine is going through a trying time in her marriage that will probably end in divorce. As I sympathized with her and offered a listening ear it dawned on me that sometimes weight loss or lifestyle change can be a form of "divorce" or loss. Each time we go through a loss, we need to mourn. The person I was 50 lbs. ago is different than the person I am today. But I never ever want to forget that person because she is the one that showed strength in the time of life changing events that led to my weight loss. Whether we are leaving an unhealthy relationship or changing our lifestyle to be healthier, we are experiencing a loss or significant change. We go through all the same stages: anger, denial, sadness, and hopefully, peace. I was almost married to that 50 lbs. I lost. Heck, I ate through happiness, sadness, celebrations, during times of great joy and great mourning….and all of that defined me. So when the time came to take care of myself, I had to acknowledge the loss of my unhealthy relationship with food and inactivity. It didn’t happen overnight just like I didn’t gain the weight over night. Sometimes I think I am still working on it and will forever. But, I have come to love the healthy person I am and respect the journey I am on. So as I told my friend, we have to look at this time of change as one where we acknowledge where we were, mourn if needed, and look forward to our next journey! It reminds me of the holly berries that grow out of a branch that is covered with heavy snow. We all have our "heavy snow" that has helped to define who we are and where we came from. But the bright red berries show us that growth is possible and will happen no matter how heavy the snow gets.

Exercise: 20 minutes on the treadmill- 113 calories burned

This and That

I've decided to go back to attending Weight Watcher meetings. This week we had many discussions about it at work....that's where the desire to start attending began. Then a good friend of mine told me she was joining today. She will be going to the meetings I attended with my mom. Until now I haven't had a reason to go. No one was expecting me.....where as a year ago, I got my dead butt out of bed on Saturday mornings because, well, my mom told me to. I am only 10 lbs over my WW goal (my personal goal is much higher than that). I haven't been able to loose those pounds on my own. I know WW meetings work for me especially the Saturday morning leader. So, I am going to support my friend and get the support for me. I am excited!

The kids and I went to Apple Fest today. They got their faces painted, painted a bird house and had an old fashioned photo taken (proceeds go to our library). It was a fun day for us! It is blistering hot for October so Doug was swamped at the golf course....Money, Money, Money!!!! Love those Indian Summers.

I've added a Widget to the site The Weigh We Were. This is truly my inspiration site when I am needing a "diet" boost. Check it out! I watched I Want to Look Like a High School Cheerleader Again. I guess it is CMT's version of The Biggest Loser. But....they complained about weighing 134 lbs. Come on! Oh, I'll watch it because I am a weight loss reality show junkie.

Time to go out and enjoy this wonderful evening weather! Gotta love Michigan!