the diet

HI! here we go- i hope you're ready for this intense post.
let me set it up & try to give some of the back story: in January of this year, i started Project g, a set of goals i made to renew my faith, lose some weight, & focus on being a better person. i re-activated my WW online account and enthusiastically started- i love their program. i started off strong, but quickly found that i was easily distracted from counting every point and measuring my portions. i went back & forth with the same 5-8 lbs. and really wasn't losing any significant amount of weight. i did start walking every day, but the weight still didn't move much.

Fast forward to April- i went shopping for some jeans. As i was trying things on, i had a 3 angle view mirror in the dressing room-and honestly, i was shocked at how i looked. i finally hit the wall & broke down. it wasn't pretty. it's not like when you only have 5, 10 or even 20lbs to lose. i have been carrying 40 extra lbs. of "baby weight" for almost 5 years now. my daughter stopped nursing when she was 2- so i've had close to 3 years to work on it, but, like so many of us, i've been putting myself last. After tending to everyone & everything else all day long, there was very little time, energy, will power or anything left for me to take care of myself, but i digress... So i decided right there in that dressing room, that it would be the LAST time i had to shop for a size 16 jean. this isn't about vanity, though who doesn't want to look better naked ;) LOL!, it's about feeling better about myself-picking myself up out of this rut and finally deciding to take active steps towards my goals. i'm always the one telling people to take the action & go for it- it was time for me to do the same. i have to keep up with Mimi- she needs me to stay strong & healthy. When i'm 50 (only 10 years from now), she'll be 14 1/2. if i don't take care of myself, i'm only going to feel worse & may start to have some serious health issues to deal with. taking care of myself IS PART of taking care of my family. the time is NOW. TODAY. one meal at a time. one day at a time, with the Lord at my side. He knows i've been through worse. Donna Downey's amazing transformation has really inspired me too.

so i picked up the phone & ordered Nutrisystem - the box came & i started the diet 28 days ago. the meals are pre-packaged. you heat & eat (or else it's a bar, cereal or cake-like meal)- you add in stuff you're already buying- salad, veggies, fruit and low fat dairy. they even have really good frozen meals (as good as lean cuisine or WW smart ones). it is a high protein, low-glycemic carb diet- so there are carbs- pasta & pizza, which i love, and CHOCOLATE. yes, the portions are SMALL- everything is like a big handful- but you know- i'm learning that's what a REAL portion of food is- it's not that much food! LOL! we're all so used to jumbo meals at every sitting! you also eat 5 times a day- 1 of those times is dessert (awesome!) i really like the food, and i'm surprised at how satisfied i am after each meal. yes, it is EXPENSIVE (299/month, more if you want frozen too) but i've decided the benefits & convenience are worth it- my awesome husband supported me and said "just go ahead & give it a try, if you don't like it, cancel it."

as of yesterday, day 28, i've lost 16 pounds. yes, you read correctly. 16 pounds GONE in 28 days. i almost fell off the scale yesterday (i try to only weigh myself once a week) & it said 159- i haven't seen that number or any number close to it, since i was pregnant & passing it by as my belly grew, almost 5 years ago! LOL! i can breathe better- i'm not as winded getting up the 3 flights of stairs in our house. we can all already see the changes in my body- and those jeans? they're pretty dang baggy already-- and i'm very thankful for that. i can't wait to see where i'm at in another month or two.