Winning the battle....

Wow! A lot has changed in only a month! A month ago today i started a journey, a quest, a personal mission to be my best me. I made a choice to seek health through knowledge, research and available tools. So what's different????

My choices....
I have control now over what I put in my body. I am no longer driven by cravings for sugar and soda thanks to my Pink Drink. I am able to bake cookies for my sweet nephew and not eat them all. I can cut a piece of cake in half and still feel like I participate in celebrations. I can walk by cupcakes all daylong and not stop and take one.  I haven't been to a vending machine in 4 weeks! If you know me, really know me, you know how remarkable these statements are!

My Portions...
Not only can I say no to sweets, I can push a plate of food away when I am full. No more mindless eating just because it's there. I eat enough. I was recently at a cookout. The kind where the food is awesome cause everyone brings their best or favorite dish and it's available all day. I got one plate of food. I had a small dessert. Enough and only enough! For those of you who don't struggle with food it maybe hard to understand but it actually feels good NOT to clean my plate!!!

My tastes....
Since high school I have been a lover of the Golden Arches. I mean breakfast, lunch and dinner, I could go there multiple times in a day for multiple days in a row and NEVER tire of it. My most recent attempt to partake of the Golden Arches left me feeling unfulfilled! They still have the best coke in town but I no longer crave the food. Also, I am becoming more concious of the ingredients on food labels. I am trying to choose things without high fructose corn syrup, cause I think it makes my kids crazy.  I am trying to pick things as close to natural as possible. There are of course some exceptions because let's face it, there are a few things out there that are good even if they aren't the best for you!!! Also, I am trying to make my own, homemade versions of things like bread and granola. It's rewarding for me to know what all was used to make the food I am feeding my family.

I Give myself grace....
In the past, if I ate poorly while trying to diet or quit excersing for a day or two, I would call myself a failure and give up. I would let all the negative things ever said to me take over my head and wallow in self pity about how I am always going to be fat!  Well, no more my friends! I started strong with the excersing. Then I didn't feel well, then life stuff got in the way but I am still moving more than i was before and maybe not quite where i want to be but that's why this is journey. I praise myself for small accomplishments. I focus on the good and positive. I acknowledge my mistake and move on.

I can do this! I will do this! I will find myself and live my best life. I will be and give my best to my husband, my kids, my God, my friends and family and my work. Your support encourages me, thank you! Those who are seeing me in person and can see the changes, thank you for the praises! That gives me motivation to push on. I can't believe how far I have come in 1 month, I can't wait to see what the 6 month mark and 1 year mark look like. For now, it is one day a time continuing to win battle after battle...then maybe, just maybe I can win the war!