Friday, January 4, 2013

It's still easy

It's SOOO easy to make healthier choices that I've lost 4.9 pounds since Wednesday. Now, I know that is not normally a healthy amount to lose but considering my size and that sugar cookie diet in the month of December, I think it's just right.

Day three of my full load of a four class quarter. So far, I am juggling all four classes with ease. There is a benefit of having John working nights. There is less distraction from my homework and I am more active at night doing odd and ends around the house, homework, chatting with friends with very little TV/Couch time. I enjoy that. Not that I don't enjoy spending time with the hubby but his favorite thing to do every night is watch TV. So hopefully by the time he goes to days, I will be completely out of that habit and will encourage him to be more active at night too. It will be Spring when that happens.

I have to tell you I love peanut butter and my new favorite breakfast is Quaker oats oatmeal (not from the packet) and then I add in a tablespoon of all natural peanut butter. D E V I N E.
I have been having turkey sandwiches on hoagie rolls for lunch with provolone, lettuce, tomato and avocado. Of course, a latte during the day but for dinner I thought I would swap out a home cooked meal with a smoothie. When I say smoothie I don't mean a skimpy one either.

It is about a 500 calorie smoothie when its all said and done but believe me, its all good for you calories. I start with a banana, an apple, two large hand fulls of spinach, 4 celery stalks, 2 Tablespoons flax seed (ground), 1/4 cup (raw instant oatmeal), and top it off with all natural peanut butter. 1-2 Tablespoons. Mix up and YUM!!!! Keeps me full and I like it. I have been doing good with not having dessert. This was a biggy for me.

I was thinking of going back to Weight Watchers but my husband pointed out that I am relying on someone or something else outside of myself to lose weight. I need to look within in.  At first I was like, nooo I'm not. LOL but yea, he is right. When I lost over a hundred pounds a decade ago, I did not go to Weight Watchers or any other diet place. I did it on my own. So, for that - thank you babe. I need to look and rely within.

My friend Jes told me, if I fail to plan, I plan to fail. She also said to remember these words.
Discipline is remembering what you want.
So true.

Other than being bloated and PMSing... I am in a pretty good place. It is Friday & I only have two classes today. I grateful for the gift of good health that is keeping me alive. Thank you Jesus.

I am going to make 2013 the best year yet!

I'm OWT.
Mistie

Thursday, January 3, 2013

It's easy...

This is my new mantra "It's easy"
See, I figure the state of attitude is what makes something easy or hard. If I dreaded lets say doing dishes. Just absolutely loathed it... do you think I would have a good time when I did the dishes? No. What if I looked at it differently and said to myself..."Doing the dishes isn't so bad. My kitchen will look so much better. I am grateful that I am healthy enough to stand at the sink and do my dishes. I will crank my tunes and have deep thought time. I will be productive and invest in the cleanliness of my house." I know sounds kind of hokey but if I said these things over and over.... (the bad) or (the good stuff) which one would take over? I would essentially make my dish washing experience terrible if I constantly thought negatively about the chore.
All in all truth, I don't mind doing the dishes... I was just using this as an example. Just like walking or exercising... If I had self talk with myself or conversations with others how much I hated exercise I am guessing that I would dread to do it, while I was doing it I couldn't wait for it to be over and it would be a burden of a chore... However, what if I took a different approach and said, I am going to enjoy walking on my treadmill or doing my ball exercise. I am going to feel good and look great because of it. It's easy to do and I enjoy it. If I said this over and over and went in with a positive attitude and thought only positive thoughts while I was doing it.... I am betting my workouts would be more frequent, longer and meaningful. Verses dragging my feet and doing it because I had to instead of because I wanted to.

We can make things easy or hard. Ever see a child slouched down because they had to do a house chore or a task they didn't want to do? They moped and did it begrudedly. What if that child took the opposite opinion and just said OK, I have to do this, I am going to make the best out of it. I am helping my Mom out and afterwards I can play. Which experience would be better?

When I first started College I had self talk going on in my head on the first day. I can't do this, this is so stressful, I am dumb, on and on and on.... guess what I struggled and I didn't enjoy the experience. This year I went in the Fall quarter telling myself, this is going to be easy, I am going to enjoy it and I am going to get A's. Guess what? I did... all of the positive talk came true... just like all the negative self talk did the year before.

Even the Bible says "A man thinkith, therefor he is."

I think we forget and it's easy to bitch and moan and whine about what we need to do even though it's good for us. If we want the experience to be better, think better thoughts. It all starts with ourselves.
So this years approach to a healthy lifestyle that sticks is a positive one. It is so much easier than I expected to eat healthy and stay away from processed refined man made foods. I am craving micro nutrients. I enjoy working out. It makes me feel great. Getting rid of this weight is going to be easy.

How many times have you said to yourself, "It's not going to be easy?" STOP!!!! It is going to be easy.

If you want to renew your life, you must renew your mind first. Stop the negative, doubtful, fearful talk that starts in your head because let's face it, if its coming out of your mouth, it's what is in your heart and you are just fighting yourself against a losing battle. The choice is yours and life is truly what you make it.