There's Some Work To Be Done!

View from Purchase Knob - Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Maggie Valley, North Carolina - June 1, 2013

 

Summer Adventure (Part 1) is over!  Summer Adventure (Part 2) does not begin until mid-July although there are many adventures planned between now and then.  Whereas Summer Adventure (Part 1) was all about visiting New York City and discovering Long Island, Summer Adventure (Part 2) is all about hiking!  And there is some work to be done between now and then for me to be ready for that.

 

For those who've become my blog friends since 2011, here's the brief recap.   In 2006-2007, I lost 65 pounds and kept it off for a couple of years.  By 2010 (when I began this blog), I'd regained 30 of those 65 and was having a heck of time finding the motivation to lose them.  It was November of 2011 before the "right" plan found me and once I got started, it worked like a charm and by late spring of 2012, I was back at goal weight feeling great.  I remained at or close to my goal weight until early last winter and truthfully, I can't pinpoint exactly what happened.  Obviously, a little too much of this and a little too much of that!  

But I found myself "settling" for a higher weight than I wanted because it hadn't seemed to affect my lifestyle.  Clothes still fit, lengthy hikes were still mastered, energy level was good, etc.  But you know how that goes.....two pounds become four, four become eight and by the time we left for Summer Adventure (Part 1) in early May, eight had become ten.  

Then was when I made my fatal mistake.   The mindset I knew better than to adopt.  The one that said, "don't worry about it on your trip.  Take care of it when you get home."  And you know, in the end, I am lucky to have only gained five more pounds.  What I lost was much greater.  Too much of the white stuff (flour and sugar) put every one of those pounds on places I don't want them to be.   And too much of the white stuff reminded me not how much I craved those things, but how much eating those things masks the wonderful tastes of everything else.  

So the work to be done is not necessarily losing 15 pounds, but is remembering that I now eat in a different way and being thankful that yes, I may have slipped a bit, but it's actually a GOOD thing because it reinforced once and for all, that I want to fill my body with delicious and colorful fruits and vegetable, healthy whole grains and all-natural proteins.  I don't want to feed my body boring white things except on very, VERY rare occasions.

I am happy to report that all returned to normal last Monday morning and much, MUCH progress has already been made.  I'll be back at goal before you know it.  And I can't begin to convey how much better I already feel!  The best news of all is that it is just about time for all that wonderful fresh stuff to start rolling in.  You better believe I'll be at my Farmer's Market bright and early Saturday morning!  It's been a good week with Bill on board.  He'd found a few pounds as well.  We've had some delicious meals and have stuck pretty close to Cycle 1 of the 17 Day Diet which has become my standard for losing and maintaining.  And I know there'll be lots of love and support from you guys as well.

We had no sooner gotten our bags unpacked and all the laundry done than we were packing them again for a weekend in Maggie Valley, NC.  The Asheville Astronomy Club was sponsoring a stargazing event at Purchase Knob, one of the best places for an event like this I can possibly imagine.  We had tried to attend one last fall, but I was too late getting our reservation request in and all the spaces were filled.  I was promised I'd be notified of future events BEFORE they were announced to the general public and they kept their promise.  We had an amazing time - you wouldn't believe some of the equipment those people had.  They take their "gazing" VERY seriously.  Our most spectacular thing was being able to see Saturn and its rings with a clarity I couldn't believe.  Absolutely incredible!  

Bill is well into his first summer class and has a group of 21 students eager to complete Music Appreciation!! We are back into our morning walking routine and thoroughly enjoying being able to walk outside rather than in the mall where we were forced inside during the winter.  

We are anticipating a quiet weekend at home and have no plans to pack a suitcase again any time soon although with us, you just never know. 

 

What do you have planned for the weekend?