Here we go..... AGAIN! Another year, another month, another plan. LOL
I found about this right at the last minute on New Years so I signed up with my daughter and son-in-law. We live in the same home so I can help with my beautiful grandchildren, so what one does, we all need to do. And boy, do I need to do it!
I'm 55 and have been going through the menopause phase for six or seven years now. These last four or five years have wreaked havoc on me. I injured a foot and didn't find out until six years and several doctor visits later, that I was actually limping around on a broken foot, which led to surgery. I found out in the process that I was allergic to the internal sutures, which caused foot swelling and (what appears to be permanent) nerve damage in my foot. Long story short... my foot and ankle are no better off two years later than the six years prior.
Because it hurt to walk, I did very little of it for these last seven or eight years. On top of that, I developed (or so I've been told) insulin resistance and have all of a sudden become allregic to weird things like hair color. I've never been allergic to anything in my life until these last years. I blamed all the weirdness on menopause, but let's be honest... all of these only contributed to my lack of a healthy lifestyle, and now I find myself 150 pounds overweight and I carry it all in my gut, which means it hurts to even stand and be vertical for even a few seconds because all of that weight is pulling on my lower back. Add that to my injured foot, which has now become weak and feels like it's going to collapse with every step, and I've become a wreck! And... I always feel like I am a breath away from slipping in to a coma!
To make matters worse, I am a graphic designer who sits at a desk and clicks a mouse all day (and evening), which means the only movement I get is to walk to the bathroom to shower and take care of nature, then back to my desk (which is literally right next to my bed), so seriously.... I doubt I do even 100 steps a day. In fact... 100 would be generous.
I knew how much I weighed, and I knew that I FELT like I weighed every ounce of it and then some.... but actually looking at the photo I had to take of myself for this challenge was a VERY RUDE awakening. I have avoided mirrors at all costs and this just sent me in to a tail spin! I'm not sure if looking at that pic every day will keep me motivated, or if it just depresses me and makes me feel too overwhelmed to bother. What I DO know, is that I really need to get my crap together for myself and my kids. They deserve their bubbly and active mom back, and so do I!
So here's to week one and hoping I can hang in there. I promise to:
- Be accountable
- Drink tons of water
- No more bedtime buffets. My eating habits suck! I can go until 2 or 3 in the afternoon and not even think of food, then eat once and get back to work, then when I stop working and head for bed, I'm like a baby that can't get to sleep on an empty tummy, so I eat quesadillas or some other equally-cheesy crap (cuz I love cheese), that I can make quietly and quickly, so as to not wake anyone else... then head to bed. It's ridiculous!
- Don't bother with a certain diet, but rather just do a WHOLE LOT better than I have been, knowing there will be cheat days but to just start over the next meal and not give up.
- Move more. No promises how much because at this point, two trips up and down the stairs is more than I'm doing already. LOL
- Don't get disappointed if I don't lose 15 or 20 pounds in a week or so like I used to be able to. Don't expect miracles any time soon. This has got to be for the long haul, and at this point, I just have to tell myself that my only goal is to be able to WALK through the Christmas lights with the kids next year instead of drive through them!
Soooo... that's it! Realistic expectations and praying for some endurance!
Good luck everyone and hang in there!