It is all worth it.

I just wanted to let everyone know that I did it!! I made it through last night without having any ice cream. Oh I was so tempted, but I did my "blog entry" and after that I felt much better. Just admitting to the world (or I should say anyone reading this blog) that I am human and I have struggles and YES I have temptations that I can overcome. I think that has been the biggest thing I have learned about myself in doing this weight loss management program. I don't have to give into every temptation that comes my way when it comes to food. It is so easy to say "NO" to drinking and drugs and other things of the world. But when it comes to food, it is so hard for me to say "NO". I really made food a part of my emotional medicine. Now I have found other things to substitute such as exercise and this blog!

I woke up this morning feeling so good. I knew I made it through a tough challenge and I am still alive. When I go to Dr. Hendricks and say "I haven't cheated" they always correct my verbiage and say "You have stayed the course". They don't like to call it "cheating" because that is associated with guilt and they don't want you feeling guilty if you go off course. They want you to get back on the path and keep going. That is such a great philosophy. It is true that I have stayed the course, but I still like to say "cheating" because I am the type of person that needs the guilt. Gosh, maybe that is my problem.... that could be another blog entry or even worse another one of my "good novels" :)

So here is my advice to all of you that set your New Years Resolution to lose weight. YOU CAN DO IT. I just know you can! The first step is making the decision to do it. And do it 100%. You don't have to jump in with both feet and a 50 pound weight like I did, but start with small things. For example, stop drinking soda. I was forced to stop drinking Cola's when I found out I had a Kidney Stone. So for me, it was more of a medical thing. But just think how many calories a 12 oz can of Soda has in it. Anywhere from 100 calories on up. Depending on the type of soda, and how many refills you have while dining out, you could rack up 500-1000 calories just on the drink. Not to mention all the other food. Wouldn't you much rather use those calories for something better? Anyway getting soda out of your daily diet is a good start. I have had people say to me "You can always drink diet soda" AHHHHHHHHHHHH! Why bother, I can't stand diet soda, I would just rather have water. It is better for you! Why put all the "junk" that is in diet soda, to make it taste somewhat bearable, into your body? Your body just has to work that much harder to get rid of all the chemicals that are in diet soda. My brother Nathan decided he would stop drinking soda about a month ago. He hasn't had any soda for over a month and he said that now his food tastes better. He is drinking more water and feeling better. I think that is awesome!

Today when I went to work I actually wore clothes that fit me. Every single person commented on how good I looked! They kept saying "Amy you are so skinny". Well I am far from skinny, I am still very overweight, but it shows that I have really made some progress. I had one co-worker say to me "Did you lose another 30 pounds in the past week"? I had to laugh and replied "No, I am just wearing clothes that are not falling off me". He then said "Well you look really good, and I really like your blouse". I said "Thanks, I am glad you like it because you are going to be seeing it a lot. I only bought a few things last week because I know I am going to be losing more weight and buying more clothes in smaller sizes". It just felt really good to have people giving me so much attention and letting me know how good I look. Gosh, nothing feels better than that. It just gives me more will power to do better.

I can't wait until this Wednesday when I go weigh in. I know the weight loss hasn't been as drastic the past two weeks. I have to prepare myself that I am not going to go weigh in and have them say you have lost another pound a day. That just isn't going to happen and I can't get depressed over it or discouraged. I was very fortunate to have lost 30 pounds in 30 days. But that isn't healthy to keep losing at that rate. This plan is designed for you to lose an average of 3.5 pounds a week and I can tell my body is settling into that.