Just Breath

Do you ever have a day when you feel like the world is falling down around you?  You know how a windshield will get hit with a rock and at fist there is just a chip.  As time goes on a crack will spread and then another until the entire windshield is shattered, but still intact.  However, you know if you hit one big bump it will fall to pieces.  This is how my life is feeling at the moment.  Really, it could be a lot worse, but I am having a hell of a time trying to make it work right now.  I even tried to smile and offer affirmations and couldn’t pick my mood up.  That is supposed to work!

So I started thinking… life doesn’t put road blocks up on positive streets so either I need to rethink my plans or accept the learning opportunities placed before me and tackle each new challenge.  When feeling this way is usually when I would say I deserve a big fat greasy cheeseburger, french fries and a shake.  Today I have decided I deserve to do something that will really make me feel better.  I am taking a healthy lunch from home and focusing on what will really make me feel better, attending to my health and true well being.  I am sure you have heard exercise releases endorphins that make you happy… bring on the freakin’ endorphins!  I have also heard that drinking water can help with stress and I am willing to give that a try.  In yoga they teach that the breath is healing.  Right now I am breathing deep and focusing on the beauty in the world around me.  Life is meant to work out… sometimes getting there is a challenge, but it will work out.

I haven’t done great with the 50/15 challenge this week, but I will get it done!  I am so excited to have so many awesome people taking that on.  It inspires me.

Today will be better than yesterday!

Angie

Fabulous Friend Spotlight

Our FABULOUS friend of the day is Kathy!  She is absolutely amazing.  If you do not follow her on twitter you should be! @KKirkscey is her twitter name.  She has been cheering us on from the start and her story is amazing.  She is an inspiration to us and we are so glad to have met her!

Kathy Before Her Weight Loss

I was kind of chubby as a child, and then had some thin years. I got married when I was 23, and have now been married for almost 30 years to my wonderful husband Brant who has loved me whether I was fat or thin! When I was pregnant with my first daughter at the age of 27, I gained a ton of weight. After she was born, I lost most of it. But after my son was born when I was 29, and I quit work to be a stay-at-home Mom, I got really heavy. When my son was about three years old, I went on a crazy diet that I found in a magazine. That actually worked, and I lost the weight, up until my youngest daughter was born. I was still OK, just a little overweight. But as the years went by, I slowly put on more weight. When I was 50, I honestly thought I looked OK, and I felt fine. I felt fine until I saw my doctor for a routine physical, and he told me that I was obese!

Kathy After She Lost 50 Pounds!

 

That is when I lost over 50 pounds in 2006 when I was 50 years old.  I think the whole key to losing weight and maintaining it, is that you have to adopt a healthy lifestyle forever. This is not something that you can start and stop like a crazy fad diet. I think exercise is really important, and everyone should find something active that they really enjoy doing. A good support network is also really important to maintaining a healthy lifestyle.  Something else helped me lose weight and keep it off this time. I finally realized that this was really about my health, not just about the way I looked or what size I wore. Thinking about my health keeps me eating right and exercising.  I’m sure you will get to your weight loss goals if you just stick with a healthy lifestyle plan. I always think about all the diets that are advertised with people who lost a lot of weight, and then it says “results not typical.” I think that is because what really matters is the person and their commitment, not the diet plan.  Also, from personal experience I think the only plan that will work is one that is sustainable forever.  You can’t ever really go back to your old ways (although you can cheat every now and then!)  That’s why I think the only diet plan that makes sense is eating regular healthy food, and exercising a lot.  I know it is hard for a lot of people to fit exercise into their busy routines.  I am so lucky that I discovered running and really love it!

Kathy’s Weight Loss Tips:

• Make changes to a healthy lifestyle slowly, one step at a time. 
•  Exercise more, eat healthy. As you get good results (you will!), add more changes.
• Don’t make changes that are not sustainable over the long run.
• If you go back to your old ways, you will look and feel like the old you.
• If you slip up (you will!), get back to your healthy lifestyle plan as soon as possible. This is for the rest of your life!  

   

*We would love to hear your weight loss stories!  Send them to fabfatties@aol.com