It is a blustery winter’s morning here in my corner of the globe.  Daily blankets of snow have once again replaced our wet, muddy winter.  It creates extra exercise for me as I work to keep the driveway cleared.  I got my first workout in well before the sun came up…and some extra at daybreak getting the driveway cleared.

That feels so good. 

It feels good to move.  It feels good to work out the aches and kinks of a night’s rest and waken my body for a new day.  It takes me a bit longer in this decade to warm things up, but I am committed to feeling as good as I can possibly feel, despite the aches and stiffness. 

Today starts week number eight of my healthier habits.  The earlier habits are locked in solid.  I rarely have a craving for chips or sweets.  I looked at the label on a bag of snack chips Hubby was eating this weekend.  I was less concerned about the calories and lack of nutritional value and honed in on the ingredients.

Oh my.

It is a very long list of ingredients for a snack.  There are more ingredients than most recipes I would tackle.  It is amazing that there are so few “real food” ingredients listed.  Sure, there is corn and cheese.  There are things I struggle to pronounce.  What the heck is “disodium guanylate” anyway?  What snack food would be complete without yellow and red food dye?  No thank you.

Reading the label made me feel better about my choice to remove those items from my routine eating habits. 

Guess what else made me feel better about it?  My weight and measurements this weekend!

My totals through this journey thus far are a loss of five and a half pounds, and nine and a half inches!  I am happy with those numbers.  It tells me that although I am not getting much lighter, I am getting smaller.  Muscle weighs more than fat.  Given my desire to remain strong in my fitness, these numbers are awesome!

I have been consistent with my first three habits:

1. No junk food with one cheat meal per week
2. Workout at least five times per week for at least 20 minutes
3. Yoga three times per week

Last week I made a slight adjustment to see if I could fire up the “loss” progress again.  I took one day and kept a tally of the number of servings of carbohydrates I was eating through the day.  I put a mark down for any potatoes, winter squash, pasta, rice, grains, and fruit.  My tally showed me that I was eating a serving of carbohydrates four to five times a day… with meals and usually as a snack.  I decided to make a change and limit my carbohydrate servings to twice a day to boost fat loss.

Over the last week I have played with the “twice a day” number. Some days, twice a day is fine and I feel satisfied with extra veggies and healthy fat, such as nuts.  However, on days when I am very busy with fitness, snow removal, house chores, and work at the gym, I lose my steam early in the day with only two servings.  On days that I feel a bit sluggish, I add a serving such as a piece of fruit or potato with a meal.  That has helped!

I am learning about my body as this process moves along.  I am learning how to nurture myself and treat myself in the best way possible.  I know I am taking better care of my body by giving it good fuel.  I am enjoying an evening out a week where I can choose freely from a menu without guilt of “blowing my diet”.  Even when I have the freedom in my “cheat meal”, I am still making better choices than in the past so not to undo all of the good work I am doing for myself.

I am learning to relax.  The yoga practice on a regular basis has helped me to feel less tense and even improve the way my body moves.  I am not doing anything crazy.  I am just being more aware of what my body needs.

I tried on some of the clothes that did not fit eight weeks ago.  My wardrobe is expanding as I shrink!  Ha!  Non-scale victory!

Sharing the journey here keeps me honest and mindful.  This is not just a few weeks and “done”.   If I wanted something quick to be “skinny” I could have done one of many programs out there…drink this shake… take this pill… avoid all foods you love… exercise an hour a day every day.   That is not a life for me.

This is my life.

I am making each day the best it can be, and feeling as good as I can feel right now. 

Who knows what tomorrow will bring?

Carpe Diem!