Mindfulness...

 It's hard to believe 

that I haven't always looked like this!   

I can't believe I am actually writing this post, because it is embarrassing to me.

Embarrassing, that I let one day roll into the next.

Embarrassing that I had progressively let my weight get to the point, the second number contained a "5" in it (which was what I weighed when I was 9 months pregnant with Jade).
But, my blog is a journal and this is something that while difficult to blog about, ought to be recorded.  Maybe even some of what I have discovered about myself will be helpful to someone else out there.

(photo of Jade and I circa 2002)
 Back before Ethan was born, 
I used to meticulously count calories. 

I was a label reader and I would count out the portion that was on the box, put in a container and then that is all I would eat.

I never struggled with my weight ever!!
I never thought I would deal with a weight problem... and that is what got me into trouble!
Tracy and I began to get a treat of some kind almost every time we were in the check-out line at the store.  Usually it was something pretty harmless like splitting an Almond Joy candy bar but that lack of mindfulness really adds up over the course of a day.
Later on, we would be comfy watching a movie on the couch after the kids had gone to bed and before we knew it we would have downed an entire bag of chips and salsa.
If you have ever read the calories on a bag of M&M's you will realize that 1/4 of a cup is 220 calories.
1/4 cup is a small handful and how many handfuls do you enjoy when there is an open bag of M&M's on the counter?!?

It's amazing how much sitting for 6-8 hours at a time, "chained" to a desk, staring into a computer screen, stressing about work problems and also sleeping poorly, can contribute to weight gain as well.

It's amazing how packing on an extra 2-3 pounds of fat a year, over the course of 11 years can add up to thirty pounds.

Well, that is roughly how many pounds I have lost in the past seven months or so.
 The amazing thing is I have not really been trying to lose weight.  
Since quitting my job in 2012, I just wanted to feel healthier, have more energy and be more active.  
I had gotten so used to how I looked...
I really didn't see myself as chubby and overweight. 

This photo was taken one week 
after I quit my 22 year job at Artco 
last January 2012.

These photos were taken of me at my Aunt Betty's funeral in June 2012.
WOW!  Can you say horrendous looking!
I can't believe how heavy and unattractive I look. Oh, how I wish I could go back and retake these photos with my cousins and aunts and uncles. 

(and YUCK to the blonde hair...I'm just amazed that I ever thought this color looked good on me... SO grateful to have gone back to my natural root color.)

This photo was taken after the funeral while we stopped to get ice cream at Peach City in Brigham City, Utah. 

Well, time marched on and before summer of 2012 had come to an end, I had gotten hired on with two local schools teaching PE to grades K-5 two days a week.
You wouldn't think that those two days of non-stop moving would have been such a difference in my life, but WOW, did it ever!

Here are before and after photos and I'm just amazed at the difference that 30 pounds can make on my frame size.

I haven't gone on any special diet.
I haven't been extreme in any way at all.
The only thing I can think of is that I have been MINDFUL!
I meticulously watch what I eat everyday.
If I over do it one day, I make sure to eat better the next day.   
Never have I felt deprived. 
Daily mindfulness doesn't feel like dieting. 
It just feels like the way I ought to be living in every aspect anyway.

Another thing I do is I weigh myself each morning after I get out of the shower.  That way, if I'm up a pound, I can adjust my eating that day. It is much easier to lose one pound, than it is to lose ten pounds.
Life is about balance.
YES, We splurge on burgers and fries on occasion, we eat ice cream and pizza from time to time, however, it is more moderately than it has been in the past and usually we share something and savor each bite.
I have always been one to eat pretty healthy during the week but recently I have made a shift to eating a delicious salad for lunch instead of dinner left-overs...
 when you "dig-in" to a big salad, you are filling up on lots of veggies  
(lettuce, cabbage, tomatoes, carrots, broccoli, 
cucumbers, green onions and pea pods).
The salads are topped with a heaping spoonful of cottage cheese for protein and sometimes chicken or salmon is added as well.  I include a piece of fruit and some other kind of treat in our lunch also.  From a dietary perspective, these daily salads are the biggest change to our lifestyle that I can think of.  Really, for the most-part, weight loss is a numbers game. Salads like ours are very filling, with some good ingredients for energy without being too calorie dense.  Also, there is very little in our lunches that cause a big spike in insulin.   
In other words, they are low in carbs...  but really I haven't been thinking too much about carbs or protein or fat, I just enjoy eating these delicious salads and being mindful about how much snacking I do throughout the day.

  I must say, with the recent changes in my body, I am feeling much more confident in my appearance and more confident to be in photos! 

We just celebrated 
some happy moments this past month...

Mother's Day 2013

Family photos  May 18, 2013

Jade's High School Graduation 
May 25, 2013

 
Swimming at Lava Hot Springs 
Memorial Day Weekend 2013  

Now that summer is here, I won't be teaching PE but I will be working in the yard, doing daily yoga, riding my bike, hiking and backpacking.  I have also been thinking that I really ought to start lifting weights and developing some additional muscle tone, especially in my core and upper body!
Come fall, I want to really show my PE students how push-ups, pull-ups and crunches are done!
At this point, I don't want get any thinner at all.
I just want to be healthy, toned, full of energy so I can enjoy each and every day of my wonderful life to the fullest!