Things I've learned

So I hope that in 5 or 10 years I will begin my blog with the sentence, "It's been this many years since I lost all that weight and I am still doing well."

Of course, that is not today. Today I can say that since Mother's Day I have lost nearly 50 lbs, one fifth of my body weight. And so, I am not yet an expert on living healthy long term. But I am here and not there, so I can only speak to this. And in this place, here are the things I have learned.

Everything tastes better when you do not have refined sugar in your life.

Even small amounts of sugar or white flour wake up my food-craving engine, and in a matter of minutes I can go from perfectly-content-with-an-appropriate-portion-of-whatever to ravenously-starving-need-to-eat-the-world. It is like the scene from Finding Nemo, when Bruce the teetotaling shark gets a whif of Dori's nose bleed. That's how I feel.

I feel completely different internally about myself and life when I am not controlled by my appetite. I feel smaller and more serious, and yet full of joy and freedom.

A big (24 oz) drink of water picks me up just like a cup of coffee.

I feel very full and satisfied when I eat a meal of good protein, healthy veggies, and a small amount of cheese.

When I have grains, even really incredibly healthy grains, it is hard to stop.

There is a limit to my good decision making capacity. I cannot continue to say no forever in a difficult situation.

I am firmer in my committment to others, be it the Lord, my sister, my husband, than I am to myself.

Being thinner means being colder.

That's what I have so far.

My new goal is to lose another 25 lbs by Valentine's Day, and another 25 by Mother's Day, which would be 100 pounds in a year. And I still won't be at my desired healthy weight, but I will be ever so much nearer than I have been in nearly 20 years. I may be unrecognizable. Hard to imagine. I guess I'll just look like my mom. A good thing.