I Am Grateful…

As we prepare here in the U.S. for Thanksgiving this week, I am reminded of SO many things that I am grateful for.

I am also reminded that I need to live my day-to-day life more often with an attitude of gratitude.  (or at least remind myself daily of all that I have to be thankful for)

There are many things I SO appreciate right now…among them are the following:

• My Family: The love and support they ALWAYS give me is amazing! In the midst of crisis they have always been there for me and continue to do so.  I aspire to always be the sister and daughter that loves unconditionally.
• My Friends: I have never been the kind of person to hang with a lot of people. I am social and don’t have issues there, but my preferences has always been to have friendships that go deep and stand the test of time and location. I have been blessed with a handful of people in my life who I can always count on to be there through the good and bad times. I aspire to be the kind of friend that can always be counted on to be there when needed.
• My Faith: My faith has known a journey over the years and I am so grateful to find a resting place with a Savior that wants relationship with me. He has proven Himself to be BIG and real in my life in more ways that I can count. I aspire to be the woman that he has called me to be in all areas of life.
• My Health: What can I say? What a journey it has been these past few years. You can read about it here at the blog. I’m SO grateful that I am no longer that person that was fearful of living because of my size and the physical limitations that came with being 278 lbs.  I am thankful that my health is good and that I have become a strong woman, both physically and emotionally. I aspire to reach my ultimate weight loss goal and to continue in the journey to be healthy and fit so that I can live my life to the fullest each day without anything physical to stop me.
• YOU: Many things (both good and bad) have brought me to this point of creating a place online to share my journey with you and others that may be struggling (and winning!) with their own weight loss journeys. What I have found amongst the people that read and comment on this blog, the people that I Tweet with on Twitter, the fans in Facebook and the members of the forum - is a group of friends! You all amaze me! You have become my partners in a virtual world. You are honest. You are willing to share. You encourage. You listen and you share your lives with me in this little virtual space. I aspire to be a source of encouragement and support for you…to be a friend, someone that understands the struggles that you go through because I have also most certainly been there.

Thank you all!

What are you grateful for today? Please post your comments…I would love to hear!

Planning for a Big Meal

It’s Holiday Season

In honor of the U.S. Thanksgiving holiday around the corner, I thought it would be fitting to write an article with suggestions about how to deal with meals and indulgences over the holiday season. I think many of us equate the holidays with big meals and weight gain. With a bit of planning and consciousness though, there’s no reason not to be able to enjoy a great meal and either not lose weight or have a very quick recovery after gaining a few pounds.

Here are some tips that might help. Remember, planning is the key to navigating all of these challenges during your weight loss journey!

1. Have a rough idea (unless you are cooking, in which case you will know) of what food will be served.
In the case of the Thanksgiving meal, we can pretty much bet on the traditional turkey with all the fixins that come along with it. Pumpkin pie is my absolute favorite!

2. Plan to be diligent with your meals the week of the “Big Meal”.
In the case of Thanksgiving for example, I might plan low calorie days Mon-Wed that week. I’ll be sure to drink all my water and most likely big salads will be on the menu for lunches. Mind you, we’re still being healthy here. We’re not starving ourselves on these days, BUT any thoughts of pizza or dessert will be pushed back with the reminder of the Thursday meal ahead.

3. Plan to be diligent with your exercise the week of the “Big Meal”.
Make your exercise plan for the week and stick to it! It may also be a great idea to plan a little extra.  I know last year on Thanksgiving, I enjoyed a wonderful (and long) morning bike ride the day of Thanksgiving. I was able to think about how thankful I was in regards to my health and how far I had come in my weight loss journey.

4. Don’t go “unconscious” while you are eating the “Big Meal”.
Sit at the table with the intention to be present while you are eating. Personally, I think you should eat what you like at special occasions such as this, BUT keep portion control in mind and be conscious of eating to the point of satisfaction and not until you are feeling so stuffed that you can hardly get up from the table. Save room for that piece of pumpkin pie or the dessert that you have your eye on. Enjoy the company.

5. The day and week after, get right back into your routine!
Plan to get right back to it the next day. If you’re the one cooking, give away your left-overs. If not, accept only turkey which would be great in a sandwich or on your nice big salad the next day. Do not use this meal as a complete deviation from your weight loss plan. You can eat this meal on Thursday, be back to routine on Friday and not have gained any weight (maybe even lost lbs) by Monday. Trust me, this can happen AND you can enjoy the meal and indulge just a bit.

I think too often we just equate the holidays with weight gain and accept defeat in this area and there is absolutely no reason to have this mentality. Your weight loss challenge is all about small changes that have big effects in the long run of your life. Planning for the holiday meals is just one of those life events that will keep on coming. And if you do gain 5 lbs, it’s not the end of the world. You know how to lose it, and the key will be losing those 5 lbs right away and not going the other direction, using it as an excuse to gain another 5 lbs.

Let the festivities begin!