Bet You Thought I Quit by Now

5 weeks of clean eating.  I bet you thought I quit by now....  Well, I am going strong.  Lost about 10 pounds which is a little less than I planned but it's slowly coming off.  It's starting to feel like a way of life.  It's easier to cook, easier to grocery shop, and I don't feel like I am missing out.  I feel good about buying the whole foods, but I am overwhelmed by how many people are still eating the way I was and how many people are battling obesity.  Today, I started a new step.  I ran full speed for the first time.  I sprinted down the block about a 100 yards.  All 170 pounds of myself flopping around.  I got to my "goal spot" panting like my husky after a bike run.  My legs are tight and my body is sore but I know it's good to start pushing myself again.

I am moving and going sometimes 3-4 miles at a time now.  It's hard to motivate myself some days.  Most of the bad food has leaked it's way out of the house and it's probably good because sometimes I would eat the "easy to make" foods again on those long and busy days.  But each time we make our own clean food, it feels better. 

I haven't quit on myself and I think that's the best part about all of this.  I don't want to give up and just accept "this is just who I am now".  One of my friends actually looks better since she had her son.  She started running and working out and eating right and she's beautiful.  When I see how much she changed in the year after she had her son, it gives me courage to keep going.  Another one of my old co-workers is a huge inspiration.  She has been eating clean and working out for years and has lost well over 100 pounds.  She looks like a different person, a happier person.  She now has rock solid muscles and a passion to live this way forever.

Tonight I am snacking on blue berries after a meal of a chicken burger and grilled veggies (no bun!!).   I am constantly trying new foods, new spices, and new ways of cooking.  I love packing the fridge with fresh cut produce and making a meal with "a little of this and a little of that".  Real food doesn't take much to make it taste good.  I still feel energized, renewed, and hopeful that having a baby has changed my life for the better in so many ways. 


I haven't quit on my dream for a private practice, a life where I can spend time with my daughter, and a life where I have a happy marriage, close friendships, and an authentic relationship with the Lord.  It's about the balance of holistic life focused on not every being everything to everyone.  I have realized that I have to take care of myself by working on myself rather than just being lazy and neglecting myself.  It's a daily choice, a little easier, but some day I will post my before and after picture and I will bask in all that hard work.