Weekly Update Number 2

Has it been only two full weeks?

It feels so much longer, as if I have been living and eating like this forever. I look at this thought as a positive change because I really can not fathom going back to the way things use to be...like remembering that today is 9/11 and how those events changed me forever, so has this event in my life...my personal 9/11 and the towers of unhealthy living have come down forever.

1. Exercise: Still walking twice a day and lifting hand weights every other day. This is really paying off. I am up to 1/2 mile without stopping and moving at a good clip each time. I am noticing how much exercise is playing a role with moderating my moods. I am happier and more even keeled. I fidget more, as well. I am out there living life instead of letting life pass me by because of the inability to move.

2. Healthy Eating: This is a lot easier than I thought it would be. I have finally figured out my keys to success and they are following the rules of clean eating and planning. A typical day looks something like this:

Breakfast: I never skip breakfast. It is true that more success is found with a good and filling breakfast. It starts my day off on the right foot and gives me the fuel and courage I need to continue to make good choices. I usually eat 1 serving of plain, steel cut oatmeal with 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon and 1/2 cup of fruit such as strawberries, blueberries, or banana slices. Once or twice a week, I will make an egg beaters omelet or scramble with veggies and a probiotic yogurt.

Lunch: Yeah...my chance to have some healthy carbs!!! I either have 1 cup of whole wheat pasta or brown rice with chopped tomatoes, a splash of EVOO, and some basil. 2 cups of salad greens such as romaine, bibb, green leaf, and spinach. I make a big bag of salad and keep it in the crisper, so it's ready when I am. I also have 3oz of cooked turkey or chicken or 1/2 cup of kidney beans or black beans and serving of fresh fruit. That's a lot of food!!! It is my heaviest meal of the day, but still low in calories and fat.

Snack: If needed, I will have one serving of fresh fruit or a yogurt.

Supper: I keep this meal my lightest of the day. I have 1 serving of protein and 2 servings of vegetables.


3. Water: I am up to a gallon a day. I fit it in whenever I can...I am constantly drinking water and have now decided that the bathroom really needs to be remodeled....because I spend so much time IN there!! Flushing your system of toxins and eliminated fat is important even if you are retaining water. The easiest way to rid your body of excess fluids is to drink more!!

4. Self Talk and Stress: I still struggle with this, but I am finding out so much about myself. It really is more than a journey to healthy living...it is a journey of self discovery. I am exploring why I had let myself become such a victim. What have I been hiding from? Why did I use the shield of fat to remove myself from a happy, fulfilled life. I am delving deeper into HOW and WHY I let myself get to where I was. Why was it okay for me to punish myself by eating poorly? I can stand up for the rights of others and be proactive, so why should I not be the same way with myself? Well, the victim doesn't live here anymore. Each day, I find that I am becoming authentic and more real. I am getting to know who this Marlene is and just what I am capable of.

And now...what we have been weighting for...261.4 (start weight) minus 255.2 (today's weight) equals....6.3 Pounds gone forever!!!

I am just really stoked! Yeah, it was hard work, but I did it and I am not starving. I am more energized than ever and doing things I never imagined.

We went out last night with the whole family last night and I put on a pair of dress pants I hadn't worn in a while...these were pants that had been tight...and now they are too big, so while the pounds are coming off, I also know that my body is changing as well!!

And the feet...not swollen...I have veins!!!

Keep up the hard work everyone and don't forget YOUR weekly update...good, bad, or ugly. It is all about change.