Saturday 27 July 2013

The Benefits of Belly Dancing

image found on Pinterest here
This is a very appropriate post for today as it is National Dance Day! From the Dizzy Feet Foundation's page:

"Launched in 2010 by “So You Think You Can Dance” co-creator and Dizzy Feet Foundation co-president Nigel Lythgoe, National Dance Day is an annual celebration that takes place on the last Saturday in July. This grassroots campaign encourages Americans to embrace dance as a fun and positive way to maintain good health and combat obesity. NDD achieved national recognition when Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), a long-time proponent of healthy lifestyles, announced at a press conference on July 31, 2010, in Washington, D.C., that she was introducing a congressional resolution declaring the last Saturday in July to be the country’s official National Dance Day."

Last Thursday, my daughter dragged me to a local belly dancing class. Although I have always wanted to learn how to belly dance (Think about Shakira in her music video "Hips Don't Lie." Who wouldn't want to be able to move like that?), I must admit that I was reluctant to go. Thoughts crossed my mind to the tone of, "But my belly is too big and soft; it will jiggle too much! and, "I'll look ridiculous!" These are the kinds of negative thoughts that I try and avoid having. And yet, there they were - a lingering poison in my mind.

Still, I wasn't going to let the negative voice in my head win, so I let my daughter drag me to the belly dancing class. There were women there of all shapes and sizes, and the really surprising thing was, once we started to move, I didn't feel self-conscious at all. Even more surprising, I felt sexy. I was shaking, wiggling  and moving my bum, belly and chest, as well as learning some beautiful arm movements, along with the rest of them, and I was having fun!

image found on Pinterest here

As we danced, I realized something else about belly dancing; there is not one muscle in your back, legs, stomach, buttocks and arms that doesn't get used during the various movements. It's a really great  all-over workout.

I felt more fit, more confident and more feminine (in a strong way) after just the one class. Those are all good things, so I feel great about recommending belly dancing for fitness. It's so fun, you hardly notice you are working out.

My 20 year old daughter Angelica found the class on-line and it wasn't far from us. It's called Helen Sleiman Dance and is run by Helen Sleiman herself. Helen is a cute, tiny little wisp of a woman who moves amazingly and has a really positive approach to teaching belly dancing.(She's pictured below.)  If you live in my area, you really should come join in with one of her classes.

photo from the Helen Sleiman Belly Dancing website
For those of you who still wouldn't feel comfortable belly dancing in front of others, I found a website called All About Belly Dancing that teaches in steps how to do the different moves and even has some videos to help show you.

There are also a lot of videos for belly dancing training and for belly dancing as exercise that you can find on Amazon. Read the reviews before you purchase to make sure you find one that is right for you.

So what do you think? Have I convinced you to give belly dancing a try? Let me know in the comments below.



You'll need to wait out the advertisement, but this is Shakira's "Hips Don't Lie" music video on YouTube.

Friday 26 July 2013

My Sugar Free Week and Flour-Free and Sugar-Free Cake Recipe #1wksugarfree

When I woke up this morning, I weighed myself and measured myself so I can let you know the results. I lost another .8 lbs over night, which makes my total loss for the seven days of going sugar-free (and  low carb) is exactly 10 whole pounds! In a week! I am stunned. I know it won't continue going down quite so quickly; there is always a point where it levels out, but I'm still really thrilled with these results.

As for my measurements, I didn't measure until I was already a bit into the sugar-free week, so these measurements are since only the last five days of my sugar free week. I have lost 1 1/2 inches from the smallest part of my waist, and measuring around where my belly button is, where I have the most weight to lose, I have lost 3 inches. Yay!

Something I hadn't even considered would happen when I started this - my finger nails are stronger now. I am taking that as a sign that I am getting better overall nutrition.

I know the week is over and this was meant to only be a one-week challenge, but I know I will be continuing it. I'm sure I won't always be 100% with it, and I will not keep myself from eating whole grain pastas, wholegrain rice and potatoes completely either, but I know I can limit those things to a great deal, and I'm pretty sure that I can avoid sugar most of the time. As the week has gone on, it has gotten easier and my cravings have been reduced enough now that I really want to continue this way of eating.

I would love to hear how you are doing so far with the challenge and any changes you are noticing, any part of it that you have been struggling with, anything at all that you've noticed since starting. Please let me know in the comments below.


And because I know some of you are still finishing your sugar-free weeks with a few days to go still, I will leave you with another sugar-free, flour-free recipe; this one is for cake! It does use sweetener, but the amount used can be lessened and I think it is still a better way to fulfill a sugar-craving than having sugar and flour.

Flour-Free & Sugar-Free Cake


Ingredients:


300g 0%-fat Greek Yogurt
4 eggs
5 tablespoons granulated sweetener
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 x 1 teaspoons vanilla extract
fruit of your choice (I use strawberries on top and raspberries for in the middle)

Directions:
  1. Separate the eggs and beat the whites until stiff
  2. In another bowl, mix the yolks, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, baking powder, 100g of the yogurt and 4 tablespoons of the sweetener
  3. Whisk half of the egg whites into the yolks mixture, then carefully fold in the rest
  4. Pour mixture into a tray lined with baking paper. Bake in a pre-heated 160C/320F oven for 25 minutes or until golden and cooked
  5. Mix the rest of the yogurt, 1 tablespoon sweetener and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  6. Cut the cake in half. Spread the yogurt mixture over one half of the cooled cake and top with fruit (I use raspberries for this step.)
  7. Place the other half of the cake on top of the first half and cover this with yogurt and then tip with sliced strawberries.

    Serve and enjoy!


If you want to make this into one full round cake, double layered, then double the recipe and use two cake pans. Skip the cutting in half part. My kids, husband and I all really enjoy this cake. I hope you do too.

(And since I loved my belly dancing class so much yesterday, I will write an informational post about belly dancing tomorrow, so please stop by again!)


Thursday 25 July 2013

SUGAR FREE - DAY SEVEN! #1wksugarfree

Today is the last day of my one week sugar free.

I lost a little bit more weight overnight for a total weight loss, as of this morning, of 9.2 lbs!  I will post again tomorrow morning with my final weight loss amount and the change in my waist and belly measurements. I am thrilled! When I lost my full 145.5 lbs, I usually lost 1, 2 and 3 lbs a week, more often getting the lower weight-loss results, with occasional half pound losses. One time, I lost seven pounds in one week, and I was over the moon, but I was never able to repeat that loss. (And really, for long-term weight loss, the slower weight losses are better and healthier.) But I have been eating a lot this week. I have not skimped on food. I have made sure that I eat whenever I am hungry and I eat even more when I get my sugar cravings. And yet, I have already lost so much weight this week that I am amazed.

Our bodies are strange things. I knew that I was falling back into my binge eating and needed to make a change. I knew that I needed to change things up. I am surprised by how good the results have been. It's more than just the weight loss. My allergies have improved (though they haven't completely gone away) and I am feeling energetic again. I am full of ideas for my stories again too. And I noticed my weight-lifting sessions are feeling easier.


(No this isn't me. I wish! This is a picture I found on Pinterest here.)
Today, at the urging of my 20 year old daughter Angelica, I tried a completely new form of exercise. We went to our first belly dancing class! I have found a new way to exercise that I absolutely love, and I will definitely continue with the classes while I can afford them. They are not too expensive and they are walking-distance from my house. The class also provided me with a cute jingly belt like the one pictured above to wear during the class. I really like the belt!

So how about you? How have you been doing so far on the challenge? Are the cravings getting any better? Have you noticed any of the changes I have? And is there something you've always wanted to try but haven't gotten around to (like belly dancing for me)? What is it? Please let me know in the comments below.




Wednesday 24 July 2013

Day Six Sugar Free & Flour-Free and Sugar-Free Pancakes Recipe #1wksugarfree

I know it's only evening here and I still have hours left before the day is over for me, but I decided to post early today because things are going really well. I had a moment where I struggled, which I will describe in a moment, but other than that, remaining sugar free is getting easier.

My momentary struggle happened when my husband and I went grocery shopping. We needed food, so I hadn't eaten much by then and I was hungry.  You should never go shopping while hungry. We passed by a large pack of marshmallows which were on sale for £1. For a brief moment, I really struggled not to buy them. I could even picture myself opening the pack and eating some on the way home. I remembered how they would taste. Until that moment, I didn't even know that marshmallows could be a problem for me. I like marshmallows, but my cravings usually fall more towards chocolate and caramel. Did you know that marshmallows have a smell? They do, and in that moment, I remembered it.

We continued on and there were a couple of things that called to me, though none as strongly as the marshmallows had. Pink & Whites (a wafer-like thing with marshmallow between the two sides) were on sale for 50 pence a pack, and my husband even drew my attention to them, but I shook my head "no" and quickly moved on. Alpen Light cereal bars were on sale too, and we usually buy those when they are on sale. My husband asked the question, but I wasn't even tempted for me. In fact, I told him he could buy them for him, as I knew I would be able to control myself around them.

 I ate lots of grilled chicken and salad ingredients today. I had a bit of cheese and some yogurt. I also had some watermelon and plums. Later, I have some strawberries that I can enjoy if I get hungry after my workout on the elliptical crosstrainer. We have bought some eggs, so I will probably make myself an omelet for breakfast, complete with peppers, onion, a sprinkling of cheese and some lean bacon.

As of this morning, my weight is down 8.6lbs. I have to admit that I am thrilled, especially when my weight loss had been stuck for several months.

How are you doing with the challenge so far? Let me know in the comments below.

Here is a recipe for pancakes that doesn't use any flour or sugar. It does use sweetener, but you can reduce the amount at your discretion. I sometimes like adding cinnamon to my pancakes. I recommend topping the pancakes with fruit and/or yogurt.

Flour-Free and Sugar-Free Pancakes



Makes 2 pancakes.

Ingredients

4 tbsp sweetener
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 egg

Directions

1. Separate the egg yolk and the egg white into separate bowls.

2. Add 2 tbsp of sweetener to the egg white. Using an electric mixer, whip up the egg white until it makes stiff peaks.

3. Add the vanilla extract and the rest of the sweetener to the egg yolk and mix well.

4. Fold the egg yolk mixture into the egg white mixture.

5. Spray a pan with Fry Light and pour half of the mixture into the pan. After a minute, flip the "pancake" over.

6. Take it out a minute later and repeat the cooking process with the rest of the mixture.

Add your favorite topping and enjoy!


Tuesday 23 July 2013

Sugar Free Day Five #1wksugarfree

Another day of avoiding sugar and, in my case, bread. I had a salad with a lean sausage cut up in it for lunch and another, bigger salad with chicken for dinner. Breakfast is usually eggs and yogurt, but I am out of eggs, so  just had the yogurt and a banana. I didn't go shopping today, so I need to go buy some more eggs.

This morning when I weighed myself, I have lost another small amount of weight for a total loss of 7.2 lbs in total so far. This will be interesting to see how the next few days go as I am at a weight I tend to get stuck at when I'm losing. The first day of the challenge, I lost 3.4lbs. The second day I lost 1.4lbs. The third day, I lost 2 lbs and yesterday, I lost .4lbs. It'll be interesting to see how long this keeps up.

Here are links to helpful articles about the evils of sugar and sugar addiction that I have found. Some I have read fully and some I have only skimmed.


The Psychology Behind Sugar Addictions

Five Clues You Are Addicted to Sugar

Why Is Sugar So Addictive

Breaking Your Sugar Addiction

The Truth About Sugar Addiction

Expert Tips to Kick Sugar Addiction

These are just a few of the articles I have found on the topic. There is tons of material out there about sugar and its effect on us. I was informed of a 30 day challenge to go sugar-free that has a Facebook page, so I'm sharing it here, in case anyone is interested in checking it out after this sugar-free week is up. It's called The Sugar Challenge.

How are you all doing so far? Please let me know in the comments!


Monday 22 July 2013

Day Four Sugar Free #1wksugarfree

Here I am on day four of the challenge. I am still having cravings, but they are being satisfied with healthy food, so I think I am craving sugar whenever I let myself get hungry. I just have to make sure not to let myself get hungry, and when I do, to reach for something healthy, and it makes things so much easier.

Did I mention that I was struck today with loads of inspiration for several picture book stories, something that hasn't happened in quite some time for me? I wonder if the lack of excess sugar in my system helped my muse.

I weighed myself this morning, and I've lost even more weight now. I've now lost a total of 6 lbs.

This is really giving me even better results than I expected this early in the challenge.

How is everyone else doing (those of you who have already started)?


Sunday 21 July 2013

Sugar Free Day Three #1wksugarfree

So another day has passed. I resisted the chocolate covered ice cream popsicles in the refrigerator.  I avoided the sugary fruit gummy sweets that my daughter still has sitting in a bag on the counter in my kitchen. I filled myself up on meat and eggs, yogurt and a bit of cheese.

The cravings are still getting to me, but I found it slightly easier today, possibly because I ate a couple of bananas and a nectarine, which helped to satisfy my sugar cravings but in a natural way. (Normally, I avoid bananas, but today, it was either eat the bananas or give in to my cravings. I chose not to give in.)

The good news is that my weight went down some more. I stepped on the scale this morning to find I had dropped another 1.4lbs, making my total loss so far 4.8lbs. And that was after only two days sugar-free (and bread free).

I made a delicious crust-less quiche today, full of vegetables and the whole family enjoyed it (although my younger kids picked the vegetables out of it. *sigh*)

Yesterday, my eldest daughter told me that she and her husband are starting the challenge on Monday. They are going to go sugar-free and bread-free for the week.

I finally remembered to take my waist measurements this morning, so hopefully I will have some news about it when the week is over. I even measured my belly fat area, since that's the area that is the worst to carry around extra fat health-wise, and I have read that it is the place where most sugar-caused weight goes.


So, three days down successfully. Four to go!

How are you doing so far? Please let me know in the comments.




Saturday 20 July 2013

Day Two Sugar Free #1wksugarfree

Today has gone well. I ate a lot of healthy food and had nothing processed or full of sugar. I am still having cravings, but I am fighting them off, in part, because I know I have to report in here and I refuse to disappoint you all. If I gave in to the cravings, I'd be disappointing myself too. It's not worth it. 

This morning, I weighed in with a loss since yesterday of 3.4 lbs! I know that it is probably water-weight brought on by my not eating bread, but it still was nice to see on the scale. I forgot to take my waist measurement (again), so I will have to do so tonight and let you know the difference in it, if there is any, at the end of my week. (Of course, it will only be the difference after 5 days by then, since I keep forgetting to take the measurement.)

I hope you are all doing well with your sugar-free days so far, if you have already started. I'd love to hear in the comments how you are finding the challenge on this second day.



Friday 19 July 2013

Sugar Free Day One (plus sugar-free quotes) #1wksugarfree

Day One of My Sugar-Free WeekMy first sugar-free day isn't quite over yet, but I don't intend to stay up until past midnight tonight, so I figured it would be okay to let you know how it is going so far, now that dinner has passed. I have not allwoed myself any sugar today, so I am calling today a success.

Now, how have I been feeling? I've been really tired today, but I am not associuating that with my lack of sugar and bread because I was really tired yesterday too. Also, I was up a little early today and out riding buses getting my kids to school, when I haven't had to do that for several months. And it's really hot. I'm always tired in the heat. But I said I would share how I am feeling, so that's how I'm feeling - tired.

This is only day one, so how difficult has it been to give up the sugar (and bread)? I'm not going to lie; it hasn't been easy. The fruit jelly gummy sweets that my 18 year old bought have been calling to me, as have the ice cream bars in the freezer. It hasn't helped that I haven't eaten enough today. I need to go shopping so that I have more available food on hand that I am allowed to eat. If I had planned better, I would have done the shopping yesterday and made sure I had everything I needed before today, but I didn't think it through. Tomorrow, I intend to eat my fill of meat, eggs, fruit and vegetables.

If I remember to, I will be measuring my waist later tonight so I can see if there are any changes at the end of the week. I should have done it this morning, but I only just thought of it. Sugar, bread and the like are supposed to cause weight gain in the belly, so it will be interesting to see the results of this week's experiment.

Now, just  for fun, I have added some quotes about living sugar-free below:

Quotes about giving up sugar from people who have tried it before:


"I did the The SUGAR Challenge by Richard Callender and it was awesome . My new favourite snack is greek yoghurt peanut butter (sugar free ) and a banana (nom nom). I lost nearly a stone [14 lbs] in 30 days I was full of energy my PMT [premenstrual tension, also known as PMS or premenstrual stress] massively reduced along with cellulite. It was a major eye opener to so much crap in food. Back to normal now, but my sugar intake is still very low. I will never be 100% saintly but I'm 95% and that's pretty good." ~Zoey Tyler

****

"
It's been life changing for me. Up until the heat wave hit, I was sleeping so much more deeply than I have for a long time. I no longer get a ravenous hunger that makes me want to eat everything in the cupboard. I'm much more even tempered and I'm 10 lbs down. I think I can say I've broken the cravings for sugar. I don't look at it as not being able to have it; I'm choosing not to have it, " ~Wendy Land

****
 
"
I've cut all sugar out, including bread & milk for 11 weeks and feel so much better for it and have also lost 1 stone most of which was body fat. I still allow myself 2 squares of 85%+ chocolate if I need it or after dinner. I have so much more energy and mental clarity for cutting out processed foods.

It's true, it doesn't take long to have an effect once you give it up. I was a chocoholic and could easily consume 3 or 4 bars per night! Since I started 'clean eating' cutting out all processed foods and only eating what nature provides (that has not been altered in any way by man) my sugar cravings have gone, my body fat has dropped, I feel ALIVE! I still enjoy 2 squares of 85% chocolate but don't crave the chocolate anymore, I can now take or leave it. It has been quite an eye opener as to what is actually in our foods. My hayfever has virtually gone too, I haven't taken anything for it for over a month now and I believe it has a lot to do with what is hidden in our foods.


I couldn't believe the difference just through changing what I eat, and the pollen count is at its highest now and I'm still okay." ~Sandra Redhead

****

"About a month ago I decided to go without sugar for a day.  (I succeeded until sunset at which time the vampire in me had to eat some Marshmallow Fluff.)" ~Brenda Harris

****


"We don't need sugar to live, and we don't need it as a society." ~Mehmet Oz

****


"I'm still not comfortable recommending that people eat saturated fat with abandon, but it's clear to me that sugar, flour and oxidized seed oils create inflammatory effects in the body that almost certainly bear most of the responsibility for elevating heart disease risk." ~Andrew Weil

****

"I cut out refined sugars cold turkey. No M&M's at the movies, no energy bars, no Gatorade – I even had to be more careful when going to Jamba Juice, because sometimes they use sugar-filled juice from concentrate. After a few months, I stopped craving sugar entirely.


The difference was instantaneous: I slept better, I recovered from workouts more easily, and I had more energy. When we started training camp in September, we were doing two-a-days – four or five hours on the court – and I never got sore. Even more telling is the fact that this summer I traveled all over the world for my foundation, bringing team sports to war-ravaged countries. I was missing out on sleep and still training the whole time, but I never got sick. I've got to think it's because sugar wasn't wearing me down." ~Steve Nash

****
------------------------

If you started with me today, how has your first day of living sugar-free been? Let me know in the comments. If you are starting tomorrow, Sunday or Monday, don't forget to go shopping for lean meat, eggs, fruit, vegetables and other natral food that you can eat without adding sugar.

Brenda Harris has decided to join the challenge and blogged about it. Her post was funny, so I'm linking it for you to go and have a read. A Sugar free Challenge by Brenda Harris



Thursday 18 July 2013

How unhealthy is sugar? #1wksugarfree


I have finally admitted to myself that I have a hard time passing by the cakes, sweets and ice creams that seem to be multiplying in my house now that my 18 year old is working. She keeps going out and buying a bunch of junk food, and I keep finding myself, (with the help of her telling me, "Go ahead and help yourself,") helping myself to the munchies on frequent occasions. I am beginning to see where my small weight re-gain has come from.

While I was caught up in the joy of my weight loss success and still losing weight every week, it was easier to pass by these little nibbles, because I was seeing weekly, and sometimes daily, results for my efforts. But once I was in maintenance mode, there was less of a visible change to notice each week for my healthy-eating efforts, so sneaking a small cookie here and gummy bear there became easier to allow myself.

This week, as I caught myself eating junk food after junk food, I realized that I am addicted to sugar. I've noticed this about myself before, but never did anything about it. People are frequently suggesting that I give up having added sugar in anything, and I am often reading about others who are doing that. But I always felt like that was just too drastic a step for me to take. I mean, give up sugar? No more candy? No more chocolate? No more ice cream? No more cake or cookies? Am I even capable of such a huge step? Me, the person who was born with the strongest sweet tooth in California? I didn't think I was capable of even attempting such a thing.

But I have been considering this for a while now. And really, if I can lose over 145 lbs, then I am capable of anything I set my mind to, and giving up sugar is just one of those things. Right? So here is what I am doing:


FOR ONE WEEK:

1 - I am giving up cookies, cakes, sweets, ice cream and all other sugar-filled desserts.

2 - I am giving up sugary cereals and will not be adding sugar to any of my food.

And, I'm adding some additional changes to my challenge for the week, due to carbohydrates being so easily converted to sugar in the body.

3 - I am giving up all bread, rice, pasta and potatoes, and everything made from them.

4 - I am only allowing sweetener in my coffee and tea, and not adding artificial sweeteners to any of my other food.

5 - I will be blogging daily about how well or poorly I am doing without sugar and bread in my daily diet and the moods I am experiencing, which may or may not be a result of the dietary change.


6 - I will add, with each blog post, whether my weight has stayed the same, gone down or gone up and by how much.

Any commentary I make about the challenge on Facebook or Twitter will be using the hashtag #1wksugarfree

Are any of you brave enough to join in this challenge with me? You only need to do #1 and #2 of the things listed to be counted as joining in. (Some people don't like starting over the weekend, so even though I am starting on Friday, you can change your own start date to Monday and still be counted as joining in.)

You don't need to blog about it, but if you leave a comment here letting me know that you are going to join in the challenge with me, comment at least once during the week on either Facebook or Twitter using the hashtag #1wksugarfree and leave a comment on the last post I make on this at the end of the week (on July 26th) letting me know how you have done, I will enter you in a drawing for the cookbook, "Sweet and Sugar Free: An All Natural Fruit-Sweetened Dessert Cookbook" by Karen E. Barker (or a similar cookbook if this one isn't available). If your profile does not include an e-mail I can reach you at, I will need you to leave a way for me to get in touch with you if you win. The winner will be announced on July 27th.

So, please come and join me in exiling sugar from my daily life for the next week! Commiserate or rejoice with me as we attempt this challenge together!

(Obviously, if you have any diet-related health conditions, such as diabetes or hypoglycemia, then you need to make sure with your doctor that you are allowed to take part in this.)

Monday 15 July 2013

Finding Balance #healthyliving



Over the holidays this year, I stopped exercising and started letting myself eat whatever I wanted. The reason behind this was that I was beginning to get too strict with myself. I wasn't eating enough and I was over-exercising. Both are things that can, individually, put my body into starvation mode, and it was showing. My weight was slowly inching up even though I was exercising several hours a day and not eating enough. So, I decided to shock my body out of starvation mode by spending two weeks eating what I wanted and not adding any exercise into my daily routine. This didn't work out so well for me.

Remember, a long time ago on this blog, when I mentioned that I have a binge eating disorder? Well, following Slimming World helped me to keep control over it. When I found myself going in the opposite direction and wandering into anorexic territory (which is not the Slimming World way), I decided to make a change, but I didn't only let loose for the two weeks I had planned on. I found that, once I started letting myself eat what I wanted, the binge eating took over again and it took me two months to reign it back in. It also took me those same two months to force myself back into exercising daily.

In the meantime, my weight went up. It went up more than I had planned on. I have still lost well over 100 pounds. I have no longer lost over 145 lbs. I have about 19 pounds left to get back to my low weight. (It was 40 lbs, but I already started losing the weight again a couple of months ago.) It is depressing and I am not happy with myself or my body right now.

I am back to doing anywhere from a minimum of an hour and half of exercise daily to a maximum of 2 hours. Usually, I spend 66 minutes using the elliptical crosstrainer and spend about 45 minutes walking. But one thing I discovered with the bit of weight gain and the lack of weight training, is that I really do not like the way my arms look. I had, before letting go, been getting my arms rather toned and was seeing some nice muscle developing in them. So this past month, I have reincorporated weight training into my exercise regime. Three days a week, instead of walking the dog for 45 minutes, I am doing the Wii Fit step routine while doing different arm lifts using handweights. It's working. I am already noticing the muscle development.

My biggest problem right now is in finding balance in my healthy living efforts. I don't want to be swinging from one eating disorder to another, from binge eating to anorexia. (And yes, you can be overweight AND suffer from anorexia at the same time. I am not saying I was anorexic, only that I was heading in that direction.) The main reason I lost the weight in the first place is because I want to be healthy and live a long time so I can stick around for my children. Overexercising and not eating enough will NOT help me achieve that goal.

I am still proud of the 126 lbs I have lost. I am happy that I am living a healthy lifestyle and increasing my energy and strength. I am determined to continue to do so and not to let anything keep me from being as healthy and strong as it is possible for me to be. I am also determined not to let this recent failure get me down. I can let regret eat at me or I can work towards fixing things. I choose to fix things.

Continued goal:

I will be a healthy example for my children, and I will not let any disparaging words about my body or my weight pass my lips for my children to hear.