Freedom Challenge Results - Week 3

Sunrise from Clingman's Dome - Great Smoky Mountains National Park

April, 2009

One of my "bucket list" items.  We had to leave home at 4:30 a.m.  

Thanks so much for your feedback on the questions from yesterday's post about specific people to whom you've opened up your blogs and methods you use to read other blogs.  If you haven't done so, please go back and add your two cents worth!!  Based on what you guys said and my own gut level feelings, this blog, for the time being, is going to remain between me and you!  A couple of you reminded me (and all of us) that no matter how personal it seems, what we write is out there for all the world to see and we should always be respectful.  We write our blogs for ourselves, but I think we'd all concur that we also hope to motivate and encourage others as well.  Can't do that by being disrespectful.  If anything I ever write comes across that way, PLEASE bring it to my attention. 

Additional comments have been added to Thursday's, Do It While You're Still Young post.  If you are under age 40 and have NOT read this post, I'd strongly encourage you to do so.   Listen to the sage advice of us stubborn old mules, whoops, I mean gorgeous more mature voices of sanity, regarding losing weight during and after menopause. 

On to my results for week three of the Freedom Challenge:

1) Walking is my form of exercise. Since 2006, I have worn a pedometer, kept a log and averaged 10,000 steps per week. I'd like to increase that goal to 12,000 steps per week. DONE!!  I am happy to say that I walked no less than 10,000 steps every day last week and the average of the seven days was 12,263.

2) I want to begin planning menus in advance. I will plan menus five days this week and increase it by one day each week, so that by the end of the challenge, I'll be planning a week in advance. (this will free me from the "oh my gosh, what are we having for dinner" syndrome. DONE!!  This goal has been so effortless, I will step it up and plan the whole week's menus. 

3) Along with goal #2, I will find and try at least one new recipe each week and post a picture of it on my blog. (this gives me freedom to be creative in the kitchen which is most definitely NOT something that comes naturally!!) FAILED!!  This is a goal I should not have set.  It is not me and I allowed "what I wish I was" to get in the way of "who I really am."  I'd love to cook and am so envious of those who post such creative pictures of yummy food, but there are just things I'd rather be doing.  The mood strikes every once in awhile, but not often enough to have set a goal of trying something new weekly.  What the goal has accomplished is an organized list of things I WANT to try. One of these days I will, but not under the pressure of doing it just to meet a goal. 

4) July 30th is my birthday. I will eat nothing with white sugar in it until that day (and maybe not then). DONE!!  I did not eat anything this week with white sugar in it.

5) This is a "just for fun" goal since you said you'd prefer they not be weight/scale oriented. I'd like to weigh 155 or less by my birthday. This is my 55th birthday and I think it would be cool to be down around that number. Fortunately, I'm already very close, so this should be a easy no-brainer.  As it turns out, this "no-brainer" may not happen.  I have plateaued and as of this morning still weighed 156 1/2 where I've been stuck for over a week.  Interesting note about that is I plateaued at 157 when I lost this weight in 2006 and was stuck there for over a month.  It must be a weight my body would like to stay at.  However, I know my body also likes 138, so that is where it's going to go!!!!

I will be sad when the Freedom Challenge ends.  It has been a great challenge for me to participate in as my very first one.  I've found that I like being part of a challenge and the accountability it requires, so will always try to be participating in one.  This challenge has also brought new blog friends to me and that has been the part I've most enjoyed.

I'm ending today's post with another picture from the Clingman's Dome sunrise trip.

This picture was taken within seconds of the first one.  I simply turned around and this was the scene behind me.  I love the way the dawning sun illuminated just the tips of those mountain peaks.  Two totally different views, both amazing in their beauty.  All I had to do was look in a different direction.  Maybe there is some wisdom there to help with my plateau.  Maybe by looking in a different direction I'll see the light of some small thing I can change that will make a difference.  No big deal - just turn around.

Tell me something on your "bucket list" that has nothing to do with weight loss or eating plans!!