Linda, Remember Why!

June 14 it was ONE year since I started my healthy eating and journey toward a lighter, more healthy person. I lost 40 lbs through the end of September. Since then the weight just plateaued and up to March or April I went up and down 5-6 lbs... only going up 5 or 6 lbs from the plateau weight. It has been harder to keep my momentum going because of the "up and down" and never going under. I would look at myself in the mirror, and tell myself that I had to get back on track. I wasn't excersing either....I tried walking on my lunch hour, but I've been so overwhelmed with my work load, that I was eating more and more of my lunches at my desk. Too tired from the work day when I got home to do any walking. Yesterday I saw my dietician that I've been working with since last June. In talking with her, and her asking me why I've "lost my motivation"... I said I don't know. Then when I confessed to eating too many salty things this past week, in an effort NOT to eat the sweets that I crave... she said to me "Linda, do you want to go back on the blood pressure meds that you got off of in September?" She reminded me that if I continue on the salty trail, that is what will happen! Suddenly it HIT me...this past fall and winter, my motivation CHANGED from doing this to make myself healthier, to doing this so that I would LOOK BETTER for our son's wedding in Mexico in April! Oh my gosh, wanting to look better, DOES NOT give someone the same motivation as "GETTING HEALTHY, AVOIDING DIABETES, High blood pressure and avoiding taking cholestral meds...." I then remembered that up until I hit my plateau weight, that I couldn't get under, GETTING HEALTHY WAS my motivation. When I forgot that whole part of the picture, it was easier for me to slip back into old habits, I was forgetting about the diabetes scare when I ate candy and cookies... and forgot that sodium gives high blood pressure... etc. The past 2 weeks instead of playing with 5 to 6 pounds, I am now up 10 lbs. My dietican made me face reality that the scales are now going UP instead of down, and since Mar. 1st, I am up 10 lbs! OH MY...

Today I'm starting back on the MOTIVATION that worked last summer... I'm going to REMEMBER WHY I'm doing this, it is NOT to look better, it's to get and to stay HEALTHY!!!
This morning the sun was shining so bright, it was so beautiful, that I went for a walk. I was only able to make it around one block...but it's a start again. AND I had my healthy breakfast and my mid morning snack. I have to remember again how important PROTEIN is and low carbs and sodium.